January means winter and winter means cold.

But things may soon be heating up on the Butler High winter sports scene.

The Golden Tornado basketball and wrestling teams have underclassman athletes who appear destined to leave potentially legendary marks on their respective programs:

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Olivia Bresnahan, junior, girls basketball:Arguably the best ball handler this county has seen since Slippery Rock High's Jence Rhoads, Bresnahan already is receiving serious Division Icollege looks and she's not even halfway through her junior season.Few players can break down a defense like she can — and Bresnahan wreaks havoc on defense as well.With a solid supporting cast around her, Bresnahan, already a third-year starter, could lead Butler girls basketball to lofty heights during the next two years.Kristin Dilliard, Kim Nowakowski and Amy Achesinski were outstanding post players at Butler in recent seasons.Bresnahan is a point guard who can post up when called upon. This is a special player who continues to improve.•

Bobby Swartwout, sophomore, boys basketball — Used sparingly as a freshman, Swartwout is quickly establishing himself as a dominant player inside.Despite struggles to finish plays underneath consistently, Swartwout approaches a double-double almost every game. His 16-point, eight-rebound performance coming off the bench against Jeannette last week is just a teaser compared to what this kid could develop into.•

Nate Snodgrass, freshman, boys basketball — A starting point guard for a Quad-A team as a freshman?He deserves it.Snodgrass has been well-schooled in AAUball, playing for the late Howie Ruppert in the summer. During a first-round Butler Christmas Tournament game, he scored 12 points, sank all five of his shots from the field, had six steals and five assists.In the aforementioned Jeannette game, he sank five of six free throws in the fourth quarter of a tight game.'As Snodgrass matures physically, his total game will blossom. But he's already pretty good.•

Cole Baxter, sophomore, wrestling — By the time he's done, Baxter likely will own the Tornado record book. He had 33 wins and 20 pins as a freshman last year. Butler's career records are 103 and 59, respectively.Baxter won his weight class at the Brockway Big DogTournament last week. He combines stellar wrestling fundamentals with physical strength.•

Mike Crawford, sophomore, wrestling — One of the reasons Baxter will keep improving is that Crawford will keep pushing him.His numbers as a freshman last year were 32 wins and 16 pins. And, like Baxter, Crawford is off to a tremendous start as a sophomore.All of the athletes listed above have plenty of company on their respective rosters that will be around next year and beyond, in some cases.The weather outside may get frightful. So might life inside for Butler opponents.John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.