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12/29/2025 0 Comments column: pat narduzzi's fate in pittsburgh shouldn't be determined by bowl record Was the 2021 Pitt Panthers football team, quarterbacked by Kenny Pickett, the high point of the Pat Narduzzi era? It's hard to say what Pitt can reasonably expect to accomplish with the changing landscape of college football. Photo via Tigernet.com license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ There was plenty of sourness after the Pitt football team lost to East Carolina in the GoBowling Military Bowl. How the Panthers lost should reflect on coach Pat Narduzzi. The Pirates were missing a significant amount of players and compete in a less prestigious league, the American Conference. Pitt were 13.5-point betting favorites. But the Panthers' offense struggled and came up short in a 23-17 defeat to end the year 8-5. While it's not great that Pitt lost to a Group of 6 team for the second consecutive year in a bowl game, what is a fair expectation for the program? With Western Pennsylvania's waning population providing fewer top-end prospects in the pipeline and the challenges of luring players from Florida and Texas to Western Pennsylvania, finishing 8-5 most seasons seems appropriate. Maybe every couple of years, Pitt could hit double-digit victories like it did with the Kenny Pickett-led team in 2021. The Panthers finished with 11 wins for the first time since 1981 and won their first ACC championship. But that year is more likely to be the outlier. It's hard to tell how much Pitt will be able to raise financially in the current environment of NCAA football. Any deep dives on finding some numbers is mostly fruitless, as college football lacks transparency about spending with how quickly things are changing. Pittsburgh Public Source's reporting indicated it wasn't going to be easy for the university to determine that number. Whether Narduzzi would be the guy who should be at the helm of such a program would be a good question. But given what he has available to him, Narduzzi has done a good job at Pitt. Not that things have been perfect. Narduzzi's had his fair share of stumbles, and his bravado can be a little tiring, but he has stabilized the program. Since Narduzzi took over, Pitt is 80-61 and 52-39 in conference. On the field, Narduzzi's teams have produced memorable moments. The 2022 Sun Bowl win over UCLA is one that stands out. UCLA took the lead, 35-34, on Pitt with 34 seconds remaining after an 8-yard touchdown run by T.J. Harden. Pitt responded by going right down the field and winning on a 47-yard field goal by Ben Sauls. That allowed Pitt to finish the season with a 9-4 record and ranked in the top 25. The issue for Narduzzi is that those two seasons show what is possible when they get a special group together. Other Pitt teams, like the Panthers' 2016 team that upended No. 2 Clemson 43-42 on the road, flashed potential but wasted too many opportunities. Since that win in El Paso, Pitt's stumbles have been amplified by late-season collapses. After falling to 3-9 in 2023, Pitt started last season with seven straight wins and climbed to 18th in the Associated Press poll. Any talk of an ACC title -- or an appearance in the College Football Playoff -- was quickly extinguished with a loss to Virginia that kicked off a string of six straight losses. The Panthers showed they were resilient this season, shaking off a 2-2 start with a five game-winning streak. When Pitt had a chance to flex its muscles in front of a national audience against Notre Dame, the Panthers wilted, losing 37-15. While Pitt bounced back with an upset road win over Georgia Tech, the Panthers followed it with a crushing loss to Miami and the ECU debacle. This was the third season where Narduzzi led a team into a bowl game with an opportunity to reach nine wins. In 2015 and 2016, Pitt finished 8-5 after losing to Navy and Northwestern in the Military and Pinstripe Bowls, respectively. The Panthers fell flat this season. Die hards will want more, as they should. But with how things are changing financially in college football, it seems like Narduzzi has Pitt pressed firmly against its ceiling. 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
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Jason Nolf, a Kittanning graduate, went on to accomplish great things with the Penn State University wrestling program. Nolf, 29, still stops by his old stomping grounds in Western Pennsylvania to get some work in.
Nolf, who is now in Real American Freestyle, a non-scripted professional wrestling league, challenged everyone at The Mat Factory in Lower Burrell on Christmas Eve. He offered $5,000 to anyone who could submit him in jiu jitsu. Nolf is 1-1 in RAF. He recently competed at RAF 04 and won his match tech fall over Andy Varela, 10-0. 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.  Deer Lakes' Collin Rodgers looks to attack the rim during game against Freeport earlier this season. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges Collin Rodgers has continued his strong start for the Deer Lakes boys basketball team. By scoring 34 points against Highlands Tuesday night, Rodgers hit the 1,000-point plateau for his career. The Lancers beat Highlands 82-46 in Section 1-4A play thanks in parts to 34 points from Rodgers. Deer Lakes (5-4, 2-2) has worked through some growing pains this season. The Lancers have won back-to-back games after dropping four of five. Deer Lakes will try to add more wins to its total at the Gateway Tournament this weekend. 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.
