Josh Rizzo stories, Page 26
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...
Fox Chapel softball standout meets new challenges in 2nd season with Israeli national team
Izzy Zober will be playing in several international softball tournaments this summer. The 12-year-old Fox Chapel resident’s newest challenge will be trying to hang with the older age group. Zober will be a part of Israel’s 18U national team for the women’s softball European championship in Prague, Czech Republic. The...
Julian Dugger, Penn Hills teammates shine at Pitt passing camp
This offseason has left many people around the Penn Hills football program itching for the 2023 season to start. The Indians will get that opportunity when they host Seneca Valley in Week Zero action Aug. 25 at home. After missing the playoffs last season, second-year coach Charles Morris was excited...
Youth baseball returns to Aspinwall with popular Tee Ball league
Being involved in the new Aspinwall Tee Ball league was appealing for many reasons to community resident Steve Wein. Aspinwall’s Little League program had long folded and opportunities for younger kids to be involved in baseball meant traveling to different municipalities. Wein, who has three kids, liked the idea of...
Illal Osumanu, Riverhounds rally to keep USL streak alive
Illal Osumanu laid to rest questions about whether the Pittsburgh Riverhounds could come from behind without their top attacker. Osumanu headed home a Burke Fahling free kick in the 91st minute to help the Riverhounds rally from a halftime deficit to beat the San Diego Loyal SC, 2-1, on Saturday...
Basketball championship highlighted 2022-23 school year for Penn Hills sports
The 2022-23 school year produced more than a few memorable moments for Penn Hill athletic programs. The Indians had a productive year and in one case, the boys basketball program was able to add to the school’s trophy case. Here’s a look at a few of the moments that made...
Back from ankle injury, Aaron Donald happy to work with kids at 4th annual camp
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald had a new topic to talk about during his Living in the Pocket Youth Skills Football Camp on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. How to recover from an injury. The Penn Hills and Pitt product is on the mend for the first time in...
Fox Chapel athletes wrote success stories during 2022-23 school year
Fox Chapel had plenty of team and individual successes during the 2022-23 school year. When it comes to the Foxes sports programs, there were plenty of memorable moments to reflect on and a few somber moments for the school’s supporters. Here’s a look at a few notable events that happened...
Penn Hills football program honors coach Ron Graham for 30 years of service
The Penn Hills football team still has plenty of time left on the calendar before the Indians open up the 2023 regular season by hosting Seneca Valley. But Penn Hills coach Charles Morris and the school took some time recently to celebrate one of the program’s cornerstones. on June 5,...
Penn Hills notebook: 4-time WPIAL champion wrestler dies in car crash
The Penn Hills wrestling community lost one of its greatest champions due to a car accident June 3. John Dasta was a four-time WPIAL champion and a PIAA champion. He finished with a career record of 135-6-1. Dasta won at least 30 matches in all four seasons with Penn Hills....
Shady Side Academy boys lacrosse overcomes challenges during successful season
The Shady Side Academy boys lacrosse team knew there was no way Ethan Salvia’s production could be completely replaced. The Bulldogs standout and Marquette recruit tore his ACL during basketball season and was forced to miss his senior season on the lacrosse field. However, Shady Side Academy coach Cam Thompson...
Fox Chapel freshman shows worlds of potential in discus, shot put
Making an appearance at the PIAA Class 3A track championships as a freshman didn’t make Fox Chapel’s Claire Conti want to take a break. During the first week of June, Conti went to compete unattached at a meet in Slippery Rock in the throwing events. “I’m trying to keep working,”...
Penn Hills Progress notebook: Redeemer Lutheran track team collects medals
The Redeemer Lutheran track team turned in a strong performance at the National Christian School Athletic Association track and field championships at Geneva College in May. Alexis Banash was the Rams’ top finisher on the girls side, winning two events. Banash won the long jump (14 feet, 11.75 inches) and...
Penn Hills relay team gets feet wet at PIAA track championships
Penn Hills track and field coach Lee Zelkwotiz was happy to be able to take another group of athletes to Shippensburg to compete in the PIAA Class 3A championships on Memorial Day weekend. Following a few years with lower numbers after the start of the pandemic, the Indians track team...
Fox Chapel athletes learn from 1st trip to PIAA track championships
Fox Chapel coach Thomas Moul knows from experience that making a first trip to the PIAA Class 3A track and field championships in Shippensburg isn’t a disappointment no matter the results. What was most important for the two Fox Chapel athletes who competed at the state meet was gaining experience...
Fox Chapel notebook: Senior wrestler Trevor Katz named Student Visionary of the Year
Fox Chapel senior wrestler Trevor Katz made a big splash on the mats during his final year at the school. Katz, who qualified for the WPIAL championships at 180 pounds this season after finishing fourth in the section, helped raise $250,000 dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That is...
Girls relay team headlines Penn Hills showing at WPIAL track meet
The girls 1,600-meter relay team saved what could have been a total loss for the Penn Hills track team at the WPIAL Class 3A championships at Slippery Rock. The Indians’ relay team — consisting of Maliah Powell, Janaya Coleman, Mylah Faulk and Milani Oliver — finished in third place to...
Riverview junior to play for Team USA at ball hockey World Juniors
Riverview junior Landon Johnson has been working on playing all the angles. When it comes to playmaking in ball hockey, being in the right position is a large part of the battle. “One thing I realized is that I need to know the angles,” Johnson said. “When I know the...
