JESSICA FIX

SCHOOL: Norwin.

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-2 senior midfielder who specializes in setting up teammates for goals. Fix is considered one of the top players in the WPIAL and she is one of the main reasons Norwin is ranked No. 4 in Class AAA. The Knights are 17-1-2.

RECORD BREAKER: Fix's assist in Wednesday's game against Penn-Trafford gave her 22 for the season, which is a new single-season school record. She also set the record last season, breaking a 12-year-old mark. Fix also tied the school career assist record of 45, set by 1992 graduate Leslie Mumpower.

IN THE MIDDLE: During her freshman year and most of her sophomore season, Fix played forward. In the final game of her sophomore year, she was moved to midfielder -- and has been there ever since.

"I like playing midfield because I feel like I can control the game more from there," Fix said.

Norwin coach Dana Ferry said: "The reason we moved her to midfield is because she's a dominant player who has extremely high work ethic with incredible skill and speed. And I've always lived with the philosophy that games are decided in the midfield. She's done very well there."

REACHING A GOAL: Fix isn't all about passing, though. She has 10 goals this season and 44 for her career, which is eighth-best all time at the school.

"She has a terrific shot. We don't hold her back from shooting," Ferry said. "But it's just that she's such a tremendous playmaker. That's where she excels. Forty-four career coals is not too shabby, though."

TAR HEELS CALLING: Fix is unsure of her college choice. She will visit the University of Akron this weekend. But the North Carolina Tar Heels also are showing interest. North Carolina has won 18 NCAA championships since 1979 and has a record of 559-25-15.

"They have two more girls they're looking at from out of state," Fix said. "If either of them fall through, I'm next. Even if I'm not their top player, that's still an honor just to be considered by them."

Ferry said: "They are the premiere program on the national level. For them to even be interested in her says a lot."

-- By Mike White

TYLER HENDERSON

SCHOOL: Burrell.

WHO IS HE? One of the leading rushers in Western Pennsylvania and a main reason the Buccaneers (8-0, 6-0) are undefeated, are No. 5 in the Post-Gazette's WPIAL Class AA rankings and will enter the playoffs as the Allegheny Conference's No. 1 seed.

THE PAST WEEK: Friday night, Henderson carried 17 times for 145 yards and touchdown runs of 5 and 55 yards in a 34-20 victory against Shady Side Academy.

CAREER: A 6-foot, 185-pound junior, Henderson has gained 1,271 yards on 171 carries (7.4 average) and scored 23 touchdowns this season. He has topped 100 yards in each game, including a high of 300 Sept. 18 against Ford City.

Henderson, a safety, also is the Bucs' second-leading tackler and is a special-teams maven who has blocked two punts and returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score.

He started at running back as a sophomore, leading his team in rushing (681 yards) and scoring (13 touchdowns).

... AND TYLER TOO: Burrell football fans continue to marvel at the son's rise. Tyler Henderson's father, Tom, is the Bucs' coach.

Playing for a parent poses difficulties, but for Tyler, they are minimal. "He's pretty good overall," Tyler said. "We get to go over a lot of things. But if I have a bad practice, I have to hear about it."

LINE ON SUCCESS: Burrell is one of the highest-scoring teams in the WPIAL, averaging 38.1 points per game. For all his prowess, Tyler Henderson is not the only significant part of the offensive equation.

"He has a very good line in front of him," Tom Henderson said of a group spearheaded by tackle John Brown Jr., a Pitt recruit. "Tyler would be the first to give them credit."

Indeed. "It's definitely the line," Tyler Henderson said.

As for his son's qualities, the Bucs' coach said: "He has above average speed and great vision. He sees things developing from sideline to sideline."

CHANGE OF SEASONS: Tyler Henderson is a master of the transition game. When football ends, he plays basketball; he was a starter last winter. Then in the spring, it's track. Henderson was on a 400-meter relay team that competed in the PIAA championships in May.

FUTURE: Henderson said he wants to play college football.

-- By Rick Shrum