Josh Rizzo stories, Page 4
Deer Lakes boys embrace pressure, roll past Central Valley in WPIAL 1st round
Deer Lakes senior forward Peyton Kushon doesn’t shy away from the environment created by the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. The pressure in do-or-die moments doesn’t feel suffocating. For Kushon, it’s more comforting. Sixth-seeded Deer Lakes, behind two goals from Kushon, marched on with a 5-1 win over No. 11 Central...
Franklin Regional grad Nico Megaludis returning to mat in Real American Freestyle league
Nico Megaludis was comfortable being done with wrestling. But the Franklin Regional graduate wasn’t anticipating the Real American Freestyle league gaining steam since he retired this past May. After a few weeks off the mat, Megaludis was back to training. He was excited with what they had to offer and...
Shaler moves in right direction with win over nemesis North Hills
The North Hills game has never been an easy night for the Shaler football team. The Indians inflicted plenty of pain on the Titans over the past 13 seasons. Shaler senior wide receiver Jonathan Saban insisted that meant they had a different approach at practice leading up to their Northeast...
Shaler barges back into boys soccer playoffs with breakthrough season
The Shaler boys soccer program just didn’t sneak back into the WPIAL playoffs after an extended absence. The Titans were in a tight race for the Section 1-3A crown going into their final two section matches of the season. While Shaler wasn’t able to secure a late-season win over Hampton...
Clairton football team continues its impressive march by shutting out Riverview
The WPIAL’s Class A Eastern Conference is as competitive from top to bottom as any in the district. But at the top of the mountain, there is no debate. There is the Clairton football team, and there is everyone else. The Bears continued to flex their muscles by recording their...
Fox Chapel hockey adjusting on the fly after jump up in competition
Ryan Loebig knows the Fox Chapel hockey program will have a learning curve when it comes to playing in Class 3A in the PIHL. The Foxes will have to do everything a step faster than they did last season if they want to return to the Penguins Cup playoffs. “I...
Shady Side Academy golfers savor long-awaited WPIAL team title
Alex Avi knew four holes into the WPIAL Class 2A team golf championships at Cedarbrook Golf Course that he wasn’t hitting the ball right. The Shady Side Academy junior golfer knew what needed to happen next. It was time to press pause. “I like to hit a fade, but I...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Fox Chapel golfers claim WPIAL silver
The Fox Chapel girls golf team fell one shot short of its first WPIAL Class 3A team title since 2021. The Foxes shot a 345 on Oct. 9 at Cedarbrook Golf Course, finishing one shot behind Peters Township. Clara Koteski led Fox Chapel by shooting an 11-over par 82. Ava...
Timmy Andrasy runs for 335 yards as Leechburg guts out win over Brentwood
The paint didn’t have to dry perfectly on the easel for Leechburg football coach Randy Walters. While the brush went sideways plenty of times for the Blue Devils on Friday at Veterans Memorial Field, Leechburg made the plays when it had to in order to beat Brentwood, 48-41, in an...
Shady Side Academy shakes off slow start, earns playoff spot
The Shady Side Academy girls soccer team has been undermanned all season, but the Bulldogs have steadily improved after a five-match losing streak in September put them behind the curve. Shady Side Academy (6-9, 4-6) bounced back with a few wins to climb into the mix for the WPIAL Class...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Hockey team swimming in new Class 3A waters
The Fox Chapel hockey team is making the jump up to Class 3A as part of the PIHL’s promotion-relegation system of classifying teams. The Foxes, who lost in overtime of the Class 2A Penguins Cup final last season, took a tough loss to open the season. Fox Chapel, which fell...
Fox Chapel cyclist, 62, training for 170-mile event to benefit cancer research
George Stewart prefers to be out cycling on the roads of Fox Chapel, Indiana Township, West Deer and Butler County. Stewart, a 62-year-old Fox Chapel resident, doesn’t want to have to worry about being tripped by the hazards that go along with mountain biking. “When you are cycling in West...
Hopewell races past Freeport, which drops 2nd straight after winning 1st 6
Hopewell running back Nasir Wade felt the urgency atypical for a nonconference game. The Vikings needed to make a statement to the rest of the WPIAL Class 3A field that they are interested in being a wild card if they can’t be one of the automatic qualifiers from their conference....
