John Grupp stories, Page 3

Michelle Ruiz was doing her best to convince North Allegheny athletic director Bob Bozzuto. Nearly a decade ago, the NA gym teacher wanted Bozzuto to clear the way to start Powder Puff football at Marshall Middle School. “Bob was hesitant,” Ruiz said. Bozzuto was fully supportive of girls flag football,...

North Allegheny sophomore outfielder JJ Mancuso is doing his best not to act his age. After an up-and-down freshman season in which he combined great potential with inconsistency, Mancuso is finding a calm balance for the WPIAL Class 6A defending champion Tigers. “Obviously, last year wasn’t what I really wanted...

Hampton junior McKenna Restori entered this track season hoping to run the 100-meter hurdles in under 18 seconds. That didn’t take long. Restori, who began running track only 2 1/2 years ago, set new personal best times in the 100 hurdles with first-place finishes in each of Hampton’s first two...

New Hampton girls soccer coach Chris Garraffa has big plans for a program he believes has underachieved a bit lately. The former boys soccer coach at Lampeter-Strasburg in Lancaster said he sees a Talbots roster with a “ton of quality” that has yet to reach its potential. “I found games...

North Allegheny track star Izzy Costa was likely to break the school’s 400-meter record at some point this spring. But no one saw this coming. At a season-opening tri-meet in mid-March, with nobody to push her and little at stake, Costa recorded a fully automated time of 55.86 seconds to...

North Allegheny senior Jack Bertram spent the past two seasons chasing two of the best distance runners in WPIAL history. But now he’s the one to catch. After settling for third in the 3,200-meter run at the past two WPIAL Class 3A championships behind Butler’s Drew Griffith and Ringgold’s Ryan...

The North Allegheny girls lacrosse team hopes chemistry is the ideal formula for success. Coach Courtney Killian said this year’s roster is the tightest-knit group in her three seasons, and senior midfielder Maddy Lemmon agrees. “I think our team bond is definitely a lot better this year than it has...

The North Allegheny boys lacrosse team is feeling a bit defensive. After losing a 64-goal scorer to graduation and a 39-goal scorer to injury, the Tigers are counting on a talented, experienced backline in their bid to return to the WPIAL Class 3A championship game. “Defensively, we have a good...

North Allegheny senior Gus Miller’s alarm sounded long before sunrise, at 4:45 a.m., numerous days this winter. Around the district, other NA swimmers also rose early on dark, frigid mornings with their alerts and buzzers serving as a call to action. There was work to do. “We had to be...

North Allegheny boys volleyball is back in its customary spot as the WPIAL team to beat. After losing to Shaler in the past two WPIAL Class 3A championships, the Tigers are perched atop the 2025 Western Pa. Coaches Association preseason rankings and eager to see it through this time. “It’s...

Hampton softball coach Kate Hedderman made a promise after last season’s loss in the WPIAL Class 4A finals. The then-first-year coach pledged, “It won’t be the last time you see us here.” One year after reaching the WPIAL championship game for the first time in program history, the Talbots look...

Missing the WPIAL playoffs last season for the first time in eight years left a frustrated feeling with Hampton baseball. The players took it out on the offseason. The Talbots devoted themselves to conditioning and weightlifting and played in a fall league for the first time in coach Kellen Wheeler’s...

North Allegheny first-year softball coach Bill Aguglia worked magic at his previous job by guiding Upper St. Clair to the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in two decades. His new gig offers some challenges right off the bat, but he feels good about it. “I think we’re going to...

The North Allegheny baseball team is armed and dangerous. Despite losing a trio of Division I pitchers, the defending WPIAL Class 6A champion Tigers will again be trotting out a deep and talented staff. “I love our depth on the pitching end,” coach Andrew Heck said. “It’s amazing on paper,...

North Allegheny junior Gus Stedeford couldn’t believe his eyes. Leading 7-0 and on the verge of qualifying for the PIAA Class 3A wrestling championships, Stedeford was called for an illegal slam on State College’s Nicholas Berrena and lost by injury disqualification in the 133-pound fifth-place match. The controversial ruling at...

The North Allegheny boys tennis team snapped a 15-year WPIAL title drought last spring. The Tigers’ wait for another championship should be much shorter. Led by reigning WPIAL Class 3A singles champion Advaita Sircar, North Allegheny welcomes back five of its top seven players from last year’s 18-1 PIAA semifinalist....

On paper, the North Allegheny girls basketball team had its worst season in 37 years. On the court, it was a different story. “I think there are other ways to win outside of the wins and losses on paper,” said first-year coach Gabby Baldasare, whose Tigers (9-14) lost to top-seeded...

North Allegheny’s latest WPIAL champion divers took different paths to the top. Junior Ethan Maravich is a converted swimmer who picked up diving two years ago because the boys team needed help on the boards. Junior Maggie Lapina is a former standout gymnast who started diving 18 months ago after...

North Allegheny’s Grant Regule already owns one state championship in the pool as a senior, and now he’s searching for more gold in the water. A member of NA’s 2024 state champion water polo team, Regule is poised to defend his WPIAL Class 3A title in the 50 freestyle and...

The Hampton boys basketball team is sticking to its New Year’s resolution. After opening the season with a 3-6 mark, the calendar turned to 2025 and the Talbots started winning, putting together an impressive run that vaulted them into the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. “I always kept a realistic grasp...

North Allegheny inline hockey coach Dominic Manz figured this season would be a rebuilding year for his perennial power Tigers. He just had to roll with the changes. “It was a big challenge,” said Manz, who lost most of his roster from last season’s 17-4 league runner-up. “The kids that...

North Allegheny wrestler Griffen Reid entered last year’s postseason with a knee swollen “larger than a baseball.” He gutted out a win in his first match at sectionals, but painful bursitis forced him to withdraw, ending his sophomore season with three straight forfeit losses. “It just totally ruined my season...

Becca Melanson looked out the window of her apartment near the UCLA campus, gasped and grabbed her cellphone. “It was insane,” said Melanson, the top girls water polo player in North Allegheny history. “I have a few photos from my apartment, and I see flames. … I was scared. We...

An upcoming road trip for the North Allegheny hockey team could pave the path for another long playoff journey. The Tigers (6-6-2-0) are returning to the prestigious Hoosier Cup on Feb. 8-10 in South Bend, Ind., where they will face a rugged schedule that last season helped catapult them into...

North Allegheny boys bowling coach Bill Jorden welcomed many new faces this season. But a lot of the same smiles. “We are starting with a brand new team, so considering that, I think we are doing a great job,” Jorden said. “The fact that we are putting five new guys...