A fast first mile for Dom Deluca - then cruise control.
(Then it is hopefully on to Foot Lockers)
Dominic Deluca entered the PIAA Class AA boys’ championships as the only returning medalist within the top 15 a season ago.
The rest graduated, leaving Deluca to pick up the pieces and ultimately vie for a title he thought he was in line to win.
The Dallas senior did not disappoint, winning the championship Saturday in 16:21 a clear 15 seconds ahead of District 2 competitor Dominic Hockenbury of Lake-Lehman, who crossed the line in 16:36.
Photo by David Beyerle
From the start, this was Deluca’s race to lose, though he certainly did not have that in his race plan. The harrier glided out to a quick lead and really never gave it up, extending it through the mile, then up through the hills, and finally on his way back to the finish.
“I really didn’t expend myself too much,” said Deluca, who said by Christmas he’ll choose from a coterie of schools in New York on where to continue his career. “My original plan was to take it out at the mile and sort of finish up. I saw the mile was a little fast and I just took a couple gears off. And I sort of cruised in.”
The confidence never faltered, which is why Deluca was sort of disappointed. Hoping to break 16 minutes, the Dallas senior said his only regret was not racing in a larger field.
“I would have liked to run a bit faster, but I realize all races are different,” he said. “People push other people. It’s hard to compare yourself from race to race, just like it is day to day. So I wish I could have raced all three races, but I can’t.”
He settled with AA, averaging 5:16 per mile through the difficult course. Deluca felt he entered the race very prepared. Coaching, he said, played a difference.
“Our coach has it down to the T,” Deluca said. “He claims that he’s mastered all the courses, but sometimes I believe it because he knows what to do when we go around turns. He seems to be always there. I don’t understand how he does it.”
The matchup with Hockenbury was an interesting one, simply because the pair had raced each other in four consecutive weeks. Deluca had won every single race.
Though afterward, Hockenbury seemed satisfied with the result.
“That’s what we said we would finish, 1-2” Hockenbury commented to Deluca.
But at least for the Dallas senior, the season wasn’t over yet. He feels he has two more races left. First, the Foot Locker Regionals in New York.
And hopefully, if all goes according to plan, Foot Locker Nationals.
“The title is an awesome feat, to knock it off my checklist in my life [is great],” he said. “My season isn’t over yet. I have a race or two to go.”
