Josh Rizzo stories, Page 2
Seven Fields native Ava McNaughton relishes chance to represent Team USA at Olympics
Ava McNaughton felt she made the right decision in eighth grade to play hockey at Bishop Kearney in Irondequoit, N.Y. The Seven Fields native also felt the strain it put on her parents. McNaughton, who was recently selected as a goaltender for the U.S. women’s hockey team, would be fully...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Foxes’ Lyla Jablon surpasses scoring milestone
Lyla Jablon is tasked with doing much more than scoring for the Fox Chapel girls basketball team. The senior guard has been asked to try and set the tempo for a team with a young roster hoping to make a run at the playoffs in Section 1-5A. Jablon hit the...
Trip to county finals rewarding for Fox Chapel senior wrestler
Adam Haines remembers his worst loss from the 2024-25 wrestling season vividly. The Fox Chapel senior dropped a 1-0 decision to Gateway’s Luke Pawlowski in the blood round of the Allegheny County Tournament at 139 pounds. “That’s been in my head forever,” Haines said. “Doing good this year was to...
Fox Chapel freshman wrestler sees hard work pay off with breakthrough win
Fox Chapel freshman Ariana Morris felt that wrestling was a sport she was destined to compete in. When the Foxes started their own girls team a few years ago, the plan for Morris to follow in her family tradition was set into motion. “My father did it and my brother...
Pitt to honor Shady Side Academy girls basketball coach Jonna Burke
Jonna (Huemrich) Burke was honored to pick up the phone and have Sam Clancy on the other end of line. Clancy, a Pitt graduate who had an 11-year football career in the USFL and NFL, was calling to tell Burke she will be honored Feb. 20 at Pitt’s 64th annual...
Kiski Area puts stamp on section title with rout of Fox Chapel
Kiski Area coach Chris Heater always looks for opportunities to put different guys in the lineup to earn varsity experience. Payton King and Dom Roland took advantage of their opportunities Wednesday night at Fox Chapel. The Cavaliers put an exclamation point on their Section 5-3A title with a 60-9 win...
Knoch solid on both ends of floor in victory over Burrell
The list of things that travel effectively for the Knoch boys basketball team is a long one. The Knights’ efficient, ruthless offense is one with which all their Section 1-4A opponents will have to reckon. Knoch made its first eight shots during a 56-32 road win over Burrell on Tuesday....
Former player, assistant Ben Yeckel steps in to lead Shaler baseball program
Ben Yeckel knows the high standard set by the Shaler baseball program. Yeckel, who is 43 and a 2000 Shaler graduate, knew the feeling as a player. While serving as an assistant for 10 years under Brian Junker, he knew it as a coach too. Continuing that tradition is something...
Key win builds confidence for young Shaler girls lineup after significant injury
Shaler girls basketball coach Tony Grenek isn’t expecting to receive any sympathy cards in the mail for having to adjust his lineup due to injuries. The Titans aren’t planning on waving any white towels either. Shaler took a major hit to its lineup when it lost Reese Smetanka to an...
Fox Chapel runners set 3 records in fast start to indoor track season
Fox Chapel indoor track coach Tom Moul didn’t expect anything spectacular during the first meet of the season at Edinboro University. The Foxes ended up turning in three school-record performances. “It was unusual,” Moul said. “Our expectations were to get some work in and get some experience. I was happy,...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Shady Side Academy girls heat back up
An overtime loss to Pine-Richland during the Peter Sauer Memorial Tournament had the Shady Side Academy girls basketball team on the war path. The Bulldogs bounced back from their second defeat of the season with three consecutive victories where they produced 60 or more points. In Shady Side Academy’s most...
Fox Chapel boys show signs of finding footing at important time of season
Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar recognized time is getting shorter. After the Foxes lost to New Castle at home, Skrinjar was happy because he felt maybe they had figured things out. After losing to undefeated New Castle in a bizarrely paced contest due to breaks for a television...
Play-from-behind mentality helps push Deer Lakes past Freeport in boys Section 1-4A showdown
Dylan Ferraro always knows the score during the Deer Lakes boys basketball games. The senior forward believes they are always trailing by 10. The Lancers scored eight consecutive points to open the fourth quarter on their way to collecting a 61-45 Section 1-4A win over Freeport on Friday night at...
