MIKE WASHINGTON

SCHOOL: Aliquippa

WHO IS HE? A 5-foot-8 senior who is Mr. Versatility for the undefeated Quips. He plays receiver, cornerback, punter and kick returner.

LAST WEEK: He caught a touchdown pass, returned a kickoff for a touchdown, intercepted a pass, returned two punts for 58 yards and had a 58-yard punt in a 44-10 victory against Center.

A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING: Washington leads the team in receptions with 12 for 200 yards (16.7 average). He has carried the ball nine times for 61 yards, averaged a whopping 29.9 yards on 14 punt returns and 47.7 yards on three kickoff returns. On defense, he has two interceptions and also has punted 15 times for a 37.9 average. He had nine interceptions a year ago.

"I would say my favorite thing is punt returns," Washington said. "I just like how you get the ball and the opposing team is running wildly. So, you give a move here or there, they fall and you have room to run wild."

FRESH FACE: Washington has been a starter since his freshman year.

FROM THE SOUTH: Washington moved from Union, S.C., to Aliquippa after the eighth grade. He lives with his grandparents.

THE OTHER SPORT: Some of Washington's teammates call him "Turbo." No wonder. He is a sprinter on Aliquippa's track team and finished second in the 100-meter dash at the WPIAL Class AA championships last year.

COLLEGE BOUND: Akron, Richmond and some Ivy League schools have showed interest in Washington. He has a 3.5 grade-point average and would like to major in architectural engineering.

-- By Mike White

ANGELICA MARTINEZ

SCHOOL: Schenley.

WHO IS SHE? A 13-year-old freshman and the City League girls' cross country champion.

THE PAST WEEK: Martinez won the City title Saturday at Schenley Park, covering 3.1 miles in 19 minutes, 56.79 seconds. That was a City girls' record, eclipsing the 19:56.99 standard established by Allderdice's Molly Ainsman in 2002.

MOVING EXPERIENCE: About two years ago, Martinez, her parents and younger brother relocated from Mexico City to Beechview. The family owns a Mexican restaurant Downtown.

DELAYED START: Though she ran cross country at Frick Middle School the past two years, Martinez seemed reluctant to do so at Schenley. She ran minimally during the summer and missed the first day or two of preseason workouts.

"I was a freshman and didn't know anybody," she said. "I didn't really do any work during the summer."

FALL AND RISE: Her first varsity meet didn't alleviate her anxieties. Martinez was pushed and fell in the Red, White & Blue meet at Schenley Park in September, and finished 93rd in a field of more than 200. Since then, she has finished seventh at the Northern and third at the Central Catholic invitationals.

FUTURE: Martinez's plans include college cross country and travel. "I don't know what I want to do [for a living]," she said, "but I want to go around the world."

-- By Rick Shrum