Josh Rizzo stories, Page 3
Fall ball program the latest signpost in Penn Hills baseball’s rebuilding efforts
Joe Capobianco didn’t have to buy a large amount of refreshments for the Penn Hills baseball boosters meetings during his first season with the program. The Indians only had one booster last season. This year, the number has swelled to about eight parents. As Penn Hills attempts to climb the...
Shady Side Academy savors upset win in WPIAL girls soccer playoffs
Being familiar with playing Deer Lakes in the past was a major benefit for Virginia Powers. The Shady Side Academy forward didn’t feel she and her teammates were unprepared to take on the fifth-seeded Lancers. Powers scored midway through the second half to help the No. 12 Bulldogs advance to...
Fox Chapel’s Carson Kittsley joins elite company with 2nd state golf title
Fox Chapel junior Carson Kittsley felt more comfortable on the golf course this season. Results didn’t necessarily come easier, but Kittsley felt better equipped to put himself in the best position to win. Kittsley’s precision proved to be necessary during the second and final round of the PIAA Class 3A...
Herald notebook: Fox Chapel field hockey returns to WPIAL final
The Fox Chapel field hockey program has been knocking on the door of winning its sixth field hockey championship. The Foxes beat Latrobe, 2-0, in the semifinals to reach the WPIAL Class 2A final. The Foxes had have another opportunity to do so against Peters Township. The championship match, on...
Antonio Perkins sets school record, Burrell wins barnburner against Deer Lakes in pursuit of playoffs
Burrell sophomore quarterback Antonio Perkins chose to put a lot of pressure on the WPIAL Class 3A wild-card committee. After Perkins piled up a school-record 360 rushing yards, ran a punt and kick back for a score, intercepted a pass and scored five rushing touchdowns, who wants to be the...
USO looks to dethrone 3-time defending City League champion Westinghouse
USO football coach Lou Berry knows his team is capable of toppling three-time defending City League champion Westinghouse. USO proved it on the field two weeks ago when USO beat the Bulldogs, 20-14. But Berry knows doing it at 3 p.m. Saturday at Cupples Stadium in the City League championship...
Plum girls finally notch playoff win over Mars
Allison Porter was happy to get one in the win column against Mars. The Plum senior defender had felt enough heartbreak against the Planets in the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. Porter made the winning penalty kick after the teams played through 110 scoreless minutes Thursday night at Plum High School....
Defending champ Springdale uses late goal to best Chartiers-Houston in WPIAL playoffs
Springdale forward Hailey Marchlewski played a long ball from near midfield she hoped would put teammate Lacey Shondeck in a spot to score. Chartiers-Houston keeper Adrianna Rozzo came forward to attempt to play it forward. Rozzo didn’t hit it clean, and it rolled by her. She charged desperately after it,...
Deer Lakes boys embrace pressure, roll past Central Valley in WPIAL 1st round
Deer Lakes senior forward Peyton Kushon doesn’t shy away from the environment created by the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. The pressure in do-or-die moments doesn’t feel suffocating. For Kushon, it’s more comforting. Sixth-seeded Deer Lakes, behind two goals from Kushon, marched on with a 5-1 win over No. 11 Central...
Franklin Regional grad Nico Megaludis returning to mat in Real American Freestyle league
Nico Megaludis was comfortable being done with wrestling. But the Franklin Regional graduate wasn’t anticipating the Real American Freestyle league gaining steam since he retired this past May. After a few weeks off the mat, Megaludis was back to training. He was excited with what they had to offer and...
Shaler moves in right direction with win over nemesis North Hills
The North Hills game has never been an easy night for the Shaler football team. The Indians inflicted plenty of pain on the Titans over the past 13 seasons. Shaler senior wide receiver Jonathan Saban insisted that meant they had a different approach at practice leading up to their Northeast...
Shaler barges back into boys soccer playoffs with breakthrough season
The Shaler boys soccer program just didn’t sneak back into the WPIAL playoffs after an extended absence. The Titans were in a tight race for the Section 1-3A crown going into their final two section matches of the season. While Shaler wasn’t able to secure a late-season win over Hampton...
Clairton football team continues its impressive march by shutting out Riverview
The WPIAL’s Class A Eastern Conference is as competitive from top to bottom as any in the district. But at the top of the mountain, there is no debate. There is the Clairton football team, and there is everyone else. The Bears continued to flex their muscles by recording their...
Fox Chapel hockey adjusting on the fly after jump up in competition
Ryan Loebig knows the Fox Chapel hockey program will have a learning curve when it comes to playing in Class 3A in the PIHL. The Foxes will have to do everything a step faster than they did last season if they want to return to the Penguins Cup playoffs. “I...
Shady Side Academy golfers savor long-awaited WPIAL team title
Alex Avi knew four holes into the WPIAL Class 2A team golf championships at Cedarbrook Golf Course that he wasn’t hitting the ball right. The Shady Side Academy junior golfer knew what needed to happen next. It was time to press pause. “I like to hit a fade, but I...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Fox Chapel golfers claim WPIAL silver
The Fox Chapel girls golf team fell one shot short of its first WPIAL Class 3A team title since 2021. The Foxes shot a 345 on Oct. 9 at Cedarbrook Golf Course, finishing one shot behind Peters Township. Clara Koteski led Fox Chapel by shooting an 11-over par 82. Ava...
Timmy Andrasy runs for 335 yards as Leechburg guts out win over Brentwood
The paint didn’t have to dry perfectly on the easel for Leechburg football coach Randy Walters. While the brush went sideways plenty of times for the Blue Devils on Friday at Veterans Memorial Field, Leechburg made the plays when it had to in order to beat Brentwood, 48-41, in an...
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,...
