Josh Rizzo stories

Riverview 6-foot-2, 245-pound offensive lineman Addison Pascal doesn’t desire to employ a flashy game plan. A ground-based, grinding approach has served the Raiders fine. Riverview took advantage of a worn-down Greensburg Central Catholic football team Saturday at Riverside Park, powering to a 26-7 Eastern Conference win. The Raiders ran the...

Josephine Lenart appreciates every opportunity to compete for the Shady Side Academy girls cross country team. While Lenart, a freshman, is short on experience, she is long on perspective. Lenart won for the first time at one of the premier regular-season invitationals, the 19th PIAA Foundation Meet, which is held...

Shady Side Academy sophomore Brooke Henderson can tell the Bulldogs are locked in on winning the WPIAL Class 3A girls team tennis title. The program was already set to have a competitive lineup this season. Once Cassie Lapina, who won a section title at Pine-Richland last season, transferred in, the...

The Fox Chapel boys golf team got off to a strong start during the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A boys individual golf championships at Willowbrook Country Club. Defending PIAA champion Carson Kittsley shot a 6-under par 66 to put himself in first place. Sophomore Baron Bitar shot a...

Caylie Wilkinson, a junior defender for the Fox Chapel girls soccer team, felt like this year’s team was significantly different from the previous two iterations. Wilkinson is the only returning starting defender from the Foxes team that reached the WPIAL Class 3A final last season. With six new starters in...

If Aven Shirley didn’t seem uncomfortable under center Friday night at Richard J. Dilts Field, it was because he already developed many of the skills to do the job. Shirley, a 6-foot-2 senior wide receiver, was far from a fish out of water when he was asked to lead Kiski...

Penn Hills junior setter KJ McGee was thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the ball rotation team during the State Farm Volleyball Classic Labor Day weekend at PPG Paints Arena. McGee loves watching the highly ranked Pitt women’s volleyball team in action. She was one of many members...

Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris knew it wasn’t time to panic. The film showed Morris that the Indians should be able to get back on track. All Penn Hills needed after only scoring seven points during three consecutive losses to open the season was to get the cavalry back....

Fox Chapel junior Carson Kittsley, the defending PIAA Class 3A boys golf champion, made an emphatic statement at the Section 7-3A WPIAL qualifier Sept. 17 at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course. Kittsley shot a 6-under par 66 to win medalist honors and become a WPIAL qualifier for the third consecutive year....

Jim Skirboll has slowly had to let go of some of his favorite references. Skirboll, a 60-year-old Aspinwall resident, has spent 38 years coaching swimming. The owner of Racer X Aquatics has had to alter his messaging. “My style hasn’t changed too much over the years,” Skirboll said. “I’ve had...

The Fox Chapel girls volleyball team is in search of a consistent second hitter. Foxes coach Diana Andreyko saw flashes of what Lucy DiRocco can bring to the table Sept. 16 against Penn Hills. DiRocco finished with a team-high nine kills as the Foxes swept the Indians, 25-15, 25-22, 25-5,...

Fox Chapel boys soccer coach Erik Ingram is excited about the attitude the Foxes have approached this season with. The senior class Ingram has isn’t interested in reveling in the past. The Foxes won their first WPIAL Class 4A championship in 30 years last season, which was the sixth championship...

Measuring Timmy Andrasy’s ability goes well beyond a potential disagreement between PennDOT and the football roster about his height. The Leechburg senior running back went barreling into the heart of the Jeannette defensive line 37 times Friday night at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. Andrasy ran for 257 yards and scored four...

Sophie Spynda faced the prospect of seeing a lot of new faces and personalities. After more than a month at Shaler, the 6-foot-2 junior middle blocker is getting used to life in a new school district. Spynda attended Allderdice last year. “It’s been kind of hard, coming in and not...

The Shaler girls soccer team kicked down the door to the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs last season after a 37-year absence. The Titans spent the early part of their follow-up campaign working toward besting their cameo appearance. Shaler has shown plenty of fight during its 4-1-1 start, including a 1-1...

Blue blood season is coming up for the Fox Chapel football program. Coach Dave Leasure is excited to see his program measure up to some of the WPIAL Class 5A programs that make up the cream of the crop of the Northeast Conference. The Foxes, which entered a road matchup...

Ed Ellsworth wants every group of Shady Side Academy boys soccer players to know that they have a strong support system in place. The goal is for the Bulldogs to become part of the pipeline once they move on in life. Ellsworth said Shady Side Academy had 12 alumni drop...

Emma DiRocco feels most comfortable playing middle blocker. The 6-foot-2 senior for the Fox Chapel girls volleyball team is asked to do much more than that. DiRocco is the most experienced player on a Foxes’ roster that is filled with young players. During Fox Chapel’s Section 4-4A opening loss against...

Zoey Liu feels fortunate to share a home with the sparring partner she has on the tennis court. Zoey, who is Fox Chapel’s No. 1 singles player as a freshman, will often play with her 11-year-old brother, Luca. “My dad used to hit with us a little bit,” Zoey said....

Gateway freshman quarterback Mayson Mitchell was hoping to lead a drive to close out a game. Instead, Mitchell saw a snap go over his head, forcing him to dive on the ball Friday night at Antimarino Stadium. While Mitchell, who was making his first varsity start, had ups and downs...

Julian Flenory circled off the cage away from Jeremy Riley, trying to blink out the pain. Only moments into a heavyweight professional MMA fight Saturday at Sunny Days Arena, Riley had stung Flenory with a combination that made the Highlands graduate want to collect his thoughts. Instead of wading forward,...

The Fox Chapel football program has prided itself on its versatility since Dave Leasure took over. Max Melocchi and Nathan Johnson were both potential options at quarterback. But both were more focused on finding an opportunity to get on the field than worrying about what position came with that playing...

Jose Caraballo wants to find a way to keep amateur boxers busy and interested in pursuing the sport. The owner of the Ray Schafer Boxing Association in Sharpsburg is hoping his September event will provide another chance to give amateurs experience in the ring. The organization is planning to host...

Noah Stough catching an 11-yard touchdown pass with 7 seconds remaining was a shining example of what Derry football coach Mike Arone knew all week. The Trojans long ago put behind them the 43-point beatdown against Freeport last week, enabling them to score a dramatic win on the road against...

Pitt women’s volleyball setter Brooke Mosher got the go-ahead from coach Dan Fisher to utilize her jump serve against Arizona State on Monday during the State Farm Volleyball Showcase at PPG Paints Arena. The Panthers senior wasn’t excited that she was asked to use a float serve Sunday against TCU....