Josh Rizzo stories, Page 3
Shady Side Academy shakes off slow start, earns playoff spot
The Shady Side Academy girls soccer team has been undermanned all season, but the Bulldogs have steadily improved after a five-match losing streak in September put them behind the curve. Shady Side Academy (6-9, 4-6) bounced back with a few wins to climb into the mix for the WPIAL Class...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Hockey team swimming in new Class 3A waters
The Fox Chapel hockey team is making the jump up to Class 3A as part of the PIHL’s promotion-relegation system of classifying teams. The Foxes, who lost in overtime of the Class 2A Penguins Cup final last season, took a tough loss to open the season. Fox Chapel, which fell...
Fox Chapel cyclist, 62, training for 170-mile event to benefit cancer research
George Stewart prefers to be out cycling on the roads of Fox Chapel, Indiana Township, West Deer and Butler County. Stewart, a 62-year-old Fox Chapel resident, doesn’t want to have to worry about being tripped by the hazards that go along with mountain biking. “When you are cycling in West...
Hopewell races past Freeport, which drops 2nd straight after winning 1st 6
Hopewell running back Nasir Wade felt the urgency atypical for a nonconference game. The Vikings needed to make a statement to the rest of the WPIAL Class 3A field that they are interested in being a wild card if they can’t be one of the automatic qualifiers from their conference....
Central Catholic starts quickly, pulls away from Norwin in Class 6A matchup
Norwin’s football team needed a fast start to put pressure on Central Catholic on Thursday at Gesling Stadium. The Vikings didn’t allow the Knights any traction. Central Catholic forced a three-and-out to open the game and scored on its second play from scrimmage, a 65-yard touchdown by Jayden Alexander, en...
With versatile lineup, Shady Side Academy boys soccer rounding into form
The Shady Side Academy boys soccer team isn’t married to one approach. The Bulldogs are willing to move players — even their top scorers — into different spots to help earn the result they need. Since starting the season by losing two of their first five matches, Shady Side Academy...
With senior Michael Costello out front, Fox Chapel cross country dominates section meet
Michael Costello got the result he was searching for during the WPIAL Section 4-3A cross country meet Oct. 1 in Apollo. Costello wanted to perfect how he finished races and wanted to find a way to beat Kiski Area’s Samuel Plazio. Plazio had finished ahead of Costello several times this...
Near-record kick from Harran Zureikat provides highlight for Fox Chapel football
Fox Chapel football coach Dave Leasure trusts Harran Zureikat to know his limits. The senior kicker, who committed to play at Georgia next season, broke his own school record by booting a 54-yard field goal against Pine-Richland last Friday. “That’s entirely up to him,” Leasure said. “If there’s a wind,...
Antonio Perkins leads Burrell past his former teammates at Valley
Burrell quarterback Antonio Perkins doesn’t expect hard feelings the next time he gets together with his friends at Valley. Perkins, who was a standout wrestler and football player for the Vikings last season, transferred to Burrell in the offseason. He piled up 303 rushing yards and scored four times to...
Riverview gets important conference win over Greensburg Central Catholic
Riverview 6-foot-2, 245-pound offensive lineman Addison Pascal doesn’t desire to employ a flashy game plan. A ground-based, grinding approach has served the Raiders fine. Riverview took advantage of a worn-down Greensburg Central Catholic football team Saturday at Riverside Park, powering to a 26-7 Eastern Conference win. The Raiders ran the...
Grateful for chance to compete, Shady Side Academy freshman wins big race in Hershey
Josephine Lenart appreciates every opportunity to compete for the Shady Side Academy girls cross country team. While Lenart, a freshman, is short on experience, she is long on perspective. Lenart won for the first time at one of the premier regular-season invitationals, the 19th PIAA Foundation Meet, which is held...
Shady Side Academy girls tennis locked in on WPIAL championship goal
Shady Side Academy sophomore Brooke Henderson can tell the Bulldogs are locked in on winning the WPIAL Class 3A girls team tennis title. The program was already set to have a competitive lineup this season. Once Cassie Lapina, who won a section title at Pine-Richland last season, transferred in, the...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Golfers start WPIAL tournament strong
The Fox Chapel boys golf team got off to a strong start during the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A boys individual golf championships at Willowbrook Country Club. Defending PIAA champion Carson Kittsley shot a 6-under par 66 to put himself in first place. Sophomore Baron Bitar shot a...
