ERICA PROSSER
SCHOOL: Oakland Catholic.

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-7 sophomore guard-forward on Oakland Catholic's highly successful girls' basketball team.

THE PAST WEEK: Prosser scored a career-high 20 points in a 50-32 victory against Bethel Park in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal Friday. She had 10 points in a 45-41 victory against Altoona in a semifinal Tuesday. Oakland Catholic (30-2) will play for the PIAA title tomorrow night in Hershey against Cheltenham.

CAREER: Prosser has been in Oakland Catholic's starting lineup since her freshman year. She became a starter last season when guard Brianne O'Rourke had a season-ending knee injury. Prosser averages 8 points a game this season.

EAGLES FAN: Prosser lives in the Baldwin School District and attended St. Gabriel Grade School. Although her brother, Gavin, was a former standout guard at Baldwin, Erica decided to attend Oakland Catholic.

"I wanted to come to Oakland Catholic since I was in fourth grade," she said. "I wanted to go to a Catholic school. I looked at Seton-LaSalle, too, but it just wasn't right for me. Plus, Oakland Catholic has the great basketball tradition, and I always looked up to [former Oakland Catholic coach] Suzie McConnell Serio."

BASKETBALL FAMILY: Prosser's brother now plays at Point Park College and averaged 22.2 points a game this season. Their father, Craig, played Division I basketball at Canisius and had a short stint in the NBA.

"They've both meant a lot to me," Prosser said. "Every day, my dad pushes me hard. Sometimes, he'll stay after practice with me to shoot. He knows what it takes to make it and he motivates me.

"Gavin has achieved so much in high school and college. I know he's my brother, but he's my idol. He's a great role model for me in basketball and just every day away from basketball."

POINTING TO THE FUTURE: While Prosser has played her role well for Oakland Catholic this season, she will play a different role next season. She probably will be counted on to score a little more and could move to point guard because of the graduation of Brianne O'Rourke and Sarah Bucar.

"That's basically my No. 1 position," Prosser said. "But we have Sarah and Brianne, so I didn't play there. I was OK with that. I'm happy just to be on the court. But I always played point guard before I got here, so it's really my natural position."

Some Division I colleges already are interested in Prosser.

THE OTHER SPORT: Prosser also participates in cross country and track and field for Oakland Catholic. In cross country this past season, she was 58th at the WPIAL Class AAA championships.

-- Mike White

CORBIN SEMPLE
SCHOOL: Waynesburg.

WHO IS HE? A PIAA Class AAA wrestling champion. He defeated Nick Guida of Parkland, 6-3, for the 171-pound title Saturday at the Giant Center in Hershey.

PAST WEEK: Semple won overtime matches in the first two rounds Thursday and Friday, then defeated Scott Hunter of Emmaus, 4-0, in a semifinal Saturday before facing Guida, the defending champ at 171.

CAREER: A senior, Semple had a 126-41 record in four varsity seasons. He was 43-4 this winter.

Last year, as a 160-pounder, he finished third in the WPIAL and sixth in the PIAA. Semple wrestled at 140 as a freshman and 152 as a sophomore.

"Corbin has gotten better year after year," said Waynesburg coach John Yates. "He always puts in a hard six minutes. That's what got him to the state finals and what got him a gold medal."

REVENGE: As if winning PIAA gold weren't incentive enough, Semple knew if he and Guida kept advancing in Hershey they would face off in the final. And that would offer Semple a shot at revenge after Guida beat him twice at the Beast of the East tournament in Delaware early in the season.

"I was really looking forward to that possibility," said Semple, who fell behind quickly in the championship match before taking control.

SUCCESS IS RELATIVE: Wrestling is a family passion. Semple said he learned a lot about that sport from his father, Bob, a WPIAL and PIAA runner-up at Canon-McMillan, and his older brother, Shane, whose wrestling career at Waynesburg was disrupted by injuries.

OTHER SPORT: Though wrestling is his trademark activity, Semple also played varsity soccer at Waynesburg. He shifted between goaltender and midfield for four seasons, literally splitting time at those positions as a senior.

FUTURE: Semple will attend Penn State, where his brother is a senior and sister, Rose, is a junior. He will not wrestle, though.

"I need to concentrate on academics," said Semple, an honor student who plans to major in engineering or business. "But I'll probably miss wrestling."

Yates said: "I have no doubt he could be an extremely successful wrestler in college. But I want him to be happy."

-- By Rick Shrum