Division I college football coaches are on the prowl for talent at this time of year, and two Westmoreland County players have emerged on their radar.

Norwin’s Maxsym Fierle and Nick Ponko of Penn-Trafford picked up scholarship offers this week.

Both are juniors.

Fierle, who is 6-foot-4 and 265-pounds, was offered by Sacred Heart of the FCS Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference.

Ponko, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound wide receiver and safety, pulled in an offer from Lehigh.

More offers are expected to follow for both players, who are looking to make an impact this fall.

Fierle is fierce tackler with a throwback demeanor.

He played defensive tackle, outside linebacker and defensive end for the Knights.

Last season, he had 30 tackles (22 solo) for the Knights, who went 7-4 and returned to the WPIAL playoffs for the first time since 2017. He had five tackles for loss and two sacks.

“He’s one of the hardest working guys we have,” Norwin coach Mike Brown said. “Loves the weight room and is a high academic young man. Most importantly, he loves football.”

Ponko was a big playmaker last season for the Warriors. He led the team with 42 receptions for 714 yards and five touchdowns.

He added 33 tackles, a sack and two interceptions on defense.

“This offer really felt so good, like a lot of hard work paid off,” Ponko said, “but I still have so much more work that needs to be put in. It feels so nice knowing that such a high quality coach has belief in my talent to be able to play at the next level.”

Lehigh defensive coordinator Mike Kashurba visited Penn-Trafford on Thursday as the Warriors held a spring workout.

“I didn’t really know that the offer was coming, but I’ve been in contact with Lehigh since the middle of the season my junior year,” Ponko said.

Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane was not surprised to see Ponko get a D-1 offer.

“Lehigh likes Nick’s natural athleticism, competitiveness, change of direction and ball skills,” Ruane said. “He is smooth and makes a lot of plays on both sides of the ball. He’s able to get to balls all over the field at safety. He’s a talented player and gets better every day.”

Fierle said he was surprised to get the offer.

Sacred Heart assistant Pat Saporito visited Norwin recently and talked to Fierle.

“He did mention that I should keep my (cell phone) ringer on throughout the day, because I could be expecting a call back from them,” Fierle said. “They offered later in the day.”

Fierle said Sacred Heart liked his highlight film.

“Me and (Saporito) talked a lot about school and what I do every day to get better in school,” Fierle said. “So, I feel like me talking about my love for not only football, but school really helped them to narrow me down.”

Fierle and Ponko have something else in common: They both carry a 4.0-plus grade-point average.