The accolades for Shaler graduate Bria Bosiljevac have continued to pile up as he career wound down. Bosiljevac was recently named the Pennsylvania Softball Player of the Year by MaxPreps.

Bosiljevac led Shaler to the WPIAL and PIAA titles by compiling a 19-0 record with a .5 ERA and 243 strikeouts. During Bosiljevac's career, she led the Titans to two WPIAL championships and twice reached the state title game. Shaler beat up Abington Heights 10-0 in the PIAA final this seaoson.

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 beauty of mixed martial arts is athletes are afforded the ability to take losses as they figure things out in their careers. PFL middleweight Dalton Rosta hopes his last two performances will be minor roadblocks in his career. But make no mistake, the Laurel High School graduate will feel the pressure August 7 in Charlotte.

Rosta, who is 11-3, has suffered consecutive knockout losses for the first time in his career. He will attempt to turn things around against UFC veteran Bryan Battle in a middleweight main event. Defeats can't be more emotional than Rosta's last loss.

In front of a sold-out crowd at the UPMC Events Center at the PFL Pittsburgh card, Rosta chose to go for the knockout against former PFL tournament champion Impa Kasanganay. Kasanganay ended up getting the better of the exchange and scored a KO win 3 minutes, 18 seconds into the first round.

Battle, a former UFC fighter who is 12-3 in his career, made his debut in the organization that night, but he lost by submission to another former champion, Johnny Eblen. 

The annual summer battle over athletes transferring schools has commenced. According to an article by Don Rebel of TribLive, a number of athletes were ruled ineligible for next school year. This has drawn the ire of many in the Western Pennsylvania school committee.

Charlie Batch, a former Steel Valley standout who later played in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers, posted on X Wednesday night asking if there is any way he could serve on a board with the WPIAL. He has posted on social media this week that he feels the rules in place are unfair to students.

The transfer rules aren't 100 percent up to the WPIAL. The PIAA has a set of rules that set guidelines in order to try and level the playing field. There have been plenty of accusations in the past that not every district enforces the rules the same way.

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.

McKeesport Superintendent Donald L. MacFann released a statement Saturday that the school board did not terminate any football coaches. A KDKA article published on Friday indicated the coaching staff had been let go. 

"The District is aware of rumors circulating throughout the community indicating that the McKeesport Area School District Board has terminated all football coaches during its regular meeting held on Wednesday, June 10, 2026," MacFann wrote. "This correspondence is being shared to provide accurate information and clarify the actions taken by the Board."

KDKA reported that the entire staff was let go the day following the board meeting. During that meeting, McKeesport School Director Matthew Holtzman called for the resignation of the coaching staff. Holtzman's statement came after an interview given by former McKeesport football standout Brandon Short after the sentencing of Isaac Smith, who killed his daughter, Karli, and her unborn child in 2021.

Short gave a statement to assembled media following sentencing that two members of McKeesport's coaching staff testified as character witnesses for Smith.

"Due to what has recently transpired, and the profound loss of trust that has followed, I am calling for the resignation of the entire coaching staff," Holtzman wrote. "Leadership positions within our athletic programs require sound judgment, integrity and an unwavering commitment to the values we expect out students to embody. As I started in December, I believed changes were needed within our athletic department. Recent events have only reinforced that belief."

MacFann asked for patience from the community as the district works through the process.

"At the June 10 Board Meeting, the School Board did not terminate any football coaches. Rather, the Board voted to table the hiring of football coaches due to personnel-related matters," MacFann wrote. "As these matters involve personnel considerations, the District is unable to disclose additional details. While the hiring of football coaches has been tabled, all football-related activities will continue through the summer as scheduled. The District will make the necessary internal arrangements to ensure that football activities proceed in a normal manner and that student athletes continue to have access to the opportunities and support they expect."

The pressure for McKeesport to act will be immense.  Another former McKeesport standout, Khaleke Hudson, went to a school board meeting after last season and asked to be considered as head coach.

McKeesport lost to Aliquippa, 21-12, in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game last season. The Tigers are expected to have another strong team this upcoming season, led by Georgia commit Kemon Spell, the No. 1 running back in his class, and South Carolina commit Javien Robinson, a standout receiver.

After the Tigers lost to the Quips last fall, the community was upset at the coaching staff following the game. McKeesport hasn't won the WPIAL since 2005 and has lost four times in the district title game since Matt Miller took over in 2016.

"McKeesport has too much talent, too much heart and too much history to be settling for good enough," Hudson said in a speech at the board meeting. "That's not me pointing fingers. That's me saying the truth we all know."

