Deer Lakes Coach Lou Nella said, “A lot of Olympians have come out of states. It's the elite, very competitive.”

It was the end and it was the beginning. Schools all across the Alle-Kiski region were finishing their year and the summer reprieve from the classroom was starting. Students were busying themselves with proms, finals, graduations, new jobs and cookouts. But there was a group doing a little something extra. Very few high school students ever make it to the place these did. They were preparing their career in collegiate sports next year, trying to break speed limits with their pitch, and in some cases being the best Pennsylvania has to offer. These are their stories.