Josh Rizzo stories, Page 18

Kelsey Hundley’s mentality lends itself well to wrestling. The Penn Hills senior offensive lineman is determined to never fold. When attempting to survive a heavyweight wrestling match, conceding ground isn’t a wise maneuver. Picking up wrestling before his junior year helped Hundley look at things differently. “It’s a competition about...

Everyone on the Shaler boys golf team found a different path to the varsity roster. Titans junior Jacob Crissman’s interest in golf came out of idle boredom. “During covid, I had appendicitis,” Crissman said. “I would just chip and putt in my backyard.” Crismman has become one of the Shaler’s...

Fox Chapel junior cross country runner Ethan Vaughan wanted to get below 17 minutes this season. Last season, Vaughan plateaued with a best time of 17 minutes, 2 seconds. During the Kiski Invitational on Sept. 15 at Northmoreland Park, Vaughan showed what a summer of increased mileage and cross training...

The Fox Chapel boys golf team has found plenty of success at the individual level and is still in the race for the section team title. During the section qualifier Sept. 19, Fox Chapel had four golfers punch their tickets to the WPIAL Class 3A individual championships. Davey Fuhrer led...

Being a longtime member of the cross country community made putting a schedule together late not too bad for Penn Hills coach Lee Zelkowitz. Zelkowitz, who planned to step down after last season, came back to the job after Ryan Donnelly had to step down for personal reasons in early...

Stephanie Strauss doesn’t want coaching the Penn Hills girls volleyball program to be a long-term gig. But Strauss has enjoyed being back on the sidelines. Strauss, who is Penn Hills’ athletic director, took the job because no qualified candidates lined up to take over for long-time coach Jay Mitlo after...

Davey Fuhrer has his eyes fixed on the future. The Fox Chapel senior golfer visited George Mason and has been in touch with the men’s golf coaches at Miami (Ohio) and High Point. But Fuhrer has some unfinished business he would like to clean up during his senior season. Fox...

The Fox Chapel boys soccer team is closing in on the end of the first half of Section 1-4A play. What the Foxes have learned is that they are more than capable of playing at the pace of other top teams. Fox Chapel, which opened 4-2 overall and 3-2 in...

The Penn Hills boys soccer program is used to having to dig out of holes. Two years ago, the Indians had to surge down the back half of the section schedule to break a 17-year postseason drought and make the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. This year, Penn Hills jumped in...

Two Penn Hills graduates had different experiences for Penn State’s season-opening win over West Virginia at Beaver Stadium. Dante Cephas, who transferred in from Kent State, caught one pass for 22 yards during the Nittany Lions’ 38-15 win. Daequan Hardy, one of Penn State’s top reserve cornerbacks, missed the game...

Sophia Carvelli wasn’t disappointed to have to make an adjustment during her senior season. With some nagging shoulder pain slowing her down, Carvelli switched from playing No. 3 singles to doubles to ease some of the workload. Partnering with fellow senior Maria Marasco has been fun for Carvelli. Playing doubles...

Building confidence was never going to be easy for first-year Fox Chapel football coach Dave Leasure. When the Foxes scrimmaged Hempfield, the program got a jolt. Fox Chapel scored three touchdowns and didn’t give up any. But when they started regular season play, the Foxes quickly had to make adjustments....

Penn Hills junior Martel Palmer’s two timely touchdowns in Week Zero likely didn’t catch many of the spectators at Yuhas-McGinley off guard. At least one person standing on the sidelines certainly didn’t blink an eye at the development. Indians football coach Charles Morris, who is Palmer’s cousin, knows what is...

Paul Jack still feels a deep connection with Penn Hills. Growing up, Jack was constantly around the district in various ways with his mom, Elfrida, who taught physical education at Penn Hills for 25 years. “I grew up being dragged to Penn Hills football games,” Jack said. “My mom was...

Rowan Gwin never discovered what the cause of his hip flexor injury was last spring. Trying to navigate through great pain, Gwin competed in the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championship at Slippery Rock University. That didn’t go great. Entering this cross country season, Gwin, who finished seventh at...

Section play is grueling for all WPIAL soccer programs. The way the calendar falls necessitates playing tough games early in the schedule. Both the Fox Chapel boys and girls programs were tested by perennially WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A challengers Seneca Valley in the first week of the season. For...

Taylor Roach has a lot on her mind as she starts her freshman year at Pitt. The 2023 Penn Hills graduate is getting acclimated to college life but had the chance to enjoy some of the fruits of her labor this summer. Roach, who was Penn Hills’ valedictorian last season...

Jadyn Wright had put the time in and had built his routine around being dedicated to fitness. After a freak injury in rugby practice, the Penn Hills senior still had three Marine Corps National Physical Fitness Championship meets remaining to participate in. Wright planned to keep an eye on his...

Anna Troutman welcomed the opportunity to serve as a captain on the Fox Chapel girls soccer team. With the mix of players the Foxes have returning for this season, having strong leadership will be an important component for the team to return from the playoffs. The Foxes have an influx...

Chartiers-Houston lineman Jack Heiser knows the Buccaneers are equipped to keep moving forward this season. Up and down the roster, Chartiers-Houston has been building strength to push forward. The Buccaneers slipped back to the pack last season, compiling a 5-5 overall record, which included a 2-5 mark in the Black...

Shady Side Academy senior linebacker Grant Dickey knows what it takes for the Bulldogs to get on track. When the defense attacks opponents, they want a relentless flow to the ball that creates chaos. In the back half of last season and the playoffs, Shady Side Academy was able to...

Ben DeMotte has found his responsibilities for the Fox Chapel football program to be ever-expanding. The 5-foot-8 senior quarterback is eager to help the program move forward after an 0-10 season last year. DeMotte also wants to help prepare the Foxes for their future. First-year Fox Chapel coach Dave Leasure...

Keegan Smetanka feels comfortable that he can make the right read when he scans defenses. The senior quarterback demonstrated the Shaler offense is capable of producing plenty of big plays last year. Smetanka completed 54.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,151 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. While the...

Penn Hills wide receiver/defensive back Cam Thomas doesn’t want to miss any opportunities. For the Indians’ football program to get back on track — and back in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs — Thomas believes wins will need to come through better execution. In Thomas’ case, he wants to create...

There’s no reason for the Fox Chapel football program to carry forward last season’s frustrations. Following an 0-10 season, there was significant turnover in the program. Longtime coach Tom Loughran stepped down, and Fox Chapel brought in former Springdale coach and Foxes assistant Dave Leasure to lead the program. Leasure,...