Josh Rizzo stories, Page 15

Penn Hills graduate Daequan Hardy didn’t have many offers from big-name FBS schools until his virtuoso performance in the 2018 PIAA Class 5A state championship game. Regarding his professional aspirations, Hardy has been trying to best position himself to get to the National Football League. Hardy recently told Penn State...

Seton Hill sophomore Angelo Allen went into offseason training with a refined focus. The Penn Hills graduate didn’t want to do things half-cocked. Allen wanted to be deliberate and cerebral with his approach. Allen’s dedication to focusing on technique and seeking advice from more experienced throwers produced big results. Allen...

However opponents plan to attack the Shaler boys basketball team, the Titans are likely ready to handle whatever comes at them. For example, Fox Chapel and Shaler were locked in a defensive battle Jan. 16. That was no issue for the Titans. Shaler beat the Foxes, 39-27, despite finishing with...

Grady Cullen wants to keep an eye out for wherever Killian Kissane is on the ice. While the Fox Chapel senior enjoys setting up all of his teammates to score goals, Cullen has developed a strong chemistry with his linemate, Kissane. Kissane has scored eight goals in 12 games this...

Getting a 10-day break from Section 2-5A play is something that Fox Chapel coach Zach Skrinjar values. While he is still worried about the Foxes’ two nonsection opponents, Skrinjar enjoys having an opportunity to look at the tape and see where Fox Chapel stands. “It’s a nice mental break not...

Cameron Patterson’s transformation as a wrestler came from a willingness to take the first step. The 145-pound senior Penn Hills wrestler wanted to make sure he was going forward with confidence. “I wasn’t a shooter when I first wrestled in high school,” Patterson said. “When I started to shoot, my...

There will be no need to rush the Penn Hills boys 200 freestyle relay team around the Pittsburgh area to compete in different last-chance meets to secure a qualifying time this year. The Indians already have earned their spot in the WPIAL Class 3A championships. With another year of experience...

Vie Filar got the Fox Chapel girls wrestling team in the win column for the first time in history. Filar pinned Valley’s Amaya Hayden in 1 minute, 37 seconds during their 235-pound match Jan. 10 to give the Foxes a 36-33 win at home. It was the first time the...

The Fox Chapel hockey team will be well-represented at the PIHL Class 2A All-Star game. Cam Raidna was chosen as a coach. Fox Chapel also had forwards Liam Wiseman and Dom Casile and defenseman Tyler Goldstein picked to play in the game. Wiseman leads the team with 15 goals and...

Maliah Powell agreed to go out for the Penn Hills track team as a freshman via peer pressure. Powell’s decision to stay when her two friends abandoned ship was voluntary. Now a senior captain for the indoor track team, Powell decided to stick around after flourishing on the Indians’ 1,600...

Robert Cash always wants his team to approach every task with the same intensity, and the Penn Hills girls varsity girls basketball coach attempts to hold himself to the same standard. In his eighth season leading the varsity program, Cash hit the 100-win total. Cash was the second Indians coach...

Fox Chapel graduate Jessie Thiessen was picked for the North Coast Athletic Conference women’s soccer 40th anniversary all-decade team. Players had to compete in the NCAC between 2013-23 to be eligible. Thiessen, a 2017 Allegheny college graduate, helped the Gators reach the NCAA Division III tournament in 2013 and 14....

Marty Matvey doesn’t need to give pep talks on weathering adversity. The crushing presence of reality has allowed the Fox Chapel girls basketball coach to allow the Foxes to learn that skill on the job. For the past month, Fox Chapel has been without three starters and has been forced...

Waiting 11 days to play in a basketball game was hard enough for St. Joseph senior guard Julie Spinelli. Finding herself on the bench with foul trouble 108 seconds into the game wasn’t the ideal return. But as the Spartans discovered many times during their St. Joseph Holiday Tournament game,...

Raion Strader felt more than prepared once the time rolled around to balance time in the classroom with time on the field with the Miami (Ohio) football program. Enrolling in college early allowed the Penn Hills graduate to understand what he was in for. “I wanted to stay consistent,” Strader...

Football didn’t always go the way Penn Hills graduate Corey Thomas Jr. hoped it would during his time at Akron. The Zips didn’t win a lot of games. Thomas was also asked to cycle between defensive line, linebacker and safety. But when Thomas hit the transfer portal in the offseason,...

Alexander Young wanted to do whatever it took to get the Sixes Prize League off the ground. The Shady Side Academy graduate has a small team, himself included, that wears many hats. On Dec. 11, the league hosted its first night of lacrosse matches at the All-American Field House Monroeville....

Fox Chapel swimming coach Matthew Mauclair wanted to embrace setting up a success process for all athletes in the program to follow. What is most important to Mauclair is what the Foxes can accomplish when no one is watching. “That’s what breeds results and champions,” Mauclair said. “If you want...

Penn Hills wrestling coach Jeremy Packer set up the team’s schedule so things would get progressively tougher. Competing at the Southwest Kickoff Classic at Valley High School was the right way to build confidence. Penn Hills had three wrestlers — Daemon Phipps (121 pounds), Julian Lavender (127) and Jacen Wright...

The Penn Hills football team collected plenty of accolades from the Big 56 Conference. Indians coach Charles Morris was selected as the Northeast Conference’s coach of the Year. Penn Hills had eight players selected to the first team for all-conference. Julian Dugger and Amir Key were selected to on the...

The Shady Side Academy boys basketball program will do a lot of on-the-job training this season. Two setbacks to the Bulldogs’ lineup have Shady Side Academy running low on big men. Senior Nate Mallory had knee surgery and will be out for the year. Junior Ben Michaels has a hip...

Pitt women’s volleyball coach Dan Fisher has spent the past 11 years transforming the Panthers into a national power. With Pitt preparing to play in the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year, the Panthers coach is working to appreciate every step of the journey. “I think I’ve gotten better...

Michael Ulery used to enter matches hoping his opponent didn’t know his trick. The plan for the 172-pound Shaler senior wrestler was to slap on a front headlock followed by a cement mixer for a quick pin. But Ulery knew that wouldn’t be a recipe for success against more experienced...

Waking up at 4:20 a.m. to start the day makes sense for Shaler junior Noah Lang when he arrives at swim practice. When Lang gets on the pool deck before he starts his practice, he’s in his element. Starting the day with a 5 a.m. practice features a group of...

Stifling the attack of USC outside hitter Skylar Fields was likely never an option for the Pitt women’s volleyball team. But putting up an aggressive and consistent block helped make Fields, a first-team All-American hitter, work for opportunities to score. Fields finished with 10 attack errors for the first time...