Josh Rizzo stories, Page 18
Shady Side Academy looks to learn from losses, thrive in Class 2A
Shady Side Academy coach Chuck DiNardo would like to see the Bulldogs learn from the adversity they faced last season. During the last two weeks of the regular season, Shady Side Academy had a pair of six-point losses that impacted its playoff seeding. “Being in tight games like that is...
Offensive line could be key to ending losing streak for Fox Chapel
The fourth quarter isn’t going to be the time when the Fox Chapel offensive line folds up its tent. The Foxes have spent most of the offseason building their physical capability to push the pace with their opponents. Fox Chapel plans to employ its run-heavy wing-T attack for 48 minutes....
McGuffey’s successful senior class ready to tackle bump up to Class 3A
Logan Carlisle won’t fret too much about the McGuffey football program bumping up to Class 3A this season. The Highlanders have a large senior class with players accustomed to playing both ways. Carlisle, a senior quarterback, believes that McGuffey has the mentality to carry its success into the Western Hills...
Penn Hills boys soccer team looks to build chemistry under new coach
The Penn Hills boys soccer program will need time to grow together. First-year coach Kevin Truman started an under-19 team over the past few months to allow players to gain experience. With a roster that included players as young as 13 and some 16 or 17, the team was able...
Fox Chapel putting in work to end losing streak
Fox Chapel senior offensive tackle Blake Kuhn believes the Foxes have put in plenty of work to halt a lengthy losing streak. But for the time and effort to build into something greater, Fox Chapel needs victories. The Foxes last won a game in 2021 when they upended Upper St....
In transition year, Shaler out to earn respect
Joe Rispoli doesn’t want anyone to think the Shaler football team’s transition to a new generation of players will mean a dip in performance level. Rispoli represents what the Titans hope can lead to success. They have a number of versatile players who can handle many jobs. Rispoli, a senior...
With Julian Dugger era over, Penn Hills looks for new cast of stars
Turning the page to a new quarterback wasn’t going to be easy for the Penn Hills football program. For the previous four seasons, the Indians could depend on Julian Dugger, now a freshman at Pitt, to lead the offense. Dugger passed for 4,984 yards and ran for 1,939 yards during...
Fox Chapel grad Fuhrer hopes summer golf success carries over to freshman season at George Mason
David Fuhrer doesn’t have to worry about ramping up for his first season on the George Mason men’s golf team. Fuhrer spent all summer building up his confidence. The Fox Chapel graduate has found that belief in himself on the junior circuit. Fuhrer has won three tournaments this summer and...
Shaler grad Colleen ‘Chaos’ Davis develops into ‘boxer with attitude’
Colleen “Chaos” Davis initially saw her entrance into boxing as a way to channel her aggression as a teenager. But when Davis went from a more fitness-oriented routine to a professional mindset, there were changes that had to be made. Davis, 33, felt like she already had a few pieces...
Penn Hills Midget Football Association going strong
Penn Hills Midget Football Association CEO James Bradley has seen plenty of action at Turner Friendship Park this summer. Bradley, who works to help maintain the football field in addition to other volunteer duties, has been amazed by the increased attendance at the park after a splash pad was installed...
New technology approved for high school softball, but Fox Chapel isn’t buying in just yet
Fox Chapel softball coach Chris Olbrich doesn’t anticipate being among the first teams to use the one-way communication devices given the go-ahead nationally. The National Federation of State High School Associations approved a rule change in early July that would allow high school softball coaches to use one-way communication devices...
3 Pittsburgh Elite teams headed to NFL’s flag football national championships
The Pittsburgh Elite flag football team will be well-represented at the NFL Flag National Championships on July 18-21 in Canton, Ohio. Three of the organization’s travel teams, the 9U, 12U and 13U teams, all won regional championships. The organization, which runs an in-house league that plays at Linton Middle School,...
Fox Chapel girls basketball coach pleased to host summer league
Marty Matvey has the tools at his disposal to be ambitious when it comes to the Fox Chapel girls basketball team’s summer league. The Foxes coach is appreciative of how the district supports his desire to grow what has become a burgeoning fall and summer league for basketball players looking...
