Josh Rizzo stories

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...

Jonna Burke doesn’t plan to let the Shady Side Academy girls basketball team live in the past. The Bulldogs coach knows every season is different. Shady Side Academy went 28-2 last season and reached the PIAA Class 3A championship game for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs lost...

The Shady Side Academy boys basketball team will be under new leadership this winter. The Bulldogs hired Jim Dudas to replace David Vadnais. Shady Side Academy fought off a tough start last season to reach the PIAA Class 3A playoffs. The Bulldogs lost eight of their first 10 games before...

Lyla Jablon will be presented with a different challenge for the Fox Chapel girls basketball team this season. The senior point guard will be part of a team that is short on experience. Following the graduation of Natalia Schaffer and Bella Urso, the Foxes will have to replace two of...

Spencer Lee hit a barrier that no amount of takedown drills would help him with. While promoting the Real American Freestyle wrestling event Nov. 29 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, the Franklin Regional graduate needed many takes to get the proper amount of “smack talk” committed to video. Lee, who...

Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar won’t have twin towers at his disposal this season. He won’t have any towers at all, really. The Foxes’ success will be measured in grit and toughness. Fox Chapel, which doesn’t have anyone over 6-foot-2, will have to battle to get back to...

Having a good gameday experience at Acrisure Stadium for the WPIAL football championships isn’t always within the control of officials, players or coaches. Seton LaSalle coach Tim Storino would like to have a more regimented lead-up to the Class 2A title game on Saturday at 2 p.m. against No. 3...

Jim Basilone took over at a time when Valley baseball was stuck in a deep, dark hole. The veteran coach leaned on his considerable experience to lead the Vikings to five playoff appearances in a tenure that started in 2016 and ended with his recent resignation. “They wanted to go...

Gabby Alcalde stepped to the line first for the Shaler girls soccer team during its penalty kick shootout with Franklin Regional in the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. Alcalde’s attempt was saved and she agonized over the next few minutes. But the Titans pulled through during what...

The Shaler football program laid the foundation for more success in 2026. With a potential seismic change to how the WPIAL schedules football on the horizon, it will be an interesting time for all programs. The Titans closed this season with a 42-10 loss to Pine-Richland in the Class 5A...

Bentworth coach Nick Malarbi had plenty of discussions with sophomore Adam Moessner about different ways to score goals. The Bearcats expected their young center back to be in a position to deliver plenty this season. With Bentworth seeking a state title, Moessner employed a soft touch to make history. Moessner...

The Fox Chapel cross country program should be more energized going into the indoor track season after having a strong fall. The girls team won its first section title since 2023 and qualified for states as a team. On the boys side, the Foxes won their seventh consecutive section title...

Kate Friday will be coming back for a second season with the Pittsburgh Riveters. The team recently announced Friday, a Fox Chapel graduate, will be back to build on the pre-professional team’s success during their first season in the USL-W. Friday, who plays for Florida Gulf Coast University, appeared in...

Carlo Prati didn’t want to take the Seneca Valleys and North Alleghenys of the world off of the Fox Chapel girls soccer schedule. The Foxes coach knew that their stay in Class 3A may not be very long. Fox Chapel finished this season 20-2-1, winning its second WPIAL title in...

Charlotte Barker chose to come back to cross country as a junior because she wanted to compete for a state title. The Shady Side Academy runner was able to leave a strong first impression, as an individual and with the Bulldogs collectively. “It was my first season, obviously,” Barker said....

Jack Miles felt good about Laurel’s chances to unseat two-time defending WPIAL Class A champion Fort Cherry all week. The Spartans senior linebacker/running back knew that wasn’t a sentiment shared outside of Lawrence County. Laurel rolled up its sleeves and used its power running game to eliminate Fort Cherry with...

Penn State New Kensington men’s soccer coach Mark Duffield didn’t look but could only imagine the heart rate level charted by his fitness watch during the Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference championship game. Few things went right for the local Lions before Armstrong graduate Tanner Stockdill scored in overtime to...

The Burrell and Freeport girls soccer teams challenged some of the best squads in the state in the first two rounds of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs. After both programs collected a pair of wins, the road to the state championship game led back to each other. The Buccaneers and...

The most challenging sports for teams coming out of the WPIAL to compete with teams out east may be field hockey. All three WPIAL champions — Pine-Richland, Fox Chapel and Shady Side Academy — were all shut out in the first round of states. The Foxes lost to Hershey, 2-0....

The Fox Chapel girls soccer team hasn’t had to worry about battling through another version of the WPIAL tournament through the first few rounds of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs. That’s exactly how Foxes coach Carlo Prati prefers things to shake out. Fox Chapel knocked off District 10 champion Harbor...

The Fox Chapel football program has many markers it would like to hit on its way back to respectability. Foxes coach Dave Leasure was happy to cap the season, where Fox Chapel finished 3-7 overall and 0-5 in the Northeast Conference, with Harran Zureikat and Max Melocchi earning all-conference honors....