Josh Rizzo stories, Page 26
Penn Hills boys soccer ready to climb into playoff contention
The Penn Hills boys soccer program is used to having to dig out of holes. Two years ago, the Indians had to surge down the back half of the section schedule to break a 17-year postseason drought and make the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. This year, Penn Hills jumped in...
Penn Hills notebook: Dante Cephas dons blue and white in season-opening win
Two Penn Hills graduates had different experiences for Penn State’s season-opening win over West Virginia at Beaver Stadium. Dante Cephas, who transferred in from Kent State, caught one pass for 22 yards during the Nittany Lions’ 38-15 win. Daequan Hardy, one of Penn State’s top reserve cornerbacks, missed the game...
Flexible lineup helps Fox Chapel girls tennis team succeed
Sophia Carvelli wasn’t disappointed to have to make an adjustment during her senior season. With some nagging shoulder pain slowing her down, Carvelli switched from playing No. 3 singles to doubles to ease some of the workload. Partnering with fellow senior Maria Marasco has been fun for Carvelli. Playing doubles...
Fox Chapel working hard, making adjustments to move past early season struggles
Building confidence was never going to be easy for first-year Fox Chapel football coach Dave Leasure. When the Foxes scrimmaged Hempfield, the program got a jolt. Fox Chapel scored three touchdowns and didn’t give up any. But when they started regular season play, the Foxes quickly had to make adjustments....
Receiver Martel Palmer brings big-play dimension to Penn Hills offense
Penn Hills junior Martel Palmer’s two timely touchdowns in Week Zero likely didn’t catch many of the spectators at Yuhas-McGinley off guard. At least one person standing on the sidelines certainly didn’t blink an eye at the development. Indians football coach Charles Morris, who is Palmer’s cousin, knows what is...
Longtime coach lends hand to players new to the sport on Penn Hills golf team
Paul Jack still feels a deep connection with Penn Hills. Growing up, Jack was constantly around the district in various ways with his mom, Elfrida, who taught physical education at Penn Hills for 25 years. “I grew up being dragged to Penn Hills football games,” Jack said. “My mom was...
Fox Chapel cross country standout working back into form
Rowan Gwin never discovered what the cause of his hip flexor injury was last spring. Trying to navigate through great pain, Gwin competed in the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championship at Slippery Rock University. That didn’t go great. Entering this cross country season, Gwin, who finished seventh at...
Fox Chapel notebook: Soccer teams tested early
Section play is grueling for all WPIAL soccer programs. The way the calendar falls necessitates playing tough games early in the schedule. Both the Fox Chapel boys and girls programs were tested by perennially WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A challengers Seneca Valley in the first week of the season. For...
Former Penn Hills cheerleader honored for academic achievement
Taylor Roach has a lot on her mind as she starts her freshman year at Pitt. The 2023 Penn Hills graduate is getting acclimated to college life but had the chance to enjoy some of the fruits of her labor this summer. Roach, who was Penn Hills’ valedictorian last season...
Penn Hills junior fights through injury to win national fitness competition
Jadyn Wright had put the time in and had built his routine around being dedicated to fitness. After a freak injury in rugby practice, the Penn Hills senior still had three Marine Corps National Physical Fitness Championship meets remaining to participate in. Wright planned to keep an eye on his...
Senior captain, talented underclassmen mix well for Fox Chapel girls soccer
Anna Troutman welcomed the opportunity to serve as a captain on the Fox Chapel girls soccer team. With the mix of players the Foxes have returning for this season, having strong leadership will be an important component for the team to return from the playoffs. The Foxes have an influx...
Chartiers-Houston hopes to turn hours in weight room into wins on field
Chartiers-Houston lineman Jack Heiser knows the Buccaneers are equipped to keep moving forward this season. Up and down the roster, Chartiers-Houston has been building strength to push forward. The Buccaneers slipped back to the pack last season, compiling a 5-5 overall record, which included a 2-5 mark in the Black...
