Josh Rizzo stories, Page 5

Jacob Taylor’s attitude before his 189-pound match Wednesday night highlighted what has allowed the Burrell wrestling program to maintain its section dominance over the past 25 years. The sophomore was making his first start in a dual against Highlands that would determine the Section 9-2A title. But Taylor already had...

Shaler co-indoor track and field coach Shawn Ryan knows track during the winter can get monotonous. With a lot of snow in the forecast, it’s had to get much practice time in. Despite the lack of track-related activities, the Titans made a big splash during their first meet of the...

Bayleigh Perez is confident about what happens when the basketball leaves her hands. Shaler’s 5-foot-2 senior point guard enjoys pushing the pace. The Titans prefer to be on the move this season and have seen a spark from their offense. They are 11-2 overall and 5-1 in Section 5A. Shaler...

Penn Hills indoor track coach Lee Zelkowitz believes junior Tymere Alston is ready to take a step forward. During the offseason, Alston dedicated a lot of his time to becoming one of the best 400-meter runners in the WPIAL. “He trained hard during the preseason and during the fall months,”...

Joe Capobianco Jr. kept tabs on the Penn Hills baseball program long after he graduated. Seeing the program slowly decline wasn’t something he ever wanted to see. Capobianco didn’t want to be one of the people standing by and complaining about the program’s current status. This offseason, Capobianco, who is...

The Fox Chapel swim team is full of athletes who are seeking an opportunity to put themselves in the best position to do well at the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A championships. To that end, the Foxes have seen a number of pool records fall this season. Sarah Pasquella, Josie...

Fox Chapel senior Alyssa Quackenbush knows what happens when a relay team isn’t in sync. She was a member of a Foxes relay team that was disqualified from a race because of issues handing off the baton. During the Tri-State Track Coaches Association No. 2 meet at Edinboro, Quackenbush was...

Troy Bielak remembers being in the stands and being impressed with all of the creative tricks the great Highlands boys basketball teams used to get easy shots. The Golden Rams’ 6-foot-4 junior forward had that in mind when he called a play on the fly Friday night during a road...

Forward Jules Fisher knew what the blueprint needed to be for the Burrell girls basketball team to beat Highlands on Thursday night in a Section 1-4A battle at home. The Buccaneers planned to make life difficult for the Golden Rams offense. Burrell blanked Highlands in the first quarter, building a...

There is still much work ahead for the Shady Side Academy girls basketball program. But the Bulldogs have laid a solid foundation that should provide many opportunities as the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs approach. The Bulldogs are off to a 12-0 start and have shown plenty of punch on offense....

The Fox Chapel boys basketball team didn’t plan to change its approach when it went up to Class 6A. The Foxes have found success in the WPIAL’s largest class before. The Foxes still have a lot of work to do to claim the Section 1-6A crown, but they have put...

Robert Cash has been through this before with the Penn Hills girls basketball program. The Indians have a young group that needs to play as underclassmen because Penn Hills doesn’t have many older players on the roster. That has led to growing pains for the Indians. Penn Hills suffered its...

Penn Hills picking up a win over Shaler in a game that was televised locally provided the Indians with a significant boost of confidence. But how the Indians followed up their performance against the Titans may do even more to improve Penn Hills’ psyche. The Indians shot 67% (10-of-15) from...

Kiski Area boys basketball coach Corey Smith used the 48 hours before the Cavaliers’ game with Plum to craft the perfect game plan. If Kiski could do what its coach asked, the Cavaliers would set up a first-place battle with Penn Hills at home next Tuesday. The Cavaliers delivered with...

Carter Thomas felt that weight fell off him much easier last year. But the 121-pound Burrell sophomore wrestler hasn’t let the challenges of staying in his weight class wear on him. Thomas picked up a second-period win over Valley’s Xavier Ross on Wednesday night at Valley High School to help...

Kate Friday didn’t want her mental well-being to be defined by success, or failure, surrounding her soccer career. When the Fox Chapel graduate committed to attend Xavier University in Cincinnati, she wanted to find places around her adopted city where she could escape. “I think my favorite place to go...

DeJamire Suber’s mind won’t go toward quitting when things get tough in future matches. The Highlands 127-pound junior wrestler showed what he is capable of when things are bleak Wednesday night. Suber trailed by 11 points when he stuck Valley’s Xavier Ross during the third round. Highlands had a night...

Penn Hills guard Milani Oliver crammed a game’s worth of moments during the final two minutes against Woodland Hills on Dec. 10. With Penn Hills trailing by four, Oliver chased down a loose ball, pulled up at the 3-point line and knocked down a key jumper. Less than 30 seconds...

The growing process for the Penn Hills boys basketball program will have many layers this season. One of the most important ones will be becoming comfortable with being in the varisty atmosphere. With the Indians having so many new players in starting roles on varsity, the season’s first few weeks...

Pitt outside hitter Valeria Vazquez Gomez’s raising her arms with the NCAA regional championship trophy was mirrored by many of the 9,525 spectators in the crowd Saturday at Petersen Events Center. The raucous throng was celebrating what has become a tradition for the Pitt women’s volleyball team. The No. 1...

The process of getting ready for the basketball season wasn’t any different for Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar this season. The Foxes were bumped up to Class 6A during this enrollment cycle, but the basic foundation for Fox Chapel’s success remains the same. “It all starts on defense,”...

Killian Kissane knew hockey would be different when he chose to play at Shady Side Academy. The Bulldogs, who play a national prep schedule, would require him to be a different player than when he was at Fox Chapel. Kissane had to be more physical if he was going to...

Teegan Finucan couldn’t help but feel confident after the Knoch boys basketball team opened Section 1-4A play Friday night at home with a dominant defensive performance. The Knights kept Valley off the scoreboard for the first 3 1/2 minutes before coasting to a 74-39 win. Knoch (4-1, 1-0) has established...

Shaler sophomore wrestler Anthony Jones is in an ideal position for a wrestler competing in the lightest weight class. Jones wasn’t focused on figuring out how to cut weight to get down to 107 pounds in the offseason. Instead, Jones spent the offseason worrying about adding weight. “He has a...

Brandon Sensor was happy to earn the opportunity to lead the Shaler boys basketball program. For one thing, Sensor got to be closer to home for his four children, who are all 6 and under. Sensor and his family live in the Shaler district. He also has the interesting challenge...