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​McKeesport figures to be the favorite to break the program's 21-year spell without a title. The Tigers, who stayed in Class 4A for this two-year enrollment cycle, saw two of their biggest rivals, Thomas Jefferson and Aliquippa, get reclassified in Class 5A and 3A, respectively.

"We're losing more than games," Hudson said. "Something I've been seeing in recent years. We're losing games we should be winning. Championships that slip out of our hands, opportunities that should have belonged to our kids. The losses that hurt me the most aren't on the scoreboard. It's the kids who fall through academic cracks, the kids who never get developed, it's the athletes who could be playing D1, but end up unnoticed. It's the players who switch schools because they feel stuck, the one who don't feel don't feel seen, don't feel taught and don't feel prepared."

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 number of college programs support women's wrestling will continue to increase. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced via a news release on Friday that it would add the sport as its 24th championship sport starting in the 2026-2027 academic season. There are currently five PSAC schools -- East Stroudburg, Edinboro, Gannon, Lock Haven and Pitt-Johnstown -- that field women's teams.

To help field a schedule, the PSAC chose to admit two other schools D'Youville (N.Y.) and Felican (N.J.) as associate members. The teams will have a round-robin dual meet schedule and the team with the best record will be crowned champions.

“Pennsylvania and wrestling are synonymous together, so adding women's wrestling to our championships menu makes perfect sense,” said Steve Murray, PSAC Commissioner in a news release. “There are 271 high school women's wrestling programs in PA and the number is growing fast at the collegiate ranks as well. Our five members sponsoring women's wrestling will be bolstered by the additions of Felician, D’Youville, and eventually Lackawanna College when they join the PSAC full-time in the near future. We will have a solid foundation as a Division II-only women's wrestling conference. It's a great addition for us.”

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 Pittsburgh Hardball Academy announced today that one of their players, West Mifflin student Eli Kurta, was chosen to attend the MLB Breakthrough Series in Vero Beach, Fla.

​The MLB Breakthrough Series has produced a long list of notable alumni who have gone on to play professionally.

Gateway quarterback Mayson Mitchell was forced into action last year due to injury. The Gators quarterback built some confidence playing in the Big East conference. This weekend on Instagram, Mitchell announced he received his first Division I offer from the University of Akron.

Mitchell passed for 2,036 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season. Gateway missed the playoffs due to the WPIAL's tiebreaking system and weren't awarded a Wild Card.

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.

Pitt baseball relief pitcher David Leslie took the unconventional route to Division I baseball. Leslie, a Butler graduate, initially started at Division III Grove City College. Leslie, a graduate student, has made a splash in the ACC Tournament.

He threw the final three innings and struck out six batters to help the No. 14 seed Panthers pull an 8-6 upset win over the third-seeded Seminoles. He allowed one unearned run and walked tow hitters.

"I'm glad we get to play again," Leslie said in an interview with the ACC Network. "I didn't know if that was going to be the last game I ever played. I'm so glad we rallied together and got it done."

The game was tied at 5 when Leslie entered the game. The Seminoles tested Leslie immediately, as he had to work out of a bases-loaded jam.
Hunter Carns opened the inning by reaching first on an error by Pitt shortstop Caden Dulin.  One batter later, Leslie hit Gabe Fraser with a pitch.

After Leslie struck out Carter McCulley, his second strikeout of the inning, Chase Williams drew a walk to load the bases. Leslie was able to get Cal Fisher to fly out to right field to avoid the danger.

Leslie said he didn't do anything to wild. So far this season, Leslie, a graduate student, has a 4-5 record and has recorded a save. His ERA sits at 6.37 for the season.

"Fastball, curveball, changeup that's what I roll with," Leslie said. "I'll show a slider. It's mainly those three pitches. All it comes down was executing one pitch at a time. Fastball's in, curveball and changeup is down. It sounds simple, but it's tough."

Florida State took the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning when Ben Barrett reached on a fielding error by Pitt second baseman Trey Fenderson, scoring John Stuetzer.

Pitt rallied in the ninth inning when AJ Nessler got on base with a one-out single. One batter later, Lorenzo Carrier drew a walk. Kai Wagner was facing a 1-2 count from Brodie Purcell when he connected with a pitch that changed the game. Wagner hit a 394-foot blast to center field that put Pitt ahead 8-6.

Leslie recorded two strikeouts and got a groundout in the bottom of the ninth to closer out the game. Leslie said he felt the adrenaline after he crushed

"It was," Leslie said. "I had a tough time keeping my mind focus. But I felt it after that home run, I don't know who wouldn't feel it."

Josh Rizzo is the sports editor of PIttsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.