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Thursday, November 08, 2001

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

SCHOOL: Pine-Richland.

Megan McGrath: Mainstay in the middle for Pine-Richland. (John Heller, Post-Gazette)

WHO IS SHE? A 6-foot senior middle hitter for the Rams' volleyball team. She also is a starting forward for the girls' basketball team.

PAST WEEK: She helped the Rams win their first WPIAL Class AAA volleyball championship. Pine-Richland swept defending WPIAL and PIAA champion Mt. Lebanon, 2-0, in the final. Tuesday, the Rams advanced to the PIAA championship pool with a 15-7, 15-8, 15-4 first-round victory against Montour.

SEASON: The Rams are 19-0 and did not lose a single game within a match.

CAREER: A four-year starter, she has been one of several players who have helped get the Rams back to elite status. The team has made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons and finished in the top four in the WPIAL the past two year. Last season, the team made the PIAA playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

SPORT SWITCH: McGrath has played basketball since she was in second grade but didn't start playing volleyball until she was a freshman. Even then, she had to be prodded by Pine-Richland volleyball Coach Kris Ruppert to give the sport a try. But volleyball has become her primary sport.

"I think I'm burned out on basketball since I've been playing it so long," McGrath said. "Volleyball is so much more fun, and I like it because it is more of a team game. I just enjoy it more. But I never would have played it if Coach [Ruppert] hadn't kept calling me and telling me to try out."

TOUGH TRIP: McGrath had some ligaments in her knee torn when she had an accident on skis in the winter. As a result, she wasn't able to play basketball for the Rams or with her elite club volleyball team, the Renaissance. But one benefit that came from her injury was that she re-committed herself to fitness, conditioning and weight training.

GIVING BACK: When she's not playing volleyball, McGrath spends a lot of time doing volunteer work through the Pine-Richland Key Club and the National Honor Society. She has volunteered her time to blood drives, retirement homes and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "I just want to do my part," she said.

FUTURE: She already has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Massachusetts. She chose the Minutemen over Villanova, Temple, Drexel, Miami of Ohio and Siena. She carries a 3.8 GPA and plans on studying premedicine or business.

-- By Paul Zeise

Washington High School's quarterback Justin Gregula. (Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette)

SCHOOL: Washington.

WHO IS HE? A 6-foot, 185-pound senior and record-setting quarterback on the Little Prexies' football team.

LAST WEEK: Gregula completed 6 of 12 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 victory against Mohawk in a WPIAL Class AA playoff opener. He also set a school record for career touchdown passes.

SEASON: Gregula has completed 51 of 99 passes for 932 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is one of the main reasons Washington is 10-0 and the Post-Gazette's No. 1 Class AA team in the WPIAL and PIAA.

ABOUT THE RECORD: Gregula's 37 career touchdown passes broke Brent Marsteller's record of 35. A year ago, Gregula threw for 21 touchdowns, which also was a school record. He could break that mark this season if Washington continues to win in the playoffs. He also holds the school record for kicking extra points with 97 in three seasons.

TOUCHDOWN-MAKER: Gregula's ratio of touchdown passes to attempts borders on incredible. In his two seasons as a starter, he has completed 102 of 190 passes. That means he throws a touchdown pass about every five attempts. Thirty-six percent of his completions have gone for touchdowns.

"I would defy anybody to find that kind of ratio anywhere," said Washington Coach Guy Montecalvo. "That can only happen when you have the kind of accuracy he has, and the kind of decision-making processes that go on in his head."

KNOWING AHEAD OF TIME: When Gregula was a freshman, Montecalvo believed he had a star of the future. "That's the only time I've ever gone to our junior high coaches and told them to throw the football more than they usually do," Montecalvo said. "You could tell in ninth grade that he was going to be a good one."

BASEBALL STAR: Gregula is projected to be one of the best baseball players in WPIAL Class AA in the spring. He has been an all-section pick for three seasons and could become the first player at Washington to be picked all four years of his career. He is a shortstop-pitcher and batted .400 last season.

THE FUTURE: Montecalvo believes Gregula can play quarterback at the Division I-AA college level, and a few schools are showing interest in him. But baseball also could be a possibility in college.

"Anyone who looks at tape of him in football raises their eyebrows," Montecalvo said. "His future is going to depend on what his options are. He loves baseball, but he's grown to love football."

-- By Mike White