Josh Rizzo stories, Page 38
Penn Hills trio to wear red, white, blue at ball hockey world championships
Lou O’Connor quickly got the idea that trying out for the USA U16 ball hockey team wasn’t going to be an easy ride. Roster spots would be earned. The Penn Hills freshman who plays forward and defense was pushed to see what he was made of. “The first tryout was...
Transfer of power: Pitt volleyball beats Purdue, reaches NCAA Final Four for 1st time
The foundation for the Pitt women’s volleyball team was firmly in place before Leketor Member-Meneh decided to transfer from Missouri and move 720 miles to play for the Panthers. Convincing the 5-foot-8 St. Louis native and senior outside hitter to leave home showed eighth-year Pitt coach Dan Fisher the Panthers...
Pitt volleyball team remains focused as it prepares to host Kansas in Sweet 16
Finals looming, coupled with the pressure of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball tournament, hasn’t worn on Chinaza Ndee. The fifth-year Pitt middle blocker routinely uses meditation to find her emotional center. Meeting with a sports psychologist once a week in addition to her own plan has Ndee focused on the moment....
Armed with valuable experience, Shaler girls basketball ready to take on season
The Shaler girls basketball team became a good example of how the WPIAL holding an open basketball tournament last season could benefit younger programs. The Titans, who finished 4-12 overall and in sixth place in Section 1-6A, wouldn’t have made the playoffs in a typical year. But since Shaler entered,...
Competition for starting jobs energizes Shaler boys basketball
Having a season limited to 13 games by the covid pandemic certainly wasn’t what Shaler boys basketball coach Rob Niederberger hoped for last year. But the Titans won’t have too many players who feel cheated by missed time. Shaler’s entire roster returned, creating one of the more competitive preseasons in...
After graduation losses, Penn Hills girls basketball out to prove doubters wrong
Penn Hills senior guard Eryn Roberson doesn’t like the preseason perception of the program. In a year where the Indians only return four players, Roberson hasn’t felt a lot of positivity surrounding Penn Hills. The disrespect is what has Roberson motivated to propel the Indians as far as they can...
Penn Hills boys basketball ready to attack opponents with sharpened shooting skills
Daemar Kelly doesn’t want to see the Penn Hills boys basketball team bring the ball across half-court, see a zone defense and be timid. The Indians’ 6-foot-5 junior guard plans to be a part of an offense that attacks on instinct. Penn Hills learned its lesson when it was slowed...
Pitt women’s volleyball team advances to Sweet 16 with win over rival Penn State
Kayla Lund was elated to have an opportunity to take down Penn State, one of the Pitt women’s volleyball team’s oldest tormentors, Saturday night at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers graduate student and outside hitter decided to take advantage of the extra year provided because of the pandemic before Pitt...
Penn Hills football team showed development during playoff season
Development is a priority in the Penn Hills football program. The Indians, who were eliminated from the playoffs after a 14-9 loss to Moon in the WPIAL Class 5A semifinals Nov. 19 at Newman Stadium, will lose three offensive linemen to graduation. Two of those players — Khalil Barley Morrow...
Mt. Lebanon rolls into PIAA semifinals behind 3 TDs from Eli Heidenreich
Mt. Lebanon wide receiver/defensive back Eli Heidenreich didn’t see McDowell junior Christian Santiago’s 27-yard touchdown run as a sign of a potential WPIAL Class 6A championship hangover. But the Trojans’ quarterback scoring on a fourth-and-3 gallop on their first possession let the Blue Devils know they weren’t going to sleepwalk...
Shaler runners build to strong postseason
Tyler Paszkowski and his Shaler cross country teammates started the season slow by design. As the year wore on, the Titans wanted to utilize a strong taper to build toward sending as many athletes to the PIAA Class 3A championships as possible. Shaler’s strategy paid dividends for seniors Samantha Hennen,...
Senior class carries Shaler volleyball to historic heights
Paul Stadelman wasn’t sure if the message he was trying to sell might end up in the bargain bin. Five matches into his stint as the Shaler girls volleyball coach, the Titans had zero victories. The funk didn’t even last half a season. Something snapped into place. The Titans dug...