Central Catholic starts quickly, pulls away from Norwin in Class 6A matchup
Norwin’s football team needed a fast start to put pressure on Central Catholic on Thursday at Gesling Stadium. The Vikings didn’t allow the Knights any traction. Central Catholic forced a three-and-out to open the game and scored on its second play from scrimmage, a 65-yard touchdown by Jayden Alexander, en...
With versatile lineup, Shady Side Academy boys soccer rounding into form
The Shady Side Academy boys soccer team isn’t married to one approach. The Bulldogs are willing to move players — even their top scorers — into different spots to help earn the result they need. Since starting the season by losing two of their first five matches, Shady Side Academy...
With senior Michael Costello out front, Fox Chapel cross country dominates section meet
Michael Costello got the result he was searching for during the WPIAL Section 4-3A cross country meet Oct. 1 in Apollo. Costello wanted to perfect how he finished races and wanted to find a way to beat Kiski Area’s Samuel Plazio. Plazio had finished ahead of Costello several times this...
Near-record kick from Harran Zureikat provides highlight for Fox Chapel football
Fox Chapel football coach Dave Leasure trusts Harran Zureikat to know his limits. The senior kicker, who committed to play at Georgia next season, broke his own school record by booting a 54-yard field goal against Pine-Richland last Friday. “That’s entirely up to him,” Leasure said. “If there’s a wind,...
Antonio Perkins leads Burrell past his former teammates at Valley
Burrell quarterback Antonio Perkins doesn’t expect hard feelings the next time he gets together with his friends at Valley. Perkins, who was a standout wrestler and football player for the Vikings last season, transferred to Burrell in the offseason. He piled up 303 rushing yards and scored four times to...
Riverview gets important conference win over Greensburg Central Catholic
Riverview 6-foot-2, 245-pound offensive lineman Addison Pascal doesn’t desire to employ a flashy game plan. A ground-based, grinding approach has served the Raiders fine. Riverview took advantage of a worn-down Greensburg Central Catholic football team Saturday at Riverside Park, powering to a 26-7 Eastern Conference win. The Raiders ran the...
Grateful for chance to compete, Shady Side Academy freshman wins big race in Hershey
Josephine Lenart appreciates every opportunity to compete for the Shady Side Academy girls cross country team. While Lenart, a freshman, is short on experience, she is long on perspective. Lenart won for the first time at one of the premier regular-season invitationals, the 19th PIAA Foundation Meet, which is held...
Shady Side Academy girls tennis locked in on WPIAL championship goal
Shady Side Academy sophomore Brooke Henderson can tell the Bulldogs are locked in on winning the WPIAL Class 3A girls team tennis title. The program was already set to have a competitive lineup this season. Once Cassie Lapina, who won a section title at Pine-Richland last season, transferred in, the...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Golfers start WPIAL tournament strong
The Fox Chapel boys golf team got off to a strong start during the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A boys individual golf championships at Willowbrook Country Club. Defending PIAA champion Carson Kittsley shot a 6-under par 66 to put himself in first place. Sophomore Baron Bitar shot a...
Fox Chapel girls soccer meeting challenge of new faces in new places in lineup
Caylie Wilkinson, a junior defender for the Fox Chapel girls soccer team, felt like this year’s team was significantly different from the previous two iterations. Wilkinson is the only returning starting defender from the Foxes team that reached the WPIAL Class 3A final last season. With six new starters in...
Aven Shirley moves under center, helps lead Kiski Area past Franklin Regional
If Aven Shirley didn’t seem uncomfortable under center Friday night at Richard J. Dilts Field, it was because he already developed many of the skills to do the job. Shirley, a 6-foot-2 senior wide receiver, was far from a fish out of water when he was asked to lead Kiski...
Penn Hills girls volleyball team looks up to Pitt players
Penn Hills junior setter KJ McGee was thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the ball rotation team during the State Farm Volleyball Classic Labor Day weekend at PPG Paints Arena. McGee loves watching the highly ranked Pitt women’s volleyball team in action. She was one of many members...
