Josh Rizzo stories, Page 24
Fox Chapel grad Borkovich makes adjustments to improve performance in circle for Slippery Rock
Mackenzie Borkovich felt like she had been kicked in the face during her freshman year at Slippery Rock. The skills that served her well in the pitcher’s circle at Fox Chapel Area High School were going to take some adjusting to be successful in college. After making seven relief appearances...
St. Joseph girls ousted from state tournament as Berlin Brothersvalley rallies in 2nd half
The St. Joseph girls basketball team didn’t have to wait until the following morning to feel the pain of the bumps and bruises. The Spartans likely felt the agony on the trip bus back from their PIAA Class A second-round playoff game Wednesday night at Hempfield High School. District 5...
Penn Hills wrestling program’s rebuilding project taking root
Jeremy Packer believes his two-year project has yielded strong results for the Penn Hills wrestling program. The Indians decided not to compete in a dual meet schedule during the last enrollment cycle to help build the program. Numbers were low because of the pandemic, and Packer felt the Indians needed...
Trip to WPIAL meet sparks Penn Hills swim team
The Penn Hills swim team took a much bigger contingent to Pitt’s Trees Pool this season for the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships. What made Indians coach Morgan Bush excited for next season was the prospect of seeing all of her swimmers turn in their best times of the season...
Burrell’s breakout season ends with 4th-quarter struggles in PIAA loss to Bishop Guilfoyle
There were bumps along the way, but the Burrell boys basketball team was where it felt it belonged Saturday afternoon. The Bucs earned a spot in the PIAA Class 3A playoffs by making a surprise run through the WPIAL playoffs as a No. 11 seed. An energized Burrell team surged...
Sarah Pasquella, Fox Chapel swimmers live up to big expectations at WPIAL meet
Fox Chapel swim coach Matt Mauclair enjoyed watching Sarah Pasquella turn in a big performance during the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships at Pitt’s Trees Pool. Pasquella, a Pitt commit, shattered a 29-year-old school record by winning the 200 free in 1 minute, 51.08 seconds. “You can tell she swam...
Dedication pays off with trip to WPIAL tournament for Penn Hills wrestler
Penn Hills wrestling coach Jeremy Packer couldn’t help but admire Julian Lavender’s desire to make his senior year a special one. One day, Packer, who lives in West Deer and works in Pittsburgh, wasn’t planning on coming in to open up the wrestling room. Lavender, a 127-pound senior wrestler, called...
Penn Hills track team builds toward spring at state indoor meet
Mackenzie McIntyre has been slowly building toward bigger accomplishments. The Penn Hills junior has been making strong contributions to the track team since her freshman year. McIntyre was one of two members of the Penn Hills indoor track team to reach the PTFCA indoor state championship Feb. 25 at Penn...
South Fayette beats Armstrong to complete 3-peat in WPIAL Class 5AVideo
Experience matters for the South Fayette girls basketball team. The sixth-seeded Lions weren’t expected to return to the Petersen Events Center for the WPIAL Class 5A girls basketball title game this season. But once South Fayette got there, what the Lions had witnessed in previous years helped them win their...
Fox Chapel wrestlers battle through adversity to send 10 to WPIAL meet
The Fox Chapel wrestling team battled some sickness during the section tournament, but that didn’t slow the Foxes from sending a large contingent of wrestlers to the WPIAL Class 3A championships. Fox Chapel had 10 wrestlers move on. While the Foxes didn’t produce a champion, Landon Funk (114 pounds), Alexander...
Fox Chapel track standouts pick up medals at indoor state meet
Fox Chapel track coach Tom Moul felt it was fitting for the Foxes to wrap up the indoor season by having three athletes medal at the PTFCA Indoor State Championship at Penn State. The Foxes have spent all season piling up accolades. Fox Chapel set seven school records during the...
St. Joseph surges past Aquinas Academy to get over semifinal hump
Measuring the St. Joseph offense Monday night was easily accomplished by looking at the Gia Richter scale. The Spartans’ 5-foot-4 junior guard was limited late in the first half by foul trouble. When Richter returned after halftime, her contributions shook the foundation of St. Joseph’s 65-56 win over Aquinas Academy...