Shady Side Academy hopes to ride attacking defense to quick start
Shady Side Academy senior linebacker Grant Dickey knows what it takes for the Bulldogs to get on track. When the defense attacks opponents, they want a relentless flow to the ball that creates chaos. In the back half of last season and the playoffs, Shady Side Academy was able to...
New offense breeds optimism for Fox Chapel QB Ben DeMotte
Ben DeMotte has found his responsibilities for the Fox Chapel football program to be ever-expanding. The 5-foot-8 senior quarterback is eager to help the program move forward after an 0-10 season last year. DeMotte also wants to help prepare the Foxes for their future. First-year Fox Chapel coach Dave Leasure...
With big-play weapons back, Shaler enters season with confidence
Keegan Smetanka feels comfortable that he can make the right read when he scans defenses. The senior quarterback demonstrated the Shaler offense is capable of producing plenty of big plays last year. Smetanka completed 54.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,151 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. While the...
Penn Hills driven to return to playoffs after near miss last season
Penn Hills wide receiver/defensive back Cam Thomas doesn’t want to miss any opportunities. For the Indians’ football program to get back on track — and back in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs — Thomas believes wins will need to come through better execution. In Thomas’ case, he wants to create...
Fox Chapel gets fresh start with new coach
There’s no reason for the Fox Chapel football program to carry forward last season’s frustrations. Following an 0-10 season, there was significant turnover in the program. Longtime coach Tom Loughran stepped down, and Fox Chapel brought in former Springdale coach and Foxes assistant Dave Leasure to lead the program. Leasure,...
Fox Chapel grad to take lessons learned at Marines leadership course back to Bloomsburg tennis team
Fox Chapel graduate Lexi Quackenbush volunteered for an intense, six-week lesson on what it means to be a good teammate — the Platoon Leaders Class with the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va., this summer. She hopes to take some of those lessons back with her to Bloomsburg University, where she...
Strong showing at AAU national tournament gives Shaler volleyball players a boost
Logan Peterson felt fortunate that the AAU boys volleyball national championships rolled around in early July. The Shaler senior right-side hitter, who plays for the 17U North United club team, was itching to get back on the court. The Titans lived up to heavy expectations by winning the WPIAL for...
Penn Hills notebook: Senior wrestler showing potential
Jeremy Packer couldn’t be happier to have five wrestlers with him at summer workouts. During his tenure at Penn Hills, the Indians coach has hoped to see the program continue to grow. Senior wrestler Julian Lavender has shown some of the spirit Packer has hoped to see. Lavender, who picked...
Fox Chapel wrestler tests himself with offseason competition
Landon Funk isn’t opposed to any way to keep himself connected with wrestling. What the Fox Chapel junior found this offseason was a unique dual meet competition to be involved with. Funk, along with teammates Alex Kaufman and Michael Worsen, competed in the Dark Horse Classic, a dual-style match at...
Rule change would allow high school catchers to receive signs from bench via device
Fox Chapel catcher Mitchell Epstein hopes to hear voices during his senior season on the diamond. The National Federation of State High School Associations approved a rule revision during its June 4-6 meeting in Indianapolis that would allow for the use of a one-way communication device between a coach in...
Carolina RB Miles Sanders stays connected to area with football camp at Woodland Hills
Miles Sanders has traveled well beyond his Woodland Hills roots, but his home base always was the Keystone State. Until now. After attending Penn State and spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Sanders signed a four-year, $25 million free-agent contract with the Carolina...
Penn Hills club team to get up-close look at professional rugby
The Penn Hills club rugby team has been steadily building its reputation since the program’s inaugural season following the pandemic. Coach Matt Rosemeyer has been looking to help grow the program by encouraging his players to keep involved in the sport. Many members of the Big Red team will be...
Penn Hills flag football teams learn lessons on road to nationals
The Penn Hills Youth Football and Cheer Association football program is happy to have several flag football teams headed to nationals. What Larry Fielder, who coaches the 10U team that recently won the NFL Flag Pittsburgh Steelers Regional Tournament regional competition and will represent the Steelers at the Pro Bowl...
