GREG HOUGH

SCHOOL: Pine-Richland.

WHO IS HE? A 5-foot-11, 207-pound senior running back who has come back from an elbow injury to help the Rams make the PIAA Class AAA championship game. Pine-Richland (14-0) plays Manheim Central (14-0) tomorrow night at Hersheypark Stadium.

LAST WEEK: Hough ran for 118 yards on 17 carries in a 37-7 win Friday against Bradford in a PIAA semifinal game.

COMEBACK KID: Hough was Pine-Richland's leading rusher last season and was having a big senior year until a serious injury to his left elbow against Hampton. Hough's tricep was torn, a tendon was torn and the elbow dislocated. He had surgery and doctors thought he'd be out for the season.

"We thought the injury definitely would end his high school career," said Pine-Richland coach Clair Altemus. "But he worked so hard to rehabilitate the thing. He was doing double rehab and he just kept telling the kids, 'Keep winning and I'll be back.' "

Hough returned to the team for the WPIAL semifinals against Blackhawk, but he played only linebacker. In the WPIAL title game against Thomas Jefferson, he also played halfback and rushed for 121 yards on nine carries.

"I knew if we'd keep winning, I might have a chance to come back," he said. "But I still did not expect to come back as early as I did."

ON TAPE: Hough wears a brace, a pad and plenty of tape on his left elbow. "I can't really bend my arm at the elbow because of the brace and tape," he said. "But when I'm out there playing, I kind of forget I have it on. The only time it really bothers me is when I try to shed a blocker or tackler with my arm. It's not as easy as it used to be."

SHORT OF 4,000: The injury cost Hough a chance to become the 31st runner in WPIAL history to rush for 4,000 career yards. He had 3,241 yards before he was hurt and would have had a good chance at 4,000. Now he has 3,471. He had close to 2,000 yards last season.

"It would've been nice to accomplish a task like 4,000 yards," he said. "But I can't really ask for much more than a shot at winning a state championship. That's a little more important."

SUCCESSFUL SENIORS: Hough is part of a senior class that has won with regularity since junior high. He said the seniors are close off the field. The day before games, at least a dozen seniors get together for a meal at Bogie's, a hoagie and pizza shop.

"Two years ago we used to go to the North Park Lounge Clubhouse and last year it was Taco Bell. This year it's Bogie's. They probably don't sound like the healthiest places to eat. But it's just a place where we can all be together and just hang out and relax."

THE FUTURE: Hough, who has a 3.3 grade point average, would like to play college football but said schools are not showing much interest.

By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

SCHOOL: South Side Beaver.

WHO IS SHE? A 6-foot center on the girls' basketball team.

THE PAST WEEK: Clarke averaged 30.7 points through three games. She scored 40 in the season opener Friday, an overtime loss to Waynesburg, then 32 Saturday and 20 Tuesday in victories against Chartiers-Houston and Western Beaver.

CAREER: A senior, Clarke has started since early in her freshman season. She is the Rams' record-holder in career points (1,113), points in one game (44) and rebounds in one game (27). She also has more than 900 career rebounds. Clarke averaged 21.5 points and 13.4 rebounds per game last season, when she repeated as a first-team all-section choice.

BIGGER, BETTER: Weightlifting and improved range have helped make Clarke a well-rounded player. "She is a lot stronger," said Rams coach Charlotte Roberson. "And since the latter part of last season, she's been playing more outside. She has a good 15- to 20-foot shot, which makes her more effective because teams like to double- and triple-team her inside."

FRESHMAN SAVVY: Roberson found out quickly that Clarke doesn't succumb to pressure. "It was her freshman year, we were down by a point and she was shooting two free throws," Roberson recalled. "There was no time left and no one else was on the court. Well, she nailed both. To do that as a freshman shows what she's about. She's won three or four games at the buzzer."

DAD A ROLE MODEL: One of Clarke's early coaches has had a major impact on her development in basketball -- her father. Kevin Clarke played at Edgewood High School, now part of Woodland Hills, and at California University of Pennsylvania. "He's been my influence all along," Allyson said. "If it wasn't for him telling me I had potential, being the one who made me want to better, I wouldn't be where I am."

OTHER SPORTS: Clarke's court duties aren't limited to basketball, as she played volleyball the past three seasons. She also ran track as a sophomore and junior, competing in two hurdles events and two relays, but might not go out this spring. "I might want to get a job and start making money for college," she said.

FUTURE: A quality student, Clarke plans to play college basketball. Robert Morris and a number of NCAA Division II and III programs have shown interest.

--- By Rick Shrum, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette