Josh Rizzo stories, Page 28
Led by veteran doubles team, Shaler boys tennis ends long playoff drought
Nolan Le knows he doesn’t have to wait for Shaler coach Brian Duermeyer to circle back to his doubles match for advice. Le can lean on partner Ethan Opiela to point him back in the right direction. “I always start slow and we drop a few games,” Le said. “Ethan...
Fox Chapel notebook: Aidan Oehrle hits leaderboard for Lehigh
Aidan Oehrle helped the Lehigh men’s golf team pick up a win at the ABARTA Coca-Cola Collegiate Invitational on April 17 in Easton. Oehrle shot a 4-under par 140 to lead the Mountain Hawks. During the final round, Oehrle made two birdies and also recorded an eagle to tie for...
Fox Chapel baseball’s successful season built on sound defense
Jack Resek didn’t believe the Fox Chapel baseball team welcomed a break in the Section 1-5A schedule. But the senior designated hitter didn’t believe having four nonsection games in late April would do much to change the Foxes’ approach. Fox Chapel, which was 6-5 overall and 6-2 in section as...
Penn Hills track plans to use invitationals to prepare for postseason
Lee Zelkowitz is excited to see the Penn Hills track season heat up. Where the Indians will really excel is with their relay teams. Penn Hills competed in a triangular meet with Gateway and Plum in early April and is gearing up for the invitational part of its schedule. The...
Penn Hills softball looking to shuffle lineup into winning hand
Ashley Banner would be the first to say that Penn Hills softball’s result against North Hills wasn’t what the team hoped to get out of the contest. For the second straight game, Penn Hills was on the wrong side of a lopsided loss. What the results have highlighted for Banner...
Part-time player Will Siegel of Fox Chapel makes noise on WPIAL tennis scene
Will Siegel’s entrance to the season for the Fox Chapel tennis team first requires him to dig his racquet out of the closet. Due to Siegel’s commitment to the Foxes basketball team, which qualified for the PIAA Class 5A tournament and had the season extend into March, he usually doesn’t...
Fox Chapel girls lacrosse looking to make pieces fit
The Fox Chapel girls lacrosse team is searching for better ways to support each other. When it comes to trying to earn a spot in the WPIAL playoffs, the Foxes have been focused on making sure things run smoothly from top to bottom. Fox Chapel wanted to rebound quickly from...
Penn Hills baseball works to up batting average with new approach at plate
Attempting to surge up the standings won’t be something the Penn Hills baseball team will be able to do by standing pat. Haunted by a lack of offensive production, the Indians have had a hard time getting out of the season’s starting blocks. Stuck with a .194 batting average as...
Penn Hills gearing up for 1st girls flag football season
After trying track at a younger age, Penn Hills junior Asya Murray had fallen out of team sports as she got older. Recently, though, Murray found a sport that piqued her interest. “I’ve always been interested in football,” Murray said. “I go outside and play with my family.” Penn Hills...
Tough section could make for unpredictable season for Fox Chapel softball
Fox Chapel softball coach Chris Olbrich thought his team’s results in the first week of April reflected how things would be in Section 1-5A play all spring. Coming off a double-digit loss to first-place Shaler, the Foxes turned things around totally to hand a hot Penn Hills team its first...
Fox Chapel lefty works to keep hitters guessing
Jeremy Haigh is consistently working on his sleight of hand, but the sophomore pitcher for the Fox Chapel baseball team isn’t practicing a magic act. What he is trying to cobble together is a repertoire of pitches that will keep batters bamboozled in the box. Haigh doesn’t want to let...
With breakout hurdler, good roster numbers, Penn Hills track ready for successful season
Achan Green doesn’t think about the timing anymore. The Penn Hills junior hurdler knows when he’s on the track, he is able to tackle each step with the right approach. Before last season, Green didn’t do the hurdles much. However, whenever Green gave the event a go, he qualified for...
