(Photo by Tim Fulton, ArmoryTrack.com)

WAPPINGERS FALLS – The stories were so alike it was eerie. Uncertainty. Doubt. Underestimation. They both listened to the scores read backwards during the awards ceremony and for an instance, when the announcer called the second place team, they thought that maybe they had blown it. Then they won. Relief. Excitement.

  Photo courtesy John Olson, SCRUNNERS                                                    

  Photo courtesy: John Olson, South Carolina Runner's  

Kaulbach blows away field on anchor leg By Christopher Hunt PHILADELPHIA – Germantown Friends (Pa.) coach Rob Hewitt watched his athletes lug the huge Penn Relays plaque across the infield at Franklin Field. He said it was the best thing ever. “It’s everything we wanted,” he said. FULL STORY HERE

 Nov 3: A little twilight zone to the Boyertown back-to-back  in AAA | Central Cambria won a title. But they took home so much more. | Coatesville doen't rebuild. They reload. | Cross country rings true in Wellsboro. | Experienced coach, expert spotters, and soccer lead North East to 9th state title. Oct 27: PODCASTS: Wellsboro and Shikellamy surprised and Lewisburg delivered in D4. Dallas' boys competed well in D2. Liberty swept individual titles and advanced two teams to states, Emmaus was Emmaus in D11. Henderson's Chris Aldrich and Carly Hamond caputured individual crowns and St. Basil held off Christopher Dock in D1. Oct 20: Winning streaks were preserved at the big Tri-State Coaches Association meet on October 28th at Cooper's Lake in Slippery Rock. Baldwin senior David Adley won his 6th invitational of the season, while Latrobe junior Natalie Bower captured her third straight Tri-States. Video interviews with both chams. Oct 13: Three videos, including the post- Manhattan interviews with Central Cambria's Carly Seymour, who set the 2.5 mile Van Cortlandt Park record of 13:56; her coach, Randy Wilson; and North Penn coach Ron Jaros after his boys' team ran the best team average of the day, 12:57.1, which happens to be the 2nd best of all time. Oct 6: There is something different this year about Vince McNally. He's hungrier than ever. Most of last year's U.S. champs are in college. But Coatesville is still Coatesville. Winners. (Posted Wednesday AM. Coming Thurs: McNally's plan). If running is mental, then confidence is currency. Just ask Heather Giovagnoli. Sept 29: Ignore North Penn at your own risk this year. A track power excels at cross, too. And it's good to get your #1 runners back. Just ask Unionville & Cardinal O'Hara. Sept 22: Holy Ghost Prep is a very small AAA school. And Central Cambria, Lewisburg and North East are AA. All four are using the pack to attack their large school competition, and winning. Plus, North East coach Ted Miller is going for his ninth state tltle. Sept 15: Carly Seymour is more fit, more rested and more confident than last year when she was 9th at Foot Lockers. But her team is right with her with big goals. Germantown Friends made some noise on the national scene with a near upset of the U.S. #1 team. They are both little schools with some big talent. Sept 8: Kara Millhouse breakthrough – Cumberland Valley is back – Chanelle Price uses cross for the 800 (but she has goals this season too) – Podcast interview with Vince McNally. Sept 1: Baldwin distance stars David Adley and T.J. Hobart – Meghan Lutz of Nazareth Academy – Mark Dennin of Boyertown.

In the first release of the MileSplit.us National Team Rankings, the boys squads from PA#1 Germantown Friends, and PA#2 North Allegheny, are 9th and 10th respectively. Germantown Friends competes Friday September 28 at Paul Short, and North Allegheny September 29th at Carlisle.Click here for the full top 10

OK, we'll only remind everyone of the Coatesville boys' Nike Team Nationals 2006 championship once (this week). It was quite a run, and one worth remembering. The immediate impact of that win was the respect it garndered for Pennsylvania cross country. The Radnor girls helped our rep as well when they traveled to New York and nearly knocked off the #1 team in the nation at the time. They were left home in a selection process that required more reading tea leaves than anything else. But Coatesville's win was big for everyone. MORE>>>

Germantown Friends sweeps the 10/25 Friends\' Schools League Champs at Belmont Plateau.

Malvern Prep speedsters win two relays in Delaware.