High School Athletes of the Week
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Manny Simpson
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Penn-Trafford
Check this out: Simpson ran for 209 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries in Penn-Trafford's 42-12 win against Peters Township last Friday. This week, Simpson will help the Warriors try to upset Mt. Lebanon, the Post-Gazette's No. 4-ranked team in WPIAL Class AAAA.
The skinny: Simpson, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior, is one of the top running backs in Class AAAA. As a junior, he rushed for 1,235 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. Simpson has proven to be a workhorse, evidenced by his 43 carries in a game last season.
• You guys lost to Mt. Lebanon, 43-18, last season. What makes you think things will be different this season? Our passing game has been terrific so far. I think we'll be able to pass the ball well. Also, I think we're closer as a team this year, with a lot of us being seniors who have been playing together since we were little.
• Have you set a number of yards you'd like to rush for this year? Whatever I get, I get. I don't set individual goals. I'm a team player.
• Who is the biggest trash-talker on your team? Probably (senior) Pete Nestor. He just gets in the other team's heads. He's a tough player. He runs his mouth a lot, but he backs it up.
• Which college football team has the best uniforms? Oregon. Their uniforms are sick.
• Do you play fantasy football? No, I'm not into that.
• One website you have to go onto every day? Facebook. I always have to check out what sort of drama is going on.
• If you could go on a date with any actress or musician, who would it be? Either Kim Kardashian or Beyonce.
• Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard about the events of September 11th? I was sitting in elementary school. I forget what class. The teacher came in and told us.
• People might be surprised to know that ... I listen to country music.
-- Brad Everett
Pine-Richland
Last week: Brandy, a junior forward, had two goals in the Rams girls soccer team's season-opening 5-0 win against Freeport last Saturday.
The skinny: Brandy is the top offensive player for the No. 1-ranked team in WPIAL Class AAA by the Post-Gazette. She had 16 goals last season, including a hat trick in her first playoff game, and is one of the leaders on a team that has no seniors.
Your team is ranked No. 1. Do you and your teammates embrace that, don't like the pressure or just don't pay attention to it? When we found out we were No. 1, we were shocked and were like, 'Wow, that's pretty big.' We're just going to do the best we can to stay No. 1. We embraced it. We want to work hard together and get to that championship game!
First Published September 8, 2011 12:00 am
