Josh Rizzo stories, Page 15
Mac Miller leads Pine-Richland to rout of Franklin Regional, spot in WPIAL Class 5A semifinals
Pine-Richland running back Mac Miller’s focus didn’t wane during the bye week. The top-seeded Rams were solely focused on self-improvement. When Pine-Richland returned to action during a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal playoff Friday night at home, the Rams were ready to conduct business quickly and efficiently. The top-seeded Rams took...
Serra Catholic sophomore sticks with cross country, earns trip to state meet
Serra Catholic sophomore Emily Ruperto nearly threw in the towel on cross country. During the summer, Ruperto hits the club swimming circuit hard. The Penn Hills resident doesn’t have much time to get ready for the start of cross country season. “I’m all in on swimming during the summer,” Ruperto...
Penn Hills part of deep, talented WPIAL Class 5A playoff field
Many have criticized the PIAA’s decision to go to six classifications for football during the 2016 season. However, Penn Hills ultimately ended up landing in a division that has been one of the most successful for the WPIAL on the state level. After playing the first two seasons in this...
South Fayette shuts out Fox Chapel to defend WPIAL Class 3A girls soccer title
Junior forward Mia Deramo wants to give everyone around Western Pennsylvania a reason to discuss the South Fayette girls soccer program. The Lions delivered another emphatic statement about their proper place on the district’s stage with a 4-0 win over Fox Chapel in the WPIAL Class 3A championship Saturday at...
South Park blanks Avonworth to claim 5th WPIAL boys soccer championship
South Park boys soccer coach Jon Cantwell told his players they couldn’t live off their reputations. Not all of the Eagles playing in the WPIAL Class 2A championship game Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium had earned their championship wings yet. When South Park beat Avonworth, 1-0, to claim a second...
Reliable goalkeeper always delivers for Shady Side Academy girls soccer, earns Division I scholarship
Shady Side Academy girls soccer coach Mary Lynch knows she can count on junior goalkeeper Maria Ravotti. The Bulldogs needed Ravotti, a 5-foot-11 junior, to play well, especially since she was the only goalie on the roster this season. “What stands out is how focused she is,” Lynch said. “She...
There was no catching Fox Chapel’s Ethan Vaughan at WPIAL cross-country meet
At one point during the WPIAL Class 3A cross-country championship race, Fox Chapel senior Ethan Vaughan felt a moment when he thought people may be catching up. But on that day at White Oak Park, there would be no catching Vaughan. He smashed his previous personal best by 12 seconds,...
No. 7 Penn Hills guts out WPIAL playoff win over Moon
Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris approached senior running back/linebacker Naytel Mitchell before the season with a request to play a physical brand of football on both sides of the ball. Mitchell accepted and was hard on conditioning to be ready for the rigors of a long season and handle...
Motivated by down year, Shaler girls volleyball gets back on track
Anna (Bozzo) Carter was disappointed following the end of last season. Only winning four matches and finishing in third place in the section wasn’t what Carter believed the Titans program is capable of. Entering the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs this season, Carter can say that everyone in the program took...
Paul Stadelman, cornerstone of Shaler volleyball, honored as PIAA coach of year
Bright orange Syracuse T-shirts stand out among the blue and gold-clad supporters and wooden bleachers in the usually dingy Fitzgerald Field House. Annie (Bozzo) Carter appreciated that Shaler volleyball coach Paul Stadelman still supported her when she came to town with her college team. “My first week there, I felt...
Jeannette pulls away from Riverview to complete turnaround after slow start to season
Jeannette quarterback Kymon’e Brown couldn’t say he was happy with how things were in early October. The Jayhawks had just suffered their third straight loss and made a habit of fading after halftime. But the way Brown looked at it, Jeannette had an opportunity to turn around its season and...
Cross country program thriving at Dorseyville Middle School
Dorseyville Middle School cross country coach Sean Mawhinney insists every member of the program run a mile at the school at the start and end of every season. There are few better ways to show progress than for athletes to see it in action. For the girls program this season,...
