Josh Rizzo stories, Page 32
Fox Chapel notebook: Red-hot hockey team sends 7 to all-star game
Fox Chapel has ruled the PIHL’s Class A Blue Division this season. Following a 9-2 road win over Norwin on Jan. 17, the Foxes pushed their record to 14-1 on the season with an 11th consecutive victory. That means Fox Chapel will be well represented at the PIHL All-Star game,...
Penn Hills’ Anthony Sipple following in siblings’ underwater footsteps
Anthony Sipple doesn’t need to go far to find resources to help with his swimming career. Eldest sister Stephanie and his middle sister Kristen both swim at Edinboro. Anthony, a freshman at Penn Hills High School, is on the same team as his younger sister, Lauren, who is a junior....
Penn Hills boys welcome challenge of physical section battles
Chris Giles is welcoming of the Penn Hils boys basketball team’s position in the black-and-blue division of WPIAL Class 5A. Only one team in Section 2 allows more than 51 points per game, while no team scores more than 60 points per game. The Indians are ready to dig in...
Settled in at 107 pounds, Fox Chapel sophomore emerges as top performer
Landon Funk didn’t have a secure spot in the lineup during his freshman season on the Fox Chapel wrestling team. Throughout the season, Funk had to wrestle off with Michael Worsen for the spot at 106 pounds. Funk didn’t always win and would voluntarily bump up to 113 pounds. What...
Freshman sparks bounce-back season for Fox Chapel girls
Lyla Jablon didn’t have to worry about slowly discovering the chaos of playing girls varsity basketball. The Fox Chapel freshman guard was thrust into an uncomfortable situation early in the season. The Foxes lost leading scorer Skye Byrnes to a broken ankle and had two other starters out with injuries...
Leechburg rides point guard Marcus Cleveland to win vs. Riverview
Making a play call came quickly to Damian Davies on Friday. The Leechburg boys basketball coach could call out “Georgetown, layup” repeatedly when Blue Devils point guard Marcus Cleveland had the ball. Starting in the second quarter, Cleveland delivered nearly on demand. He finished with 35 points as Leechburg held...
Penn Hills notebook: Indians boys hoops steps up competition
Penn Hills boys basketball had a unique opportunity in late December and early January. The Indians were able to take on three teams that were all major players on the state stage last season. Penn Hills played two teams that reached the PIAA Class 6A semifinals — Archbishop Wood and...
Penn Hills officially sponsors girls wrestling, taking 1st step toward creating a team
Penn Hills isn’t ready just yet to field a high school girls wrestling team. But Indians athletic director Steph Strauss wants the district to be ready for when the day comes, so Penn Hills became the 78th school in Pennsylvania to sponsor a girls varsity wrestling team. One hundred schools...
Fox Chapel boys look to build consistency in season’s 2nd half
After graduating every starter from a team that won a WPIAL Class 6A title and reached the PIAA semifinals last season, Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar expected to put his roster through a bevy of learning experiences this year. That’s why anyone following the Foxes has seen plenty...
Highlands boys find right pace, win 10th straight meeting with Freeport
Fast, moderate or slow makes no difference to Highlands guard Cam Reigard. The Golden Rams will be ready for any potential pratfall that will come their way. Coming off a two-game losing streak and dealing with tragedy in the community this week, Highlands was able to bounce back by beating...
Penn Hills senior thrilled by surprise scholarship announcement
Jamie Wade had a difficult task ahead of her. After finding out her daughter, Maura, had won a $5,000 scholarship as part of The Point’s Friday Night Rivalry series, Jamie wanted to find the right way to surprise her with the news. What Jamie told Maura was that someone was...
Penn Hills notebook: Bowlers show early promise
Local bowling teams have gotten off to a tough start to the season. Penn Hills’ boys team has lost its first two matches. However, Indians sophomore bowler Nick Hepler has shown promise. If he can continue how he bowled in the first match, Hepler will be in for a strong...
