There have been a ton of stories over the years about high school athletes specializing in one sport -- this isn't one of them.

Just the opposite. This is a tale about how athletes who are willing to stretch themselves can benefit two sports at the same time of year at one school.

The Beaver High School boys' cross country team secured its first section championship in more than 20 years two weeks ago with a victory at Laurel. The boys' soccer team tied Center for first place, losing 3-2 Tuesday night in Section 4-AA. Both finished with 11-3 records and are section co-champions.

Three athletes at Beaver have been performing well for the soccer and cross country teams.

Asa Equels is one of them.

A sophomore, he plays either right midfield or a forward position in soccer. On the cross country team, he is the Bobcats' top runner.

There have been a number of times this season when he has jumped in a car after a cross country meet, changed into his soccer uniform along the way and joined the team at a game.

"We ran at Avonworth earlier this year, then I went back to Beaver for a game against Mohawk. I got in and ended up scoring a goal about five minutes later," Equels said.

He isn't the only one doing double duty. Josef DiPietrantonio and Jack McLaughlin are also playing soccer and running cross country, although both of them have seen more action in junior varsity soccer contests.

The girls' cross country squad also won a section title this season and in soccer Beaver won the Section 5-AA title with a 12-0 section record.

Playing multiple sports is nothing new to Equels. He said last year he "only" competed in soccer, swimming and track. A distrance runner on the track squad, he was asked by coach Steve Goldcamp if he had ever considered running cross country.

"I told him I really couldn't drop soccer," Equels said. "He told me that I could double up. I really didn't know about that, but he said Jeremy Hall at Center [High School] did it last year, so I took a shot at it this year and it's worked out."

At the Central Catholic Invitational earlier this month Equals was fourth and Beaver won the B Division team title with 79 points. Blairsville was second with 89 and Northgate third with 96.

Equels ran the 3.1-mile course at Schenley Park in 17 minutes, 50 seconds. DiPietrantonio was right behind in 17:51 and Cameron Clerici was sixth in 17:56.

The Beaver girls' team was second to Northgate at the Central Catholic meet, 52-69. Maddie Goldcamp, the coach's daughter, was sixth in 21:07.

"Last year we were 14th out of 14 teams," Steve Goldcamp said of the boys' team at the Central Invitational. "This year we win the B race. Having those guys [from the soccer team] makes a difference.

"My biggest job is keeping them injury free. Doing two varsity sports is tough."

Equels found that out during training camp. He was going to soccer practice twice a day and trying to work out with the cross country squad.

"I was having a hard time of it ... then I got in the groove," he said.

The soccer players have discovered they don't have to train much with the cross country team during the season. They put in enough miles at soccer practice.

"Usually at soccer practice our coach [Scott Hazuda] keeps us in shape by running us ragged and Mr. Goldcamp knows that," Equels said. "Whenever I'm done with soccer practice, I'm usually beat and I have homework and stuff to do.

"We get a good workout in soccer and that seems to be enough."

Hazuda had no problem with the trio doing double duty. He was quick to point out that there have not been any conflicts between the two sports.

"There has never been a problem," Hazuda said. "I'm sure they were eating dinner in the car on the way from cross country to soccer.

"The other thing is that they are all good students, so it wasn't a problem that way."

Goldcamp believes his cross country teams are good enough to earn trips to the PIAA championships in Hershey Nov. 7. The top four teams in Class AAA and AA at the WPIAL championships advance to the PIAA meet.

If that doesn't happen, runners such as Equels, DiPietantonio, Clerici, Maddie Goldcamp and Brittany Shay are certainly good enough to qualify for the PIAA meet as individuals.

"The thing is, some of these kids wound up being on two section championship teams [in the same season]," Goldcamp said. "And that doesn't happen very often."

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.