Josh Rizzo stories, Page 7

Stephen Adametz feels fortunate to be taking over the Shaler swim program at a time when it is full of promise. The girls team had its best result at the WPIAL Class 3A championships in a decade last season. Shaler finished in 17th place, and many of the top swimmers...

This season, the Shady Side Academy boys basketball team will reflect the way the modern game is played. The Bulldogs will have four players over 6-foot-3 in the starting lineup, but the largest players on the court won’t be anchored to the low block. Shady Side Academy’s best passer may...

Liam Wiseman hit a significant milestone for the Fox Chapel hockey team. During the Foxes’ 6-5 loss to Canon-McMillan on Nov. 4 at the Alpha Ice Complex, Wiseman scored three goals to reach the 100-goal mark for his career. Fox Chapel’s hockey team is off to a 3-2 start in...

South Park defensive lineman Troy Cunningham looked like he had all the answers to the test Friday night at Newman Stadium. Ellwood City quarterback Chris Smiley likely wished Cunningham wouldn’t have studied so hard before they met in a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal playoff game. Cunningham set a school record...

Springdale junior forward Hailey Marchlewski said her team prepared for if things went sideways during a PIAA Class A girls soccer quarterfinal Saturday at Andy Kuzneski Field in Indiana. When the Dynamos allowed District 6 champion Bishop Guilfoyle to score a tying goal with five minutes remaining, Springdale seemed unbothered....

David Black spent most of his time during the PIAA Class 3A cross country championships attempting to dig out of a hole from the start of the race. The Fox Chapel senior needed a fast start to get on the medal stand. Black ended up two spots short but was...

Redeemer Lutheran junior outside hitter Anika Vanwyk felt some uncertainty even though the Rams were one point away from an appearance in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Athletic Alliance championship game. Junior setter Clarissa Tinkey rolled her ankle celebrating the point and Redeemer had to quickly reconfigure things on the fly. The...

The Penn Hills football team was focused on the task at hand during the first round at the WPIAL playoffs. The Indians have attempted to stay with that line of thinking all season. When things break down or go awry, Penn Hills wants to maintain a simple mantra: Do your...

The Fox Chapel girls soccer team clearly had hope after losing to South Fayette in the WPIAL Class 3A title game at Highmark Stadium. The Foxes wanted another shot at the now two-time defending champion Lions in the PIAA playoffs. Fox Chapel took a step toward that goal by beating...

Pine-Richland running back Mac Miller’s focus didn’t wane during the bye week. The top-seeded Rams were solely focused on self-improvement. When Pine-Richland returned to action during a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal playoff Friday night at home, the Rams were ready to conduct business quickly and efficiently. The top-seeded Rams took...

Serra Catholic sophomore Emily Ruperto nearly threw in the towel on cross country. During the summer, Ruperto hits the club swimming circuit hard. The Penn Hills resident doesn’t have much time to get ready for the start of cross country season. “I’m all in on swimming during the summer,” Ruperto...

Many have criticized the PIAA’s decision to go to six classifications for football during the 2016 season. However, Penn Hills ultimately ended up landing in a division that has been one of the most successful for the WPIAL on the state level. After playing the first two seasons in this...

Junior forward Mia Deramo wants to give everyone around Western Pennsylvania a reason to discuss the South Fayette girls soccer program. The Lions delivered another emphatic statement about their proper place on the district’s stage with a 4-0 win over Fox Chapel in the WPIAL Class 3A championship Saturday at...

South Park boys soccer coach Jon Cantwell told his players they couldn’t live off their reputations. Not all of the Eagles playing in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium had earned their championship wings yet. When South Park beat Avonworth, 1-0, to claim a second...

Shady Side Academy girls soccer coach Mary Lynch knows she can count on junior goalkeeper Maria Ravotti. The Bulldogs needed Ravotti, a 5-foot-11 junior, to play well, especially since she was the only goalie on the roster this season. “What stands out is how focused she is,” Lynch said. “She...

At one point during the WPIAL Class 3A cross-country championship race, Fox Chapel senior Ethan Vaughan felt a moment when he thought people may be catching up. But on that day at White Oak Park, there would be no catching Vaughan. He smashed his previous personal best by 12 seconds,...

Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris approached senior running back/linebacker Naytel Mitchell before the season with a request to play a physical brand of football on both sides of the ball. Mitchell accepted and was hard on conditioning to be ready for the rigors of a long season and handle...

Anna (Bozzo) Carter was disappointed following the end of last season. Only winning four matches and finishing in third place in the section wasn’t what Carter believed the Titans program is capable of. Entering the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs this season, Carter can say that everyone in the program took...

Bright orange Syracuse T-shirts stand out among the blue and gold-clad supporters and wooden bleachers in the usually dingy Fitzgerald Field House. Annie (Bozzo) Carter appreciated that Shaler volleyball coach Paul Stadelman still supported her when she came to town with her college team. “My first week there, I felt...

Jeannette quarterback Kymon’e Brown couldn’t say he was happy with how things were in early October. The Jayhawks had just suffered their third straight loss and made a habit of fading after halftime. But the way Brown looked at it, Jeannette had an opportunity to turn around its season and...

Dorseyville Middle School cross country coach Sean Mawhinney insists every member of the program run a mile at the school at the start and end of every season. There are few better ways to show progress than for athletes to see it in action. For the girls program this season,...

Something was missing from Carson Kittsley’s wish list in 2024. The Fox Chapel sophomore had yet to pick up a victory in a major golf tournament. Kittsley emphatically crossed the goal off his list Oct. 22 at the Penn State White Course. Kittsley, who was playing in the PIAA Class...

Atheena Burnett had a busy job for the Penn Hills girls soccer team this season. When things broke down for the Indians, she was tasked with keeping the ball out of the net. There were many matches where Burnett was asked to do a lot of work. Burnett saved 40...

Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris is excited about his team’s progress in the classroom this season. The Indians, who have qualified to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs for the second straight season, have made major strides in the classroom. Ninety-five percent of the team has a GPA above 2.5,...

Jay’mere Ellis didn’t want to worry about tiebreakers, Gardner Points or for the committee to decide the Class 5A wild cards. The Penn Hills senior quarterback wanted to seal up second place in the Northeast Conference in tidy fashion to make a case for the best seed possible for the...