Josh Rizzo stories, Page 21
Fox Chapel notebook: Senior wins section tennis title
Will Siegel didn’t have a hard time protecting his seed at the WPIAL Section 3-3A boys tennis singles championship. The top-seeded Fox Chapel senior won the section title by beating Shady Side Academy’s Sai Chaudhry, 6-3, 6-1. On the way to the finals, Siegel beat Shaler’s Liam Creagh and Shady...
Led by senior midfielder, Fox Chapel boys lacrosse counts on explosive offense
Ryan Napolitan doesn’t have a shortage of responsibilities running the Fox Chapel boys lacrosse team’s offense. The senior midfielder isn’t responsible for only knowing where he’s supposed to be. Napolitan also will try to direct traffic for his teammates. What the Foxes, who are off to a 3-2 start to...
Penn Hills senior joins Point Park basketball at exciting time
Egypt Coleman didn’t consider playing women’s basketball at Point Park because the school is transitioning to the Division II level from NAIA. The Penn Hills senior wanted to be at a place where she felt comfortable. Being on campus in the city, plus building good chemistry with her teammates, was...
Brothers battle for top scores on Penn Hills fitness team
Bob Martini is happy the Penn Hills fitness team has a lot of intrasquad competition to push them to improve. However, the Indians also benefited from an inner-household battle to get the highest scores. Jadyn and Jacen Wright have been battling for the top spot on the Penn Hills physical...
Fox Chapel track gearing up for invitational season
Fox Chapel track coach Tom Moul enjoys having a few dual meets in the run-up to the major invitationals during the outdoor track season. The invite season traditionally kicks off at Butler High School, and that event will be April 19. In those dual meets, the Foxes boys and girls...
Fox Chapel notebook: With weather wrecking schedule, baseball, softball teams ready for anything
Rain is a fact of life for baseball and softball teams in the area. Nearly every year, the early part of the season is plagued by bad weather and difficulty finding facilities to play at. Even with more turf fields around, Fox Chapel senior Troy Susnack said the Foxes are...
Penn Hills seniors seek return to WPIAL softball playoffs
Missing out on the playoffs last season was a tough break for the Penn Hills softball team. The year before, the Indians had found a way back after a long hiatus from the playoffs. This group of seniors for Penn Hills is determined to get the program back on track...
Penn Hills notebook: Junior wrestlers capture state championship
The Penn Hills Junior Wrestling team claimed a championship at the Keystone State Championships in March. Logan Mutombo won the 61-pound weight class in the 6-and-under boys division. Mutombo beat Bald Eagle’s Rhett Rippey, 5-0, in the championship match. On the way to the finals, Mutombo had to collect three...
Versatile lineup helps Fox Chapel boys tennis to strong start
Ben Hallman didn’t want to coast during his senior season. When Hallman had the opportunity to compete for a singles spot with the Fox Chapel tennis team, he was happy to be locked into a competition with his fellow seniors for one of the three singles spots. Hallman, who previously...
Young Fox Chapel lineup gears up for Section 1-5A play
Fox Chapel softball coach Chris Olbrich was happy to have a runway before the start of section play. The Foxes have a young team and scheduled seven games before their Section 1-5A opener with defending PIAA Class 5A runner-up Shaler. While the temperamental Western Pennsylvania weather prevented some of those...
Penn Hills boys volleyball ready to get building process on track
Second-year Penn Hills boys volleyball coach Will Piccolino has started to find his footing while leading the program. The Indians have already started moving some players around the court to find a better position to win matches. Penn Hills hopes that can provide some steady play. The Indians went 0-10...
Penn Hills baseball looks to provide run support for top senior pitcher
Edward Bowser found the right focus while pitching for the Pittsburgh Rawling Tigers last summer. The Penn Hills senior knew he had his mind on the task at hand. Following one game, Bowser wrapped up the contest and discovered he had thrown the first no-hitter of his baseball career. “To...
High expectations return for defending WPIAL boys volleyball champion Shaler
Shaler tore down the black-and-yellow curtain that had been surrounding Western Pennsylvania in boys volleyball for the previous five seasons last year. The Titans won against North Allegheny three times, captured the program’s first WPIAL championship, finished with a 19-1 record and reached the PIAA Class 3A championship match before...