Fox Chapel girls soccer meeting challenge of new faces in new places in lineup
Caylie Wilkinson, a junior defender for the Fox Chapel girls soccer team, felt like this year’s team was significantly different from the previous two iterations. Wilkinson is the only returning starting defender from the Foxes team that reached the WPIAL Class 3A final last season. With six new starters in...
Aven Shirley moves under center, helps lead Kiski Area past Franklin Regional
If Aven Shirley didn’t seem uncomfortable under center Friday night at Richard J. Dilts Field, it was because he already developed many of the skills to do the job. Shirley, a 6-foot-2 senior wide receiver, was far from a fish out of water when he was asked to lead Kiski...
Penn Hills girls volleyball team looks up to Pitt players
Penn Hills junior setter KJ McGee was thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the ball rotation team during the State Farm Volleyball Classic Labor Day weekend at PPG Paints Arena. McGee loves watching the highly ranked Pitt women’s volleyball team in action. She was one of many members...
With roster closer to full strength, Penn Hills starts to get back on track
Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris knew it wasn’t time to panic. The film showed Morris that the Indians should be able to get back on track. All Penn Hills needed after only scoring seven points during three consecutive losses to open the season was to get the cavalry back....
Defending PIAA champ Carson Kittsley of Fox Chapel makes statement at section tournament
Fox Chapel junior Carson Kittsley, the defending PIAA Class 3A boys golf champion, made an emphatic statement at the Section 7-3A WPIAL qualifier Sept. 17 at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course. Kittsley shot a 6-under par 66 to win medalist honors and become a WPIAL qualifier for the third consecutive year....
Youth swimming coach from Aspinwall honored as one of nation’s best
Jim Skirboll has slowly had to let go of some of his favorite references. Skirboll, a 60-year-old Aspinwall resident, has spent 38 years coaching swimming. The owner of Racer X Aquatics has had to alter his messaging. “My style hasn’t changed too much over the years,” Skirboll said. “I’ve had...
Fox Chapel volleyball in search of consistency
The Fox Chapel girls volleyball team is in search of a consistent second hitter. Foxes coach Diana Andreyko saw flashes of what Lucy DiRocco can bring to the table Sept. 16 against Penn Hills. DiRocco finished with a team-high nine kills as the Foxes swept the Indians, 25-15, 25-22, 25-5,...
Fox Chapel boys soccer not resting on laurels
Fox Chapel boys soccer coach Erik Ingram is excited about the attitude the Foxes have approached this season with. The senior class Ingram has isn’t interested in reveling in the past. The Foxes won their first WPIAL Class 4A championship in 30 years last season, which was the sixth championship...
Andrasy, Leechburg pound away at Jeannette, edge Jayhawks in Eastern Conference showdown
Measuring Timmy Andrasy’s ability goes well beyond a potential disagreement between PennDOT and the football roster about his height. The Leechburg senior running back went barreling into the heart of the Jeannette defensive line 37 times Friday night at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. Andrasy ran for 257 yards and scored four...
Shaler girls volleyball making adjustments with eye on finishing season strong
Sophie Spynda faced the prospect of seeing a lot of new faces and personalities. After more than a month at Shaler, the 6-foot-2 junior middle blocker is getting used to life in a new school district. Spynda attended Allderdice last year. “It’s been kind of hard, coming in and not...
Momentum building for Shaler girls soccer
The Shaler girls soccer team kicked down the door to the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs last season after a 37-year absence. The Titans spent the early part of their follow-up campaign working toward besting their cameo appearance. Shaler has shown plenty of fight during its 4-1-1 start, including a 1-1...
Fox Chapel football’s next challenge: Beating a blue blood
Blue blood season is coming up for the Fox Chapel football program. Coach Dave Leasure is excited to see his program measure up to some of the WPIAL Class 5A programs that make up the cream of the crop of the Northeast Conference. The Foxes, which entered a road matchup...