In peak form, Penn Hills fitness team qualifies for national championships
The Penn Hills fitness team has continued to pile up an unprecedented number of accolades over the past few months. In March, Jaydn Wright became the first male athlete in program history to finish in first place in back-to-back events. Wright finished with 470 points out of a possible 500...
Plenty of potential on Fox Chapel track teams
The Fox Chapel track and field programs hope to find a way to bring put the puzzle pieces together at some point. The Foxes have plenty of potential on both the boys and girls side but will need things to fall right in order to find success. For the boys...
Fox Chapel notebook: Jake Pilarski finds success in spring training with Dodgers
Fox Chapel graduate Jake Pilarski got the most out of his spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pilarski, 24, signed with the Dodgers in December after spending two seasons with the Washington Wild Things in the Frontier League. Pilarski was able to add some zip on his fastball, allowing...
With sustained success, Shaler boys volleyball sheds underdog label
Zac Wurzer isn’t disappointed that the Shaler boys volleyball team can’t hide behind its previous identity as scrappy underdogs. The Titans have become a perennial contender for WPIAL and state success. What will be different this season is the Titans will carry the expectations that come with sustained success. Shaler...
Shaler softball expects tough early schedule to pay dividends
Tom Sorce didn’t want to see the Shaler softball team have a schedule full of guaranteed wins. The Titans softball coach asked the athletic director to give the team a nonsection slate full of games that would provide a test. What Shaler got was a schedule full of opponents from...
Fox Chapel notebook: Hot goalie ends hockey team’s season
The Fox Chapel hockey team saw a surprising end to its season in the PIHL Class A Penguins Cup championship game March 20. The Foxes lost to Kiski, 4-1, at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. Fox Chapel, which finished the season 20-3, defeated the Cavaliers by a combined score of...
Penn Hills softball looking forward to enjoying home-field advantage
Penn Hills softball coach Ashley Banner and the Indians softball team are grateful for the school district’s maintenance staff. Thanks to the staff putting plenty of long hours between the end of softball season last year and this March, Penn Hills was able to prepare a softball field for the...
Playoff run, WPIAL championship build legacy for Penn Hills players
Penn Hills boys basketball coach Chris Giles and the players on the team had an opportunity to create permanent memories. Winning the Class 5A WPIAL championship gave everyone something to hold on to. The Indians’ season came to an end March 17 in Sharon with a 68-54 loss to Cathedral...
Young Fox Chapel softball team works to build confidence
Alina Stiger may feel anxiety about other things, but the Fox Chapel senior welcomes the anxious feeling softball can provide. The Foxes shortstop/center fielder is one of two seniors on the team this season. With a roster breakdown that features 15 freshmen and sophomores and seven upperclassmen, Fox Chapel will...
Mars’ Olivia Donnelly beats rival in hot shot competition at Cager Classic skills event
Olivia Donnelly and Hattie McGraw had an opportunity to settle an old Butler County rivalry Friday night at Highlands. Donnelly, a Mars senior, and McGraw, a Knoch senior, were paired against each other in the finals of the girls hot-shot competition at the Cager Classic, with Donnelly prevailing. Both programs...
Former Penn Hills player set to lead Indians boys volleyball team
Will Piccolino doesn’t have to worry about relating to coaching high school athletes. The first-year Penn Hills boys volleyball coach still plays competitively and must relate to his younger teammates. Piccolino, who graduated from Penn Hills in 2008, is a student at Carlow University and plays for its men’s volleyball...
Penn Hills dictates style of play during PIAA playoff run
The Penn Hills boys basketball team doesn’t have to worry about scoring style points. The Indians brand of basketball, whether playing fast or slow, is most concerned with the end result. In the second round of the PIAA Class 5A basketball tournament, Penn Hills had to scratch and claw to...
Revenge sweet for Fox Chapel hockey team in Penguins Cup playoffs
Fox Chapel’s hockey team knew the setting was the same, but the Foxes found the magic to produce a different result March 15 at RMU Island Sports Complex. Fox Chapel, which lost to Norwin in the PIHL Class A Penguins Cup semifinals last season, avenged that loss and advanced to...