Shaler softball changes focus from power bats to defense, pitching
Watching fly balls sail over the fence for home runs was something people who follow the Shaler softball team got used to last season. But anyone who comes out to watch the Titans this season can expect a different strategy being employed. Many of the power hitters who helped propel...
Fox Chapel notebook: Swimmers come home with state medals
The Fox Chapel boys and girls swimming teams wrapped up their seasons at the PIAA Class 3A swimming and diving championships at Bucknell. Sarah Pasquella ended up being Fox Chapel’s top performer. The Foxes senior standout finished second in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1 minute, 1.8 seconds....
Season opener gives Fox Chapel baseball taste of what’s to come
The Fox Chapel baseball team hasn’t been immune to having to postpone games due to the cold snap that has plagued mid-March in Western Pennsylvania. But the Foxes were able to keep their season-opening date with defending Class 5A PIAA champion Shaler. Fox Chapel lost its season opener, 5-2, but...
Preparation for track season off to good start at Penn Hills
Penn Hills track coach Lee Zelkowitz is thrilled about the preparation for the upcoming outdoor season. The Indians have had plenty of things bounce their way so far as the seasons begin to change. Having good weather has given everyone an opportunity to get outside and get some work in....
Penn Hills notebook: Bowler throws 201 game at regional championships
Logan Kennedy was Penn Hills’ top finisher at the Western Pennsylvania regional high school bowling championships. Kennedy placed 47th by bowling an 871 series. Kennedy finished with a high game of 201 at the event. East Allegheny’s JJ Bingham won the championship match after coming into the step-ladder finals as...
Fox Chapel notebook: Basketball playoff run ends in PIAA 2nd round
The Fox Chapel boys basketball team came within 16 minutes of a trip to the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals. The Foxes’ offense just couldn’t produce enough down the stretch to hold off Bethel Park. Fox Chapel, which beat Bethel Park in a fifth-place WPIAL consolation match in late February, ended...
Fox Chapel grad Borkovich makes adjustments to improve performance in circle for Slippery Rock
Mackenzie Borkovich felt like she had been kicked in the face during her freshman year at Slippery Rock. The skills that served her well in the pitcher’s circle at Fox Chapel Area High School were going to take some adjusting to be successful in college. After making seven relief appearances...
St. Joseph girls ousted from state tournament as Berlin Brothersvalley rallies in 2nd half
The St. Joseph girls basketball team didn’t have to wait until the following morning to feel the pain of the bumps and bruises. The Spartans likely felt the agony on the trip bus back from their PIAA Class A second-round playoff game Wednesday night at Hempfield High School. District 5...
Penn Hills wrestling program’s rebuilding project taking root
Jeremy Packer believes his two-year project has yielded strong results for the Penn Hills wrestling program. The Indians decided not to compete in a dual meet schedule during the last enrollment cycle to help build the program. Numbers were low because of the pandemic, and Packer felt the Indians needed...
Trip to WPIAL meet sparks Penn Hills swim team
The Penn Hills swim team took a much bigger contingent to Pitt’s Trees Pool this season for the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships. What made Indians coach Morgan Bush excited for next season was the prospect of seeing all of her swimmers turn in their best times of the season...
Burrell’s breakout season ends with 4th-quarter struggles in PIAA loss to Bishop Guilfoyle
There were bumps along the way, but the Burrell boys basketball team was where it felt it belonged Saturday afternoon. The Bucs earned a spot in the PIAA Class 3A playoffs by making a surprise run through the WPIAL playoffs as a No. 11 seed. An energized Burrell team surged...
Sarah Pasquella, Fox Chapel swimmers live up to big expectations at WPIAL meet
Fox Chapel swim coach Matt Mauclair enjoyed watching Sarah Pasquella turn in a big performance during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. Pasquella, a Pitt commit, shattered a 29-year-old school record by winning the 200 free in 1 minute, 51.08 seconds. “You can tell she swam...
