Josh Rizzo stories, Page 36

The North Allegheny girls basketball team showed it can play fast and slow in a 60-42 victory against section rival Norwin on Tuesday night. The Tigers (15-3, 10-1) have won four straight and are tied atop Section 1-6A partly because of their flexibility, something that coach Spencer Stefko said comes...

Time is running out for the Shaler Area swimmers to earn times needed to reach the WPIAL Class AAA championships. Titans coach Keith Simmons would have liked to see some of his swimmers hit the times earlier, but he said sometimes it takes an extra sense of urgency to push...

Norwin’s Jayla Wehner found solace in the possibility of having another meeting with the North Allegheny girls basketball team down the road. The Knights were held to a season low in points and shot 2 of 13 from beyond the arc in the first half of a 60-42 road loss...

Cornelious Nesbit wanted the Shaler Area girls basketball team’s Jan. 20 loss to Butler to serve as a spark. If the Titans want to a spot in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, they had to learn from their loss to the Golden Tornado. Avoiding slow starts is a must. Shaler...

Each game requires Shaler Area senior Chris White to rely on his powers of observation. When an opponent is bringing the basketball up the floor, White looks for keys on how to separate them from it. Being out front of the Titans’ press is an opportunity to generate offense. “It’s...

Eloise Facher had a subdued reaction to Shaler Area track and field coach Shawn Ryan’s news. The Titans freshman impressed during her debut in early January at a track meet at Youngstown State. Facher ran the second-fastest time in school history in the 60-meter dash by finishing in 8.18 seconds....

Members of the Shaler Area competitive spirit team didn’t get to the top of the PIAA small division field as they hoped they might. But the Titans were able to navigate their way to the division finals and prove they were among the top five teams in the state at...

The North Allegheny wrestling team has taken full advantage of having more wrestlers at individual tournaments during the season. By bringing 18 or 19 wrestlers to various events, the Tigers have been laying the foundation for building a deep roster. Winning the Mid-Winter Mayhem event Jan. 11 at IUP helped...

Carrying on the legacy set in years past doesn’t burden the Shaler Area competitive spirit team. The Titans welcome the expectations set by previous classes. After placing fourth in the small division at WPIALs, Shaler went into the state championships with high expectations. “Our hopes are high,” Titans coach Phyllis...

When the call came, J.P. Holtz didn’t hesitate to get his things packed. The Shaler Area and Pitt graduate was released by the Washington Redskins in early September and was scrambling to try to catch on with the Chicago Bears a few days later. “It was pretty crazy,” Holtz said....

Shaler Area sophomore Jake Bacasa wants everything to come together so he can qualify for the WPIAL Class AAA swimming championships. Right now, Bacasa is within several seconds of qualifying in the 100 breast and 500 free. “I want to better my technique,” Bacasa said. “A lot of the techniques...

Playoff prospects for the Shaler Area hockey team are bleak but still a possibility. Finding a way to join the PIHL Class AA postseason will rely on figuring out a difficult problem. Coach Steve Stayduhar said he believes Titans have hung tough for two periods for most of their games....

Playing eight or nine deep is the goal for Shaler Area boys basketball coach Rob Niederberger. For much of this season, the Titans’ health woes made that seem like an off-in-the-distance dream. In Shaler’s Section 3-5A opener against Kiski Area, Niederberger played Darin Mizgorski and Logan Bernesser, who both had...

The Shaler Area bowling team hoped to be one of the major players in the WPIBL entering the season. Thus far, the Titans’ girls squad already has shown it will be a tough out in its section. Shaler is off to a 2-1 start, and its bowlers have been leaving...

North Allegheny wrestling had a schedule set up to ease in a roster with four freshmen in the starting lineup. The Tigers were provided with an opportunity to get their feet wet. But it didn’t provide the best barometer for where North Allegheny is a group. First, the Tigers downed...

Reaching the 100-win milestone wasn’t out of the question for Washington & Jefferson senior Mike Heinl. But the Shaler Area graduate knew the math wasn’t in his favor after his freshman season. Heinl’s first go-round as a collegiate wrestler ended up with a 14-14 record in his ledger. But after...

Senior guard Meghan Lacey wants this season to be a revenge tour for the Shaler Area girls basketball. The Titans made quite a statement to open the season at the Ambridge tournament. Opening against two teams that beat Shaler by double digits last season, the Titans showed they’ve learned from...

Watching the Cincinnati Bearcats mascot wave the school’s red flag near the script Pitt logo at the end of the court was tough for the Panthers’ women’s volleyball program. For the second season, what appeared to be an ideal scenario for marching through the NCAA Tournament evaporated in front of...

Keith Simmons knows winning dual meets will be a tough task for the Shaler Area swim program this season. The Titans don’t have a deep roster. “Success will have to come from a collective group because the size of our team has gone from 35 swimmers to 22,” Simmons said....

Shaler Area girls basketball coach Cornelious Nesbit doesn’t mince words with seniors Emily Cavacini, Meghan Lacey and Claire Grunden. If the Titans are going to navigate through Section 1-6A and return to the WPIAL playoffs, those three can’t have nights off. None of them will shy away from her responsibility....

Every year is a new situation and new challenge for North Allegheny girls basketball coach Spencer Stefko. For the Tigers to adjust this year, they’ll need to bring along many new faces. North Allegheny lost seven seniors from a team that reached the WPIAL finals and PIAA quarterfinals before finishing...

Duquesne men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot could see it in practice. The Dukes didn’t have the energy they needed to play against VMI on Wednesday night at La Roche. Sleepwalking was not the best option in getting to the program’s best start since the 1979-80 season. When the Dukes started...

Once all the pieces are in place, Shaler Area boys basketball coach Rob Niederberger has set clear goals for his team. He believes the Titans are good enough to win the section and Class 5A WPIAL titles. For a team that made a return to the state playoffs for the...

Shawn Pilyih is brimming with optimism about the Shaler Area bowling program. Not only does Pilyih think the Titans have potential for the upcoming WPIBL season, Shaler has its highest numbers in several years. The Titans have 14 boys and eight girls. Shaler also added another coach to the program,...