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Thursday, October 04, 2001

By Paul Zeise and Mike White, Post-Gazette Sports Writers

SCHOOL: Mt. Lebanon.

	Kaleena Walters: Headed for Penn State. (Annie O’Neill, Post-Gazette)

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter for the Blue Devils' volleyball team. She is considered one of the best players in the state.

THIS SEASON: Walters has led the Blue Devils to an 18-0 record. They are ranked No. 1 in WPIAL Class AAA.

CAREER: A four-year starter, Walters has led the team to two WPIAL titles, two PIAA runner-up finishes and one PIAA championship. She has been named first-team all-state twice and second team once. She has been a WPIAL all-star each of the past three seasons.

TOP RECRUIT: Walters has accepted a volleyball scholarship to Penn State, which is considered one of the top programs in the country. She chose the Nittany Lions over Ohio State, Stanford and Texas. She carries a 4.3 GPA and wants to pursue a career in public relations.

SIZE DOESN'T MATTER: Walters is an unusual player because despite her lack of height she can dominate a match. Most top players are 6 feet or bigger, but Walters has exceptional leaping ability and is a great athlete, so she can overcome her relatively small stature.

"I know sometimes opponents look down at me and think I'm not going to be a challenge," said Walters. "But that just motivates me to play even harder and prove them wrong."

Said Mt. Lebanon Coach Brian Begor, "I've done this for 15 years and have coached a lot of great players, but almost all of them are 6-foot-1 or even bigger. That's what makes her such a special talent. She's only 5-9, but she's at that elite level."

A WILL TO WIN: Begor said although Walters is a very talented athlete, what makes her so dominant is her competitive desire. "She's what happens when you get a player who is in the top one percentile as far as athletic ability and also in the top one percentile as far as mental toughness and drive to excel. Good players have one or the other, the truly great ones have both."

UNFRIENDLY WELCOME: Before her freshman season, Walters' family moved into Mt. Lebanon from Ohio. The WPIAL ruled her ineligible because of her ties to an AAU program run by Begor (who's wife Dawn was the Blue Devils' coach at the time). The PIAA eventually overturned the decision, and she was able to play that season.

"Thankfully, that illegal recruiting talk has all died down now," said Walters. "I know the true reason why we moved here, and volleyball wasn't it. That whole experience was a little overwhelming."

-- By Paul Zeise

SCHOOL: Penn Hills.

WHO IS HE? A big, little man in WPIAL football. Anderson is a 5-foot-8, 175-pound senior averaging more than 100 yards rushing a game.

LAST WEEK: Anderson rushed for 120 yards on 11 carries and scored one touchdown in a 50-13 victory against Butler. He also completed a 70-yard halfback pass to Jeff Hancock for a touchdown.

SEASON: Anderson has rushed for 634 yards on 97 carries and scored eight touchdowns.

CAREER: Anderson gained 1,326 yards on 260 carries a year ago.

FAST COMPANY: Penn Hills Coach Neil Gordon has been blessed with fine halfbacks over the years. A talented halfback seems to be a staple of Penn Hills' offense.

"Brandon's as good as I've ever had," Gordon said. "Any deficiencies he had as a sophomore or junior are gone now. He's unbelievably strong and powerful, he breaks his share of tackles, he has breakaway speed and he's a blocking fool."

ON THE BLOCK: Anderson takes great pride in his blocking ability. Maybe it comes from his midget league days as a fullback.

"He's just as happy to throw a great block as he is to make a great run," Gordon said. "He'll come in Saturday mornings after a game when he had 175 yards rushing. But all he'll be talking about is the block he made on a certain run or pass."

Anderson likes to look at his helmet after games to see how many marks are on it from opponents' helmets.

"I feel if my line, wide receivers and quarterback block for me, then I have to block for them, too," Anderson said.

FILM SESSION: On some game days, Anderson stops at Gordon's office in the high school and watches a highlight film of Penn Hills' 1995 PIAA championship team. He does it for motivation.

THE FUTURE: Despite Anderson's stature, Gordon believes his star senior could be a Division I college running back.

"Not at somewhere like Florida State," Gordon said. "But I see some lesser players than him playing Division I."

Coaches from Akron and Kent State have called Anderson recently to express interest, but he does not have any scholarship offers.

-- By Mike White