 Kittanning graduate and former Penn State University wrestling standout Jason Nolf ends up in a scramble during RAF 01 in a matchup with Evan Wick. Nolf lost 10-8 and will look to even his RAF record Dec. 20 at RAF 04. Photo Courtesy of Real American Freestyle Jason Nolf, a Kittanning graduate and former Penn State University wrestling standout, will attempt to be the first WPIAL wrestler to find success at a Real American Freestyle event. Franklin Regional graduates Spencer Lee and Nico Megaludis recently competed for the organization and came up short.
This will be Nolf's second attempt at picking up a win in the fledgling league. Nolf also competed at RAF 01, losing 10-8 to Evan Wick in a middlweight bout. Nolf, 29, will be taking on Andy Varela, 33 in a welterweight battle at RAF 04 at Fishers Event Center in Fisher, Ind. Varela is an accomplished grappler who have five professional MMA fights under his belt. Much like Lee and Megaludis, Nolf shined as a collegiate wrestler. During Nolf's time at Penn State, won three consecutive national NCAA Division I championships from 2016 to 2019. Nolf made a run at qualifying for U.S. wrestling team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but was turned away by Kyle Dake. 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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 Fort Cherry's Matt Sieg, right, runs the ball during a WPIAL Class A semifinal against Laurel early in November. Sieg, a top safety recruit, will announce his college commitment on Dec. 3. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges Matt Sieg's college commitment should create some interesting local ripples in the recruiting scene. Sieg was one of many recruits who had previously chosen Penn State who wanted to take a look at other options when James Franklin was let go. While Nittany Lions interim coach Terry Smith is a legendary local recruiter, there are no guarantees what his future will be.
Sieg announced that on Dec. 3 he will choose between Pitt, Penn State, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. Franklin recently took over as the coach at Virginia Tech, so there is a Franklin connection there. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi has also recently turned up his pursuit of the Rangers' star quarterback/safety. Sieg helped Fort Cherry win two WPIAL titles and set the school record for rushing set by Mike Vernillo. Sieg is second all-time in WPIAL history in rushing yards behind former Hopewell start. Rushel Shell. 10/12/2025 0 Comments Former Gateway standout terry smith takes over as interim football coach at penn state Photo by Caitlin Regan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ No one has a better reputation for recruiting Pennsylvania athletes then former Gateway standout Terry Smith. Smith, who has been an assistant for 12 seasons under coach James Franklin, received an emergency promotion Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lions chose to make a change at head coach, letting go of Franklin after the Nittany Lions suffered their third consecutive loss.
Penn State, which had national title aspirations, fell to 3-3 Saturday after a shocking 22-21 loss to Northwestern Saturday. The Nittany Lions also lost quarterback Drew Allar to an injury. Smith was a standout player for the Gators who went to play collegiately at Penn State. Smith returned to coaching after a brief stint in the Canadian Football League. When Smith took over at Gateway, he compiled a 101-30 record in 11 seasons and reached the WPIAL final four times. Smith, who also served as Gateway's Athletic Director, chose to leave Gateway after they reduced the AD position to part time and cut his salary in half. Smith was hired by Penn State in 2014. Josh Rizzo is the editor of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo  PItt's Ryla Jones finished with nine kills and nine blocks for the Panthers Wednesday night against Penn State. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges file photo The Pitt women's volleyball team has continued to rack up wins after a difficult start. The No. 5 Panthers beat the defending national champions and 13th-ranked Penn State Wednesday night at Rec Hall.
Pitt only committed 19 errors and hit .299 during a 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-17 win over the Nittany Lions. Olivia Babcock led the Panthers with 16 kills, while Dagmar Mourits and Rylan Jones contributed 13 and nine, respectively. Jones also added a team-high nine blocks. Pitt is now 8-2 on the season. |
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
February 2026
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