The 2025 NFL season has become known for the year of unlikely comebacks. Philip Rivers came out of retirement to try and help the Indianapolis Colts make the playoffs after being out of the league for five years. Pine-Richland graduate Ben DiNucci doesn't have quite as high of a profile, but was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad ahead of the AFC Championship game next Sunday.

DiNucci was brought on board after it was announced Broncos' quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle in Denver's overtime win over Buffalo Saturday. Jarrett Stidham will start in Nix's place in the AFC Championship game against the Patriots.

DiNucci, who played collegiately at Pitt and James Madison, made three appearances for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. DiNucci's best season as a pro came in the XFL in 2023. He led the Seattle Sea Dragons to a 7-3 record and led the league with 2,671 passing yards. He also threw 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

In Seattle's playoff game that season, DiNucci threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns, but the Sea Dragons lost 37-21 to the D.C. Defenders. DiNucci hasn't made an NFL squad in the years since he left Dallas. He has had a number of opportunities to try and earn a job. DiNucci was on the practice squad with the Broncos in 2023 and also had tryouts with the New Orleans Saints in 2024 and the Atlanta Falcons in 2025.

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

ALLEGHENY TWP - Kiski Area's football team wanted to out physical Franklin Regional Friday night. The Cavaliers didn't exactly outmuscle the Panthers, but were able to do enough to pick up their first Big East Conference win of the season.

​Kiski's 14-7 win keeps the Cavaliers' playoff hopes alive. Franklin Regional (0-6, 0-3) is the only team that is likely out of contention for the playoffs. The Cavaliers opened up a three-game home stand with an important win. If Kiski wants to make the playoffs, the Cavaliers next two home games, against Latrobe and Armstrong will be vital.

"Once Monday hits, every week is a season," Cavaliers coach Colyn Haugh said. "We forget about last season. It's not longer in our minds. We recharge the batteries, reset the engine and we are good to go."

Kiski isn't healthy, as starting quarterback Landyn Armstrong didn't play against Franklin Regional. The Cavaliers also lost running back Ashton Taylor in the third quarter when he got his leg rolled up on. Lorenzo Price stepped in and played running back for Kiski to finish the game.

"It's next man up," Haugh said. "The thing is that Lorenzo is the price who has been waiting in the weeds, waiting in the weeds and waiting in the weeds and it's been hard on him. To his credit, today he got his opportunity and he took advantage of it." 

New Castle shows its for real
Marino Graham has the Red Hurricane trending toward contending for a WPIAL Class 4A crown. Graham ran for 105 yards and threw for 179 more to help New Castle beat Aliquippa 18-12 in its Parkway Conference opener.

The Red Hurricane (5-1, 1-0) had mostly leaned on its defense to find success this season. The win over the Quips showcased some of that talent. New Castle has recorded its previous four victories by completing shutouts.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic wins title rematch
The Vikings are going to be hard to stop. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (5-1, 3-0) dominated North Allegheny with a strong defensive effort to record a 21-6 win. Roman Thompson scored a pair of touchdowns for the Vikings.

Central Catholic beat North Allegheny in the 6A title game last season. The two teams have met in the 6A final in the previous three seasons, with the Tigers taking two of three.

Pine-Richlands rolls past Fox Chapel, 63-3
This game isn't one that is worth mentioning because of its result. Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne shared a letter before the game that Fox Chapel Athletic Director Michael O'Brien had requested the two teams shorten the quarters of the game because of the wide gap in skill level between the two teams. The Rams won their meeting 71-0 this year.

The response to O'Brien's request was strange, as the school faced criticism over taking this approach. This isn't a rare occurrence, as Butler did this in games against Central Catholic before leaving the WPIAL and going independent. I think the reaction to this has been overblown.

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.

FOX CHAPEL - A pair of sophomore quarterbacks made a strong impression during the Burrell and Shady Side Academy game Friday night at Michael J. Farrell Field. Buccaneers quarterback Antonio Perkins dazzled on the ground, while Javon Johnston had a strong overall performance during a 56-26 win by Shady Side Academy.

Perkins, who transferred in from Valley, ran for 174 yards and scored four touchdowns. He also passed for 53 yards, including a 43-yard connection with Trey Coury. Shady Side Academy coach Andrew Geisler said the Bulldogs had to adjust to slow down Perkins' running.

"Honestly, they did a tremendous job," Geisler said. "They exploited where we were a helmet short."

Johnston threw four touchdown passes and ran for four more. Cam Mallory was Johnston's top target, finishing with 142 yards and two touchdowns. BJ Mallory also caught two touchdown passes and finished with 147 yards through the air.

First-year Burrell coach Dom Girardi said it was hard to slow down Shady Side Academy's offense. The Bulldogs were a threat to score every time they touched the ball.

"It's just that," Girardi said. "They have some great athletes. (BJ Mallory) is a real legitimate receiver threat. () is quick and shift. (Cam Mallory is phenomenal. It was a tough matchup for us."

Burrell led briefly in the second quarter, 20-16, following a touchdown run by Johnston. The Buccaneers ended up giving the ball away on three possession with fumbles. Shady Side Academy converted all of them into touchdowns and led 38-20 at the half.

"I think our mentality changed," Johnston said. "We doubted them in the beginning. Then we focused up and went from there. We got better and better."

Girardi said Shady Side Academy wanted to pressure Johnston, but he was able to thwart their pressure.

"Johnston throws a nice ball," Girardi said. "If we did get some pressure, he was able to make plays."

The Bulldogs have started slow in consecutive games. Geisler said he would like to see that improve as the season rolls on.

"We've been sluggish our first two games out," Geisler said. "It's something we need to break habit wise. They've risen to the occasion and they understand we are never out of the ball game."

