MONTEL WILLIAMSON

SCHOOL: West Mifflin

	John Beale, Post-Gazette Montel Williams: Ran a 10.4 100 this week. Click photo for larger image.

WHO IS HE? A senior on the West Mifflin track and field team who has burst onto the scene as one of the top sprinters in the WPIAL.

LAST WEEK: Williamson won the 100-meter dash at the Tri-State Track Coaches Association Invitational with a meet-record time of 10.4 seconds. He also ran the anchor leg on West Mifflin's 400 and 1,600 relay teams. The Tri-State is one of the largest early season meets.

MAKING AN IMPACT: Williamson missed almost all last season with a stress fracture in his right leg. When he returned, he ran only on relay teams and was part of the 400 relay team that won the PIAA Class AAA championship. But not many people outside of West Mifflin knew about his ability in individual races. That's why his showing this season could be considered a surprise.

"I really wasn't expecting times like I ran the other day," Williamson said. "I couldn't tell you why it's happened."

PUSHED INTO RUNNING: Williamson never tried running track until his sophomore year. And he did it only at the urging of West Mifflin's football coaches.

"The football coaches kind of tricked me into running," Williamson said. "It was after a weightlifting session when I was a sophomore. They made me run in the hallways against one of the fast kids, and I won. So then they got me to go out for track."

Williamson used to play football but gave the sport as a senior. "I wanted to save myself from all the injuries," he said.

LOOKING GOOD: Williamson works at a trendy clothing store at the Waterfront in Homestead. Williamson is big into wearing nice clothes.

"I love to show off," he said with a laugh.

He also likes sneakers, saying he has about 10 pair. Williamson's nickname at West Mifflin is "Hollywood."

FUTURE: Williamson hopes to run track in college and is strongly considering Duquesne University.

-- By Mike White

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BECCA PETRAS

SCHOOL: Canon-McMillan.

WHO IS SHE?: One of the top softball pitchers in the WPIAL.

PAST WEEK: The Big Macs' game at Upper St. Clair yesterday was their sixth in the past seven days. They won the first five, and Petras was the winning pitcher in each.

During that 5-0 run, she registered 4 shutouts, 67 strikeouts and 2 no-hitters and gave up a total of 5 hits and 2 runs.

Petras was the all-around star Tuesday, striking out 16, allowing two hits and stroking a decisive, run-scoring double in a 1-0 victory against Peters Township. That gave Canon-McMillan a 2-0 record in Section 4-AAAA heading into a section matchup yesterday.

CAREER: A junior right-hander, Petras has been a starting pitcher since early in her freshman year. She had a breakthrough season in 2004, compiling a 17-4 mark and a 0.46 ERA, with 202 strikeouts and 19 walks in 150 2/3 innings.

BIG PERFORMER: Petras is only 5 feet 3 and is not overpowering. But she rarely throws a straight pitch and is averaging more than a strikeout per inning over the past two seasons.

"She is a finesse pitcher who is very accurate," said Canon-McMillan coach Michele Moeller. "Her pitches have movement. She gets a lot of strikeouts on her riser, her drop is very good and she has a changeup that is much better now."

FEELING STRONG NOW: Conditioning also is an integral element of Petras' success. Moeller said her pitcher has worked diligently at building strength, particularly in her legs.

The increased muscle also has enhanced Petras' offensive skills. Last season, from the No. 3 spot, she batted .314 with four extra-base hits and 10 RBIs.

"Becca is one of those people who is always striving for excellence," Moeller said. "She'll do what she needs to do, without complaining."

In that vein, Petras traveled to Michigan in the offseason to work with Doug Gillis, who has tutored several U.S. Olympic pitchers.

"He helped her tweak some pitches," Moeller said.

FUTURE: An honor student with a grade point average around 4.0, Petras hopes to play major-college softball. She is pondering a career in chemical engineering or pharmacy.

-- By Rick Shrum