Josh Rizzo stories, Page 12
Penn Hills notebook: Boys basketball team bows out at Peters Township
The Penn Hills boys basketball team saw its season come to an end on the road at Peters Township. The Indians, who were the No. 11 seed, had a hard time scoring consistently during a 63-30 first-round loss Feb. 18. Calix Clark and Amon Hawthorne tied for a team-high six...
Postseason grind tests mettle of Fox Chapel wrestlers
The path to qualifying for the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships has an extra step to the process this season. For the first time in the larger classification, wrestlers must qualify for a regional instead of going straight from the WPIAL tournament to states. Fox Chapel wrestling coach Michael Frank...
Fox Chapel girls set new standards during playoff season
The Fox Chapel girls basketball team made its return to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs after a three-year absence. The Foxes weren’t able to upend potential title hopeful Peters Township, but Fox Chapel coach Marty Matvey was happy with the progress. The Foxes lost 66-58 and hope they have the...
Mohawk jumps out fast, defeats undermanned Southmoreland in boys 3A quarterfinals
Mohawk boys basketball junior guard Bobby Fadden sat back and waited for Vinny Pezzuolo, Blake Logan and Joey Nail to cause chaos. The Warriors wanted to make life difficult on an undermanned Southmoreland squad during a WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinal Friday night at North Catholic High School. Mohawk took advantage...
Bishop Canevin girls shut down Springdale in WPIAL Class A quarterfinals
Isabella Sysak patrolled the top of the 3-point line with great interest in procuring the ball. The Bishop Canevin junior guard created chaos Monday night at Donald McGhee Fieldhouse. Sysak produced two steals and scored four points in the first 90 seconds to help spark the Crusaders to a 45-12...
Allderdice captures 4th straight City League boys basketball championship
Allderdice boys basketball coach Devin Crummie knew the shootaround wouldn’t be a picnic at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse the day before the City League championship game. The Dragons needed to be sharp for their battle with a worthy challenger in Obama Academy. “Everybody calls it a shootaround,” Dragons coach Devin Crummie...
Allderdice girls top Obama Academy to defend City League title
Bailey White sported a wide smile as she grabbed the City League championship trophy Sunday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. With the win, White and the Allderdice girls basketball team left no doubt to their spot in the district’s hierarchy. The Dragons’ 52-45 win over Obama Academy was their second straight...
Shaler swimmers set big goals for postseason meets
Grace Melocchi has been swimming year-round since she was little. One of the long-term goals of the Shaler senior swimmer surfaced when she made it to middle school. With Melocchi’s form in the pool, a coach mentioned that she would have a realistic shot at setting the school’s record in...
Shaler girls ‘play for each other’ en route to section championship
Tony Grenek was ready with the justification before his wife, Megan, approached him about the promise he made before taking the job as Shaler girls basketball coach. Grenek, who coached collegiately at Seton Hill and Point Park before spending the previous two years as North Hills’ varsity coach, said he...
Redeemer Lutheran basketball teams savor playoff experience
The Redeemer Lutheran girls basketball team is conditioned to play all 32 minutes if necessary. But the Rams are happy the program has grown enough so they can all get a rest. Redeemer opened the Southwestern Pennsylvania Athletic Association playoffs Feb. 10 by beating Neighborhood Academy, 51-25, on the road...
1st-year Penn Hills diver qualifies for WPIAL meet
Mikael Epperson had to retrain his thought process if he was going to become an effective diver for the Penn Hills swim team. The Indians sophomore chose to come out for swimming for the first time this year after previously competing in track and field. “About halfway through the season...
Pieces in place for Shady Side Academy girls as postseason run begins
The Shady Side Academy girls basketball team is in a strong position to defend its WPIAL Class 3A crown. The Bulldogs turned in an impressive regular season, compiling a 22-0 record with an average margin of victory of 31.6 points per game. While Shady Side Academy players settled comfortably into...
Confidence grows for Fox Chapel girls wrestlers in program’s 2nd season
The Fox Chapel girls wrestling team has spent less time focusing on learning the basics. In the Foxes’ second full season as a varsity wrestling program, Fox Chapel felt much more prepared for the second WPIAL wrestling championships. “Last year, I felt like I was wide-eyed walking into the tournament,”...