Central Catholic gets revenge on Pine-Richland
There was some thought Pine-Richland may be the best team in the WPIAL regardless of class. But the Vikings got revenge on their northern rival Friday night. Central Catholic took the lead just before halftime on a 13-yard touchdown catch by Maceo Watkins from Owen Herrick.

The Vikings never gave the lead back. Central Catholic benefitted from three touchdowns from Roman Thompson. The Rams (2-0) were shut out after halftime.

There was no magic in McKeesport
Kemon Spell let the news leak out Thursday night in a post that was quickly deleted off X. The Penn State recruit didn't play after suffering an ankle injury. McKeesport didn't fare well without its top running back, who is a junior. 

Peters Township's defense exploited the Tigers, handing McKeesport a 35-0 shutout defeat. 

Mars finds way to beat Bethel Park
The Black Hawks offense steamrolled Seneca Valley in Week Zero, putting up more than 50 points in a win. Bethel Park came back down to Earth this Friday, allowing Mars running back Liam Corcoran to score on a 2-yard run with 15 seconds remaining in a 17-13 defeat.

The Planets improved to 2-0.
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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.

 Kemon Spell scored every way you could imagine last Saturday at the Wolvarena. The McKeesport star junior tailback piled up 292 yards on the ground and got into the end zone five times during a beatdown of Delaware Valley.

The Tigers, who figure to play a large role in the WPIAL Class 4A title picture, will welcome 5A contender Peters Township this Friday. The Indians also opened with a big win over Canon-McMillan. Nolan DiLucia led the Indians with three touchdown passes. Cole Neupaver ran for 109 yards for Peters Township.

Peters Township beat McKeesport 42-7 last season at home. The Tigers are a proud program and will want to put on a better showing than they did last season. This should be a good contest.

Vikings want to right their ship
Central Catholic couldn't have opened with a tougher opponent than it did last week at the Wolvarena. The Vikings took on La Salle College, who has Mizzou commit Gavin Sidwar under center. Central Catholic, despite its massive size on the offensive line, couldn't get the ball moving against the Explorers.

The Vikings only put up six points and will have another tough challenge against Pine-Richlands. The Rams are the defending Class 5A champions and are loaded with talent. Aaron "Oobi" Strader plays quarterback, while Florida State commit Jay Timmons and Penn State commit Khalil Taylor give him strong options in the passing game.

The Rams will have to figure out how to handle Central Catholic's line, which includes Jimmy Kalis, Jon Sassic, Cole Bayer and James Halter. All of those players weight 270 pounds or more.

Pine-Richland won the matchup, 22-17, last season.

Deer Lakes looks for measuring stick
The Lancers picked up what ended up being their most impressive win of the season during the meeting between the teams last season. Deer Lakes beat the eventual WPIAL Class 2A champions by 13 points on the road. The Lancers would start the season 6-0 for the first time in school history before finishing 8-3 and losing in the first round of the 3A playoffs.

Deer Lakes (1-0) opened the season by smothering Keystone Oaks 23-7. South Park (1-0) knocked off East Allegheny, 33-26.

Woodland Hills looks for second consecutive win over rival
The Woodland Hills and Penn Hills game didn't finish last season after a shooting down the street forced a stoppage in the game with 10 minutes remaining. The Wolverines were on their way to a win with a 26-6 lead over their rivals in the "King of the Hills" rivalry game. The matchup this season is a meaningful one for both sides, despite not being a conference game.

The Indians were shut out of for the first time in five seasons when they lost to New Castle, 12-0, in Week Zero. Woodland Hills gave North Allegheny all it could handle, but ended up losing to the Tigers 28-26 on a late touchdown. Scoop Smith and Ziggy Moore, who committed to Miami (Ohio) and N.C. State, respectively, both looked good in Week Zero.

The Indians are hoping to get their offense moving in the right direction, as highly-touted receiver Carter Bonner provides Penn Hills with a strong target in the passing game.

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.

Pine-Richland 5-foot-8 setter Isabelle Hoppe got exposed to a different level of competition during the 2025 Girls U19 World Championship in Oseijek, Croatia. Hoppe helped Team USA reach the gold medal match before falling to Bulgaria 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 25-17, 29-27). The Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association reached out to Hoppe, a Pitt commit, for comment.

"I'm always grateful for opportunities with the national team, whether it's a tryout, training or world championship, but this year was special," said Hoppe in a statement to the PVCA. "The level of competition was obviously high, as we were among the best volleyball players in the world. That in itself was incredible to experience."

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 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:

• Former Steel Valley great Charlie Batch, who went on to a professional career with the Steelers and Detroit Lions, was vocal over his disappointment when Seton LaSalle sophomore quarterback Anthony Smith was ruled ineligible by the WPIAL for the 2025 season.
• Lincoln Park's Josh Pratt was approved to transfer from Aliquippa to Lincoln Park, but is ineligible under PIAA rules to play in the postseason. 
• A pair of brothers who transferred from Knoch to Moon, Jackson and Brody Bauman, already had their postseason waivers denied. The Bauman boys moved schools after their dad, Alan, resigned as coach at Knoch
  

​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. 

Pine-Richland High School graduate Meghan Klingenburg, 36, was released by the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League on Monday. Klingenburg, a former standout defender for the U.S. women's national soccer team, has played professionally since 2011. Klingenburg got her start with magicJack in the now-defunct Women's Professional Soccer league.

Klingenberg eventually wound her way to the NWSL in 2014 with the Houston Dash. She made 151 appearances for Portland after signing with the club in 2016. As a defender, Klingenberg was counted on to do any scoring. Instead, she helped provide a steady hand on the Thorns' backline.

Portland won the NWSL championship in 2017 and 2022.

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.