Looking to win ‘something big,’ Fox Chapel’s Carson Kittsley claims PIAA golf title
Something was missing from Carson Kittsley’s wish list in 2024. The Fox Chapel sophomore had yet to pick up a victory in a major golf tournament. Kittsley emphatically crossed the goal off his list Oct. 22 at the Penn State White Course. Kittsley, who was playing in the PIAA Class...
Penn Hills goalkeeper happy to give teammates a helping hand
Atheena Burnett had a busy job for the Penn Hills girls soccer team this season. When things broke down for the Indians, she was tasked with keeping the ball out of the net. There were many matches where Burnett was asked to do a lot of work. Burnett saved 40...
Penn Hills coach proud of team’s progress in classroom
Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris is excited about his team’s progress in the classroom this season. The Indians, who have qualified to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs for the second straight season, have made major strides in the classroom. Ninety-five percent of the team has a GPA above 2.5,...
Penn Hills gets key win for playoff fortunes, defeating rival Plum
Jay’mere Ellis didn’t want to worry about tiebreakers, Gardner Points or for the committee to decide the Class 5A wild cards. The Penn Hills senior quarterback wanted to seal up second place in the Northeast Conference in tidy fashion to make a case for the best seed possible for the...
Penn Hills middle school football proud of success on field, in classroom
The Penn Hills Middle School football team got a good opportunity for some postseason experience Oct. 17 when it played Armstrong in the semifinals of the WAADA Football League. But Indians coach Mark Banner said that he is most proud of the program’s progress with having players be eligible to...
Penn Hills running back Naytel Mitchell thrives in workhorse role
Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris told Naytel Mitchell during exit meetings last year that he expected a lot from the senior linebacker/running back. When the Indians have needed Mitchell down the stretch, all of that hard work has seemingly paid off. Mitchell piled up 187 yards on the ground...
Springdale boys soccer scores late for playoff win over Sewickley Academy
Springdale senior Colton Gent’s job, whether he is on the track or soccer field, is usually pretty simple. Gent is told to run fast. When the Dynamos boys soccer team needed to win a race Saturday at Franklin Regional High School, Gent pulled away to extend the Dynamos season. Gent...
Fox Chapel notebook: Girls soccer team ready to tackle playoff grind
Fox Chapel girls soccer coach Carlo Prati has been consistent all season. He has continuously reminded people around the program that defending the WPIAL championship wasn’t going to be easy, even as the Foxes went down in classification. Fox Chapel, which was seeded No. 1 in the girls 3A tournament,...
Future remains bright for Fox Chapel boys golf
The Fox Chapel boys golf team will likely be in the running for the WPIAL Class 3A team championship again next season. Foxes coach Joe Farrell hopes his team will be able to get back over the hump and qualify for the PIAA championship. For the second straight year, the...
West Mifflin knocks off Knoch behind Armand Hill’s 334 yards rushing, 4 TDs
Any available space was the perfect amount of room for West Mifflin sophomore running back Armand Hill to make something happen. Hill’s frequent long dashes tormented Knoch’s defense Friday night during a 48-21 Greater Allegheny Conference victory at Titans Stadium. Hill finished with 334 yards and four touchdowns to give...
Penn Hills notebook: Basketball grad to play professionally in Ireland
Penn Hills graduate Adia Brisker recently signed to play professional basketball in Ireland. The news was shared on X by the Penn Hills Lady Indians basketball account. Brisker recently wrapped up her collegiate career at Queens (N.C.) University. Brisker’s best year in college was during the 2022-23 season. She finished...
Penn Hills boys soccer keeps battling
The Penn Hills boys soccer team didn’t have the benefit of a deep bench when the season started. As the Indians have gone through the rigors of Section 1-4A play, they have been battling against their opponents and a war with attrition. Penn Hills is on a five-match losing streak...
Riverview gets back on track with rout of Frazier
Prince Govan saw a celebration on TikTok he liked and planned to employ it when he scored. The Riverview junior defensive back had his opportunity Saturday afternoon at Riverside Park against Frazier. Teammate Dom Williams reminded Govan, and the pair ran across the field holding one arm above their shoulder,...
