Josh Rizzo stories

Western Beaver freshman Amari Marshall didn’t expect to be a quarterback coming into the preseason. But when the program lined up for its first night WPIAL Class 2A postseason game, Marshall was under the gun and ready to try and help the Golden Beavers make history. No. 2 Western Beaver’s...

Apollo-Ridge lineman Connor Bogdanski and his teammate sent a signal in early August that they were ready to show off everything they had learned during a difficult 2024 season. The Vikings won a big-man challenge event against competitors from Fox Chapel and Knoch. After Apollo-Ridge finished with one win last...

Coming back down from the high of winning the WPIAL Class 2A championship was a weird feeling for Deer Lakes keeper Wesley Boyle. The Lancers are excited to pursue a state championship, but they understand nothing about moving on in the PIAA playoffs is easy. Peyton Kushon headed in a...

Susan Pollins has spent nine years with the seniors on the Beaver girls volleyball team. The Bobcats coach believes any group coming behind them will have a high hurdle to clear to match what they’ve accomplished. Beaver, the No. 2 seed, swept Oakland Catholic 3-0 (25-15, 27-25, 27-25) in the...

Julia Cernich had enough of the five-set wars. If No. 11 seed Avonworth was going to win its first WPIAL Class 2A girls volleyball title Saturday against top-seeded Hopewell, the Antelopes wanted to do so in tidy fashion in the fourth set. Avonworth had a dream start, rolling off the...

Fox Chapel girls cross country coach Tom Moul hoped the Foxes would make steady improvement throughout the season. Had you asked him if the team would reach the PIAA Class 3A championships as a team, Moul wouldn’t have necessarily anticipated that. During the WPIAL Class 3A championships at White Oak...

Neshannock quarterback Jino Mozzocio felt the Lancers’ football season hasn’t been quite to his liking so far. He wanted to start writing a different story against Leechburg during a WPIAL Class A semifinal Friday at Veterans Memorial Field. No. 9 Neshannock took that first step by blasting the Blue Devils,...

Fox Chapel boys soccer coach Erik Ingram doesn’t always get bogged down by tactics when the Foxes play section rival Seneca Valley. Many times, Ingram gets caught up in being a spectator. Ingram appreciates competing against the Raiders because he admires the program they’ve built. Seneca Valley will be the...

Zane Spence cradled the WPIAL Class 2A boys soccer championship trophy Wednesday night at Highmark Stadium, ignoring the steady rain that was streaming down. The Deer Lakes senior defender was too proud continuing a family and program tradition to be brought down by the weather. Spence headed in a shot...

The Fox Chapel boys soccer team prides itself on having variety in its attack. The Foxes leaned on that versatility to put themselves in position to win a seventh WPIAL title. The Foxes produced goals two minutes apart in the first half during a 2-0 win over Plum in a...

Deer Lakes boys soccer team forward Collin Rodgers has a good feeling about the team going into the WPIAL Class 2A final. The Lancers have demonstrated in the playoffs that they are comfortable when things aren’t going their way. Sixth-seeded Deer Lakes trailed No. 2 Quaker Valley at halftime in...

The Deer Lakes boys soccer program already has built the foundation of its burgeoning blue blood reputation. The Lancers added another story on top of it during a 2-1 WPIAL Class 2A semifinal win over Quaker Valley on Monday at Fridley Field. Collin Rodgers scored twice in the first 10...

Mark Spinola was happy to say every swimmer who competed at the middle school championships saw a significant drop in their times. The Penn Hills middle school swim coach is pleased the program is trending in the right direction. “The team has come a long way,” said Spinola, who has...

Joe Capobianco didn’t have to buy a large amount of refreshments for the Penn Hills baseball boosters meetings during his first season with the program. The Indians only had one booster last season. This year, the number has swelled to about eight parents. As Penn Hills attempts to climb the...

Being familiar with playing Deer Lakes in the past was a major benefit for Virginia Powers. The Shady Side Academy forward didn’t feel she and her teammates were unprepared to take on the fifth-seeded Lancers. Powers scored midway through the second half to help the No. 12 Bulldogs advance to...

Fox Chapel junior Carson Kittsley felt more comfortable on the golf course this season. Results didn’t necessarily come easier, but Kittsley felt better equipped to put himself in the best position to win. Kittsley’s precision proved to be necessary during the second and final round of the PIAA Class 3A...

The Fox Chapel field hockey program has been knocking on the door of winning its sixth field hockey championship. The Foxes beat Latrobe, 2-0, in the semifinals to reach the WPIAL Class 2A final. The Foxes had have another opportunity to do so against Peters Township. The championship match, on...

Burrell sophomore quarterback Antonio Perkins chose to put a lot of pressure on the WPIAL Class 3A wild-card committee. After Perkins piled up a school-record 360 rushing yards, ran a punt and kick back for a score, intercepted a pass and scored five rushing touchdowns, who wants to be the...

USO football coach Lou Berry knows his team is capable of toppling three-time defending City League champion Westinghouse. USO proved it on the field two weeks ago when USO beat the Bulldogs, 20-14. But Berry knows doing it at 3 p.m. Saturday at Cupples Stadium in the City League championship...

Allison Porter was happy to get one in the win column against Mars. The Plum senior defender had felt enough heartbreak against the Planets in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. Porter made the winning penalty kick after the teams played through 110 scoreless minutes Thursday night at Plum High School....

Springdale forward Hailey Marchlewski played a long ball from near midfield she hoped would put teammate Lacey Shondeck in a spot to score. Chartiers-Houston keeper Adrianna Rozzo came forward to attempt to play it forward. Rozzo didn’t hit it clean, and it rolled by her. She charged desperately after it,...

Deer Lakes senior forward Peyton Kushon doesn’t shy away from the environment created by the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. The pressure in do-or-die moments doesn’t feel suffocating. For Kushon, it’s more comforting. Sixth-seeded Deer Lakes, behind two goals from Kushon, marched on with a 5-1 win over No. 11 Central...

Nico Megaludis was comfortable being done with wrestling. But the Franklin Regional graduate wasn’t anticipating the Real American Freestyle league gaining steam since he retired this past May. After a few weeks off the mat, Megaludis was back to training. He was excited with what they had to offer and...

The North Hills game has never been an easy night for the Shaler football team. The Indians inflicted plenty of pain on the Titans over the past 13 seasons. Shaler senior wide receiver Jonathan Saban insisted that meant they had a different approach at practice leading up to their Northeast...

The Shaler boys soccer program just didn’t sneak back into the WPIAL playoffs after an extended absence. The Titans were in a tight race for the Section 1-3A crown going into their final two section matches of the season. While Shaler wasn’t able to secure a late-season win over Hampton...