Josh Rizzo stories, Page 18

Sloan Olbeter climbing between the ropes and squaring up with his opponents in the boxing ring is his choice. At first, the 12-year-old Apollo resident wasn’t sure. Olbeter’s first trip to the Sanctuary Boxing Club in New Kensington was at his mom’s insistence. “Honestly, my mom kind of forced me,”...

Sixty-six miles of a roundtrip drive from his home in North Versailles to the Cal (Pa.) campus didn’t deter Brian Tarrant from grabbing an opportunity. After serving as a Penn Hills coach under Jon LeDonne, Tarrant had initially planned to follow LeDonne to Pine-Richland when LeDonne took the job with...

This season, section realignment wasn’t kind to the Penn Hills girls soccer team. With some of the added powers from the East suburbs coming into the picture, the Indians had difficulty keeping up. However, Penn Hills has found a way to pick up a few wins down the stretch. Goals...

Mia Bhuta’s family shut down the stadium at the Women’s U17 World Cup Tuesday in Bhubaneswar, India. Bhuta, a Mt. Lebanon native, made history by becoming the first woman of Indian descent to appear in a World Cup game for U.S. Soccer. Playing in her father’s home country, Bhuta pocketed...

The Penn Hills girls volleyball team played most of the season with a lineup coach Jay Mitlo felt was creative. During the past few matches, however, the Indians have shifted their approach. Switching setters from Ava Adamski to Sarah Miller has Penn Hills in more traditional 5-1 formation. “We came...

Lucy Brayton received no practice swings, little time to relax on the putting green or time to find her focus. When Brayton’s mom pulled up in front of the first tee at Valley Brook Country Club, Lucy only had time to hop out, grab her clubs and head over to...

Penn Hills senior Lucy Brayton earned a spot in the WPIAL Class 3A girls golf championship at Valleybrook Country Club. Brayton shot an 83 in the first round Sept. 26 at Youghigheny County Club to sit in sixth place heading into the final round at Valleybrook Country Club on Monday,...

Sawyer Kinney can usually see the people he races against are feeling what he is feeling. After crossing the finish line, Kinney sees, and emphasizes with, the suffering. The Penn Hills junior cross country runner feels those moments are what build camaraderie in the sport. “I love cross country and...

When Nikki Polens went down for a pushup, Lola Abraham was clinging to her back. When Polens did situps, Abraham would be sitting on her stomach. Lola’s dad Sean Abraham coached Riverview’s junior high team and was an assistant for the Raiders varsity squad when Polens went through the program....

Annie Bozzo was pleased to have a fresh start when taking over the Shaler girls volleyball program. The Titans, who lost six seniors from a team that finished 17-3 and made the PIAA Class 4A semifinals last season, were moved into a new section in realignment. Instead of being in...

A year off has served Shaler soccer player Haley Kostorick well. Reinvigorated by time off to focus on basketball, the Clarion commit decided she wanted to give soccer another go during her senior season. “It was a last-minute decision,” Kostorick said. “I went up to Clarion, loved it there and...

The transformation of Penn Hills senior guard Daemar Kelly wasn’t something that happened overnight. Long days and nights in the gym allowed the 6-foot-5 Indians senior guard to slowly progress into being a strong all-around basketball player. Kelly made his college choice last week, selecting Quinnipiac over Rider, Robert Morris...

By the second half of a Week Zero loss to Seneca Valley, the Penn Hills football team appeared to be putting everything together. The Indians were running the ball better and thought they would be primed to succeed in short order. The Indians reeled off three straight wins — including...

Sonny Litwiler doesn’t give himself the excuse of not being able to do his Crossfit training. Since classes run all day, the Northern Regional Police Officer can always find time for a workout. Due to the nature of shift work, Litwiler also usually can count on someone else holding him...

Talia Russell knows when she glances across the net at her opponent on the tennis court, every match will be a challenge. Russell, who is a senior and the Penn Hills girls tennis team’s No. 1 singles player, doesn’t have nearly as much experience as many of her opponents. “It’s...

Inexperience has made the early season difficult for the Penn Hills girls soccer team. The Indians had to drop right into the snakepit that is WPIAL Section 3-3A play without any nonsection games to warm up. The Indians, who lost 7-0 to three-time defending WPIAL runner-up Plum on Wednesday night...

Life isn’t easy for any Penn Hills girls tennis player taking over the No. 1 singles spot. With a team often as inexperienced as the Indians tend to be, there are a lot of potential pitfalls in a section with several deep teams. Talia Russell has stepped into that role...

Entering a season with high expectations has the Penn Hills boys soccer team trying to reign in its emotions in the early going. The Indians were scheduled to enter a Section 3-3A match with Penn-Trafford last Thursday missing two of their top attacking players, neither due to injuries. Penn Hills...

Former Penn Hills wrestler Te’Shan Campbell will once again be involved with collegiate wrestling. Campbell, a 2015 PIAA champion at 170 pounds with the Indians, will join Michigan State’s coaching staff as a volunteer assistant. “Te’Shan brings a lot of experience as a competitor and as a coach,” Michigan State...

Penn Hills kicker Owen Williams did what he had to do when a snap went sailing over his head during the Indians’ season opener Aug. 26 at NexTier Stadium. With less than 10 seconds left before halftime, Williams booted the football off the ground and through the back of the...

The makeup of the Penn Hills girls volleyball team has Jay Mitlo approaching the upcoming season differently than in seasons past. Mitlo, who is in his 25th season as head coach, will be mixing and matching his lineups throughout the season. That versatility will allow him to have girls serve...

Myron Cook is excited about the challenge in front of him. The longtime assistant coach of the Penn Hills girls soccer program is moving into the top job at a time when the program is trending in an upward direction. The challenge for Cook, who was an assistant coach for...

Anthony Becoate thought this was the right time to take his first job as a head coach. The McKeesport and Clarion graduate had previously coached junior varsity football at Summit Academy seven years ago but took time away from coaching after having a child. Stepping back into coaching by taking...

Terry Fetsko Jr. started in Chartiers-Houston’s program as a ballboy. Often Fetsko would travel with the team coached by his dad, who is in his 18th year as coach, to see away games. Playing quarterback for the program, as Fetsko did last season, was a nice honor. “I was always...

Charles Pienaar and his wife Stephanie attended the CrossFit Games together in 2021 just for their enjoyment. The trip turned into a motivational one. After watching a few events, Stephanie turned to Charles and said you should do this. Pienaar, a 2003 Penn-Trafford graduate, was eager to take on the...