ED COLLINGTON

SCHOOL: Penn Hills

WHO IS HE: A 6-foot, 205-pound senior running back who started the season in a big way.

LAST WEEK: Penn Hills' season opener against North Allegheny was stopped early in the third quarter because of lightning. But Collington still ran for 197 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns in a 28-7 win.

IMPACT PLAYER: Collington has been on Penn Hills' varsity since his sophomore year and has become a bigger part of the offense each season. As a sophomore, he rushed for 316 yards on 62 attempts while fellow sophomore Ken Lewis had 895 on 134 attempts. Last year, Collington led Penn Hills with 959 yards on 109 carries and Lewis had 884 on 158.

Lewis has not practiced this season because of a hamstring injury, so Collington is the featured back.

"There haven't been too many years when we haven't had a great running back here," Penn Hills coach Neil Gordon said. "I think [Collington] is a great high school running back. The thing he has that the others didn't have is size. He's a big kid. A number of other ones we've had in the past were 5-7 or 5-8."

SHOULDERING THE LOAD: Collington missed some of preseason practice with a dislocated left shoulder. He missed two games last year with the same injury.

Collington needs surgery on the shoulder. But, if he has surgery now, he will miss the rest of the season. He has decided to play and postpone the surgery.

"I wear a brace on it," Collington said. "I know I'm taking a big risk. I'm just praying it doesn't come out."

ON THE MOVE: Collington attended Steel Valley High School as a freshman, but transferred to Penn Hills as a sophomore, when he and his mother, Jessie, moved into the Penn Hills district.

A MAN CALLED HORSE: Collington's teammates call him "Horse."

"They say they have the speed and power of a horse," Collington said.

Gordon said, "I'm hoping to ride this 'Horse' this year."

THE FUTURE: Collington has a scholarship offer from Akron, but is hoping more colleges become interested.

"I think he's a Division I college tailback," Gordon said.

--By Mike White

SCHOOL: Upper St. Clair

WHO IS SHE: A senior on the girls' golf team, Bode is off to a fast start this season.

THE PAST WEEK: Bode shot a 2-over-par 37 and finished first in Upper St. Clair's two matches last week against Blackhawk and Bethel Park at St. Clair Country Club. She shot even-par 38 and finished second against Oakland Catholic Tuesday at Edgewood Country Club.

THE BEST?: Bode finished second at the WPIAL championships last year to teammate Katie Trachok. But with Trachok's graduation, Bode might be the player to beat in the WPIAL.

"I think I've really improved," Bode said. "It's hard to tell so far because the courses we've been playing are short, and we play the ladies tees. But I've practiced a lot and I've improved my mental game since last year."

Upper St. Clair coach Fred Lese said: "I think she's just more consistent and more determined this year. She's really put in a lot of time."

ON TOUR: From mid-June to mid-August, Bode was home for only four days. She spent two weeks on vacation with her family. The rest of the time, she was playing tournaments from Connecticut to Illinois to Florida. Either Bode's mother, Leslie, or her father, Rick, traveled with her.

"I don't think you necessarily have to play as many tournaments as I did to become better, but to get to the next level of Division I college golf, it's really necessary to play national tournaments," Bode said. "Your scores are available on line, and it kind of gives you a resume for colleges."

GOING FOR 11: Upper St. Clair has won 10 WPIAL team championships in a row.

"I'd say we're probably just as strong as last year," Bode said.

THE FUTURE: Bode, who has a 4.0 grade-point average, plans to make official visits to a few Ivy League schools this month and also to Georgetown.

-- By Mike White