Josh Rizzo stories, Page 31
Penn Hills notebook: Shot putter kicks off college career with top 10 finishes
Angelo Allen has successfully started his track career at Seton Hill University. The 2022 Penn Hills graduate has recorded a pair of top-10 finishes during the early part of the indoor season. Allen finished in third place in the shot put at the Capital University Comet Open with a toss...
Fox Chapel 189-pounder coming into his own after strong showing at county meet
Trevor Katz received an unorthodox scouting report on his 189-pound quarterfinal opponent in the Allegheny County Wrestling Championships long before the match Jan. 20 at Fox Chapel. Highlands’ Tyler Bender had received high marks for his character from Katz’s mom. Colleen Katz teaches English at Highlands and told Trevor how...
With speedy senior providing spark, Fox Chapel hockey scorching PIHL opponents
Good luck trying to intimidate Fox Chapel senior forward Sam Smith off the puck. Playing varsity hockey as a sophomore hardened Smith to the challenges of life in the PIHL. Two years ago, Smith was trying to stop players that were much more physically mature than him. Smith, who is...
Penn Hills’ Cam Thomas works to ‘develop top-end speed’ during indoor track season
Cam Thomas was pleased that though imperfect, his start to the indoor track season showed tangible progress from the year before. The Penn Hills junior finished the 60-meter dash in 7.27 seconds to place third at the first TSTCA indoor meet at Edinboro University. Thomas’ time improved on his best...
‘Young, smart’ Penn Hills girls lineup looks to grow in 2nd half of season
Adding skills to the Penn Hills’ girls basketball team is a gradual progress. Indians coach Robert Cash said the Indians have been working throughout the season to become a team that is suited to match up with any team they come across. Penn Hills has limited their opponents to 47.5...
Shaler swimmers’ work shows in faster times
Noah Lang doesn’t want to rely on a good taper to be prepared for the WPIAL Class 3A swimming championships. The Shaler sophomore already has a mental checklist built up of things to work on to pursue the school record in the 500 freestyle and a good performance at the...
All-stars have Shaler hockey in thick of PIHL playoff race
Being able to see the rewards of gradual progress has Shane Ciganik relishing his opportunity to represent the PIHL Class A Blue Division in the PIHL All-Star game. Ciganik made his first start as a freshman goalie too nervous to think about the challenge ahead. Now, Ciganik has a different...
Fox Chapel track team gets off to fast start to indoor season
Fox Chapel’s Anna Troutman didn’t get the opportunity to compete in the WPIAL outdoor track championships last season due to an injury. But after her debut with the Foxes’ indoor track team last season, she left a lasting impression. During the indoor season, she set school records in the 60-meter...
Fox Chapel notebook: Red-hot hockey team sends 7 to all-star game
Fox Chapel has ruled the PIHL’s Class A Blue Division this season. Following a 9-2 road win over Norwin on Jan. 17, the Foxes pushed their record to 14-1 on the season with an 11th consecutive victory. That means Fox Chapel will be well represented at the PIHL All-Star game,...
Penn Hills’ Anthony Sipple following in siblings’ underwater footsteps
Anthony Sipple doesn’t need to go far to find resources to help with his swimming career. Eldest sister Stephanie and his middle sister Kristen both swim at Edinboro. Anthony, a freshman at Penn Hills High School, is on the same team as his younger sister, Lauren, who is a junior....
Penn Hills boys welcome challenge of physical section battles
Chris Giles is welcoming of the Penn Hils boys basketball team’s position in the black-and-blue division of WPIAL Class 5A. Only one team in Section 2 allows more than 51 points per game, while no team scores more than 60 points per game. The Indians are ready to dig in...
Settled in at 107 pounds, Fox Chapel sophomore emerges as top performer
Landon Funk didn’t have a secure spot in the lineup during his freshman season on the Fox Chapel wrestling team. Throughout the season, Funk had to wrestle off with Michael Worsen for the spot at 106 pounds. Funk didn’t always win and would voluntarily bump up to 113 pounds. What...
