Josh Rizzo stories, Page 4

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Ed Ellsworth wants every group of Shady Side Academy boys soccer players to know that they have a strong support system in place. The goal is for the Bulldogs to become part of the pipeline once they move on in life. Ellsworth said Shady Side Academy had 12 alumni drop...

Emma DiRocco feels most comfortable playing middle blocker. The 6-foot-2 senior for the Fox Chapel girls volleyball team is asked to do much more than that. DiRocco is the most experienced player on a Foxes’ roster that is filled with young players. During Fox Chapel’s Section 4-4A opening loss against...

Zoey Liu feels fortunate to share a home with the sparring partner she has on the tennis court. Zoey, who is Fox Chapel’s No. 1 singles player as a freshman, will often play with her 11-year-old brother, Luca. “My dad used to hit with us a little bit,” Zoey said....

Gateway freshman quarterback Mayson Mitchell was hoping to lead a drive to close out a game. Instead, Mitchell saw a snap go over his head, forcing him to dive on the ball Friday night at Antimarino Stadium. While Mitchell, who was making his first varsity start, had ups and downs...

Julian Flenory circled off the cage away from Jeremy Riley, trying to blink out the pain. Only moments into a heavyweight professional MMA fight Saturday at Sunny Days Arena, Riley had stung Flenory with a combination that made the Highlands graduate want to collect his thoughts. Instead of wading forward,...

The Fox Chapel football program has prided itself on its versatility since Dave Leasure took over. Max Melocchi and Nathan Johnson were both potential options at quarterback. But both were more focused on finding an opportunity to get on the field than worrying about what position came with that playing...

Jose Caraballo wants to find a way to keep amateur boxers busy and interested in pursuing the sport. The owner of the Ray Schafer Boxing Association in Sharpsburg is hoping his September event will provide another chance to give amateurs experience in the ring. The organization is planning to host...

Noah Stough catching an 11-yard touchdown pass with 7 seconds remaining was a shining example of what Derry football coach Mike Arone knew all week. The Trojans long ago put behind them the 43-point beatdown against Freeport last week, enabling them to score a dramatic win on the road against...

Pitt women’s volleyball setter Brooke Mosher got the go-ahead from coach Dan Fisher to utilize her jump serve against Arizona State on Monday during the State Farm Volleyball Showcase at PPG Paints Arena. The Panthers senior wasn’t excited that she was asked to use a float serve Sunday against TCU....

The Pitt women’s volleyball team is working on recapturing its ruthless nature that took the Panthers to the national semifinals of the previous four NCAA Division I tournaments. Redshirt junior middle blocker Bre Kelley said Pitt is figuring things out. The No. 3 Panthers beat No. 25 TCU, 3-1 (25-23,...

Kaden Levy thinks the Riverview football team’s offense can execute a myriad of plays well. It took the Raiders nearly 24 minutes to figure out which strategy worked the best against Valley. Riverview expanded its playbook Saturday at Riverside Park and found enough punch to pull away for a 35-0...

The simple explanation for why Shady Side Academy senior Cassie Sauer’s basketball season ended last year was that she fractured her hip. A more complicated explanation of a “freak accident” paints a more complex picture. “The injury itself was terrible,” said Sauer, who is 6-foot-2. “It was a misstep that...

The Shady Side Academy girls soccer team is managing a roster that isn’t the deepest in program history. The Bulldogs have 17 players, and coach Mary Lynch will be faced with the task of make sure everyone can get some rest. The roster limitations haven’t hampered what the Bulldogs believe...

Andrew Geisler wanted to restore the reputation of the Shady Side Academy football program to be one that made a name off its grit. During Geisler’s first game as the varsity coach, the Bulldogs made their mark against Greensburg Central Catholic. After the Bulldogs fell behind by two scores, Shady...

Javon Johnston made waves this summer by winning the triple jump in the freshman division at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals. The Shady Side Academy sophomore quarterback is quickly adding items on the gridiron for what will be a diverse athletic resume. After leading a come-from-behind win over Greensburg Central...

Julian Flenory thought his game plan would end with his hand getting raised during his professional MMA debut last February. But the Highlands graduate got caught up in the moment at Mountaineer Casino Resort. Nelson Best caught Flenory with a left hook, earning a stoppage 74 seconds into their heavyweight...

Kaleah Young started running on the Future Stars Athletic summer track team when she was 6. Now 10, the Penn Hills resident was always interested in going fast. Kaleah was naturally drawn to the sprints and short distance events, and she will be interested in stacking medals after a strong...

Penn Hills junior Freddy Takou feels a different vibe during preseason practices than he did a year ago. The Indians played a lot of young players last year and they took their lumps in Section 1-4A. Takou, who transferred into the program from Obama Academy, said he thinks the experience...