Courtesy Photo Former Cadets tight end Peter Malamet gets to help train some of the top athletes in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Purchase this photo

But, for once in his life he would be rooting against the Ravens. He wanted the Steelers to win because as a student athletic trainer with Pittsburgh, he knew a Steelers' victory would help him get to the Super Bowl.

"I had a friend ask me the other night who I would root for," the former Frederick High School football player said. "I said this was the only year I would root for the Steelers. In my mind, I would rather go to the Super Bowl than watch my favorite team play in the Super Bowl.

Malamet, a 21-year-old senior at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, is one of two student athletic trainers with the Steelers. He got the job in May and spends six days a week working with the team despite taking 17 credits at the school.

"It's second to none," he said of the job. "I can stay in football and it gives me the ability to work with athletic trainers and team doctors."

"I've been impressed with a number of these guys and he's one of the better students we've had here," said Steelers head athletic trainer John Norwig. "I'm not sugar-coating that. He is very mature and very knowledgeable. He's done a great job."

MALAMET GREW UP in Frederick with an interest in football and athletic training. He played four years with the Frederick High School football team, graduating in 2005. But he also took classes in sports medicine with Frederick High School trainer Scott Hopson and he did an internship in athletic training at Mount St. Mary's.

"He was one of my best students," Hopson said. "Educationally, he was very strong and he was interested in the medical field."

Malamet, a tight end with the Cadets, went to Duquesne because it had one of the better programs for athletic trainers in the country and he knew he could also play football there.

His football career was limited. He suffered an ACL injury his freshman year and didn't play. He saw littler action in his sophomore year. He left the team after his second year.

"I decided I wanted to keep my focus on school," said Malamet who has a 3.5 GPA in athletic training and hopes to attend medical school.

As a junior, he worked as an athletic trainer at local high schools in Pittsburgh and also at Carnegie Mellon College. Then, last spring he found out the three Pittsburgh professional sports teams -- the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins -- offered internships to trainers from the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne. He was one of four from Duquesne to apply for the job and got it in time to work at Steelers minicamps.

"A lot of students work at high schools and colleges," he said. "But this is the highest level.

THE JOB KEEPS HIM busy, especially with his course load. He goes to class from 8 a.m. to noon, then he goes to Steelers

camp until 5 or 6 p.m. He works six days a week. If he doesn't have class, he spends all day with the Steelers.

During practice, Malamet does a little bit of everything, from taping ankles to helping with exercises to making sure there is enough water for the players.

He has even driven some injured players to the hospital from training camp.

On game days, he gets to the stadium fours before kickoff. He gets the water cooler ready, makes sure the taping stations are stocked, helps with various treatments, handles minor cuts and makes sure the players don't get dehydrated.

He has gotten to know many of the players and has become close to many of the rookies who are close to his age.

He finds the players easy work with.

"The athletes had to get comfortable with us and they weren't at first," he said. "Now they are more comfortable. They realize we know what we are doing."

He has been able to do a lot and said it's great hanging out with pro athletes.

"It's become second nature to me," he said.

He gets to go to all the team's home games and half of the away games. He has already made road trips to Cleveland, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Toronto, where the Steelers played the Bills. He made sure he got to work Sunday's Ravens game. If the team gets to the playoffs, he will go on the road with them.

Malamet eventually hopes to one day become a doctor. He will return to Duquesne as a graduate assistant next year to fulfill some science requirements so he can get into medical school.

Meanwhile, he is having the time of his life, even though he works very hard and has to root against his favorite football team.

TWO AREA ATHLETES were named Ravens Champions Athletes of the Week this year by the Baltimore Ravens. Ashley Beall of Catoctin was honored at the Oct. 26 Oakland Raiders game, while Meleah Martin of Walkersville was honored at the Ravens game with Pittsburgh on Sunday. Beall plays volleyball at Catoctin, while Martin has been involved in lacrosse, basketball, track and cheerleading at Walkersville .

The program honors a male and female student-athlete each week. They are nominated by someone at their schools. They win two tickets for the home game, get to go on the field before the game, are given a jersey and a $500 donation is made to the recipients' athletic program.

Martin is a Steelers fan and her father Paul is a Redskins fan. After she won the award, he purchased some Ravens gear.

Also this year, Middletown 's Rob Michaels took part in the Ravens Quarterback Challenge at the Dec. 7 Ravens-Redskins game. He competed against Connor Bruns of Loyola, who completed a 52-yard pass to win the competition.