Freshman sparks bounce-back season for Fox Chapel girls
Lyla Jablon didn’t have to worry about slowly discovering the chaos of playing girls varsity basketball. The Fox Chapel freshman guard was thrust into an uncomfortable situation early in the season. The Foxes lost leading scorer Skye Byrnes to a broken ankle and had two other starters out with injuries...
Leechburg rides point guard Marcus Cleveland to win vs. Riverview
Making a play call came quickly to Damian Davies on Friday. The Leechburg boys basketball coach could call out “Georgetown, layup” repeatedly when Blue Devils point guard Marcus Cleveland had the ball. Starting in the second quarter, Cleveland delivered nearly on demand. He finished with 35 points as Leechburg held...
Penn Hills notebook: Indians boys hoops steps up competition
Penn Hills boys basketball had a unique opportunity in late December and early January. The Indians were able to take on three teams that were all major players on the state stage last season. Penn Hills played two teams that reached the PIAA Class 6A semifinals — Archbishop Wood and...
Penn Hills officially sponsors girls wrestling, taking 1st step toward creating a team
Penn Hills isn’t ready just yet to field a high school girls wrestling team. But Indians athletic director Steph Strauss wants the district to be ready for when the day comes, so Penn Hills became the 78th school in Pennsylvania to sponsor a girls varsity wrestling team. One hundred schools...
Fox Chapel boys look to build consistency in season’s 2nd half
After graduating every starter from a team that won a WPIAL Class 6A title and reached the PIAA semifinals last season, Fox Chapel boys basketball coach Zach Skrinjar expected to put his roster through a bevy of learning experiences this year. That’s why anyone following the Foxes has seen plenty...
Highlands boys find right pace, win 10th straight meeting with Freeport
Fast, moderate or slow makes no difference to Highlands guard Cam Reigard. The Golden Rams will be ready for any potential pratfall that will come their way. Coming off a two-game losing streak and dealing with tragedy in the community this week, Highlands was able to bounce back by beating...
Penn Hills senior thrilled by surprise scholarship announcement
Jamie Wade had a difficult task ahead of her. After finding out her daughter, Maura, had won a $5,000 scholarship as part of The Point’s Friday Night Rivalry series, Jamie wanted to find the right way to surprise her with the news. What Jamie told Maura was that someone was...
Penn Hills notebook: Bowlers show early promise
Local bowling teams have gotten off to a tough start to the season. Penn Hills’ boys team has lost its first two matches. However, Indians sophomore bowler Nick Hepler has shown promise. If he can continue how he bowled in the first match, Hepler will be in for a strong...
Penn Hills notebook: Longtime volleyball coach steps down
Longtime Penn Hills volleyball coach Jay Mitlo had stepped down. Mitlo, a 1989 Penn Hills graduate, has been head coach of the girls volleyball program since 1997. He took over the boys program in 2011. His resignation was accepted at a Dec. 7 school board meeting. “It basically came down...
With an assist from football team, Penn Hills wrestling gets numbers boost
Dom Frollo looks around the wrestling room at Penn Hills and is happy with an opportunity to mentor young wrestlers. Thanks to the effort of Penn Hills football coach Charles Morris, the Indians were able to beef their roster up to 17 kids. “It’s different,” said Frollo, who is a...
Penn Hills track team looks to build confidence during indoor season
Lee Zelkowitz is excited to get the track team moving through the indoor season. Practice was scheduled to start Dec. 5, and the Indians hope to utilize the season to build confidence and capitalize with some strong performances. Zelkowitz emphasized the goal is getting everyone ready for the outdoor championships...
Pitt senior to coach Shaler swim teams
Maddie London believed she had something to offer the athletes on the Shaler swim team. The current Pitt swimmer has had many experiences with coaching and hopes to make a positive impact for the Titans. London, a native of Collierville, Tenn., started her swimming career at Arkansas before transferring to...
Shaler girls bring exciting mix of young prospects, proven talent
The Shaler girls basketball program is excited to have an influx of sophomores ready to contribute at the varsity level. Coach Cornelious Nesbit is also excited he doesn’t have to rush their development, either. Shaler will feature 5-foot-9 senior guard Haley Kostorick, a Clarion commit, and 5-11 senior forward Mackenzie...
