There was no shortage of fireworks through day two of the PIAA T&F State Championships.
But perhaps the most dramatic moment occurred on Saturday morning in the AAA boys' 3200 meters. heading into the final lap, a number of runners will still in the mix for the win. It was up to whoever had the best kick.
Then Carlisle's Sam Affolder made his move. The sophomore sensation took off to the lead with under 200 meters to go. He formed a gap and it looked like he was going to run to the win. But JP McCaskey's Nathan Henderson decided he wasn't going to leave his final high school track meet without a gold medal.
Henderson, a senior bound for Syracuse in the fall, found something within himself in the last 75 meters. He caught Affolder and crossed the finish line, raising his index fingers in the air before his general exhaustion set in. A state champion.
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| BOYS 3,200 METER RUN FINALS | ALL RESULTS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | WIND | H# | |
| 1 | Nathan Henderson | 12 | J.P. McCaskey | 9:01.77 | 1 | |
| 2 | Sam Affolder | 10 | Carlisle | 9:02.95 | 1 | |
| 3 | Rusty Kujdych | 11 | Neshaminy | 9:04.55 | 1 | |
| 4 | Connor McMenamin | 12 | Souderton Area | 9:06.37 | 1 | |
| 5 | Noah Beveridge | 11 | Butler | 9:07.26 | 1 | |
| 6 | Zach Lefever | 12 | Ephrata | 9:09.65 | 1 | |
| 7 | Ryan James | 12 | Cardinal O'Hara | 9:09.86 | 1 | |
| 8 | Ryan Campbell | 11 | Council Rock North | 9:14.65 | 1 | |
| 9 | Mark Provenzo | 12 | Franklin Regional | 9:16.42 | 1 | |
| 10 | Seth Slavin | 12 | Pleasant Valley High School | 9:16.52 | 1 | |
| 11 | Matthew D'Aquila | 12 | Lower Merion | 9:17.34 | 1 | |
| 12 | David Haines | 12 | North Pocono | 9:22.28 | 1 | |
| 13 | Brian Mass | 12 | Central Bucks West | 9:25.51 | 1 | |
| 14 | Will Griffen | 12 | Cheltenham | 9:28.55 | 1 | |
| 15 | Mitchell Etter | 11 | State College Area High School | 9:28.57 | 1 | |
| 16 | Stephen Paul | 12 | LaSalle College High School | 9:29.13 | 1 | |
| 17 | Casey Conboy | 12 | Baldwin | 9:31.52 | 1 | |
| 18 | Morgan Cupp | 11 | Mechanicsburg Area High School | 9:32.83 | 1 | |
| 19 | Trey Razanauskas | 12 | Seneca Valley | 9:34.00 | 1 | |
| 20 | Tyler Rollins | 11 | Downingtown West | 9:35.01 | 1 | |
| 21 | Isaac Davis | 11 | Jersey Shore Area | 9:36.72 | 1 | |
| 22 | Nate Price | 10 | General McLane | 9:38.19 | 1 | |
| 23 | Jake Underwood | 11 | Wilson (3) | 9:38.35 | 1 | |
| 24 | Jack Zardecki | 11 | Dallas | 9:39.00 | 1 | |
| 25 | Colin Cramer | 11 | Southern Lehigh | 9:45.74 | 1 | |
| 26 | Tim Haas | 12 | Council Rock North | 10:02.98 | 1 | |
| 27 | Logan Caruso | 11 | Bradford Area | 10:16.29 | 1 | |