 Josh Pratt looks to pass the ball during his time at Aliquippa last season. Pratt, who helped the Quips reach the PIAA Class 3A semifinals last season, will play at Lincoln Park this season. Pratt won't be eligible for the postseason due to PIAA rules. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges The annual wave of PIAA and WPIAL transfer hearing meetings are already causing a lot of headaches for athletes, administrators and sports fans around the area.
The WPIAL and PIAA agreed that Bishop Canevin's Brady Wagner will be ineligible for this football season after being ruled as having transferred due to "athletic intent." Wagner enrolled at Bishop Canevin and played baseball for the Crusaders last spring. Another piece of transfer news is likely to cause waves soon. Former Seton LaSalle standout Khalil Taylor enrolled at Pine-Richland. There will be pressure on the district and state to be consistent with their rulings. There has already been plenty of clamoring about decisions made over the past few weeks. Here's a look at some of the other notable decisions:
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7/28/2025 0 Comments Slippery Rock University's Joe Cooper named to watch list for East-West Shrine Bowl
The list for the watchlist for the Shrine Bowl is an expansive one. But it is still a rare honor for players below the Division I level. Slippery Rock University offensive lineman Joe Cooper was one of 10 Division II players of the 1,000 players named to the list.
A number of players from Pitt and Penn State were also selected for the watch list. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected]  Apollo-Ridge's Connor Bogdanski competes in the Big Man Challenge Wednesday at Fox Chapel High School. Bogdanski helped the Vikings beat Knoch and host Fox Chapel to win the event. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges Apollo-Ridge was the smallest of the three schools at the Fox Chapel Big Man Challenge. The Vikings were able to hold off larger opponents Fox Chapel and Knoch to win the event. With football season quickly approaching, several schools have worked on events to get linemen included in the summer workout fun. Seven-on-seven competitions are focused on skills competitions. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be emailed to [email protected] or I can be reached on X @J_oshRizzo
Knoch baseball will continue its tradition of sending pitchers to Division I when Zane Pacek committed to Central Michigan. Pacek, who is 7-foot tall, was the Knights' top pitcher last season.
Pacek was a multi-sport athlete last season, helping Knoch reach the state playoffs last winter. Pacek recently told Brendan Howe of the Butler Eagle that he was giving up basketball to focus on baseball. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo 7/18/2025 0 Comments 247 Fighting Championships will christen Sunny Days Arena in North Versailles with UFC rematch between Khama Worthy and Luis "Violent Bob Ross" Pena The 247 Fighting Championships will host their first event at the Sunny Days Arena Aug. 9 in North Versailles. The venue is located in the old Phoenix Cinemas building. Photo submitted by Andrew Palla 247 Fighting Championships General Manager Hunter Homistek was immediately impressed when he walked into the lobby of the recently closed Phoenix Cinemas in North Versailles.
The question was, could they afford it? “When the 247 Fighting Championships founder wrote our business plan, having our full-scale event venue was part of the process,” Homistek said. “Normally, we’d rent from the Monroeville Convention Center, Hollywood Casino at the Meadows, or Murrysville Sports Zone, and we are grateful those venues allowed us to host shows. The way most venues are set up, the venue makes most of the money. You have to fight and scrap for every dollar you can recover.” Following a several-year plan, which required jumping through all the hoops with zoning and financial requirements to lease the building, Homistek is excited to christen Sunny Days Arena Aug. 9 with their first show in their new home. The 247 Fighting Champions took advantage of the movie theatre’s open lobby setup. The cage is located halfway between the ticket counter and the former location of the concession stand and is surrounded by seating. There is a balcony on the second floor that wraps around the cage where an arcade and bar used to be. Parking for the event will be free. “The team is excited about feeling the atmosphere for what will be the home of combat sports in Pittsburgh,” Homistek said. “We are excited to unveil the space itself. We’ve done some phenomenal work as a team.” The main event will feature a match with professional kickboxing rules between Khama Worthy and Luis “Violent Bob Ross” Pena. Worthy, who is 38 and a Moon Township native, fought five times in the UFC. One of Worthy’s two wins in the UFC was a third-round submission over Pena. Homistek believes this is the first time in the Pittsburgh MMA scene that a rematch has occurred between two fighters who have competed in the UFC. Worthy has a 20-12 record in MMA competitions and also competed in Karate Combat. Homistek believes the main event is enough to sell the card. “Khama submitted him the first time around,” Homistek said. “That’s not an option this time around. They are going to stand and bang.” Several other fights have been announced for the card. Musa Alsulaimani will take on Travis Hudson in a 160-pound professional MMA bout. Alsulaimani is a training partner of Bo Nickal, who was a national championship wrestler at Penn State and a current UFC fighter. Kyle O’Hare, an undefeated fighter from Ohio, will take on Ben Fielding in an amateur bout. Homistek is excited to see their first show go off. “Our mission has been to grow the combat sports scene in Pittsburgh,” Homistek said. “At the core of what we do are amazing combat sports. We have well-known wrestling in Pa., some of the best in the World. We want to show that it goes beyond wrestling, that we have amazing jiu jitsu, kickboxing, and Muay Thai. We don’t think Pittsburgh gets the respect it should nationally.” Josh Rizzo is the owner and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo 7/17/2025 0 Comments Penn Hills snuffs out coaching rumor about football coach Charles Morris being dismissed from program
Thursday night in the middle of July isn't the time any high school administrator wants to be working. An anonymous account on X started a rumor that Penn Hills had dismissed coach Charles Morris.
