Josh Rizzo stories, Page 4

Shady Side Academy’s Javon Johnston impressed at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia. Johnston finished in first place in the triple jump in the freshman division, winning the event with a leap of 45 feet, 11.5 inches. Johnston also finished third in the long jump with...

Jeremy Haigh was caught off guard when he received an email from Fox Chapel baseball coach Jim Hastings. The recent Foxes graduate didn’t realize he had been nominated for the Pennsylvania State Baseball Coaches Association All-State team. Haigh, who was chosen by the organization as first team all-state as a...

Cam Ponko wasn’t against having one more opportunity to wear her green-and-gold Penn-Trafford softball uniform after seeing her senior season culminate with a PIAA Class 5A title. She may have a harder time pulling on her crimson-and-black threads at IUP this fall after creating so many strong memories this spring....

Ronald Porter III’s willingness to try something new as a junior and his quick progress from there allowed him to do something during his senior season that was the highlight of the athletics programs at Penn Hills during the 2024-25 school year. Porter initially came out for track wanting to...

Dontae Pollard didn’t feel good either time he entered the transfer portal to find a new home to play college football. Both times, the quick reaction he drew from schools helped provide him comfort. Pollard recently announced he would use his final season of eligibility at Temple following two years...

The Shady Side Academy girls basketball team took a crushing loss in the WPIAL Class 3A championship game. The Bulldogs also lost their 6-foot-2 forward Cassie Sauer for their run through the state playoffs. But Shady Side Academy was able to pull itself together and move on to the PIAA...

Michael Worsen shouldn’t have even been at the Class 3A Western Regional. But the Fox Chapel senior made the most of his opportunity, entering the tournament as a late scratch and earning a spot at the PIAA tournament at 121 pounds. Worsen, who also crossed the 100-win mark for his...

Cooper Roscosky doesn’t wait long to hear what Kiski Area wrestling coach Chris Heater has to say about how a practice went. What Heater appreciates is that Roscosky is more interested in the feedback than the manner it is delivered. “On a daily basis, he would want to know what...

Tom Sorce is happy for the Shaler Area sports community. The Titans softball coach did wish he was worried less about the chores around the house and more about what his colleagues in other sports were. The Shaler softball team joined the boys volleyball and baseball teams in capturing WPIAL...

Penn State redshirt senior tight end Khalil Dinkins felt prepared when the Nittany Lions reached college football’s biggest stage last season. How Penn State has prepared this summer since reaching the semifinals of the first 12-team College Football Playoff last season hasn’t felt much different to Dinkins. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound...

This wasn’t the best spring for training for rowing competitions. The Fox Chapel rowing crew was able to make accommodations to put them in the best spot for success. Niko Vavpetic and his teammates — Gavin Nguyen, Keitaro Inada and Ian Wellman — will line up their rowing machines on...

Spencer Lee doesn’t want to slow down. If Lee had total control, his wrestling matches would never be boring. When Lee wrestles Luke Lilledahl at 57 kilograms for the U.S. world team spot Saturday at Final X in Newark, N.J., he wants to prevent the match from lagging. Lee, a...

North Allegheny boys volleyball coach Dan Long said he didn’t want the Tigers to look at themselves as a finished product Saturday. A surprising result during the second set of a 3-1 win over Penn-Trafford during a PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal at AHN Arena provided some clarity on why they...

Carson Kittsley’s consistency at the Penn State White Course last fall was the headliner of a busy sports year at Fox Chapel. The sophomore golfer shot an 8-under par 136 to win the PIAA Class 3A title. Kittsley, who missed the state tournament by a few strokes as a freshman,...

Shady Side Academy fell just short of winning the WPIAL Class 3A championship in boys lacrosse. Mt. Lebanon’s Max Prezioso scored with 34 seconds remaining to lead the Blue Devils to a 12-11 win in the title game May 22. Shady Side Academy had a three-goal lead, 10-7, in the...

Fox Chapel track and field coach Tom Moul said the experience gained at the PIAA Class 3A championships at Shippensburg will serve the program well in the future. The Foxes would have liked to have brought home medals but saw the benefits of having underclassmen get some time at a...

Jack Kartsonas has undergone a significant transformation since arriving in Morgantown to pitch for West Virginia’s baseball team. The technology the Mountaineers have available helped him better understand what pitches his body is best capable of throwing. And thanks to a lack of peer pressure, his mustache is thicker and...

SILVER SPRINGS TWP. — Jy’Aire Walls eventually found his feet. But the Central Catholic quarterback’s 78-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter came too late to help Pennsylvania’s dominance over Maryland in the Big 33 Football Classic to continue. The Keystone State only scored once in the first half and...

Ron Porter III wasn’t following a timeline that suggested he could go from promising prospect to WPIAL Class 3A long jump champion. Following the end of the football season, the Penn Hills senior didn’t have the easiest ramp-up to the spring season. Porter pulled his hamstring during the indoor track...

Penn Hills athletic director Steph Strauss always wants to keep an eye out for whatever can help the district’s athletic programs. When she became aware of the NFL’s grant program to help schools with money for new turf, Strauss wanted to make sure Yuhas McGinley Stadium would see some benefits....

Ella Van Norman feels like the way races are structured sets up Shady Side Academy’s 3,200-meter relay team for success. The Bulldogs’ largest concern during every race is getting the baton to the next person in the best possible position. Shady Side Academy’s 3,200 relay team — consisting of Rhyley...

Javon Johnston continues to impress Shady Side Academy boys track and field coach Adam Janosko with his drive. The Bulldogs freshman, who qualified for the PIAA Class 2A championships in two events, went to the West Mifflin Last Chance Meet to put pressure on himself. Johnston wanted to set the...

Fox Chapel resident Jack Kartsonas made a smart choice for his final season of college eligibility. The Vincentian Academy graduate chose to head from Kent State to West Virginia. This week, Kartsonas was given second-team All-Big 12 honors for his role as a right-handed pitcher. The Mountaineers, who finished the...

Jim Hastings has always appreciated the support of his coaching staff and the players in his program. Before Hastings took over at his alma mater Fox Chapel in 2018, he spent three years coaching at Springdale. Hastings, who recently hit the 100-win mark at Fox Chapel, took the Dynamos to...

Jordan Hoover desperately wants to be part of the Seneca Valley boys volleyball team that kicks down the door and wins a WPIAL Class 3A championship. The 6-foot-5 senior middle hitter and his teammates needed a strong fifth set to make sure they didn’t fall over the front stoop on...