Penn Hills’ new boys soccer coach Kevin Truman seeks to make impact beyond the pitch
Kevin Truman would like to win soccer games when he takes over as head coach of the Penn Hills boys soccer team this fall. However, Truman believes his job will go beyond what happens in the field. Truman, who is the senior pastor at McKeesport Alliance Church and has five...
Fox Chapel notebook: David Fuhrer captures C.R. Miller Memorial Match Play Invitational
David Fuhrer didn’t have it easy. But after five playoff holes, Fuhrer won something several other family members accomplished last Wednesday at Fox Chapel Golf Club. Fuhrer, a Fox Chapel graduate and incoming freshman at George Mason, became the third member of his family to win the C.R. Miller Memorial...
Enthusiasm growing in Fox Chapel football program
Dave Leasure saw a referendum on how the Fox Chapel community was responding to the rebuilding process. During the early part of summer, Leasure said the high school program saw more kids come out for workouts and commit to playing than last year. During Leasure’s first summer in charge, he...
Penn Hills Eagles track club runner smashes record, leads contingent to regional meet
Londyn Tomman was nervous and excited for the USATF Three Rivers Championship at Slippery Rock University. The uncertainty of an event with such a deep field of competitors was an exciting challenge for her. Sure, it’s possible to do some research with many club teams posting times and information online....
Shaler grad Anthony Venezia building toward professional career in boxing
Anthony Venezia dreamed of being a professional athlete. Venezia’s initial hope was that he could carve out a path to Major League Baseball. While Venezia was a solid college player at Cal (Pa.), he found out baseball wasn’t going to take him there. Instead, Venezia picked up boxing in October...
Penn Hills Eagles track club looks forward to regional, national competitions
Penn Hills Eagles track and field coach Chuck Carter knows from experience that the young athletes in his program respond well to any weather conditions. Having to train and compete in the recent heat wave won’t dampen their spirits at all. “The kids just like summer, there’s something about it,”...
Shady Side Academy’s Chelsea Hartman, Fox Chapel’s Rowan Gwin test mettle at New Balance nationals
The strategy for the transition from high school to college track wasn’t going to be one that Shady Side Academy track coach Jeff Perlis wanted Chelsea Hartman to take lightly. Competing at the New Balances Outdoor Nationals was a good first step toward adjusting to Brown University. Hartman competed in...
64-year-old Penn Hills boxer ‘Papa Chainsaw’ scores easy win in Atlantic City
Paul VanDale was honored to have a fight night held in Oakmont for his celebrity boxing match. Vinnie’s Tavern, owned by VanDale’s sponsor, the John Keefe Restaurant Group, hung a banner outside and showed his match on its televisions. VanDale, a Penn Hills resident also known by his ring name...
Already honored for soccer, Fox Chapel grad makes conference all-decade team in lacrosse too
Fox Chapel graduate Jessie Thiessen was honored to be named to the North Coast Athletic Conference 40th anniversary all-decade team in two sports. Thiessen, who played lacrosse and soccer, starred for both teams during a busy four years at Allegheny. Thiessen, a 2017 graduate, was chosen for the award, which...
Shady Side Academy senior overcomes injuries to cap career with state track gold
Chelsea Hartman wanted to run more, but she wasn’t sure if her body would allow it. The Shady Side Academy senior was plagued by chronic pain during her freshman and sophomore seasons. First, Hartman battled shin splints. Then, she dealt with stress fractures in her feet. But Hartman persisted, winning...
Fox Chapel graduate Zoe Skirboll sets big goals at Olympic swimming trials
Zoe Skirboll feels fortunate to have the weight of the University of Virginia swim program behind her as she prepared for the U.S. Olympic team trials this weekend in Indianapolis. The Fox Chapel graduate and Cavaliers swimmer feels she will be more prepared for the competition than when she competed...
Swimming standouts named Penn Hills athletes of the year
Luke Hoolahan saw the academic and athletic part of being a student at Penn Hills High School go hand in hand. Hoolahan played soccer, swam and was a member of the boys volleyball team. Thanks to his all-around effort, Hoolahan was named school’s male athlete of the year. Hoolahan, who...