Morris, a Penn Hills alum, is set to lead the Indians for the fourth year this fall. He is 21-13 during his first three seasons, which included a Northeast Conference championship in 2023. Penn Hills finished 7-5 last season and reached the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals. The Indians beat Moon in the first round before falling to Upper St. Clair. The district made it clear in the above statement, that Morris had not been dismissed. Media is changing and people now like to rush to post a rumor without even making a phone call to verify the information. It's reckless, especially considering people's livelihoods are at stake. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo. 7/15/2025 0 Comments Jake Casey follows into family business, Upper St. Clair product drafted by Toronto Blue Jays
Jake Casey, a 2021 Upper St. Clair graduate, was recently drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. Casey, who played at Kent State, made a major jump between his junior and senior seasons. Jake, whose dad Sean played in Major League Baseball most notably with the Cincinnati Reds, hit .356 as a senior after batting .216 as a junior.
Casey, an outfielder, was picked in the 15th round. Casey was one of several former WPIAL products selected by MLB teams. Dylan Mathiesen, a 2022 Montour graduate, was picked in the 13th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Mathiesen had more of a climb to the professional ranks. He pitched during his first season at Division II California (Pa.). He was 5-2 with the Vulcans, compiling a 3.31 ERA in 12 appearances. Mathiesen then went to Liberty and pitched two seasons for the Flames. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshrizzo. 7/13/2025 0 Comments Upper St. Clair graduate Robbie Mertz scores for Pittsburgh Riverhounds on bobblehead night in his honor
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The Pittsburgh Riverhounds were disappointed to have to settle for a 2-2 tie with Loudon United on Sunday evening. However, Riverhounds midfielder Robbie Mertz produced a memorable momentum at Highmark Stadium. Mertz, an Upper St. Clair graduated, scored on a night where the team had a bobblehead giveaway in his honor.
Mertz has scored 18 goals in 111 appearances with his hometown professional club. Mertz initially played for the Riverhounds from 2019-20 and scored 11 goals in 40 games. He then spent 2021-22 with Atlanta United 2 before returning to Pittsburgh. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.
Penn Hills graduate Josh Zambito will have another step on his baseball odyssey. Zambito started at the University of Maine and has made stops at Motlow State (Tenn.) Community College and St. Andrews (N.C) University.
Zambito appeared in 42 games at St. Andrews, which plays at the NAIA level, last season. Zambito hit .280 with three home runs and 34 RBIs. He scored 16 runs. Point Park had an excellent season last spring. The Pioneers finished 41-13 and won the Mountain East Conference championship. The Pioneers couldn't play in the Division II playoffs because they are still transitioning from NAIA to Division II. Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X at @J_oshRizzo. 7/11/2025 0 Comments Pittsburgh-area boxer Mary Casamassa loses via fifth-round stoppage on undercard of Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano 3 at Madison Square Garden
A stiff body shot in the fifth round was too much for Pittsburgh-area boxer Mary Casamassa to overcome Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Decorated amateur boxer Tammara Thibeault poured on the pressure once Casamassa reacted to the body shot, earning her second knockout as a professional with less than a minute left in the round.
Casamassa and Thibeault's fight was on the undercard of Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano 3. The fight card was put on by MVP Promotions, which was co-founded by Jake Paul. All of the fights were contested at three minute rounds like the men's fights, instead of the typical two-minute rounds for the women. Casamassa, who fell to 6-1, had a hard time handling the body shots and was also dropped in the first round. Thibeault improved to 3-0. Thibault qualified for the Canadian Olympic boxing team twice and is a contender for the World Boxing Organization crown. Josh Rizzo is the editor of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Stories ideas can be sent to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo. |
AuthorMy name is Josh Rizzo, I am a sports writer who has worked for a variety of print and online media publications since 2008. I specialize in community journalism, focusing on regular people who happen to play sports. Archives
January 2026
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