DOM HENDERSON

SCHOOL: Beaver Falls

WHO IS HE? A 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior quarterback.

LAST WEEK: Henderson completed 10 of 20 passes for 210 yards and also rushed for 108 yards in a 45-29 victory against Ellwood City.

SEASON: Henderson is second in the WPIAL in passing yardage, completing 48 of 99 for 722 yards and nine touchdowns.

NEW OFFENSE: Henderson threw for 1,278 yards in the 2004 regular season, good for 13th in the WPIAL. He threw 16 times a game. This season, he's averaging 24 passes a game. Just call it the "Dom-ination offense."

"Last year, we ran something like a wing-T offense," Henderson said. "At first, it was very tough to learn [the spread offense]. I don't have that many reads to make. I just have to know exactly when to throw the ball and where to throw it."

FAVORITE TARGET: The new offense also has benefited senior receiver Lance Jeter, who has 22 receptions. Henderson and Jeter had a memorable hookup on the basketball court seven months ago. Henderson calmly passed to Jeter, who made a long 3-pointer to tie the score against Aliquippa at the end of regulation in the WPIAL Class AA championship. Jeter later won the game with a half-court shot at the end of the third overtime.

BASKETBALL CARRYOVER: Beaver Falls won WPIAL and PIAA championships in basketball last season, and a number of players on that team also are playing football. Basketball coach Doug Biega also is Beaver Falls' first-year cross country coach. A few of the basketball players are on the cross country team and a few others are on the golf team. "I don't plan on playing any golf anytime soon," Henderson said with a laugh.

-- By Mike White

SCHOOL: Latrobe.

WHO IS SHE? A freshman cross-country runner.

THE PAST WEEK: Bower was the girls' individual champion in the Red, White & Blue Classic Saturday in Schenley Park. She covered 3.1 miles in 18 minutes and 43 seconds, overtaking Zaratiza Petrova of Mt. Lebanon, the eventual runner-up, late in the race.

"I didn't think I could win," Bower said. "I thought maybe top 10, but I had no idea I could do as well as I did."

Her coach, Teresa Curci, whose Wildcats won the girls' team title, thought differently. "I wasn't surprised," she said. "Natalie is a great runner."

One reason Bower caught Petrova is the Mt. Lebanon runner thought the race had ended and slowed down. In reality, she had 300 yards to go.

ANSWERING THE CALL: Bower had a bet with her father, Ron, that if she won her first two events this season, he would buy her a cell phone. She had finished first in a meet against Gateway and Altoona, and the triumph Saturday got her the phone.

GOING THE DISTANCE: Running has been a passion of Bower's since she was 7. "I started to do 5K races then," she said. "I did the Great Race a couple of times when I was 11 or 12 and won my age group the first time."

-- By Rick Shrum