Josh Rizzo stories, Page 43
Balanced attack leads Shaler volleyball to winning season
There will be no relaxing once the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs start for Shaler outside hitter Mia Schubert. The Titans — who are the second overall seed — felt they let a match with section rival North Allegheny get away from them late in the season. Shaler — which was...
Shaler boys soccer tried to get in sync during up-and-down season
Shaler senior Ross Hartley saw the pattern for the boys soccer team shortly after a 6-0 loss to Fox Chapel. “From the beginning of the season, we were disconnected,” Hartley said. “We got more connected during the middle of the season. Toward the end of the end of the season,...
New coach brings structured approach to Shaler hockey team
Creating structure for the Shaler hockey program was important for first-year coach Cory Sakolsky. It’s something Sakolsky had in mind while assembling his coaching staff. Sakolsky, who previously coached at Butler, brought in two former head coaches to help him out with the Titans. Matt Ranallo, who coached at Shaler...
Shaler girls soccer looking to future after pair of positive late-season results
The back half of Section 1-4A play didn’t go how Shaler Area girls soccer coach Craig Wilkins hoped it would go. The Titans were outscored 42-4 over their final five section games, including a 6-0 season-ending loss to Seneca Valley on Oct. 19 at home. But Wilkins was encouraged by...
Shaler cross country looking forward to new venue for WPIAL meet
Shaler cross country coach Justin Eskra believes the WPIAL may have stumbled upon one positive during the uncertainty of the covid-19 pandemic. Instead of heading down to Cal (Pa) for the district’s Class AAA championships, runners will compete at White Oak Park on Oct. 29. In what Eskra anticipates will...
Shaler boys soccer gains experience, measure of revenge
Twenty-seven days made a world of difference for the Shaler Area boys soccer team. TJ Tylenda scored twice in the second half and the Titans regained self-respect during a 2-1 Section 1-4A victory over Pine-Richland on Oct. 6 at home. The Rams beat up Shaler a little less than a...
Improved offense adds new dimension to Shaler volleyball
Tia Bozzo doesn’t want to look at the start of Shaler Area’s girls volleyball season and think the culture has changed. No alteration was necessary. The Titans want to maintain their identity as a scrappy group. Shaler is doing it with more oomph behind its offense. After a 25-8, 25-18,...
Shaler girls tennis makes strides in abbreviated season
Losing two weeks of the season because of a player contracting covid-19 limited opportunities for the Shaler Area girls tennis team. Missed time didn’t put too much of a damper on the Titans’ progress. Coach Brian Duermeyer credited athletic director Clint Rauscher for making sure everyone had a chance to...
Shaler golfer achieves goal, earns trip to Oakmont
Emilee Miller scribbles down maybe five or so goals in a notebook before the start of every golf season. Several have been old standards — like qualifying for WPIAL Class AAA championships — for the Shaler Area senior. All of Miller’s goals were rooted with an overarching theme. “I wanted...
Shaler girls soccer cranks up defensive pressure, sees results
Emily Moorey wants the Shaler Area girls soccer team to seize extra opportunities. When the Titans senior defender sees opponents being lax with the ball, Moorey and her teammates want to apply pressure. When everything is humming — as it was during the Titans’ 5-3 win over North Hills on...
Shaler freshman Joey Miller shows poise at section tournament
Knowing the target score didn’t rankle Shaler Area freshmen golfer Joey Miller. Carding a par on the 402-yard 18th hole during the Section 3-AAA tournament Sept. 21 at North Park would allow Miller to finish with an 8-over par 80 and march on to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. Miller...
Shaler football battling through one of WPIAL’s toughest schedules
Don’t waste time looking for a spot where the Shaler Area football program can take a breath. The Titans schedule doesn’t allow for it. All seven of Shaler’s opponents qualified for the WPIAL playoffs last season in various classes. In the first two weeks, North Hills and West Allegheny beat...