Penn Hills notebook: Longtime volleyball coach steps down
Longtime Penn Hills volleyball coach Jay Mitlo had stepped down. Mitlo, a 1989 Penn Hills graduate, has been head coach of the girls volleyball program since 1997. He took over the boys program in 2011. His resignation was accepted at a Dec. 7 school board meeting. “It basically came down...
With an assist from football team, Penn Hills wrestling gets numbers boost
Dom Frollo looks around the wrestling room at Penn Hills and is happy with an opportunity to mentor young wrestlers. Thanks to the effort of Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris, the Indians were able to beef their roster up to 17 kids. “It’s different,” said Frollo, who is a...
Penn Hills track team looks to build confidence during indoor season
Lee Zelkowitz is excited to get the track team moving through the indoor season. Practice was scheduled to start Dec. 5, and the Indians hope to utilize the season to build confidence and capitalize with some strong performances. Zelkowitz emphasized the goal is getting everyone ready for the outdoor championships...
Pitt senior to coach Shaler swim teams
Maddie London believed she had something to offer the athletes on the Shaler swim team. The current Pitt swimmer has had many experiences with coaching and hopes to make a positive impact for the Titans. London, a native of Collierville, Tenn., started her swimming career at Arkansas before transferring to...
Shaler girls bring exciting mix of young prospects, proven talent
The Shaler girls basketball program is excited to have an influx of sophomores ready to contribute at the varsity level. Coach Cornelious Nesbit is also excited he doesn’t have to rush their development, either. Shaler will feature 5-foot-9 senior guard Haley Kostorick, a Clarion commit, and 5-11 senior forward Mackenzie...
Valley goes through growing pains in Dave Heavner’s 1st season
Dave Heavner wanted to make being a member of the Valley football team centered around expectations. Showing up and working hard at practice wasn’t going to be the be-all, end-all. To stick around, Heavner wanted the Vikings to show they were committed. “We put some rules and regulations into place,”...
Penn Hills girls basketball eager to get back on course
Hannah Pugliese doesn’t need to dig into the history books to know what the tradition of the Penn Hills girls basketball program means. All she has to do is talk to volunteer assistant coaches Desiree Oliver and Jade Ely, who have been helping the team out in the preseason. Both...
Penn Hills boys look to use playoff run as springboard
The Penn Hills boys basketball team got a jolt from what it did beyond the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs last season. While the Indians didn’t bring home a PIAA crown, Penn Hills did leave a remarkable wave behind it during the state tournament. The Indians knocked off Lampeter-Strasburg and East...
Small roster doesn’t shrink expectations for Monessen girls
Monessen girls basketball coach Janine Vertacnik has kept a close eye on how hard she is working with everyone. The Greyhounds don’t have a roster with a lot of room for a lot of flexibility. Avoiding injuries and ailments will be important for a team trying to repeat last season’s...
Returning starters, influx of talent make Monessen boys contenders in Class A
Becoming a better basketball player wasn’t going to be accomplished by doing the same old things. Jaisen Blackman, a senior at Monessen, decided he was going to find an outlet to help improve. By playing in a league in the Mon Valley, Blackman gave himself a boost. “It was my...
Knoch boys will rely on biggest strength: Depth
There was no need for Knoch boys basketball coach Alan Bauman to apply any extra pressure. What the Knights needed were honest expectations for the season ahead. Not returning many starters from last season’s team will mean a lot of fresh faces in new roles. “We’ve been talking a lot...
Knoch girls basketball raring to go after WPIAL success
Making a run to the Petersen Events Center didn’t necessarily impact the passion surrounding the Knoch girls basketball program. For the Knights players who made school history by winning 22 games and reaching the WPIAL final and winning a PIAA playoff game for the first time, that passion was always...
New coach sets lofty goal for Highlands girls basketball
Finding a way to adjust to a new coach can be difficult. But in the case of some players on the Highlands girls basketball team, they have a bit of a history with first-year coach Shawn Bennis. He has coached at the AAU level with the PK Flash AAU program....
