Josh Rizzo stories, Page 7
Fox Chapel’s Jack Kartsonas evolves as pitcher at WVU
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...
Maryland snaps losing skid, tops Pennsylvania all-stars in Big 33 Football Classic
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...
Penn Hills long jumper takes it ‘to another level’ with unexpected WPIAL gold
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 celebrates grant from NFL, Steelers that paid for new turf
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....
Shady Side Academy relay team uses all-for-one mentality to win WPIAL gold
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...
Shady Side Academy freshman thrives on WPIAL track’s biggest stages
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...
Herald notebook: Fox Chapel’s Jack Kartsonas helps WVU baseball to big season
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...
Fox Chapel baseball coach hits 100 wins, likes program’s direction
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...
Seneca Valley tops Penn-Trafford, gets another shot at WPIAL boys volleyball title
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...
Facing tough competition, Shaler graduate climbing women’s boxing ranks
Jose Caraballo insists Colleen Davis was on the verge of springing a big upset on May 9 at the Caribe Royale Orlando. But Davis, a Shaler Area graduate, didn’t get to see if she could hand Elise Soto her first professional loss. A clash of heads in the second round...
Shaler softball’s ‘unique team’ roars into WPIAL playoffs in fine form
The Shaler softball team is prepared for whatever may happen in the postseason. The Titans had to win their final three Section 1-5A games to hold off North Hills for first place. Shaler was without junior pitcher Bria Bosilejevac, an Indiana commit, for two of those games. The Titans delivered,...
Twins’ induction into A-K Valley Hall of Fame emotional for Vick family
David Vick would have liked to see Jaime Vick Moran give her own acceptance speech at the 54th annual Alle-Kiski Sports Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday night at Pittsburgh Shriners Center. Through her battle with leukemia, Vick repeatedly proved that she knew how to hold a room. At a dinner,...
Playoff win headlines list of memorable moments in Fox Chapel softball season
The Fox Chapel softball team’s season won’t end with a trip to the PIAA Class 5A tournament, but the Foxes were able to create memorable moments before they were knocked out 6-3 by North Hills in the WPIAL quarterfinals. In the first round, 12th-seeded Fox Chapel (13-7) stunned No. 5...
Fox Chapel Herald notebook: Shady Side girls relay team wins WPIAL title
The Shady Side Academy girls 3,200-meter relay team was laser focused on winning a WPIAL Class 2A championship. The Bulldogs didn’t disappoint in their pursuit May 14 at Slippery Rock University. Shady Side Academy finished nearly 10 seconds ahead of second-place North Catholic en route to the top of the...
Fox Chapel junior shakes off pressure, wins WPIAL gold in discus
Claire Conti knows what the issue is when her progress stalls out in the thrower’s circle. The Fox Chapel junior has to find a way to get out of her own way. Conti showed she is more than capable of defeating her own self doubt during the WPIAL Class 3A...
1-run loss puts abrupt end to stellar season for Fox Chapel baseball
Jeremy Haigh knows the nature of a single-elimination playoff format for baseball is likely to bring heartbreak at some point. The Fox Chapel senior pitcher was hoping the Foxes would be able to avoid that feeling for a little longer. The eighth-seeded Foxes struggled to hit Latrobe pitcher Cole Short...
No. 12 Fox Chapel upsets 5th-seeded Franklin Regional in Class 5A playoffs
The Fox Chapel softball team has been plagued with maddening moments of inconsistency on defense. But when the lights were at their brightest during the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs Monday at North Allegheny High School, the 12th-seeded Foxes didn’t melt down. Fox Chapel committed only one...
Willie Thrower QB Camp gives young players a chance to hone skills, honor a local legend
Jaden Wall has the same routine every Saturday morning. He heads down to Valley High School to lift weights to get ready for football season. When Wall saw the Willie Thrower Award Foundation Quarterback Camp was going on Saturday morning, he took the opportunity to do a different type of...
Fox Chapel basketball alumnus scratches competitive itch in Pittsburgh Marathon
Russell Fenton felt the void when his time playing high school basketball at Fox Chapel ended. When he moved on to the Georgia Institute of Technology, playing on the club basketball team didn’t fully satisfy what he was looking for. Fenton, despite never running track or cross country, chose to...
Shady Side Academy track teams aim high
Jeff Perlis would like to make a trip to the New Balance Nationals, a long weekend for the Shady Side Academy track team. The Bulldogs coach said the school will have a larger contingent competing this summer than it did last year, when Chelsea Hartman was the only qualifier. Francesca...
Fox Chapel runners compete for spots on relay teams
Fox Chapel track and field coach Tom Moul enjoys the depth the Foxes have on their relay teams this season. That is part of the reason the Last Chance meets will be so important for the Foxes. Not every athlete who will compete in those events will have the same...
Fox Chapel softball weathers storm after clinching playoff spot
Maintaining momentum heading into the playoffs is tricky in softball. Long layoffs aren’t ideal when preparing for a single-elimination playoff format. The Fox Chapel softball team worked hard to stay sharp. Two weeks ago, the storm that brought down power for many Allegheny County residents caused the Foxes to be...
Plum’s power bats lead A-K Valley contingent into WPIAL softball playoffs
The Plum softball team shouldn’t be one that any opponent is eager to see in the WPIAL Class 5A softball playoffs. When the Mustangs made contact at the plate this season, it took them some time to locate exactly where the ball landed. Plum has cranked out 40 home runs....
Former NFL star Larry Fitzgerald reflects on time at Pitt as he speaks at commencement, receives honorary doctorate
Larry Fitzgerald Jr.’s time at Pitt was short. The wide receiver and Heisman Trophy runner-up flashed his professional bona fides in two years with the Panthers and was off to what would become a 17-year career with the Arizona Cardinals. But Fitzgerald’s fondness for Pittsburgh lingered long past his final...
Fox Chapel tennis tandem reflects on 3rd-place finish at WPIAL tournament
Mason Friday and Frank Siegel protected their seed during the WPIAL Class 3A boys doubles tennis championships. The Fox Chapel duo nearly did more than that. Friday and Siegel, who were seeded third, reached the semifinals before taking on Mt. Lebanon’s Luca Ritivoi and Mark Summers, who were seeded second....
