Josh Rizzo stories, Page 44

Oyinda Agbale wasn’t one of the students who thought health class was funny. While some students snickered at the topics typically discussed, Agbale became interested and found a career path. Agbale, a 2019 Shaler Area graduate, will have a busy freshman year at Shippensburg. Adjusting to playing volleyball at the...

Paige and Abby Miller had visions of what they were looking for in a college. They believe they found the right fit with their recent commitments to Division I volleyball programs. The North Allegheny sisters will be 816 miles apart, but each found what they were seeking. Abby, a rising...

Kelsey Cordera had an opportunity to do some different things during her senior year at Shaler Area. Instead of taking her usual position in center field, Cordera was asked to play first base. It was the first time in three or four years she had played the position regularly. “I...

Patrick Gumto wasn’t consistently sharp with his curveball command entering his freshman year at Cal (Pa.). Getting Division II batters out with off-speed pitches required the Shaler Area graduate to dig in his memory. Gumto, with the guidance of Vulcans pitching coach Joey Noro, worked on improving his slider, a...

James Ryan didn’t want to see any momentum the Shaler Area football team gained fade. The third-year Titans football coach was able to see tangible progress at the school’s annual football camp. Recently, the school saw 109 kids participate in a summer camp at the high school aimed at getting...

Finding a way atop the medal stand in the WPIAL Class AAA triple jump wasn’t the end of the story for Shaler Area’s Cam Mbalo. A junior season full of strong performances earned Mbalo a full schedule for the summer. When Mbalo went to North Carolina A&T on June 15,...

Tess Myers’ connection with basketball runs deep within her family. By choosing Duquesne, North Catholic’s 5-foot-10 incoming senior guard and Lower Burrell resident chose to follow in her father’s legacy. Joe Myers played in 103 games for the Dukes in the early 1980s and scored more than 1,000 points. Myers’...

Who the opponents are on the Shaler Area girls basketball team’s schedule is of no great concern to coach Cornelious Nesbit. Whatever Nesbit needs to do to keep his team prepared is of utmost importance. When it comes to what he thinks of the “Parity in Interscholastic Athletics Act,” Nesbit...

Two bumps to end the season didn’t spell doom for first-year North Allegheny softball coach Morgan Vescovi. Along the way, the Tigers finished in a three-way tie for the WPIAL Section 2-6A crown and advanced to the WPIAL championship. North Allegheny’s season came to an end with a 2-0 loss...

Trapper Crain would like, if possible, to give up his role as an outside hitter for the Shaler Area boys volleyball team. There are several tall underclassmen who the 5-foot-10 junior recognizes will give the team a more significant height advantage. Crain started at the position to help out a...

John Kerr constantly was looking to stay focused and intense. The 6-foot-6 Derry senior outsider hitter knew a lax effort wasn’t going to work during a PIAA Class AA quarterfinal Saturday at Penn Hills. Undefeated District 10 champion Meadville never planned to take its foot off the gas pedal. The...

Winning a district championship doesn’t guarantee safe harbor through the PIAA Class AAA boys volleyball playoffs. When North Allegheny coach Dan Schall saw the first-round matchup, he knew the defending state champion Tigers wouldn’t be able to coast. North Allegheny shook off a slow second set to earn a 3-1...

Billy Dadowski didn’t want the Shaler Area boys volleyball team’s first trip to the PIAA Class AAA boys volleyball playoffs to be a footnote in program history. Just by making the trip to Cochranton last Tuesday to play McDowell, this group became the first volleyball team — boys or girls...

Six straight Shaler Area players came to the batter’s box and were sent back to the dugout in an orderly fashion by Laurel Highlands pitcher Andio Vecchiolla. Senior left fielder Colin Harger broke the string with a single up the middle during the fourth inning of the WPIAL Class 5A...

Cam Mbalo was nervous but wanted to approach the WPIAL Class AAA championship meet at Slippery Rock the same way as every other meet. Mbalo, who was the top seed, had to wait until the end of the day before the triple jump started. The Shaler Area junior didn’t let...

Senior Justin DeSabato and the Shaler Area senior class aren’t ready to quit knocking down barriers. The Titans football and basketball teams snapped long droughts during this school year. Football made the WPIAL playoffs for the first time in seven years, and the basketball team snapped a drought of the...

North Allegheny’s distance runners put forward a strong performance in the 3,200-meter race at the WPIAL Class AAA championships at Slippery Rock two weeks ago. On the boys side, Zach Kinne captured the WPIAL title by finishing in 9 minutes, 13.47 seconds. Teammate Dan McGoey finished five seconds behind him...

Misfortune late in the season made the road through the postseason a little more difficult for the Shaler Area softball team. A stray pitch hit all-section shortstop Tori Martrano, giving her a concussion that forced the junior to miss the Titans’ WPIAL Class 5A playoff opener last Thursday. Results from...

Stepping away from baseball was the only recourse for Alex Ficorilli. Following the fall semester in 2018, Ficorilli’s grades weren’t where they needed to be. A lack of effort put the Clarion sophomore behind. Ficorilli decided to take a hiatus from the baseball team and focus on becoming better college...

Finishing the regular season on a heater doesn’t lend itself to happy endings. North Allegheny baseball squeaked into the playoffs a year ago, but used the momentum from playing tight games down the stretch to qualify for the PIAA Class 6A playoffs. The Tigers ended this year with eight straight...

Six-foot middle blocker Steve Hoffman fits right in with the Shaler volleyball team. He’s undersized and has a persistent, defensive style of play. The Titans long have established their intent to wear down bigger teams with their tempo. “I don’t know if we are patient,” Hoffman said. “We keep moving...

The Shaler Area girls lacrosse team started to turn a corner by the end of the season. While it won’t be enough to send the Titans to the WPIAL Class AAA postseason, it provided a strong foundation for the team to build on heading into next season. Shaler finished 6-10...

The North Allegheny girls lacrosse team found the right recipe to capture four of its final five games and earn a spot in the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. Senior midfielder Paige Jones attributed the surge to chemistry. Italian food helped bring the Tigers together before the season started. “We had...

Cam Mbalo came into the season with lofty goals. The Shaler junior jumper is gunning for a WPIAL Class AAA championship after qualifying for the indoor state championships during the winter. Mbalo showed any pressure of such pursuits haven’t halted his progress. If the season ended after the Butler Invitational,...

Zach Zajakowski is getting plenty of opportunities for the Shaler boys lacrosse team, and the freshman goaltender has been an anchor. “It’s his first full year starting,” Shaler coach Bill Wightman said. “He played goalie one half of last year and defense one half. He’s real raw, and he’s our...