Josh Rizzo stories, Page 2

The Pitt women’s volleyball team is working on recapturing its ruthless nature that took the Panthers to the national semifinals of the previous four NCAA Division I tournaments. Redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley said Pitt is figuring things out. The No. 3 Panthers beat No. 25 TCU, 3-1 (25-23,...

Kaden Levy thinks the Riverview football team’s offense can execute a myriad of plays well. It took the Raiders nearly 24 minutes to figure out which strategy worked the best against Valley. Riverview expanded its playbook Saturday at Riverside Park and found enough punch to pull away for a 35-0...

The simple explanation for why Shady Side Academy senior Cassie Sauer’s basketball season ended last year was that she fractured her hip. A more complicated explanation of a “freak accident” paints a more complex picture. “The injury itself was terrible,” said Sauer, who is 6-foot-2. “It was a misstep that...

The Shady Side Academy girls soccer team is managing a roster that isn’t the deepest in program history. The Bulldogs have 17 players, and coach Mary Lynch will be faced with the task of make sure everyone can get some rest. The roster limitations haven’t hampered what the Bulldogs believe...

Andrew Geisler wanted to restore the reputation of the Shady Side Academy football program to be one that made a name off its grit. During Geisler’s first game as the varsity coach, the Bulldogs made their mark against Greensburg Central Catholic. After the Bulldogs fell behind by two scores, Shady...

Javon Johnston made waves this summer by winning the triple jump in the freshman division at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. The Shady Side Academy sophomore quarterback is quickly adding items on the gridiron for what will be a diverse athletic resume. After leading a come-from-behind win over Greensburg Central...

Julian Flenory thought his game plan would end with his hand getting raised during his professional MMA debut last February. But the Highlands graduate got caught up in the moment at Mountaineer Casino Resort. Nelson Best caught Flenory with a left hook, earning a stoppage 74 seconds into their heavyweight...

Kaleah Young started running on the Future Stars Athletic summer track team when she was 6. Now 10, the Penn Hills resident was always interested in going fast. Kaleah was naturally drawn to the sprints and short distance events, and she will be interested in stacking medals after a strong...

Penn Hills junior Freddy Takou feels a different vibe during preseason practices than he did a year ago. The Indians played a lot of young players last year and they took their lumps in Section 1-4A. Takou, who transferred into the program from Obama Academy, said he thinks the experience...

If the Riverview football program spent much more time trying to dig holes Saturday at Riverside Park, it might have bored a tunnel under the Allegheny River to Freeport Road. The Raiders shook off six turnovers to grab a 34-19 season-opening win against Beth-Center. Riverview not getting overwhelmed by mistakes...

Fox Chapel girls soccer coach Carlo Prati spent the preseason searching for the right combination of players. With the environment the program has created, Prati believes the solutions will eventually work themselves out on the field. Fox Chapel reached the WPIAL Class 3A final last season but fell 4-0 to...

Shady Side Academy girls cross country coach Jeff Perlis always wants to see his athletes excel in the psychology of races. During a cross country race, Perlis believes it is possible to prepare for nearly all of the scenarios the athletes will run into. “This is the mentality I try...

Shady Side Academy graduate Skyy Moore was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Aug. 20. The former Bulldog spent his first three seasons in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, winning Super Bowl championships in 2022 and 2023. Moore’s best production as a professional came during his rookie...

The Fox Chapel girls cross country team isn’t going to be at a loss for depth this season. The Foxes will have a strong duo at the top — Cecilia Ressler and Ella Shevchuk are returning state qualifiers — that will be backed up by a group of athletes hoping...

Plum junior quarterback John Nonnenberg believed in offensive coordinator Marty Steele. That’s why Nonnenberg didn’t fret when the Mustangs didn’t touch the ball for nearly nine minutes after halftime as Franklin Regional shaved its deficit from 21 points to eight. When Taivon Rupert and the defense gave the ball back...

Clairton senior quarterback Jeffrey Thompson wants to carve out his own space in the football program’s long record book. He thought last season was going to be the moment when the Bears climbed back on top of the WPIAL mountain. However, Thompson suffered a shoulder injury in the playoffs and...

Keystone Oaks coach Steve McCormick identified Owen Gearhart as a strong option at quarterback. The benefit of rotating players into different roles is that when a new year comes around, they are capable of handling a variety of tasks. Gearhart will be tasked with helping the Golden Eagles attempt to...

Carlynton senior linebacker Grant Freidhoff has an idea of what things should look like when everything is going well. The Cougars closed out last season with three consecutive wins to end a 23-year playoff drought and earn a WPIAL Class 2A playoff spot out of the Century Conference. While Western...

Cameryn Brindza enjoyed the learning experience that came along with participating in the Maccabi Games. The event, which was held in Pittsburgh during the first week of August, was an international competition for Jewish teenagers similar to the Olympics. Brindza, 16, attends Fox Chapel and won six medals in swimming...

Spending time on campus during the first few weeks of football camp has given Shady Side Academy football coach Andrew Geisler the feeling he is where he needs to be. The former Bulldogs captain was hired in January to take over the program after a tumultuous season last year. Shady...

The fruits of bringing together three programs in a co-op have brought Our Lady of the Sacred Heart football coach Donnie Militzer what he was looking for. The Chargers now have 54 players on the roster, allowing for competitive practices. Militzer is encouraged by the arrangement between Eden Christian, Propel...

Fox Chapel coach Dave Leasure is clear about what it will take for the Foxes to continue their progression as a program. If Fox Chapel wants to challenge for a WPIAL Class 5A playoff spot out of the Northeast Conference, they will have to be better defensively. “Fox Chapel has...

Jayden Blake’s self-confidence was way down. The Greensburg Salem graduate’s weight was on the rise and he needed a change. Blake, 19, turned to mixed martial arts three years ago to try and fix some of his problems. Blake, who is 5-foot-7 and topped out at 265 pounds when he...

Nine minutes went by much faster than Luis “Violent Bob Ross” Pena thought it would. During the inaugural 247 Fighting Championships card Saturday night at Sunny Days Arena in North Versailles, Pena, who fights out of Little Haiti, Fla., didn’t think he would win on the scorecards against a hometown...

Karis Thomas wanted to play college basketball somewhere she could be comfortable. When looking at schools, the Shady Side Academy girls basketball senior guard was searching for a place where they took care of each other. Thomas found what she was looking for when she recently committed to Division I...