Josh Rizzo stories

The tension between Valley’s Nolan Bodycombe and Highlands’ Taiyvon Partlow started during the lineup introductions. When Partlow offered to shake hands, Bodycombe shook his head no. When the two stepped into the circle for their 172-pound bout, everything boiled over. Bodycombe claimed that Parlow bit him during the second period....

Freshman Gavin Litz has seven matches under his belt as a varsity wrestler at Kiski Area. His pin against Burrell on Tuesday night was his fourth pin of the season but the first that resulted in him being lifted onto his teammates’ shoulders. Litz’s second-round victory helped the Cavaliers beat...

Ava Jochims broke through on the PIAA Class 2A stage as a sophomore swimmer. The Shady Side Academy girls swim team standout is hoping to help the team by building on their success. Jochims won PIAA championships in the 200 IM and 500 freestyle. “She hopes to repeat that feat...

The Fox Chapel swimming program is under new leadership this season in coach Bailey Bonnett. The Foxes have seen plenty of good performances early in the season. Delany O’Toole set a team team and pool record in the 100 freestyle. Ella Lange also set a new record in the 500...

Marty Matvey had already done the math in the fall league. The Fox Chapel girls basketball team was averaging around 32 points per game. In order to return to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, Matvey knew the Foxes would have to do better than that. So far, Fox Chapel is...

The Fox Chapel boys basketball team didn’t have time to get their legs underneath them before the heart-pounding plays happened. John Rehak’s game-winning basket with less than a second remaining in the season opener set the tone for what would be an entertaining but tense first few weeks to the...

Freeport guard Bryson Paga didn’t want to wilt when the Deer Lakes boys basketball team turned up the heat. Paga and his teammates weren’t perfect — the Yellowjackets had their fair share of passes deflected and stolen — but were crisp enough to build a 16-point halftime lead. Freeport survived...

Cooper Roscosky doesn’t believe the upper weight classes necessarily will need to carry the Kiski Area wrestling team in dual matches. But the 215-pound Kiski senior takes great pride in knowing he and Mario Hutcherson can provide the points to help alleviate the pressure on the rest of the lineup....

Shaler junior Anthony Jones believes he has the tools to be a good wrestler. His work on the mat says it. Jones is a two-time WPIAL Class 3A qualifier who placed seventh as a freshman at 107 pounds. What Jones is searching for is the mental strength to take the...

Tony Grenek appreciates the plethora of players he can deploy with the Shaler Area girls basketball team. The former Point Park coach believes this year’s Titans squad will be deeper than past seasons. While the record may not end up quite as pretty, Shaler finished 20-3 and shared the Section...

Pitt women’s volleyball coach Dan Fisher would love more preparation between the first and second round of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament. All 32 coaches who advanced to the second round felt like that to some degree about the 24-hour or so turnaround they face. The Panthers found ways to...

Penn Hills wrestling coach Jeremy Packer would like to see Daemon Phipps stay on the gas. The Indians 114-pound senior wrestler broke through and qualified for the WPIAL Class 3A tournament last season. Phipps went 1-2, picking up a win over Moon’s Karsten Kirchner in the consolation bracket. He will...

Leah Buford doesn’t love the games that start before noon. But the Shady Side Academy junior forward knows it’s just one of the challenges the Bulldogs will face this season. “It’s hard,” Buford said. “Those games before 12:00 p.m. can be rough, but at the end of the day we...

Emma Srodes and Lauren Bachman have benefitted from their experience in learning how to wrestle for the Fox Chapel girls wrestling team. Each wrestler is hoping to use those lessons to her benefit this season. Srodes and Bachman each collected victories during their season-opening dual meet win over Hampton. The...

The Fox Chapel girls basketball team doesn’t have much size in its lineup this season. To win games, the Foxes must rebound aggressively. Fox Chapel annoyed North Hills during its season opener Dec. 2, though the Foxes ultimately fell short in a 46-43 defeat. “We try to out-pursue people,” Fox...

Penn Hills boys basketball coach Chris Giles wasn’t happy with a 12-10 overall record last season. While the Indians were 10-2 in section and lost a home game late in the season to Kiski Area that could have brought the Section 2-5A title, Giles wanted to reflect on how to...

Olivia Babcock didn’t realize her performance during the first round of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament gave her the Pitt record for most kills in a season. Babcock knew she met the previous record holder, Wendy Hatlestad, during alumni weekend. Babcock recorded 13 kills during the Panthers’ 25-10, 25-17, 25-13...

Andrew Kratsa was in perfect position to secure a pin during his 145-pound match. But the Fox Chapel senior couldn’t quite guide Peters Township sophomore Dane McMillon’s shoulders to the mat. When the horn bailed McMillon out, he was facing a 10-point deficit entering the third period. But Kratsa was...

Apollo-Ridge boys basketball coach Greg Fox found the right way to test guard Brayden Myers. When Myers goes to the free-throw line in practice, the edict is simple. If he misses, the team runs. “I like putting the pressure on him,” Fox said of the senior. “He likes that pressure.”...

Joey Geller had done the math for what is possible for his senior season at Fox Chapel. If he can continue his progression, he should have an opportunity to make a run at finishing with 100 wins. Geller, a 215-pound senior wrestler, finished 27-15 last season and has 69 wins...

Brayden Myers made sure the Apollo-Ridge boys basketball team didn’t need to rely solely on the workmanship of Zane Beatty to open the Leechburg Tournament with a 52-34 win over the host Blue Devils. Myers was perfect from the free-throw line Friday night, scoring 11 of his game-high 19 points...

Owen Layhew will likely knock off two Knoch wrestling historical milestones before Christmas. The Knights’ 145-pound senior will be pursuing plenty of history as he attempts to navigate his way back to the WPIAL final. There will be several Class 2A wrestlers in the Alle-Kiski Valley pursuing lofty goals this...

Six years have gone by since Kiski Area wrestling raised the WPIAL Class 3A team trophy, capping a stretch of three consecutive titles. The Cavaliers advanced past the first round of the WPIAL playoffs last season and hope their still-young lineup will push them closer to title contention. Kiski coach...

Nia Thomas got a late start taking over the Highlands girls basketball program. The La Roche graduate has been eager to get going since taking the reins in October. Thomas, a 2017 Highlands graduate, played four seasons with La Roche, making 87 appearances and averaging 5.7 points per game. “I...

Troy Bielak heard the edict from Highlands boys basketball coach Mike Foster. The Golden Rams are going to have to be the “Running Rams” to satisfy their new coach. Bielak, a senior guard/forward, and his teammates were dripping with sweat during an early practice in a preseason that featured plenty...