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Thursday, October 18, 2001

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

SCHOOL: Latrobe.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot-1, 175-pound sophomore and one of the best underclass quarterbacks in the WPIAL.

LAST WEEK: Flynn completed 11 of 17 passes for 136 yards in a 35-13 victory against Norwin.

SEASON: Flynn is one of the main reasons that Latrobe is 6-1.He has completed 77 of 141 passes for 1,177 yards and 13 touchdowns. This is Latrobe's best season since 1984, when they finished the regular season with a 10-0 record. That also was the last time the Wildcats made the playoffs.

CAREER: He has passed for 2,408 yards in two seasons

QUICK LEARNER: Flynn never played organized football until seventh grade. Two years later, he was the starting quarterback on a WPIAL Class AAAA team. "My mom wouldn't let me play when I was younger," Flynn said. "I played soccer a lot. But I knew I was going to be a quarterback someday. I wanted to be a quarterback because that's what my brother was."

Flynn's brother, Pat, was Latrobe's starting quarterback a few years ago and now plays baseball at St. Vincent College.

A CHANGE IN STYLE: Latrobe changed its offense from last season. "Last year, we were a pro I formation team," said Latrobe Coach Pat Murray. "About halfway through the year, we went into a three-receiver set. This year, we're primarily a one-back set with three receivers and a tight end. We changed because of Ryan's abilities and because we have some kids who can catch the ball."

THE OTHER SPORT: Flynn also is an excellent baseball player. He became the starting shortstop on the varsity about six games through his freshman year.

"We were struggling for a while, and he was part of the reason we turned it around. We won nine of our final 10 games," said Latrobe baseball coach Steve LoCascio.

THE FUTURE: Murray believes Flynn could be a Division I college prospect. LoCascio believes the same for baseball. Flynn said he likes both sports almost equally.

"I'd like to play college football," Flynn said. "And definitely at Pitt. My mom went there, and it's always been one of my favorite schools."

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Ringgold

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-4 starting forward for the Rams' girls soccer team.

LAST WEEK: Helped the Rams (14-4, 12-0 in Class AAA Section 6) clinch their first section title in the past 10 years by scoring twice in a 2-1 win over Elizabeth Forward. She has scored six goals in the past three games.

THIS SEASON: Pergola is third in the WPIAL with 37 goals. She is first among players in Class AAA and leads that category by eight goals.

CAREER: A four-year starter, Pergola has set school records for goals (109), assists (49) and points (158). She is a three-time captain and a three-time all-section player. Last season, she led all Class AAA girls with 33 goals and was named to the PG-Washington all-star team.

SECOND SPORT: Pergola is the starting point guard on the Rams' girls' basketball team. "I just do it because it helps keep me in shape during the winter," she said. "Soccer is my sport."

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Before last season, Pergola set two goals. "I said I wanted to break the school scoring record and help the team win a section title before I graduated," said Pergola. "To be able to fulfill them both this year, in my senior season, makes it even more special. But we're not satisfied yet because we think we have a great chance to advance far in the playoffs."

CUP TEAM: Pergola plays in the offseason for the Premier Cup team, Victory Express. During the summer, she led the team in scoring and helped it advance to the semifinal of the NoSo Tournament in Ohio.

COACH'S COMMENT: "What makes her special is her ability to see the field and think about the game ahead of everyone else," said Ringgold Coach Dave Molisee. "She is the best player I've ever coached and it is because her understanding of the game is so much higher than everyone else. She has a true love of the game and plays with a lot of passion."

FUTURE: Will play soccer at Washington and Jefferson, St. Vincent College or Robert Morris. She is an excellent student, a member of the National Honor Society and plans on majoring in business.

-- By Paul Zeise