Colin Johnston

Canon-McMillan

Last week: Johnston, a senior wrestler, had a history-making win, defeating Hempfield's Jack Bachman, 9-3, in the 135-pound championship match of the WPIAL Class AAA/Southwest regional. Johnston is one of only 16 wrestlers in WPIAL history to win four championships.

Check this out: Johnston, who already has signed with West Virginia, will go for his second PIAA title next weekend in Hershey. Johnston also ran cross country for three years of his high school career.

Of the four championships, what was the toughest to win? Probably this one. Just knowing I was coming in for the fourth title was kind of a big deal. I was kind of nervous.

Do you know any other wrestlers who ran cross country also? No. It's kind of weird, but it kept me in shape a little.

What is your typical day like during wrestling season? I go to school and then practice after school. After practice, I go to a gym and work out, either running or lifting.

If you won a million dollars, what would you buy first? Probably a cruise ship.

Can you get one for a million? Maybe not. I'd buy a small yacht then.

What's better, a two-hour delay or a day off school? A two-hour delay because you don't have to make that up. We don't do anything at school anyway on those two-hour delays.

-- By Mike White

Renee Brown

Mount Alvernia

Last week: A 5-foot-10 senior forward, Brown had a masterful performance in the WPIAL Class A girls' championship game Friday. She scored a career-high 34 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and nailed two free throws with 6.5 seconds left to send the game into the first overtime. Mount Alvernia knocked off previously unbeaten Monessen, 74-68, in double overtime.

Check this out: A resident of the Stanton Heights neighborhood, Brown attended Greater Works Academy in Monroeville until the end of her sophomore year. For her junior year, she transferred to Mount Alvernia in Millvale.

You hit those two free throws with 6.5 seconds remaining, what was going through your mind? I was like, "Please let these go in."

You are coached by Mount Alvernia's De Porucznik, a coaching legend. Is she intimidating? She is just amazing. She wants us to better ourselves not just through basketball, but also through education and the way we act in the community.

Was there extra incentive in the WPIAL title game because Monessen was undefeated? Not really. We just wanted to prove that we could beat them and wanted to prove that we had a good enough team to play with the best teams out there.

Your younger sister [Mount Alvernia freshman Raven Brown] is going to be very good. Talk about her: She is a really good ball-handler. We play one-on-one sometimes and she brings it to me, but she can't beat me yet.

-- By Colin Dunlap