Nick Loyacona

Latrobe

Last week: Loyacona, a junior goalie on the Latrobe hockey team, stopped 33 of 35 shots as Latrobe won the state Class AA championship Saturday with a 3-2 victory against Conestoga at the Cambria County War Memorial.

Check this out: Loyacona, a starter for 2¹/₂ years, was excellent in the postseason, allowing only seven goals in four games and his save percentage was well above .900. He had a 14-3 record in the regular season with a 2.53 goals-against average.

Was the state championship your best game ever? I don't know, but my coach and a couple of other players said it was the best they ever saw me play. I think the pressure of the big game helped me play better.

The famous movie Slap Shot was filmed at the War Memorial. Have you ever seen that movie? Yeah, it's hilarious. I actually met one of the Hanson brothers from that movie. He coached one of my friends.

A movie that really scared you? When I saw "Darkness Falls." It's a movie about a tooth fairy.

If you were Michel Therrien, you would ... This might be a dumb question, but who is Michel Therrien?

The Penguins coach? Oh. I would get the team fired up for the playoffs.

People might be surprised to know that ... Snowboarding is my second-favorite sport.

-- By Mike White

Christa Rogers

Quaker Valley

Last week: Rogers, a senior on the Quakers' track and field team, won the 100-meter dash and 100 hurdles at the South Hills Classic. She also was fourth in the shot put.

Check this out: Rogers won WPIAL Class AA championships in the 100 and 200 dashes and 100 hurdles last year and also had the 11th-best shot put mark in Class AA history. She also plays basketball and volleyball and has accepted a volleyball scholarship to attend Morgan State. Her sister, Jasmine, runs track at Delaware State, and her brother, Darren, plays football at Gardner-Webb (N.C.).

Do you realize how unusual the running-shot put combination is? Yes. This weekend [at the South Hills meet], I ran the 100 hurdles and then went to the shot put. There were some huge girls staring at me, saying, "What is she doing here?"

What is your favorite sport? I like all of them, but I really have learned to love track. But at the same time, everyone cheers in volleyball all the time and there is so much energy there.

It's 10 p.m. and you're hungry. What are you going to eat? That's a really good question. Probably frozen vegetables, the ones you kind of steam in the microwave.

If you could take anyone to the prom, who would it be? I'd probably say someone who is a quality dancer as well as a quality person.

People might be surprised to know that ... I hated the recruiting process. It was probably the most stressful thing I've ever been through in my life.

-- By Mike White