North Allegheny's football season has been a smashing success in no small part due to dashes of Alex Papson and Grant Huckestein here and there.

That's Huckestein -- a.k.a, "Smash" -- and Papson -- nicknamed "Dash" -- who form one of the WPIAL's top running duos for a Tigers team that is 8-1 and seeded No. 4 in the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs that begin tomorrow.

The Tigers will play Greater Latrobe, the fourth-place team in the Foothills Conference, tomorrow at Newman Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

"He's real quick and agile," explained Huckestein of the origin of the nicknames. "I'm more of a power kind of runner."

Papson, a 5-foot-7, 175-pound junior, has rushed for 930 yards and 16 touchdowns in 124 carries this season.

Huckestein is a year older, 3 inches taller and 30 pounds heavier -- hence the Smash moniker. He has 716 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.

"Grant is a very strong runner, the strongest kid on the team, pound-for-pound," Papson said. "He'll run you over as soon as he'd run around you.

"I'm more of a kid who will use speed. Grant is all power. He also has breakaway speed, but you don't want to be the one who gets in his way. He can make great plays.

"A good way to sum it up is Smash and Dash."

The Tigers also have a potent passing game led by quarterback Justin Brozick and have some other playmakers behind a solid offensive line.

But the bulk of the touches go to Smash and Dash. In turn, so have the majority of the team's touchdowns.

"The coaches kind of give us both a chance, and they go with who is 'on' on that night," Huckestein said.

"We're a pretty well-rounded offense," Papson said. "Our coaches do such a great job of finding different ways to get the ball in different offensive players' hands. Whether it's passing or whether it's running, it doesn't mater, coach [Art] Walker is going to put together a gameplan in which we spread the ball around. We have that balance."

Huckestein is also the team's leading receiver and plays some outside linebacker for the Tigers. He has been in contact with several Division I-AA and I-A schools and, as a good student, there also is mutual interest between him and colleges in the Ivy League.

"Grant is a great athlete," Papson said. "I look at him as one of the top players in the WPIAL, and I think as a backfield Grant and I can really pose a threat for other teams to defend. I really feel like we can be a one-two punch to carry the ball and make plays for our football team."

As to who gets more carries, that sometimes varies from week to week or even drive to drive. Matchups will dictate some of that, as will playing an opponent who keys in on one or the other.

"We know coach Walker and the staff always will have us prepared, and going into the game I don't think either of us are supposed to get more carries than the other," Papson said. "It's just whatever one has the hot hand that night.

"Grant has had some games where he's the man and I've had some games as well. Neither of us are concerned about that; the only thing we care about is getting the win. Whatever way we go about doing that is fine with us."

In the end, that type of attitude, which is shared by Huckestein, is what makes Walker most proud of his top ball-carrying tandem.

Like the other players on his team, Walker said neither of his top two runners is averse to blocking or any of the other less-glory-garnering responsibilities that make teams successful.

"They're both very similar in that regard," Walker said. "We called Alex up as a freshman because of his maturity, so he's been playing varsity since ninth grade, so we kind of look at Alex since it's his third year almost like he's a senior because he understands what's going on in the system and he's mature and he leads by example and is not afraid to speak up.

"So both of those guys are leaders. It's very easy to follow them when the hardest workers on the team are the ones leading in carries and touchdowns. That work ethic makes them a good fit and for good chemistry on this football team."

• What: Greater Latrobe at North Allegheny.

• When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

• Where: Newman Stadium at North Allegheny High School.

• The skinny: The Tigers are the No. 4-seed in Class AAAA. the winner of this game plays the North Hills at McKeesport winner in the quarterfinals.

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