Josh Rizzo stories, Page 33
Experienced Highlands boys counting on defense to lead them on another playoff run
Jimmy Kunst takes defense personally. The senior point guard for the Highlands basketball team knows his teammates feel the same way. Expect Kunst and his teammates to hit the floor, either to draw charges or grab loose balls. Entering a season with high expectations means the Golden Rams will need...
After 2nd straight playoff trip, Burrell coaches, players continue to push program forward
Burrell football coach Shawn Liotta isn’t going to try and cram any square pegs into round holes. Twenty-four years of coaching experience has shown Liotta the way to properly structure a program requires coaches and cultures evolving to their environments. For the 13 seniors on this year’s team, they’ve seen...
Penn Hills athletes participate in WPIAL Sportsmanship Summit
Getting a chance to look at the past while keeping an eye on the near future provided Penn Hills junior Hannah Pugliese with an opportunity for reflection. Pugliese was one of six Penn Hills athletes who represented the school at the WPIAL’s 13th annual Summit on Sportsmanship on Nov. 16...
New coach knows progress Penn Hills swim team could make
Taking over as the Penn Hills varsity swimming coach is a fun challenge for Morgan Bush. Bush, a 30-year-old Oakland Catholic graduate, has spent much of her post-college life coaching swimming for clubs and in the summer. One challenge she hasn’t tackled is leading a high school program. After serving...
Shaler boys basketball intent on breaking through playoff barrier
Brandon London was forced to sit out last basketball season when a football injury relegated him to the sidelines. As London’s shoulder healed, he and his Shaler boys basketball teammates were all focused on a common goal: getting past the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals. Last season, the Titans didn’t meet...
Oakland Catholic senior commits to college volleyball, signs with Stony Brook
Maddy Cigna didn’t have a clear-cut path laid out in front of her when it came to planning for college. The Oakland Catholic senior and Shaler Township resident knew she liked volleyball, but did she love it? “When I was in eighth grade, I wasn’t sure I wanted to play...
‘Second family’ of Belle Vernon girls basketball ready for run
Jenna Dawson was happy to find something that clicked in place. Falling in love with basketball was something the Belle Vernon senior guard picked up from her dad, Eric, who also played for the Leopards. Out of Dawson and her two siblings, she was the only one who stuck with...
Belle Vernon boys basketball in holding pattern for now
Joe Salvino is fortunate to have a large amount of experience behind him to handle what in other states would be a unique issue. Due to the success of Belle Vernon’s football program, and how the PIAA does the football schedule, getting the boys basketball team on track will take...
Penn Hills senior takes ‘easy to coach’ attitude to college volleyball ranks
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...
Penn Hills runner shows progress with showing at WPIAL cross country meet
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...
Penn Hills youth football team comes together, plays for championship
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...
Penn Hills boys soccer looking for path back to playoffs
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 boys blank Ambridge to end WPIAL title drought, join girls in WPIAL winners’ circle
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...
Moon wins 2nd straight WPIAL girls soccer crown, ends Mars’ 80-game unbeaten streak
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...
Playoff berth shows significant growth for Penn Hills volleyball
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 notebook: New football coaches have playoff tradition
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...
Shaler grad Parker Kilgore sets standard for resurgent Grove City defense
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...
With eye on turning pro, Shaler grad grows golf game at University of Findlay
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...
Penn Hills notebook: Golfer Lucy Brayton reaches state tournament goal
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...
Penn Hills girls soccer looks to build numbers after taxing season
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...
Diabetes doesn’t stop Apollo youth Sloan Olbeter in quest for boxing success
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,”...
Cal (Pa.) coach, receiver have Penn Hills family ties
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...
Penn Hills notebook: Girls soccer team finds new section daunting
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...
Mt. Lebanon’s Mia Bhuta becomes 1st woman of Indian descent to play in World Cup for U.S. Soccer
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...
Position changes help Penn Hills volleyball get into WPIAL playoff hunt
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...
