After 15 seasons, four WPIAL boys' basketball championships and 304 victories, John Sarandrea has coached his final game at New Castle High School.

Sarandrea has given up his coaching position and job as New Castle's principal to become the superintendent of the Sharon City School District.

Sarandrea, 49, was highly successful at New Castle and is the only coach to win consecutive WPIAL Class AAAA titles. New Castle won three in a row from 1997-99 and another in 1993. New Castle's 1999 team, which was 30-2, was considered one of the best in the WPIAL in the past two decades. Sarandrea also won eight section titles and his record at New Castle was 304-109.

This past season was the only time New Castle missed the playoffs in Sarandrea's tenure.

"It was a hard decision from the standpoint that I'm really happy at New Castle and I was treated exceptionally well there," Sarandrea said. "But it was not a hard decision from the basketball standpoint. I think it was a progression I had to go through. As you go through, you let go just a little bit at a time, as opposed to falling off the cliff and going cold turkey.

"This past season, we had good kids but it was a difficult year. It was the first losing season I've ever had. It just felt like it was a good segue into the end."

Before coming to New Castle, Sarandrea was an assistant at Pitt under Paul Evans. He also coached Tolentine, N.Y., and his 1988 team finished No. 1 in the USA Today rankings.

Fab five

April and May are months when college football recruiters hit the road, traveling to high schools to scout and recruit prospects. Recruiters from major colleges across the country are showing up in Western Pennsylvania this spring.

The WPIAL has a handful of players in the class of 2008 who are highly ranked nationally and who are being recruited heavily. Coaches from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and other Big East and Big Ten Conference schools have been at a number of WPIAL schools. That's not unusual. But coaches from Texas, Southern California, Florida and Florida State also have been showing up. That's very unusual.

Five WPIAL players are showing up on most lists of the top 100 players in the country for next season. Here is a look at the five:

Terrelle Pryor, QB, Jeannette -- The most heavily recruited two-sport athlete (football and basketball) in Western Pa. since Tom Clements of Canevin in the 1970s. Rivals.com and nationally known talent scout Tom Lemming rank Pryor (6 feet 6, 220 pounds) the No. 1 player in the class of 2008.

"Texas' offensive coordinator [Greg Davis] flew in on a private jet. I picked him up at the Latrobe airport," Jeannette coach Ray Reitz said. "A coach from USC has been here. [Notre Dame coach] Charlie Weis was here last week. Coaches from everywhere have been here."

Pryor has offers from schools around the country, but he also has offers from major colleges for basketball. He keeps saying he wants to play both in college, but football will be his No. 1 sport.

"After the spring, he needs to narrow it down to 10 schools, and maybe even lower than that," Reitz said.

Jonathan Baldwin, Aliquippa -- USC just offered Baldwin a scholarship Wednesday. A 6-6, 220-pound receiver/tight end/defensive end, Baldwin also has offers from Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan, among others.

But Baldwin also is talented in basketball and insists he might choose to play that sport in college.

Andrew Sweat, Trinity -- A 6-2, 225-pound linebacker, Sweat has made unofficial visits to Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, Florida and Wisconsin. All have offered, but so have dozens of others.

"He's been to a number of places already," Trinity coach Ed Dalton said. "He had spaghetti at Joe Paterno's house."

Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame are some of the schools at the top of Sweat's list.

Shayne Hale, Gateway -- A 6-4, 245-pound linebacker, Hale has offers from Pitt, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida and Florida State, among others.

Hale and teammate Cameron Saddler (running back) also were recently offered by Oregon. It's highly unusual for the Ducks to fly into Western Pennsylvania for a recruit, but Hale said he and Saddler plan to visit the school. The reason? Oregon's uniforms.

"That's a must," Hale said. "We have to see those green uniforms in real life, up close and personal."

Lucas Nix, Thomas Jefferson -- Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said Nix and Tyler Reed (Penn State) are the two most heavily recruited players he has had. Nix is a 6-6, 305-pound two-way tackle.

"Michigan and Miami are coming today. Florida State's been here, too," Cherpak said. "Everyone has been here."

Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Notre Dame are among the schools that have offered scholarships.

See Jon run

It's not often you see a 6-6, 220-pound athlete turn into a top sprinter in track. But that's what has happened this year at Aliquippa.

Jonathan Baldwin, a junior better known for his football and basketball talent, is one of the top 100- and 200-meter sprinters in the WPIAL. His time of 10.8 seconds in the 100 ties for the best in the WPIAL this season. His 200 time of 22.3 is third. He also runs on Aliquippa's 400-meter relay team that has the second-best WPIAL time (43.5).

Baldwin did not run track last year. As a freshman, he ran the 400 and 1,600 relay.

"I came out this year because I wanted to stay in shape for football," Baldwin said. "[Aliquippa track coach] Sherman McBride wanted me to run, too. He does a lot for me, so I thought I'd do this for him."

Two for one

How's this for strange but true spring sports stories: On April 27, the Serra baseball team and the Serra softball team both had no-hitters. At the same time. Against the same school.

On that Friday afternoon, Cam Olsen and Mike Tedesco combined to no-hit St. Joseph's, 9-0, at Boston Field in Elizabeth. Meanwhile, at Stephen Barry Field in Renzie Park in McKeesport, Serra's Suzy Yanderlic no-hit the St. Joseph's softball team in a 7-0 victory.

Son of Sid

Seneca Valley is the Post-Gazette's No. 1-ranked WPIAL Class AAAA baseball team and one of the Raiders' top players is Tyler Bream, son of former Pirates first baseman Sid Bream. Tyler Bream is a 6-3, 188-pound junior third baseman who is batting .436.