Great young players go on to do great things.

That's something you notice when you've been around high school sports for 30 years.

Witnessing the exploits of Olivia Bresnahan and Cole Baxter on Butler's basketball court and wrestling mat the past few years remind me of my years of covering Steubenville (Ohio) High School athletics.

Sylvia Crawley was an outstanding center on the girls basketball team there. Charlie Keenan was a standout wrestler.

Crawley wound up receiving a scholarship to North Carolina, started on a national championship team, played a few years of pro basketball and now is the head women's basketball coach at Boston College.

Keenan won the Ohio 185-pound state title as a junior wrestler. He easily could have maintained that weight the following year, but bumped up to heavyweight to challenge 330-pound Tim Moxley of Barnesville, who went on to be an offensive lineman at Ohio State and played for the Washington Redskins.

Keenan lost the state title match to unbeaten Moxley by one point in a controversial decision their senior year.

On the awards podium, fans booed Moxley as he was presented his championship medal. Keenan angrily waved off the crowd, grabbed Moxley's arm and thrust it in the air as the crowd exploded with a deafening cheer.

To this day, that was the most moving moment I've witnessed in sports.

Keenan went on to become a high school superintendent.

As great as Crawley and Keenan were, Bresnahan and Baxter exceed them.

Bresnahan is the most versatile high school basketball player I've ever seen. She nearly averaged a triple-double this year, compiling 18.1 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and six steals per game.

Now she's headed to Florida State, which enters this weekend's ACC Tournament sporting a 26-4 record and a No. 8 national ranking.

Baxter is 33-0 in wrestling this year and, outside of two state tournament losses last year, is unbeaten in two seasons. Only a junior, he already has shattered Butler's previous record of 103 career wins, held by T.J. McCance.

Baxter entered this weekend's WPIAL Tournament with a career mark of 111-10.

Bresnahan's final high school game ended with her leaving the locker room in tears after a WPIAL quarterfinal loss to Bethel Park. She never realized the WPIAL or state championship she yearned for.

That is the cruel side of athletics.

Baxter already has won a WPIAL title and is taking his own aim at state glory.

Maybe Bresnahan, like Crawley, will realize her championship dreams in college.

I have no shame in admitting I'm pulling for that.

As great as these two athletes are in their respective sports, they are better people: grounded, humble, respectful and appreciative.

Great youngsters go on to do great things.

Keep your eye on those two.