Josh Rizzo stories, Page 6

The Pitt women’s volleyball team can count on the totality of its talent to pull it out of tight situations. The Panthers needed their ability to solve puzzles to sink eighth-seeded Oklahoma during the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at Petersen Events Center in front of...

Zoe Skirboll competed in the U.S. time trials to try to earn a spot on the Olympic team last summer. The Fox Chapel graduate would like to utilize that experience to help her junior year at Virginia be a big success. While the season is still young, Skirboll already has...

Coach Matt Mauclair is excited about what the Fox Chapel swimming program is bringing back up and down the lineup. At the top, the Foxes have four captains with plenty of experience swimming at a high level. Three of those athletes — Sarah Pasquella, Owen Howe and Christian Dantey —...

Denairo Price hardly had to break a sweat during his first varsity wrestling match. Thankfully, the Penn Hills freshman heavyweight doubled up on his matches during a triangular with Woodland Hills and Riverview on Dec. 4. Price, who transferred to Penn Hills from Kiski Area, claimed two pins to open...

There was plenty to celebrate for the Penn Hills wrestling program as the season opened with a triangular against Riverview and Woodland Hills on Dec. 4. While the Indians varsity boys program picked up wins against the Raiders and the Wolverines, the girls program also got an opportunity to get...

Senior libero Emmy Klika and her teammates huddled together in front of the net after the Pitt women’s volleyball team swept Morehead State on Friday night at Petersen Events Center. The Panthers’ tradition of taking a photo after every match is the program’s simple way of documenting the steps along...

Alex Wylly wants his sophomore season with the Riverview wrestling team to reflect his toughness. Wylly has demonstrated he is willing to put the time in managing the burden that comes with playing three varsity sports. Following a solid freshman season on the mat, Wylly wants to prove to the...

Hollis Mathis’ career at William & Mary has seen various iterations. Initially, the Penn Hills graduate was slotted in as quarterback for the Tribe. However, things changed over the time Mathis spent in the program. During a season-ending loss to Richmond last week, Hollis ended his career by hitting an...

Penn Hills boys basketball coach Chris Giles has plenty of upperclassmen ready to lead the program this season. The Indians’ ability to win basketball games will be dependent on how quickly they can handle the challenges that come with being varsity athletes. “This team has to be experienced. They have...

Jonna Burke is much more focused on the beginning of the season than the end. The Shady Side Academy girls’ basketball coach said it is nice to have benchmarks from last season to shoot for. The Bulldogs won the WPIAL Class 3A championship and made a run to the PIAA...

Atia DiGioia fought the battle with uncertainty and nerves before she ever stepped on the wrestling mat. The Fox Chapel junior wasn’t entirely sure how wrestling would go for her. But having a close friend, Emma Srodes, to train with at practice made things easier. “The first week or so,...

There were plenty of moments during the fall sports season to give people in the Fox Chapel school district a reason to follow the action closely. First, Foxes sophomore Carson Kittsley stole the show with a cool performance at the Penn State White Course. By shooting 5-under par on the...

Apollo-Ridge forward Zane Beatty believes the Vikings boys basketball team learned an essential lesson during its season opener Friday night at the Leechburg Tournament. When the Vikings build double-digit leads, they want to stay on top of their opponents. Apollo-Ridge survived a late comeback from the host Blue Devils to...

Bradley Repovich’s resolve was consistently tested during his first season on the Penn Hills wrestling team. Wrestling isn’t a sport that is typically kind to newcomers, especially at the varsity level. Repovich, who will be a junior and wrestle at 145 pounds this season, went through his share of adversity....

Anthony Sipple enjoys the challenge of playing multiple sports, but the Penn Hills junior knows that swimming isn’t the one where it is possible to give a lesser effort. Sipple has the challenge of trying to return to the WPIAL Class 3A championships after qualifying for two individual events and...

Avonworth senior running back Nico Neal was itching to have one more opportunity to play at Acrisure Stadium. After two years of being champions in waiting, the fifth-seeded Antelopes battered down the door during a 17-0 win over Central Valley in the WPIAL Class 3A title game Saturday evening. Neal...

First-year Fox Chapel hockey coach Ryan Loebig believes the Foxes were at a perfect spot for a breather after five games. The Foxes proved they are an offensively gifted team that is capable of winning wild shootouts. But a pair of one-goal losses offered a chance for reflection. “We’ve been...

The Fox Chapel girls soccer team dealt with the immense pressure of being the defending WPIAL Class 4A champions all season. Dropping to Class 3A, Fox Chapel opened the season on 18-match unbeaten streak before ultimately advancing to the second round of the PIAA playoffs. “I thought the girls had...

Senior Serena Carnahan would like the Plum girls basketball team to be in the best position to make quick decisions. It’s a skill that will come in handy as the Mustangs lost their leading scorer and will have a group looking to blend youth and experience. To cultivate that skill,...

Belief, in and of itself, isn’t going to carry the Plum boys basketball team to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs for the first time since 2016. But the Mustangs have shown an immense amount of dedication to the sport in the offseason that senior guard Will Beckner believes will produce...

Ali Shareef doesn’t have to bear the burden of being saddled with the same high expectations as recent Highlands boys basketball teams. But not being paid the same amount of respect as previous seasons doesn’t sit right with the Golden Rams senior point guard, either. “I’m looking forward to competing...

First-year coach Dan LaGamba is open to all possibilities for the Highlands girls basketball program this season. The Golden Rams only have one starter — Tyarah Woody — returning from a team that reached the PIAA Class 4A playoffs. That means Highlands will need to grow together if it wants...

The Penn Hills girls basketball team will be challenged to continue a winning tradition when its season starts this December. The Indians reached the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs for the second straight season last year, winning a preliminary round game before being knocked out by Oakland Catholic. Penn Hills, which...

The Penn Hills Youth Football and Cheer Association cheerleading team won the Western Pennsylvania Youth Athletic Association Cheer Bowl championship for the third straight year in the big and little divisions. Cheer coach Ashley Blake said that she emphasizes to all the girls on the team that the judging isn’t...

Shaler girls wrestling coach Robert Taylor remembers when he found out there would be a program for the first time this season. The Titans coach was in a classroom when Lilly Conner burst in. “I remember it vividly,” Taylor said. “Lilly Conner came in and said, ‘Coach, are we going...