John Grupp stories, Page 3

Successful season ends too soon for North Allegheny softball

North Allegheny softball started this season at an amusement park in Florida, and like the rest of the spring, it was a lot of fun but ended too soon. Despite fielding a young lineup under first-year coach Bill Aguglia, the Tigers went 11-5 in section play and earned a No....
10-member senior class ‘helped grow the culture’ for North Allegheny girls lacrosse

North Allegheny senior Avery Anderson felt no regrets about the Tigers’ humbling four-win girls lacrosse season. “Just because we were losing, that didn’t mean we stopped liking each other or fighting for what we wanted,” she said. “And when we did win, the celebrations were great.” The victories were elusive....
North Allegheny’s Advaita Sircar readies for state singles

North Allegheny tennis standout Advaita Sircar is feeling rejuvenated these days. The arm that bothered him during a straight-set loss in the WPIAL Class 3A team championship has recovered, and the upcoming PIAA tournament includes a favorable bracket for the Tigers’ star sophomore. “I feel super confident now after all...
Senior class filled with college recruits puts North Allegheny baseball in good place

North Allegheny ninth-year baseball coach Andrew Heck considers every senior class special. But this year’s group could be extra special. “They do a really good job of making sure they keep everything light and tight-knit,” Heck said, “and that’s what you like to see as a coach.” The 10-player Class...
Hampton boys tennis surprises with deep playoff run

Hampton junior Zane List admits the Talbots boys tennis team held modest goals this season. “Honestly,” he said, “we just wanted to make the playoffs.” After graduating five of their top seven players from last year’s WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinalist, including PIAA singles qualifier Vitaliy Pikalo, the youthful Talbots were...
Hampton girls lacrosse coach Kelsey Burke makes ‘bittersweet’ departure

Hampton girls lacrosse coach Kelsey Burke is leaving behind one beloved family to focus on another. Burke, an expectant mom, told her players after the Talbots’ 12-1 victory over Trinity in the WPIAL Class 2A first round May 12 that this will be her final season. “It’s very bittersweet,” she...
North Allegheny track team counts on talented group of throwers

North Allegheny is known for its distance runners, but some of the Tigers’ most valuable athletes only travel about 8 feet. The throwers for the North Allegheny track and field team, while not as acclaimed as the school’s decorated runners, are a key reason the Tigers went undefeated in Section...
North Allegheny 2-sport star nears ‘remarkable’ milestone

North Allegheny junior Reagan Riordan is a two-sport athlete with a one-track mind. Whether on the lacrosse field or the volleyball court, Riordan is driven to win. “She is an absolute team player,” NA lacrosse coach Courtney Killian said. “She wants everyone to succeed, and she wants to help everybody....
North Allegheny boys volleyball revving up after early season speed bumps

The North Allegheny boys volleyball team is proof that you can learn more from your losses than your wins. The top-ranked Tigers have rebounded from a pair of lesson-building defeats to regain the form that made them preseason WPIAL favorites and a state title contender. “It was a wake-up call,”...
Division I goalie making major impact for North Allegheny boys lacrosse

Logan Lyle is on a run. The North Allegheny senior goalie is having another standout season, trying to lead the Tigers back to the WPIAL Class 3A boys lacrosse championship game. Lyle earned all-WPIAL Class 3A honors last season and is the last line of defense for the first-place Tigers...
North Allegheny grad Kyle Demi making most of final season at Pitt

Good things happen when Kyle Demi pitches as a senior. The 6-foot-2 right-hander turned his final year at North Allegheny into a chance to play at Pitt, and now he’s having by far his best season with the Panthers. “Overall, it’s been going really well,” Demi said. “Better than anything...
North Allegheny rower Anthony Bertucci makes splash, signs with San Diego

North Allegheny senior Anthony Bertucci’s introduction to rowing found him neck-deep in the Ohio River, ready to quit the sport before he ever really got started. “I’ll be honest,” he said, recalling the humbling practice when his one-man scull flipped as a novice eighth-grader. “That was almost it for me.”...
North Allegheny’s lone softball seniors form dynamic duo

North Allegheny’s Sammy Plotsko and McKenna Rowlands hit it off right away as sixth graders at Ingomar Middle School. And the hits kept coming. The only seniors on NA’s 24-player roster, the best friends are leaders of a young Tigers team and are treasuring their final softball season together. “We...
WPIAL champ North Allegheny tennis gets key late-season boost

North Allegheny junior Evan Kaufman’s left shoulder was in such bad shape last spring that he had to serve underhanded during the state playoffs. Nearly one year later, after surgery and extensive physical therapy, Kaufman is back on the court, providing a late-season boost to the defending WPIAL Class 3A...
Newcomers boost North Allegheny flag football in quest to return to title game

Michelle Ruiz was doing her best to convince North Allegheny athletic director Bob Bozzuto. Nearly a decade ago, the NA gym teacher wanted Bozzuto to clear the way to start Powder Puff football at Marshall Middle School. “Bob was hesitant,” Ruiz said. Bozzuto was fully supportive of girls flag football,...
North Allegheny outfielder JJ Mancuso flashes potential in sophomore season

North Allegheny sophomore outfielder JJ Mancuso is doing his best not to act his age. After an up-and-down freshman season in which he combined great potential with inconsistency, Mancuso is finding a calm balance for the WPIAL Class 6A defending champion Tigers. “Obviously, last year wasn’t what I really wanted...

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