Josh Rizzo stories, Page 9
No. 12 Fox Chapel upsets 5th-seeded Franklin Regional in Class 5A playoffs
The Fox Chapel softball team has been plagued with maddening moments of inconsistency on defense. But when the lights were at their brightest during the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs Monday at North Allegheny High School, the 12th-seeded Foxes didn’t melt down. Fox Chapel committed only one...
Willie Thrower QB Camp gives young players a chance to hone skills, honor a local legend
Jaden Wall has the same routine every Saturday morning. He heads down to Valley High School to lift weights to get ready for football season. When Wall saw the Willie Thrower Award Foundation Quarterback Camp was going on Saturday morning, he took the opportunity to do a different type of...
Fox Chapel basketball alumnus scratches competitive itch in Pittsburgh Marathon
Russell Fenton felt the void when his time playing high school basketball at Fox Chapel ended. When he moved on to the Georgia Institute of Technology, playing on the club basketball team didn’t fully satisfy what he was looking for. Fenton, despite never running track or cross country, chose to...
Shady Side Academy track teams aim high
Jeff Perlis would like to make a trip to the New Balance Nationals, a long weekend for the Shady Side Academy track team. The Bulldogs coach said the school will have a larger contingent competing this summer than it did last year, when Chelsea Hartman was the only qualifier. Francesca...
Fox Chapel runners compete for spots on relay teams
Fox Chapel track and field coach Tom Moul enjoys the depth the Foxes have on their relay teams this season. That is part of the reason the Last Chance meets will be so important for the Foxes. Not every athlete who will compete in those events will have the same...
Fox Chapel softball weathers storm after clinching playoff spot
Maintaining momentum heading into the playoffs is tricky in softball. Long layoffs aren’t ideal when preparing for a single-elimination playoff format. The Fox Chapel softball team worked hard to stay sharp. Two weeks ago, the storm that brought down power for many Allegheny County residents caused the Foxes to be...
Plum’s power bats lead A-K Valley contingent into WPIAL softball playoffs
The Plum softball team shouldn’t be one that any opponent is eager to see in the WPIAL Class 5A softball playoffs. When the Mustangs made contact at the plate this season, it took them some time to locate exactly where the ball landed. Plum has cranked out 40 home runs....
Former NFL star Larry Fitzgerald reflects on time at Pitt as he speaks at commencement, receives honorary doctorate
Larry Fitzgerald Jr.’s time at Pitt was short. The wide receiver and Heisman Trophy runner-up flashed his professional bona fides in two years with the Panthers and was off to what would become a 17-year career with the Arizona Cardinals. But Fitzgerald’s fondness for Pittsburgh lingered long past his final...
Fox Chapel tennis tandem reflects on 3rd-place finish at WPIAL tournament
Mason Friday and Frank Siegel protected their seed during the WPIAL Class 3A boys doubles tennis championships. The Fox Chapel duo nearly did more than that. Friday and Siegel, who were seeded third, reached the semifinals before taking on Mt. Lebanon’s Luca Ritivoi and Mark Summers, who were seeded second....
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Former Foxes pitcher unbeaten for Washington & Jefferson
Fox Chapel graduate Dante DiMatteo is posting good numbers for the Washington & Jefferson baseball team this season. DiMatteo recently was named Presidents’ Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week after throwing seven scoreless innings against Allegheny. This season, DiMatteo has done a little bit of everything, compiling an 8-0 record...
Fox Chapel duo reaches 100-goal milestone, helps attack become more dynamic
There was plenty on Meg Delaney’s mind when she was preparing for Fox Chapel’s lacrosse match with rival Shady Side Academy. The senior wanted to win to get back at the Bulldogs for eliminating Fox Chapel from the playoffs last season. Delaney and teammate Caroline Grimsley were closing in on...
Fox Chapel boys lacrosse peaking as playoffs approach
Brady Matthews didn’t get distraught that his early days in lacrosse were delayed by the covid pandemic. Matthews, who started playing in middle school, missed a season because of the restrictions that put a pause on sports. Instead, the Fox Chapel junior attack/midfeidler went about improving in his own fashion....