Penn Hills girls show resolve in close loss to top seed
Penn Hills girls basketball coach Robert Cash thought his team deserved better than being seeded 17th in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. But the Indians were forced into a preliminary round game against Thomas Jefferson, which they won, 59-43. In the first round of the playoffs, Penn Hills lost 55-48...
Penn Hills boys get glimpse of bright future in playoff loss
Penn Hills senior guard Robby Thomas wanted to find the right mental space for playing against rival Gateway in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A postseason. The defending WPIAL champion Indians came into this postseason as a younger team that had something to prove. “Honestly, we just needed...
Shaler notebook: Junior sets school record at indoor track meet
Hannah Sahr made Shaler indoor track and field history at the TSTCA championships Feb. 17. The junior set a Titans indoor record by finishing the 400 in 1 minute, 1.06 seconds. The previous record stood since 2007. Sahr placed eighth in the race. Of the 17 Shaler athletes who qualified...
Experience helps Shaler boys navigate WPIAL playoff bracket
Whether teams are playing man defense or zone defense doesn’t matter to Shaler senior forward Brandon London. Nor does it matter if the other team wants to play fast or slow. The Titans, who have their top eight rotation players back from last season, have enough experience that they’ve seen...
Senior shot putter leads Fox Chapel indoor track state qualifiers
Mason Miles wanted more input on how to become a better thrower. The Fox Chapel senior does his best to work with throw coach Jayne Beatty a few times a week. Beatty, who was a three-time All-American at Slippery Rock, was able to help Miles refine his technique and make...
1st-round jitters can’t stop Fox Chapel in wild win over North Hills
Zach Skrinjar has a theory about the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. Despite there being some mismatches on paper in terms of high seeds against lower seeds, the veteran Fox Chapel boys basketball coach believes the first round is the most difficult. “Everyone has nerves. You know...
Allderdice beats Obama Academy to capture 4th City League boys basketball title
Allderdice’s fourth consecutive City League championship didn’t come easy. The Dragons didn’t shoot well, and every possession was hotly contested. But in the final minute, Allderdice guard Logan Golle drew a charge, and the Dragons forced another turnover to escape with a 44-37 win over Obama Academy on Sunday afternoon...
Allderdice girls top Obama Academy to claim City League championship
Allderdice guard Bailey White was worried things may be going south Sunday afternoon. The Dragons’ were ice cold in the first quarter of the City League girls basketball championship game against Obama Academy at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. White missed her first four shots, while Allderdice missed 14 of its first...
Penn Hills senior celebrates 1,000-point milestone, playoff return
Hannah Pugliese didn’t want to think about the chase for 1,000 points. Until about midway through this season, the Penn Hills girls basketball team senior didn’t think it was possible anyway. Pugliese, who has signed to play basketball at Slippery Rock next season, became more aware of the possibility as...
Penn Hills notebook: Fate brings Indians, Gateway together again
The Penn Hills and Gateway boys basketball programs may have been separated when the WPIAL realigned the sections, but the neighbors and rivals still found that fate couldn’t keep the pair apart. The Indians finished the regular season with a 14-7 overall record and were 6-4 in Section 2-5A play....
Fox Chapel notebook: Swim team happy to bring large contingent to WPIAL meet
Expect the Fox Chapel presence at Pitt’s Trees Pool to be a strong contingent. The Foxes have hit a number of WPIAL Class 3A individual qualifying times and will be looking to push a number of athletes through to the state swimming championships. “It’s a super exciting time coming up...
Focus on defense, taking care of basketball propels Fox Chapel boys into playoffs
Will Siegel is proud of the role he plays on defense for the Fox Chapel boys basketball team, and Siegel and his teammates want to make sure they don’t waste their effort on one end with mistakes on the other. Avoiding turning the ball over on offense is paramount for...
Allderdice boys take aim at 4th straight City League crown
Allderdice coach Devin Crummie didn’t care if only five or six players could make it. If there was an opportunity during the summer to get the Dragons some time on the court together, he was willing to enter his squad in any available tournament. Allderdice entered this season with two...