Penn Hills swim team still facing pandemic-era challenges
Penn Hills swimming coach Nick Page is hoping the team can avoid losing a month of practice time like it did last year. The Indians — like all local programs — were shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic for the first month of last season. But Penn Hills is...
Gutsy performance helped Penn Hills advance in WPIAL football playoffs
All the time the Penn Hills football team’s coaching staff dedicated to knowing their players paid off Nov. 12 at Gateway. Indians coach Jon LeDonne knew what Julian Dugger was capable of while battling cramps during a 23-20 win over the Gators in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals on the...
Determined Penn Hills overcomes adversity in WPIAL playoffs
Weathering early adversity isn’t something Julian Dugger allows to linger in his mind during football games. The Penn Hills sophomore quarterback knows the Indians have the tools to make adjustments in-game. Three early turnovers against Franklin Regional in the Indians’ 38-6 WPIAL Class 5A first-round win Nov. 5 at Yuhas-McGinley...
Penn Hills wrestling team, ‘self-motivated’ senior look forward to more normal season
AJ Palumbo and the Penn Hills wrestling team had the same unfortunate experience as many others did during the pandemic last season. Matches were canceled, schedules were changed, and nothing was normal for the Indians. Palumbo, a 220-pound senior, wrestled one match last season. Penn Hills finished with three wrestlers...
Capacity crowd turns out to support Mars hockey goalie
Eve Furbee bounced up and down in the stands excitedly Monday night at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Furbee, who is 5 years old and a Canonsburg resident, was excited to be at the Mars-South Fayette hockey game. “I’m here for (the Mars goalie),” said Eve, who plays youth hockey....
Penn Hills runner sets course for senior season
Austin Stuchul’s experience gained competing at the WPIAL Class 3A cross country championships Oct. 28 at Cal (Pa.) provided a blueprint for his senior season. The Penn Hills junior wants to try to navigate through the pack at a quicker pace than last season. Doing so, Stuchul hopes, will help...
Steady improvement, versatile offense give Penn Hills playoff confidence
Penn Hills coach Jon LeDonne might’ve preferred a bye for the first week of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, but admits being scheduled to host Franklin Regional in the first round had its advantages. The Indians, who won the Northeast Conference on Gardner points after tying with North Hills and...
Dugger brothers connect for 4 touchdowns to lead Penn Hills past Franklin Regional
Penn Hills sophomore quarterback Julian Dugger has yearned to play a clean game all season. The fifth-seeded Indians won Friday night in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, but didn’t find the performance they were seeking. Penn Hills was often spectacular — Jaden Dugger caught touchdown passes...
New head coach has plans to grow CCAC Boyce baseball program
Bill Spina wasn’t ready to walk away from all the sweat equity he put into the Community College of Allegheny County Boyce Campus’ baseball program. Spina, a Plum graduate, will take over the program as coach this year following the resignation of his friend, Austin Long. Long took a position...
Even after playoff loss, things looking up for Penn Hills girls soccer
How the Penn Hills girls soccer team closed the season didn’t put a damper on the experience for coach Ashley DeVito. Facing two-time defending state champions Mars in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs resulted in a 7-0 defeat on the road Oct. 25. It didn’t knock...
Goals still within reach for improving Penn Hills football team
Strong play and good fortune have kept the Penn Hills football program in line to reach all of its goals. Despite losing their Northeast Conference opener, the Indians won three straight and were set to enter their season finale against Kiski Area last Friday with a world of possibilities ahead...
Training changes have Shaler cross country runner on top of her game
Shaler senior cross country runner Samantha Hennen was open to new ideas. When it came to Hennen’s last season of high school competition, she wanted to try any opportunity to improve her training. Hennen found some inspiration through her 9-year old sister, Emily. Emily was taking classes on training to...
Penn Hills grad Claude Vangelus steps right into tackle spot on Millersville line
Claude Vangelus didn’t have aspirations of glory when he went to his first football camp at Millersville University last summer. The plan was to put the work in and maybe take some time to figure college life out. The 2020 Penn Hills graduate found a home early on and developed...
