While statistics show steroid use has become more of a problem among high school athletes in recent years, the message from local administrators is clear.

Not around here.

"I've been in coaching for more than 20 years. I know what to look for," said Butler football coach Garry Cathell. "Sudden body changes, acne on the back, irregular emotional mood swings - I haven't seen it.

"I spoke to my teams at Peters Township about steroids because I suspected a couple of guys a few years back. I haven't seen any reason to do that at Butler."

Golden Tornado wrestling coach Scott Stoner echoed those sentiments.

"I don't see any big, powerful kids at Butler with the rippled bodies," he said. "I mean, you can tell. Eating habits change. Kids will pour huge amounts of food into their bodies to supplement the drug."

While a wrestler at Slippery Rock University, Stoner said he suspected a few athletes were experimenting with performance-enhancing drugs.

"One guy started lifting and hanging out with body-builders and won the overall Mr. SRU competition for muscle tone and body build," he said.

"Two years later, he developed kidney failure and dropped out of school," Stoner added. "Guys would be in the cafeteria when it opened at 3 p.m. and still be in there three hours later."

Cathell said rapid increase in strength is one of the telltale signs of steroid use.

"We test our kids monthly on how well they're doing in the weight room," he said. "If a kid can lift seven pounds more than he could the previous month, that's a good rate of progression.

"If a kid could lift 60 to 80 pounds more, he's getting some help. Steroids can make such strength increase possible that quickly. But we haven't seen it."

Results of a National Institute on Drug Abuse study in 1991 indicated 1.9 percent of eighth-graders and 1.8 percent of 10th-graders in the United States had tried anabolic steroids. That figure increased to 2.7 percent by 1999.

An annual federal survey showed steroid use among high school seniors peaked at 4 percent in 2002.

Also a health teacher at Butler, Stoner said he would know if one of his wrestlers was part of such a statistic.

"I hear all of the stories coming from our locker room," he said. "I know the scuttlebutt. And young athletes will rat somebody out if they feel he's doing something wrong."

Among WPIAL schools, Seneca Valley, Belle Vernon and Derry Area have drug-testing programs in place for extra-curricular activities, though none was designed to target steroids.

"But steroid use can be detected through those programs," said Tim O'Malley, president of the WPIAL Board of Control. "Such programs and policies are up to the individual school. There are no plans for the league to mandate such action.

"Our stance is we're certainly opposed to it (steroid use). If the need arises to address it, it would be up to the individual district."

Slippery Rock University football recruiting coordinator Shawn Lutz said all recruits are educated about banned substances when they sign their scholarships.

The NCAA has more than 300 banned substances.

"Every player gets a list and is made aware," Lutz said. "Every school receives at least one random drug test from the NCAA each year. Some schools get tested twice.

"The NCAA gives the school 48 hours notice - that's it."

When NCAA officials arrive on campus to administer drug tests, they randomly select 10 to 12 players from the roster.

If a player tests positive, he is ineligible for a year, effective from the date of the drug test.

"I've been here 10 years and we've had only one player ever test positive," Lutz said. "And that may not have been from steroids."

SRU football trainer Scott Zema speaks to the players annually about performance-enhancing drugs.

"There's a lot of confusion out there, what substances are banned, what's not, what's OK for your body and what isn't," Zema said. "We want to get the proper word out.

"Athletes I deal with often use athletic trainers as a sounding board. I've had quite a few players ask me (about various substances) over the years.

"The right choice is to stay away from banned substances, period," he added.

As means of communication have improved through time - particularly with the Internet - steroids have become more readily available.

"Even at a small country school, I see kids getting bigger by the year," Moniteau baseball coach Arnie Trufley said. "You hope it's by natural means, but who really knows? Parents can be blind to what their kids are doing.

"Anything's available these days - just ask around. I mean, if I wanted heroin, I could get it."

Trufley was quick to say he didn't believe steroids were a problem at Moniteau.

"I've seen no evidence of it," he said. "I've had high school athletes try supplements, but not steroids. Any kids that do use them, it's a shame. You get nothing for free and that includes body development."

Mars baseball coach and assistant football coach Andy Bednar said performance-enhancement substances are not a problem there.

"We talk to the kids about staying away from drugs and alcohol," He said. "Steroids? I can't say it's an issue with us and hopefully it will never become one."

Butler baseball coach Ron Zawrotuk grew up playing football at Butler during an era of championship-caliber teams.

He said players today should follow the example of Bill Rettig, a 1964 Butler graduate who was a teammate of local grid legends Terry Hanratty, Rich and Ron Saul. Rettig went on to play football at Penn State.

"I watched Bill get big - because he busted his butt and did it naturally," Zawrotuk said. "He didn't even think about that (performance-enhancing) stuff.

"You hope kids are educated and use common sense. Win with your own body. Don't add something unnatural. Why jeopardize yourself and your family?"

Here are possible side effects of anabolic steroid use:<B>Males and Females</B>High blood pressure and heart diseaseLiver damage and cancersStroke and blood clotsUrinary and bowel problemsHeadaches, aching joints and muscle crampsNausea and vomitingSleep problemsIncreased risk of ligament and tendon injuriesSevere acne, especially on face and backBaldnessSevere mood swingsAnxiety and panic attacksDepression and thoughts of suicide<B>Males</B>Body produces less of its own testosterone and testicles may begin to shrinkReduced sperm countImpotenceIncrease in nipple and breast sizeEnlarged prostate<B>Females</B>Reduced breast sizeEnlarged clitorisIncrease in facial and body hairDeepened voiceMenstrual problemsSOURCE: National Institute on Drug Abuse