Josh Rizzo stories, Page 27
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...
Unconventional coaching career leads former Fox Chapel soccer standout to hall of fame
Mike Babst made peace with being done with soccer more than once in his life. But circumstances kept the Davidson men’s soccer coach circling back to the game. When Babst took his first assistant coaching position at Washington & Lee in Lexington, Va., it was something he hardly scheduled. Babst,...
Penn Hills notebook: PH grad breaks school triple jump record
Penn Hills graduate Kemi Balogun was one of three Frostburg State athletes to earn all-region honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Balogun set the school record in the triple jump and went on to win the Mountain East Conference title. Balogun also had a...
Harry Jenkins, longtime Fox Chapel basketball coach, dies
Harry Jenkins’ time with Fox Chapel didn’t end when he stepped down as the boys varsity basketball coach in 2005. Jenkins wanted to find a way to keep the program moving forward and bring together players from different communities. Working with the school, Jenkins formed a four-team league for alumni...
Shaler notebook: Extreme sports athlete competes in Russian sky running event
Richard Burgunder III returned to competition this year and was one of the outsiders at the International Festival Red Fox Elbrus Race at Mount Elbrus, Russia. Burgunder, a 43-year-old Shaler native, was one of two Americans competing in the event. Following a seven-year layoff from competition, Burgunder placed 49th in...
Undefeated softball team highlights super spring at Shaler
Tom Sorce’s five-year plan is coming to fruition. The Shaler softball coach wanted to rebuild the program by starting from the youth program up. The Titans asked several former collegiate players to come and work with the middle school program. Not everyone was able to say yes — six or...
Penn Hills youth team wins street hockey national championship
Bradley Mazza’s trip to New Jersey provided some extra nerves. The Penn Hills Arsenal Penguins A team found itself in an unfamiliar position during the National Street Hockey Association tournament hosted by the Gloucester Township Hockey Alliance. Penn Hills was in overtime, fighting for a championship against the Marlton Chiefs....
Penn Hills notebook: Drew Schifino plans basketball camp
Drew Schifino enjoys that his family’s name has deep ties within the Penn Hills community. Schifino, who is the Indians’ all-time leading scorer with 2,320 points, went on to play at West Virginia collegiately and overseas professionally. Now, Schifino is prepping to watch his nephew, Indiana product Jalen Hood-Schifino, prep...
Fox Chapel notebook: Girls lacrosse, baseball teams open playoffs with win
The eighth-seeded Fox Chapel baseball team opened the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs on a winning note. The Foxes were able to take down Mars, 6-4, in a first-round game May 17. Fox Chapel pitcher Jeremy Haigh threw a complete game, striking out four batters to grab the win. Dom Cassol...
Fox Chapel girls soccer star learned life lessons during Hall of Fame career
Lily Feldman was eager to plot her own course after graduating from Fox Chapel High School in 2009. Instead of sticking with a program closer to home, Feldman ventured to Vermont to try her hand at living on her own and playing for the Catamounts’ women’s soccer program. “I think...