Kiski Area wrestlers show toughness with win over Armstrong, improve to 14-1
Two staples placed three centimeters into his head won’t slow down Kiski Area wrestler Gavin Murphy. Not if the 133-pound sophomore can help it. Murphy collected a technical fall win over Armstrong’s Brayden Stull on Wednesday to help the host Cavaliers collect a 46-13 section win. There is little that...
Penn Hills defense smothers struggling Kiski Area
The Kiski Area boys basketball team would like to find a way to get its offense right. The Cavaliers found it difficult to fix things Tuesday night on the road against Penn Hills. The Cavaliers got off to a slow start and were swallowed up by the smothering Indians defense...
Road to more wins starts at the free-throw line for Penn Hills girls
Penn Hills 5-foot-11 sophomore guard Malaya Middleton believes she and her teammates know the formula for winning Section 1-5A basketball games. The Indians need to make sure they have all of the right variables in place. What Penn Hills has found in close contests is that the Indians haven’t been...
Penn Hills boys hungry to pile up wins
Calix Clark doesn’t want to visit any of the big-box pizza places for his reward for getting 10 rebounds. The Penn Hills 6-foot-2 guard/forward wants his pepperoni and mushroom pie to be as authentic as possible. “I want it to be from a homestyle place,” Clark said. “I need a...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Goalie stands tall in Fox Chapel loss
The Fox Chapel hockey team returned from the three-week break over the holidays with a difficult PIHL Class 3A battle with Peters Township. The Foxes weren’t able to find enough offense to support a strong performance from goaltender Charlie Hill. Hill made 33 saves, but Fox Chapel lost 1-0. The...
Fox Chapel girls taking charge of defensive strategy
Fox Chapel girls basketball coach Marty Matvey has seen a higher number of his players spill onto the ground while they are playing defense. That has been the design of this iteration of the Foxes who have wanted to compensate for their lack of size with increased toughness. “We’ve taken...
Unbeaten New Castle boys use late charge to fend off Fox Chapel
Damian Harrison absorbed contact from a defender and somehow launched a 3-point attempt toward the glass that went crashing off the boards and through the net. The 6-foot-4 New Castle senior forward put some of the Red Hurricanes’ offensive frustration to rest when he made the ensuing free throw to...
‘Brothers’ face off as Franklin Regional wrestling continues its roll with win over Plum
Franklin Regional 152-pound junior wrestler Michael Ruane was rivals with Plum’s Owen Campbell for six minutes Wednesday night at Franklin Regional High School. Not long after Ruane’s 8-2 win during the Panthers’ 66-0 Section 9 victory, their friendship, which has spanned well over five years, resumed. Ruane said competing against...
Penn Hills boys run away with win over Plum
Penn Hills 6-foot-3 senior guard Amon Hawthorne was comfortable and confident Tuesday night at Plum High School. Collectively, the Indians played with the same mindset during a 67-39 Section 1-5A win. Penn Hills jumped out to a 15-3 lead and never trailed. The Indians were led by Hawthorne, who scored...
Plum girls keep cool, hold on to defeat Penn Hills in key section matchup
Taylie Auth didn’t hide that the Plum girls basketball team was nervous heading into a home Section 1-5A matchup with Penn Hills on Monday night. The Mustangs guard had ample reason to be nervous. With how tight the top half of the section is, there is little margin for error...
Glass-cleaning skills help Knoch boys get off to sparkling start
Teegan Finucan knows which skill set the Knoch boys basketball team needs to lean on to win games. The 6-foot-1 senior guard and his teammates aren’t afraid to employ it. “A lot of it comes from genetics,” Finucan said. “We have a lot of length, and we want to abuse...
Pitt men let lead slip away, lose at Miami in ACC opener
The Pitt men’s basketball team appeared ready Tuesday night to emerge from the other side of the enormous hole they had dug themselves with surprising losses during their nonconference schedule. The Watsco Center isn’t a place, however, where the Panthers have ever been able to get themselves right. Pitt led...