The Pitt women's volleyball team added former Penn State standout setter Izzy Starck in the transfer portal. While it is good news for the Panthers to sign an experienced setter to assist two-time ACVA Player of the Year Olivia Babcock in her senior season, it led to the departure of incoming freshman, Pine-Richland's Isabella Hoppe. Hoppe chose to head to Wisconsin instead. Panthers coach Dan Fisher has done an incredible job of luring talent from all over the country to play for Pitt. The Panthers haven't had a WPIAL player on the roster since 2021. That year, Pitt had three: Chartiers-Houston's Kylee Levers, Hampton's Anastasia Russ and Plum's Makayla Jackson. Pitt has reached the national semifinals in five consecutive seasons and would like to take the next step in Babcock's final season with the program. There likely will be some more moves in the transfer portal ahead. 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  Springdale's Trevor Clark attempts to dribble out of a trip Tuesday night at Donald McGhee Fieldhouse. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges The Dynamos pulled off a rarity in high school basketball Tuesday night. Springdale shut out Riverview in the fourth quarter en route to a 48-29 win. Read my story in the Tribune Review. 12/21/2025 0 Comments Albert Gallatin graduate karli jo thomas falls to 2-1 as professional mma fighter after first-round submission loss at CFFC 149Karli Jo Thomas' third fight with the Cage Fury Fighting Championships didn't go quite as she planned. The Waynesburg women's wrestling coach and Albert Gallatin graduate lost to Paige Wilcox by submission in a strawweight bout at Cage Fury Fighting Championship 149 Saturday night in Atlantic City.
Thomas had a busy last eight months of 2025. She made her professional debut with CFFC in May, submitting Lateesha Mohl in the first round. Thomas followed that up with a third-round win by rear-naked choke in August. This time around, Thomas got caught in the first round by a debuting Wilcox. 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.
Some of the top WPIAL alumni is recently memory have been called upon to participate in the new professional wrestling league, Real American Freestyle.
Franklin Regional graduates Nico Megaludis and Spencer Lee, along with Kittanning's Jason Nolf, all lost their first match. Nolf fared much better during his second opportunity Saturday night at Fisher's Event Center in Fisher's, Ind. Nolf beat Andy Varela via technical fall, 10-0. Nolf was a three-time NCAA champion at Penn State. He also won three Class 2A championships during his high school career at Kittanning and finished with a career record of 176-1. Josh Rizzo is editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.
Allderdice's Bailey White became the school's all-time scoring leader during an 81-13 win over Perry Friday afternoon. White scored 41 points to pass Mary Myers' on the Dragons' all-time scoring list by reaching 1,708 points. The 41 points in a game was also a Pittsburgh City League record for points in a game by a girls' player. Allderdice has won five consecutive games and is 6-1 on the season. Josh Rizzo is editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be sent to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo 12/18/2025 0 Comments Photos: highlands 55, valley 8 The Highlands-Valley match produced more excitement than most people were hoping for Wednesday night. The Golden Rams won 55-8, but match's result was barred by a fight that broke out. Read more about the match in the Valley News Dispatch. 12/14/2025 0 Comments Column: Remastered pitt women's volleyball team in position for shot at redemption Pitt's Olivia Babcock and Bre Kelley put up a block during the Panthers' match with Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament in early December. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges The Pitt women's volleyball team had to be remastered. After making a fourth consecutive trip to the national semifinals of the NCAA Division I Tournament last season, the Panthers were hit hard by graduation and the transfer portal. Most pressingly, Pitt had to find another outside hitter to support Olivia Babcock.
The Panthers' second hitting option, Torrey Stafford, transferred to Texas. The quarterback of Pitt's attack, All-American setter Rachel Fairbanks, graduated. It would have been natural for Pitt to take a step backward. Instead, the Panthers knocked off Purdue in the quarterfinals in four sets Saturday at Petersen Events Center and to reach the final four for the fifth consecutive season. After Texas A&M sprung a stunning upset over previously-unbeaten Nebraska Sunday night, the Panthers should have a similar attitude as last year: title or bust. Babcock, a junior right-side hitter who was the American Volleyball Coaches Association Player of the Year last season, believed they would be back. She always has faith in Fisher. "Yes," said Babcock during the press conference following the Purdue match. "I would say that Fish is going to figure it out and he did." Fisher interrupted to say "we" would figure it out. Babcock quickly amended her comment. "We are going to figure it out together and we did," Babcock said. Pitt did so while handling the increased expectations that come with sustained excellence. Pitt has fallen in the semifinals in four consecutive seasons. The most painful crash out happened last year when the Panthers were the favorites to win. After being upset in the semifinals by host Louisville, the Panthers had to watch a Penn State team they swept earlier in the season win its eighth national title. But Fisher was able to shake off the disappointment and reload his roster. The Panthers replaced Fairbanks by bringing in transfer Brooke Mosher, who previously played at Illinois. Junior outsider hitter Blaire Bayless took a major step forward and finished second on the team with 310 kills. Freshman Marina Pezelj, a native of Monaco, provided a strong third hitting option with 174 kills. Meeting championship expectations isn't just about being the most skilled. There is also plenty of luck that comes along with having banners raised. The pressure Pitt volleyball finds itself under may come from a collective desire for the Panthers to win a team title. The school hasn't raised a championship banner since 1976, when Pitt football went undefeated and won its last title. The volleyball team moved through their region this year without hitting too much turbulence. Pitt swept UMBC, Michigan and Minnesota before taking down Purdue. "The past few matches we've had make me feel more confident," Babcock said. "I feel like we aren't playing our best volleyball right now. We're able to find solutions in the time that it matters. I'm exciting to continue getting better and reach our level next week." Texas A&M is the next step in the journey. Can Pitt break the curse or are the Aggies the team of destiny Pitt seems to run into every December. The Panthers (30-4) showed more vulnerability, battling back from an 0-2 start to the season to reach a familiar place. With Nebraska out of the way, Pitt should be full of confidence it can finish the job. Will the Panthers deliver? Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story 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
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