Shady Side Academy freshman jumps right into high school track career
Adam Janosko got a solid report on Javon Johnston before he made it to the Shady Side Academy boys varsity track and field team. Janosko was told that Johnston set a middle school record at Moon for one of the horizontal jumps. Johnston, now a freshman, is finding ways to...
Fox Chapel softball making in-season strides
The hardest lesson for any team to learn is how to take what they do in practice and apply it to game situations. Fox Chapel softball coach Larry Troutman saw his team learn the hard way plenty of times once Section 1-5A play started this season. The Foxes used those...
Fox Chapel boys lacrosse starting to add offensive punch to solid defense
The Fox Chapel boys lacrosse team can count on its defense keeping every game close. What Foxes coach Jordon Hodder hopes is that the attack has finally found its footing. Fox Chapel scored 19 goals in a win over Norwin on April 21. The Foxes followed that up by grinding...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Fox Chapel names hall of fame Class of 2025
The Fox Chapel Area Sports Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2025. Six inductees will be honored during a banquet May 31. The inductees are: • Jason Lennon, Class of 1991, Soccer/baseball • Dan Tublin, 2010, Volleyball • Jason Kolod, 2011, diving • Erin Mathias, 2014, basketball • Brian...
Fox Chapel duo takes section doubles crown
Fox Chapel freshman Frank Siegel received the proper tutelage for playing effectively at the net. When Fred would go to the park and play with his older brother, Will, he didn’t expect him to take any heat off the ball. “He would hit balls at me when I was at...
Fox Chapel boys volleyball determined to make run at playoff spot
Fox Chapel boys volleyball coach Phil O’Keeffe was on board with the WPIAL volleyball steering committee’s decision to make it more challenging to qualify for the postseason. That’s all well and good when the lineup is relatively healthy. But the Foxes had more than a dozen players out with the...
Penn Hills flag football picking up wins, ‘proving people wrong’
Ani’yah Hickman knows that being a three-year veteran of the Penn Hills girls flag football team will require taking on different roles at a moment’s notice. Hickman was one of three players called on to play quarterback because of various injuries afflicting Penn Hills on April 13 at Woodland Hills...
Penn Hills boys volleyball looks to build momentum after streak-snapping win
There’s no slowing down when finding success while playing Class 3A boys volleyball in the WPIAL. Penn Hills halted a long losing streak in section play when the Indians tripped up Plum in four sets April 8. The Indians (3-4, 1-2) fell back to earth during their next match when...
Data-driven approach helps Shaler track and field athletes improve
Shaler boys track coach Shawn Ryan likes numbers. Becoming a track and field coach necessitates an interest in data to help track progress and guide improvement. But Ryan said he became interested in recording, ranking and publishing times for sprinters when he saw Tony Holler speak. Holler is a member...
With new cast of characters, Shaler boys volleyball in title contention again
Aiden Smith doesn’t feel like the job is any different. The Shaler senior setter knows that the stage he is set to perform on provides a higher level of difficulty. The Titans graduated their entire lineup from a team that won the program’s first PIAA Class 3A title last season....
Fox Chapel senior bids farewell to high school hoops with all-star showing
Bella Urso enjoyed her final trip around the high school basketball circuit. The Fox Chapel senior scored nine points, including seven in the second half, to help the West team beat the East team 66-60 in the 28th annual Alle-Kiski Cager Classic on April 5 at Highlands High School. Urso...
Fox Chapel track team gears up for invitational season
Fox Chapel track and field coach Tom Moul is happy he doesn’t have to feed his young runners to the wolves once invitational season starts. In addition to entering athletes into the Butler Invitational, which is the kickoff to the big invitationals and an event a lot of schools use...
Herald notebook: Fox Chapel grad pitching out of Slippery Rock bullpen
It’s been a big season for the Slippery Rock softball team, and Fox Chapel graduate Mackenzie Borkovich is in the middle of it. Slippery Rock, which had major renovations done to its home stadium, is 16-14 overall with a 10-2 mark in conference play. Borkovich has a 3.77 ERA in...
