RE'MARO RUSH

SCHOOL: Northgate.

WHO IS HE? A 5-foot-7, 170-pound running back-cornerback.

THE PAST WEEK: Rush carried 27 times for 362 yards and two touchdowns Friday as the Flames singed South Fayette, 35-0, in a showdown for first place in the Class AA Century Conference. He scored on runs of 2 and 70 yards in the first quarter, and his ouput was the highest among WPIAL and City League backs this year.

CAREER: As a senior, Rush has gained 1,357 yards on 151 carries, scored 16 touchdowns and intercepted two passes. He has started in the secondary for three years and on offense for two.

A RUSH TO SUCCEED: For the first six games last season, Rush was a wide receiver. But injuries to the starting tailback and first backup forced coach Rich Hurley to put Rush in the backfield. In his first game, a 44-14 victory against South Allegheny, he rushed for 205 yards, had 348 all-purpose yards and scored five touchdowns.

SPEED THRILLS: Fleet feet are Rush's forte. His time for 40 yards is 4.35 seconds. "He can fly," Hurley said. "He also has good vision and makes a lot of cutbacks. And because he's small and we have a mammoth line [averaging 6 feet 4 and 250 pounds], defenses can't see the kid."

YEARNING TO RUN: Rush had been a receiver going back to youth football but dreamed of being a running back. "It's where I always wanted to play," he said, adding he was inspired by a cousin, Alonzo Roebuck, the school record-holder with 3,630 yards rushing.

BY THE NUMBERS: Rush's statistics are impressive but could be better. Northgate (7-1, 6-0) has won its past six games by an average of 39-7, and he rarely plays a full game. That was the case Friday, when he could have topped the 400-yard mark, but he wasn't upset. "As long as I get 100 yards and we're winning, that's OK. I always want the younger guys to get a shot."

NAME GAME: Rarely does a first name include an apostrophe, but Rush said of his mother's choice, "She said the name flashed in her mind in the hospital room and she thought it would be unique."

FUTURE: Division II Edinboro is among the few college teams that have shown interest, but the rush to recruit Rush is gaining momentum. "Because of his size, he's not being actively recruited by bigger schools," Hurley said. "But I think he could play at a higher level, like I-AA."

-- By Rick Shrum

ABBY TEVIS

SCHOOL: North Allegheny

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-10 senior and one of the top volleyball players in the WPIAL. She is one of the main reasons North Allegheny is ranked No. 1 in Class AAA in the WPIAL coaches poll.

LAST WEEK: Tevis helped North Allegheny clinch the WPIAL Class AAA Section 3 championship with a 3-1 victory Thursday against Pine-Richland.

CAREER: Tevis has been on North Allegheny's varsity since her freshman year and was a first-team all-WPIAL selection last season.

"She's one of the better talents around the area," said North Allegheny coach Dan Schall. "Her work ethic is phenomenal. That, combined with good talent, certainly is a good combination."

SET TO SUCCEED: North Allegheny was rough around the edges early in the season but eventually blossomed into one of the WPIAL's best teams. Tevis also progressed, and two of the reasons are setters Cara Davis and Amanda Posteraro.

"In the preseason, we weren't looking too good," Tevis said. "We've come a long way. We had two new net setters who were just starting to play varsity this year and they've come a long way. We're hoping to win the WPIAL this year, and go as far as we can in the PIAA."

ROLE CHANGE: Tevis was a middle hitter as a freshman and sophomore but moved to outside hitter last year. She's been a hit at outside. "Outside hitter is like the go-to person," she said. "We kind of needed that because last year, most of our seniors had graduated."

DIFFERING STYLES: As a freshman and sophomore, Tevis played under longtime North Allegheny coach Bob Miller. Schall has been North Allegheny's coach the past two seasons.

"Coach Miller kind of ... screamed a lot more," Tevis said. "It's not that he was mean. He would just try to get you going. Coach Schall kind of sits back more. He more or less just tells you advice. He doesn't get up in your face. But coach Miller still helps out coach Schall with some things."

-- By Mike White