Another pair of area athletes are making plans for the future, and they share a commonality besides love of sport: Both are great students.

Sharon High’s Cory Johnson will continue his education at Slippery Rock University and play baseball for veteran mentor Jeff Messer, while Wilmington High dual-sport standout Nick Riggall will matriculate at Rice University where will attempt to walk-on to the football program.

Johnson currently ranks 10th in the 135-member Sharon High senior class on the strength of a 4.01 grade-point-average. Among some of his other academic benchmarks are inclusion in Sharon High’s chapter of the National Honor Society, Who’s Who Among High School Students, the National Society of High School Scholars, and National Honor Roll. He already has earned a dozen college credits via Penn State University’s Shenango campus, served as Sharon High’s junior and senior class treasurer, and is part of the school’s Gazette staff.

Riggall has recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA, is a National Merit Scholarship finalist and president of Wilmington’s chapter of the National Honor Society and Principal’s List. His scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test are right off the charts, including an 800 verbal, 720 in math and 790 written, and he scored 35 on the ACT. He was chosen for the 2007 Bausch & Lomb Science Award.

Riggall recently was awarded a $21,000 Trustees’ scholarship from Rice. He had considered highly regarded academic institutions such as Davidson, and NCAA Division III Carnegie Mellon and Macalester (Minn.), before opting for the Owls, for whom he may also attempt to compete in track and field.

“Balancing high-quality academics with sports has worked well for Nick, and was his primary objective in looking at colleges,” his father, Dr. Steven Riggall wrote to The Herald.

Johnson has jolted area diamonds for several seasons. Thus far this year for the undefeated Tigers he is batting .508 with 5 home runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 29 RBI and 29 runs scored, with .525 slugging and .661 on-base percentages. On the mound the right-hander is 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts. A year ago he was chosen as the region player of the year after taking the Tigers to the District 10 Class AA title by batting .474 (.895 OBP) and posting a 6-0 mound mark and 0.79 ERA with 59 strikeouts. His 4-year scholastic career totals are .426, 12 homers, 77 RBI, 19-4 won-lost record, 1.99 ERA and 189 KOs.

He also has competed during summers in the prestigious Youngstown Class B League (Wharmby Sports) and NABF (Astro Falcons). Last summer he hit .394 for Wharmby’s, then joined Simon Roofing for the annual Connie Mack tournament and batted .473 for the eventual 3rd-place finishers.

“Cory has been a team leader in his four years on the baseball team, (and) has had an excellent work-ethic and desire to achieve,” Sharon High head baseball coach Bill Dorfi wrote to The Herald. “His winning attitude has been displayed on the diamond and in the classroom, and will propel him in his future endeavors.”

The son of Jeff and Linda Johnson, who is planning to major in accounting, wrote to The Herald: “I would like to thank coach Dorfi and coach Hassan for always believing in me, and for all the fun times we have had over the last four years. I would also like to thank my parents for putting in all the time over the years to get me where I am today, and I want to thank my grandparents for coming to every, single game I played.”

In spite of his academic prowess, the 18-year-old son of Dr. Steven and Gail Riggall still has found time to earn 8 varsity letters (4 football, 4 track & field). And the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Riggall is regarded as one of, if not Pennsylvania’s finest placekicker the past 2 seasons for veteran Hounds’ head coach Terry Verrelli.

In ’06 Riggall (tutored by legendary Steve Moser) converted 50 of 55 PATs, 6 of 8 field-goal attempts (68 points) and was credited with 15 touchbacks on kickoffs while averaging 48.7 yards per punt, for which he was named Associated Press Class AA 1st-team all state and 1st-team All-District 10 Region 3. Last season he was 50-55 on extra-points, 8 for 11 on field-goal tries (74 points), boomed 13 kickoffs for touchbacks, and received his 2nd straight Pennsylvania Football News 2nd-Team all-state selection. He also has been recognized by that publications All-Academic Team and Keystone Club.

Riggall, who has been clocked at 11.15 in the 100-meter dash and 4.64 in the 40, serves as anchorman for the Greyhounds’ 4x1 relay quartet, yet bench-presses 245 pounds and squats 315. He is seeded 3rd in both the long (21-7 3/4) and triple (42-4) jumps for Saturday’s District 10 Track & Field Championships and the Greyhounds’ top-seeded sprint-relay quartet.

Riggall visited Houston-based Rice a few weeks ago as part of the recruiting process with head football coach David Bailiff and special teams coach Rick LaFavers, and his father told The Herald, “Nick was looking for a quality school in a city that is relatively small in size (and) ... Rice has a good track program (coached by Jon Warren) where Nick feels he can contribute, as well,” said Riggall Sr.

Young people like Johnson and Riggall make one feel good about the future in general, don’t they?