NICOLE PETRILLO

SCHOOL: Greensburg Central Catholic.

WHO IS SHE? Only a sophomore, Petrillo is one of the leading goal scorers in the WPIAL.

THE PAST WEEK: Petrillo scored one goal in victories against Geibel and Center, and three goals against Carmichaels.

SEASON: Heading into this week, Petrillo was fourth in the WPIAL in goals with 32. She has helped Greensburg Central Catholic to a 15-1 record and the No. 2 spot in the Post-Gazette WPIAL Class AA rankings.

NET EARNINGS: Petrillo has found the back of the net with regularity in her two seasons at Greensburg Central Catholic. As a freshman, she scored 41 goals. She credits her teammates for setting her up to score, but a few of those teammates find the net often themselves. Rachel Sebbens, a transfer from Yough, is not far behind Petrillo with 30 goals. Liz Robinson has 19.

PICK A NAME: Petrillo said she is known as Nicky to everyone except her parents. They prefer to call her Nicole. So what should newspapers call the young soccer star? "I don't care," Petrillo said. "Whatever you think sounds better."

THE OTHER SCORER: Petrillo is one of two sophomore scoring sensations in the WPIAL. The other is South Allegheny's Jonna Handra, who led the WPIAL in goals last season as a freshman with 50. Handra came into this week with 47 goals. Handra and Petrillo have competed against each other outside the high school season, but also have played on the same team in a league.

"You know how some people compete against each other?" Petrillo said. "Jonna and I are good friends. There's no hate there at all."

-- By Mike White

DUSTIN DEAN

SCHOOL: West Mifflin.

WHO IS HE?: One of the top running backs in WPIAL football. He also splits time at safety with Chris Giles and returns punts.

THE PAST WEEK: A 5-foot-8, 160-pound senior, Dean scored on runs of 55 and 42 yards Friday as the Titans defeated Peters Township, 14-6, in Big Seven Conference play. He finished with 192 yards on 28 carries.

SEASON: Dean has gained 1,129 yards on 140 carries (8.1 average) and scored 14 touchdowns for West Mifflin (7-0, 4-0), which shares first place with Thomas Jefferson. The Post-Gazette has the Titans ranked No. 2 in WPIAL Class AAA and No. 4 in the PIAA.

CAREER: This is Dean's second year with the varsity and second as a starter. He played football through eighth grade while living in McKeesport, but after moving, did not go out for the West Mifflin team until his junior year.

FUELING TITANS' RUN: Six weeks into the 2004 season, the Titans had a 1-2 conference record and flagging playoff hopes. At the time, Dean was a full-time starter in the secondary and a part-time tailback. He carried the ball a little more the following Friday, then became the featured back a week after that.

West Mifflin rallied to win five of six games to reach the WPIAL final before losing to Thomas Jefferson, 20-0. The Titans' run coincided with Dean's, who rushed for 518 yards in the final six games.

"We wouldn't have gone as far if we didn't have him running like that," said West Mifflin coach Ray Braszo. "I don't think there's a back anywhere else who means more to his team."

FUTURE: Dean, also a track athlete, wants to play college football. He said three district colleges have shown interest: Duquesne and Robert Morris, both Division I-AA mid-major programs, and Division III Washington & Jefferson.

-- By Rick Shrum