Resilient Obama Academy, powerful Allderdice to meet in 4th straight City League girls final
The Obama Academy girls basketball team was forced to use many different lineups throughout the regular season. The Eagles were limited by injuries and had to send many underclassmen onto the floor. Obama Academy (10-10) opened the season with six straight losses but found its footing in league play. The...
Seeking 5th straight City League title, Allderdice boys to be tested by tough Obama Academy defense
Allderdice boys basketball coach Devin Crummie would prefer to see his team on the move during the City League championship game Sunday at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. But the Dragons likely will need to be more methodical against Obama Academy. The Eagles, who are attempting to halt Allderdice’s streak of four...
Fox Chapel junior breaks through in shot put
Claire Conti set the Fox Chapel indoor track and field record in the shot put during her freshman season. Now a junior, Conti spent the past two seasons attempting to find a way to hit the 33-foot mark. During Tri-State Track Coaches Association meet No. 4 on Feb. 1 at...
Penn Hills swimmer puts in work in pursuit of goals
Penn Hills junior swimmer Sydney Smith doesn’t want to take her mind off what she is working toward. Smith has inched closer to earning a berth in the WPIAL Class 3A championships in the 100 breaststroke. Smith has a personal best time of 1 minute, 15.20 seconds, which is behind...
As regular season wraps up, Penn Hills boys in position to reach goals
The Penn Hills boys basketball team fought into the position coach Chris Giles hoped they could land at. The Indians already had their ticket to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs punched before their final section game with Kiski Area. Penn Hills entered the game, the result of which was too...
North Catholic boys win section crown by beating Deer Lakes
Beating Deer Lakes on the road to wrap up sole possession of the Section 1-4A boys basketball title came from a foundation North Catholic built in early December. The Trojans lost their first three games, two by 15 or more points. But the lessons North Catholic learned from losing to...
Goals still in sight for reloaded Fox Chapel boys roster as playoffs approach
Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar isn’t worried about the classification the Foxes fall under when the PIAA realigns their boys basketball divisions every two years. The Foxes plan to adjust and contend. When Fox Chapel returned to Class 6A this season, the Foxes stuck to the plan. Fox Chapel has...
Catullo’s energy leads Burrell wrestling to victory in PIAA Class 2A tournament
Ben Catullo didn’t look like someone who had wrestled for 61⁄2 minutes when he leaped to his feet and flexed toward the Burrell wrestling team’s bench. After Catullo’s overtime win at 160 pounds, his teammates were happy to celebrate with him Tuesday night at Burrell High School. Buccaneers heavyweight Ayden...
Freeport uses pressure defense to defeat Highlands, earn spot in playoffs
Applying consistent pressure and constantly sprinting left Nia DiSanti, a 5-foot-7 guard for the Freeport girls basketball team, a little tired Monday night. But after losing seven of eight games to start the season, the Yellowjackets became accustomed to having to turn up the energy to dig out of their...
Penn Hills lineman overcomes obstacles to play college ball at VMI
Donovan Burnett wanted his college football experience to be similar to his experience at Penn Hills. When Burnett visited the Virginia Military Institute, he felt he was where he wanted to be. “Well, the brotherhood there and the football stood out to me,” Burnett said. “It’s comparable to the brotherhood...
Fox Chapel wrestler hits 100 wins, still has goals in mind
Landon Funk had the idea planted in his head of reaching 100 wins as a varsity wrestler in 2017. Funk admired Foxes wrestler Mike Mahon and was in the crowd when he hit the century mark. During the Frank Ferguson Brooke Classic at Brooke High School in West Virginia, Funk...
Fox Chapel lineman’s development as a player carries him to Cal (Pa.)
Kristofer Bandurski found what he was looking for on his visit to Cal (Pa.). The Fox Chapel senior wanted to find a place that could mold him on the football field throughout his career. “The hospitality of the coaches was unbelievable,” Bandurski said. “They develop players into who they need...