Paszkowski, Paris lead Shaler cross country team into promising season
Running at North Park and the river trails in Millvale helped Tyler Paszkowski and Ryan Paris pass a lot of time during quarantine. Doing so was only natural for the two Shaler Area junior cross country runners. “Training with Tyler has been great,” Paris said. “We’ve been training together since...
Shaler boys soccer adapting to change early on this season
Peering at the scoreline of the Shaler Area boys soccer team’s season opener,coach Adam Hunter doesn’t find what he anticipates seeing all season. The Titans were blanked by Fox Chapel, 3-0, in their Section 1-4A opener last Monday, conceding two goals late in the contest. What Hunter believes is that...
Shaler volleyball hopes to ride experience into postseason
Sierra Ricci knows this isn’t the type of year she can ease back into the lineup. The defensive specialist for the Shaler Area girls volleyball team is returning to the lineup after missing last season with an ACL tear. But because of covid-19, the Titans will only play Section 1-4A...
Wilkins steps into No. 1 singles role for Shaler tennis
Olivia Wilkins didn’t want to come into her senior tennis season unprepared. She took private lessons a few days a week over the summer to prepare for the daunting task of taking over the No. 1 singles spot on the Shaler Area girls tennis team. Wilkins knew taking the top...
Ex-Shaler wrestler Heinl’s college career comes to sudden end
Michael Heinl thought there might be a chance everything would be normal. The 149-pound Washington & Jefferson senior wrestler already had made the trip with teammate Hunter Neely to the NCAA Division III national championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. But Heinl found out less than 24 hours before the tournament...
Shaler softball ready to go when — and if — spring sports resume
Tom Sorce knows the current world environment isn’t making high school sports likely to happen this spring. But the third-year Shaler Area softball coach hopes the Titans will get a chance. Following strong workouts and tournaments in the fall and spring, Sorce thought Shaler had potential. The Titans, who saw...
Shaler junior high wrestlers make states, provide glimpse into program’s future
Zach Hartung isn’t what you would call an experienced wrestler. Before the past two years, the Shaler Area freshman’s experience primarily consisted of unsanctioned matches with his brother. Hartung, who competes at 252 pounds, has shown considerable progress during his two-year career. He recently placed eighth at the Pennsylvania junior...
Shaler Area girls bowling happy for 1st state championship berth
Shawn Pilyih had an inkling the Shaler Area girls bowling team clinched its first appearance at the state championships. The Titans coach came to the sudden realization when the results were delivered to him. “I was the tournament director,” Pilyih said. “I didn’t know until they handed me the sheet...
Jeannette product, Long Island standout Julian Batts has ‘good career ahead’
Julian Batts showed steady improvement over the course of his four years with the Long Island men’s basketball team. While the school underwent a significant change — the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds were rebranded as the LIU Sharks after a merger with C.W. Post — Batts felt he stayed the same....
Robert Morris men stomp Long Island, reach NEC championship game
Anyone willing to come along for the ride will be welcomed by Robert Morris men’s basketball coach Andy Toole. With their 86-66 Northeast Conference Tournament semifinal win over Long Island University on Saturday, the top-seeded Colonials earned an opportunity to close their first season at UPMC Events Center by winning...
Shaler swimmer Nebiolo motivated by WPIAL performance
Lydia Nebiolo provided Shaler Area’s Keith Simmons with extra motivation for next year following her performance at the WPIAL Class AAA championships Feb. 27-28 Saturday at Trees Pool. The Titans junior swimmer missed going to states by less than five seconds in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events. That’s the...
Shaler’s Mbalo looks to build off state indoor championship
Cam Mbalo has an idea of what he wants to do with his first memento from his senior season. The Shaler Area senior triple jumper received a gold watch following his PTFCA indoor state championship winning leap of 48 feet, 1 ½ inches Feb. 29 at Penn State. “I’m definitely...
Mohawk tops Beaver to claim 1st WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball title
All six Mohawk girls basketball players who attended the press conference following the WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball championship game couldn’t help but talk over each other. The Warriors were brand new to all the pomp and circumstance surrounding playing in a title game Saturday morning at the Petersen Events...
