Josh Rizzo stories, Page 20

Irlynn Richardson wanted to be sharp while she was on the diamond. The Lincoln (Pa.) University freshman spent more time as a collegian getting to know her opponents. “I wanted to have a higher IQ,” said Richardson, who is a 2021 Penn Hills graduate. “The girls at this level are...

Things were difficult down the stretch for the Penn Hills softball team, but the Indians still had a strong opportunity in front of them. If Penn Hills had found a way to beat Plum on May 10 at home, the Indians could have made the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs for...

Eventually, Matthew Rosemeyer hopes the Penn Hills Big Red rugby club will be able to play a full schedule. However, the team is still working on building its program from the ground up. Issues with low numbers have limited the Big Red to playing a schedule mostly comprised of rugby...

Penn Hills’ athletes were able to leave a lasting impression at the South Fayette Invitational. The Indians, who are still trying to see athletes qualify for the WPIAL Class 3A track and field championship meet May 18, were able to take another step forward in their progress. Achan Green won...

Maura Wade won’t pout in the circle or outside of it. When it comes to Wade’s time with the Penn Hills softball team, she wants to show the Indians aren’t ready to revert to old habits. While Penn Hills isn’t always technically perfect, the Indians are never boring. Through April...

A long day at Slippery Rock University’s high school invitational wasn’t something Penn Hills track coach Lee Zelkowitz was hoping for. While the meet stretched from 9 a.m. until 9:30 p.m., the Indians were able to get a few things from the trip. First, Penn Hills was able to get...

Shaler senior outsider hitter Dom Rossi knows the Titans have a different way to build energy than in his previous years with the program. Featuring a larger frontline, the Titans can put up a strong block against section rivals North Allegheny and Seneca Valley. “I think the height helps,” Rossi...

When things go smoothly for the Shaler girls softball team, the Titans feature power not many other teams in WPIAL Class 5A can match. But what Shaler needs to transform itself into a serious postseason contender is the ability to stay on track when things go sideways. In the Titans’...

When the season began, first-year softball coach Ashley Banner believed the inexperienced Penn Hills softball team had potential. The Indians’ first win in her tenure, an 18-8 six-inning victory over Plum on April 13 on the road, snapped a significant losing streak. Penn Hills hadn’t beaten the neighboring Mustangs since...

The beginning of the 2022 baseball season has been more than unkind to Penn Hills. Offensively, the Indians have stagnated. Through 10 games, Penn Hills hit .217 as a team and suffered nine losses. While there is plenty of time to get on track, Penn Hills coach Rodney Stubbs knows...

Don Johnson referees youth basketball games and is always amazed at the traffic in the parking lot at North Allegheny. The school’s parking lot is always filled when he goes to call games. Johnson wants to see the same type of attendance grow at Penn Hills. Johnson has been volunteering...

Having the Tri-State Track Coaches Association Meet pushed back due to weather wasn’t necessarily a deterrent for Penn Hills track coach Lee Zelkowitz. The Indians were instead provided with a unique opportunity to improve. On April 13, Penn Hills competed in a triangular with Gateway and Plum before heading into...

Alain Tamo-Noche knew going from playing volleyball at Penn Hills to playing at the NCAA Division II level was going to be a major change. Once Tamo-Noche made it to Wilberforce, Ohio, to play in the inaugural season for the Central State men’s volleyball program, he had another curveball thrown...

Penn Hills boys volleyball coach Jay Mitlo has asked his players to accept mission impossible. Fortunately for him, players like senior outside hitter Brayden Mallory have happily accepted the challenge. The Indians’ coach has asked a team that only features six returning players with varsity experience to cram for a...

Matt Rosemeyer is excited to see what the Penn Hills Big Red rugby program will be able to able to accomplish in year two. With the Big Red’s roster composition, Rosemeyer will likely see a big difference between games one and two of their schedule. Many of his players from...

Two torn Achilles tendons gave Wilkinsburg’s Taz Williams the hint. Williams, who co-organizes the Stop the Violence Alumni Shootout, decided to retire from playing in the 2022 event. Not that it’s an admission that the 39-year-old still can’t play. It’s a sign the interest revolving around participating has skyrocketed. Many...

Brooks Blasko has the benefit of having two people who left a legacy in wrestling to help guide his career. Blasko, who is 13 and a seventh grader at Shaler Area Middle School, was inspired to start wrestling at age 6 by his grandfather “Jumpin” Johnny DeFazio, who wrestled professionally...

The Penn Hills indoor track team had a strong winter. With some reinforcements in tow, Indians coach Lee Zelkowitz believes the spring squad may be able to have even more success. Penn Hills will have about 30 more athletes out for the team compared to last spring, with the numbers...

There were things for Kiera Mack to be happy with despite a loss to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in a scrimmage last Wednesday. While Penn Hills’ softball team fell behind early, the Indians didn’t fold. They were able to make a comeback before losing. “I think that will...

Penn Hills boys basketball didn’t have the most experience coming into this season. The Indians only had one returning starter — junior guard Daemar Kelly — who had a similar role on last year’s team. The 2021-22 Indians needed Jaden Dugger, Julian Dugger, George Mitchell and Noah Barren all to...

Rodney Stubbs could see some of the progress from the strong ending to Penn Hills’ baseball team’s season last year carrying into 2022. The Indians won their final three games last season to finish 5-13 overall and 3-9 in Section 2-5A play. This year, Stubbs, who coaches the Indians, emphasized...

Josh Tysk doesn’t want the Deer Lakes baseball team to lament missed opportunities. The Lancers saw the Section 3-3A title slip away late last season after a pair of one-run losses to eventual champion Derry. “We want to close games better,” Tysk said. “We were right there and didn’t close...

There are many ways to play softball, but playing with a cast on her wrist isn’t the type of adversity Deer Lakes senior outfielder Lydia Guthrie wanted to deal with again. Guthrie’s 2021 season was abbreviated because of a gym class injury. She didn’t get fully healthy until the Lancers’...

Greensburg Central Catholic senior pitcher/infielder Zach David is driven by what kind of player he could be fully healthy. When he got surgery to repair a torn UCL last October, the doctor told David there was a chance it could have been torn for two years. David’s injury likely will...

Emma Henry went into last season with the Greensburg Central Catholic softball team not knowing what to expect. After losing her freshman season to the covid-19 pandemic, Henry expected there to be a learning curve. However, she proved to be a quick study, earning Class A second-team all-state honors in...