College recruiters hit the mother lode last year in Western Pennsylvania.

There were so many outstanding seniors with national-caliber ability that schools that haven't mined area talent recently sent representatives.

"Ones that hadn't been here for a while, schools like LSU, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, were in here," said Joe Butler of Metro Index Scouting. "It was like the old days back in the 1960s and '70s because there were so many nationally ranked players."

Leading the Class of 2008 was Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who scored a touchdown in his first game with Ohio State Saturday. But there were others besides Pryor who caught the eye of many recruiters. Players such as Aliquippa's Jonathan Baldwin (Pitt), Montour's Christian Wilson (North Carolina), Trinity's Andrew Sweat (Penn State), Thomas Jefferson's Lucas Nix (Pitt), Hopewell's David Posluszny (Notre Dame) and Greensburg Central Catholic's Chris Hayden-Martin (Boston College).

OK, so what about this year's talent crop?

Well, it's sort of like having a date one weekend with the prom queen or king and then going out with the girl or guy next door seven days later. It's nice, but the quality isn't the same.

"This year's class is a good group. There are some talented players, but it's just not the same as last year's," Butler said. "That's not a knock against anybody, it's just a class like last year's comes around once every decade or two."

What the WPIAL is loaded with this year are quality linebackers and linemen.

No surprise there. Those are the types of players the area cranks out year after year.

The linebackers who stand out are Dorian Bell of Gateway, Dan Mason of Penn Hills, B.J. Stevens from Gateway and Todd Thomas from Beaver Falls. The top linemen are Tyrone Ezell from Steel Valley, Adam Gress from West Mifflin and Ryan Schlieper from North Allegheny.

Butler likes Thomas as a linebacker and said he has "position flexibility."

That means a college team could plug the Beaver Falls senior, who is better know for his offensive ability as a running back/wide receiver, into any one of three or four positions.

"I can see him becoming a will [outside] linebacker," Butler said. "He's 6-3 and, what, 190 pounds. You can see him going to 235 pounds at the next level and still having that athletic ability."

As for players on the rise, Butler said one is Carlynton senior lineman Jordon Rousso, who is 6 feet 5, 250 pounds. He also likes McKeesport fullback Nico Price, Valley tight end/defensive end Troy Hill and Central Catholic defensive lineman Steve Mitchell, among others.

Speaking of Rousso, he had a monster game for Carlynton in a season-opening victory against Beth-Center. He was in on 10 tackles, picked up a fumble and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown and also had an interception.

The victory was Carlynton's first in a season opener since 2005. The Cougars have not had a winning season since 1997, although they were 5-5 and qualified for the WPIAL Class AA playoffs in 2001.

Unsung hero

Beaver Area running back Jake Nardone rambled for 343 yards this past Friday night in a Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference victory at New Brighton.

He was quick to credit his linemen for doing a great job of paving the way.

One blocker in particular who had a nice night springing Nardone was tight end Denny DeLauter, a 6-1, 230-pound senior.

Tight ends often aren't recognized when a running back has a big game, but Beaver coach Jeff Beltz said DeLauter was outstanding at sealing off opponents on Nardone's runs inside the tackles.

"People used to ask me if Rory Nicol [now a tight end at Ohio State] was that good," Beltz said. "It makes a difference when a guy is getting a piece of one guy and then is down field blocking another. Denny did a nice job the other night."

Here are a few games to check out this week for anyone who hasn't yet decided on a destination tomorrow night.

• Carlynton at Monaca. The Indians' stadium on the banks of the Ohio River is great this time of year and both teams are coming off victories.

• Highlands at Montour. First Pine-Richland and now Highlands. Montour has a tough non-conference schedule and is faced with the challenge of stopping Highlands QB Jeff Sinclair, a Division I prospect.

• Hopewell at Mars Area. The Planets cruised to a victory against Moon in their first game as a Class AAA team, but Hopewell will be more of an acid test.

• Riverview at Rochester. Riverview upset the Rams last year at Riverside Park in Oakmont. Rochester would like to avenge that defeat.

And for those who aren't busy Saturday evening, Sto-Rox will take on Bishop Canevin, a surprise winner against Quaker Valley, at 7:30 at storied Dormont Stadium.