Josh Rizzo stories, Page 25

Hard-headed wasn’t the word Amiera Smith was searching for. But there was a time the Penn Hills senior felt she could have had a better attitude about playing volleyball. As she prepares to head to Central State in Wilberforce, Ohio, next season, the Indians senior has seen herself morph into...

Lee Zelkowitz could see that Sawyer Kinney’s performance was climbing in the weeks leading up to the WPIAL Class 3A cross country championships. The Penn Hills junior had made major progress this season and seemed to be figuring things out. “He had a lot of good practices and intervals leading...

Being a sideline dad didn’t become a reality for Brad Phillips. The 34-year-old North Hills graduate originally wanted his son, Braden, to play for the Penn Hills teams in the Western Pennsylvania Youth Athletic Association. He didn’t want to be anything more than a spectator. Once Brad was convinced to...

The Penn Hills boys soccer team had the worst kind of luck during the 2022 season. For the most part, the Indians didn’t have any luck at all. Penn Hills, which entered the season seeking a second straight WPIAL Class 3A playoff berth, wasn’t able to replicate its success from...

Moon coach Earl Pannebaker added context to the history his team made Saturday. The Tigers defeating section rival Ambridge, 3-0, in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game at Highmark Stadium ended several streaks. For people scanning the history books, Moon’s victory snapped a 19-year title drought by giving the Tigers...

When it came to winning a second consecutive WPIAL championship, Moon coach Bill Pfeiffer knew dropping down a classification wouldn’t make anything automatic for the Tigers. But Moon hasn’t made things look too difficult. The Tigers haven’t allowed a goal since a September win over Butler and won their second...

Twelve years without appearing in the postseason didn’t result in a fairy tale ending for the Penn Hills girls volleyball team. The Indians were swept by Knoch in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs by Knoch. What is most important about Penn Hills’ success in getting back...

Penn Hills graduate Charles Morris was honored to take over as the head football coach at his alma mater. When the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs start Nov. 4, he will have the challenge of trying to continue the Indians’ proud tradition. Penn Hills, which was in a playoff position heading...

Grove City College football coach Andrew DiDonato’s has a playlist of video clips of senior middle linebacker Parker Kilgore’s greatest hits, and it might start with his first play as a college player. Instincts drew Kilgore, a Shaler graduate, into a passing lane, where he nearly grabbed an interception. As...

Dominic Guarnieri knows what to expect when he pulls up to the Beall Oilers Golf Center on the University of Findlay’s campus. If the weather is poor, with a 40-degree temperature, winds blowing and the rain pouring down, the Oilers’ men’s golf coach can expect to see Tanner Grzegorczyk working...

Lucy Brayton accomplished her goal of being the first Penn Hills golfer in over a decade to compete at the PIAA Class 3A golf championships at Penn State Unviersity’s White Course earlier this month. What Brayton proved at PIAAs that she was able to bounce back. After shooting a first-round...

Caroline McDevitt didn’t find the prospect of ironwoman soccer too taxing. When it comes to playing for the Penn Hills girls soccer program, McDevitt has become accustomed to having to play many minutes. The Indians, who finished the season 4-14 overall and 1-11 in Section 3-3A, couldn’t quite muster up...

Sloan Olbeter climbing between the ropes and squaring up with his opponents in the boxing ring is his choice. At first, the 12-year-old Apollo resident wasn’t sure. Olbeter’s first trip to the Sanctuary Boxing Club in New Kensington was at his mom’s insistence. “Honestly, my mom kind of forced me,”...

Sixty-six miles of a roundtrip drive from his home in North Versailles to the Cal (Pa.) campus didn’t deter Brian Tarrant from grabbing an opportunity. After serving as a Penn Hills coach under Jon LeDonne, Tarrant had initially planned to follow LeDonne to Pine-Richland when LeDonne took the job with...

This season, section realignment wasn’t kind to the Penn Hills girls soccer team. With some of the added powers from the East suburbs coming into the picture, the Indians had difficulty keeping up. However, Penn Hills has found a way to pick up a few wins down the stretch. Goals...

Mia Bhuta’s family shut down the stadium at the Women’s U17 World Cup Tuesday in Bhubaneswar, India. Bhuta, a Mt. Lebanon native, made history by becoming the first woman of Indian descent to appear in a World Cup game for U.S. Soccer. Playing in her father’s home country, Bhuta pocketed...

The Penn Hills girls volleyball team played most of the season with a lineup coach Jay Mitlo felt was creative. During the past few matches, however, the Indians have shifted their approach. Switching setters from Ava Adamski to Sarah Miller has Penn Hills in more traditional 5-1 formation. “We came...

Lucy Brayton received no practice swings, little time to relax on the putting green or time to find her focus. When Brayton’s mom pulled up in front of the first tee at Valley Brook Country Club, Lucy only had time to hop out, grab her clubs and head over to...

Penn Hills senior Lucy Brayton earned a spot in the WPIAL Class 3A girls golf championship at Valleybrook Country Club. Brayton shot an 83 in the first round Sept. 26 at Youghigheny County Club to sit in sixth place heading into the final round at Valleybrook Country Club on Monday,...

Sawyer Kinney can usually see the people he races against are feeling what he is feeling. After crossing the finish line, Kinney sees, and emphasizes with, the suffering. The Penn Hills junior cross country runner feels those moments are what build camaraderie in the sport. “I love cross country and...

When Nikki Polens went down for a pushup, Lola Abraham was clinging to her back. When Polens did situps, Abraham would be sitting on her stomach. Lola’s dad Sean Abraham coached Riverview’s junior high team and was an assistant for the Raiders varsity squad when Polens went through the program....

Annie Bozzo was pleased to have a fresh start when taking over the Shaler girls volleyball program. The Titans, who lost six seniors from a team that finished 17-3 and made the PIAA Class 4A semifinals last season, were moved into a new section in realignment. Instead of being in...

A year off has served Shaler soccer player Haley Kostorick well. Reinvigorated by time off to focus on basketball, the Clarion commit decided she wanted to give soccer another go during her senior season. “It was a last-minute decision,” Kostorick said. “I went up to Clarion, loved it there and...

The transformation of Penn Hills senior guard Daemar Kelly wasn’t something that happened overnight. Long days and nights in the gym allowed the 6-foot-5 Indians senior guard to slowly progress into being a strong all-around basketball player. Kelly made his college choice last week, selecting Quinnipiac over Rider, Robert Morris...

By the second half of a Week Zero loss to Seneca Valley, the Penn Hills football team appeared to be putting everything together. The Indians were running the ball better and thought they would be primed to succeed in short order. The Indians reeled off three straight wins — including...