What more can we say about Coatesville? Well, lots. But now it's their turn. Or turns, as you'll see over the coming days. Check in for the season journal from each of the varsity seven in the Coatesville Chronicles.
2006 NTN Champs (in order of finish at NTN left to right) Kyle Dawson, Sean Ward,
Owen Dawson, Tom Pannulla, Jason Leonard, Drew Mahoney, Chris Rosato.
Jason & Owen hoist the trophy
(Photos from PIAA States by Don Rich)
Most of the varsity agreed to put their thoughts on the season into words. PennTrackXC.com is grateful to each of them for taking the time to share their perspectives, and again, congratulate them on their achievements - first in the US, everyone else 2nd.
We published beginning 1/1 with sophomore Chris Rosato. The Coatesville Chronicles were preceded by The Radnor Stories.
Chris Rosato
Pre Season All I can say about the team before the season started was that we were hungry. We were starving. Last year's state meet left us with much regret and some unfinished business. Track season went by good without injuries for the most part with the exception of our 6th man last year. We met in the summer every day, some days twice a day, and every weekend. One Sunday we went for a 15 mile run. We pounded the miles in all summer.
Scrimmages We had our own alumni race, like we do every year, at Hibernia Park. This year I couldn't even believe how the race went. Everybody got out so fast and instead of dying they stayed the same speed the whole race. Last year Kyle won in 17:30, this year he was 16:03. The whole top 5 went under 17:10. I was the 6th man that race and I was pretty happy about that but I went 18:11. Chad, our 6th man last year, finished 7th so his injury during outdoor did really affect him and pushed back his training. The next scrimmage was versus Reading and McCaskey at McCaskey. This was a very good race for me considering it was still the beginning of the season. I was pretty close to the 5th man all race who was actually Jason that day. It was a pretty hilly course and a bit of road on it too. We took 1st through 6th. Kyle once again won and went 16:32. I was 18:08 again too. That was the race when I realized I really need to cut that spread in half. Our last scrimmage was supposed to be at Manheim Township but it got cancelled due to a thunder storm.
Big Valley Invitational This race was in the second worst conditions of all the races this season. It rained all of the night before the race and the morning of the race. By the time the varsity race came around the racing conditions were unbelievable. The whole course was practically mud but it didn't affect the way we ran. For the most part everyone on the team got out good. It took me a little while to get in the front but I eventually got there. The whole race there was a State College guy in front of us. Chad and I battled with him till the end but the State College kid ended up beating us. Our score for that meet was 16 only because a kid (from AA) finished in front of Tom. We took places 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 10. We were pretty happy because technically we perfect scored State College who at the time was ranked 6th in the state. I was pretty upset about my time though. I ran a 17:54.
West Chester East and Bishop Shanahan Tri-Meet This was my second worst race of all season. We were waiting for this meet so badly. We wanted a piece of West Chester East. The race started off fine and dandy and I was running pretty well. At the mile mark Drew passed me and I tried sitting on him for a while. But I couldn't and he gapped me pretty badly. Then with about 600 meters to go an East guy passed me and so did Chad. Once again I went 18:14. We took places 1,2,3,4, and 6. The only person to be in our top 5 was Bodary from Shanahan. We perfect scored West Chester East.
Gettysburg Invitational I know I needed to run good in this race because after the last race I was scared for my varsity spot, but luckily, 8 people were allowed to run on varsity for this race. There was also talk that West Chester East took it easy at the tri-meet so they would be ready for Gettysburg but we ignored it because first off it would be stupid if they did and second off we would still run our own race. Everyone was excited to run on this course because supposedly it was pretty fast but not for our day. I got out real slow and at the half mile finally got away from the middle pack and worked my way into the twenties. I stayed there till about the mile and a half mark and every once in a while someone would pass me and by the two and a half mile mark I was totally dead. I held on to 24th though even with my horrible finish. I was pretty happy with my place but disappointed with my time yet again. But after I heard what time Kyle won the race in I was feeling better. Kyle went 15:56 and I was 17:04 so I cut the spread pretty nicely. We took places 1, 4, 7, 8, 12 and I was 24th so I medaled again. Our score was 26 with West Chester East finishing with 76.
Downingtown East Dual Meet Coming in to this meet, Owen was injured and was told he couldn't race quite yet. So that meant I had a chance of being the 5th man for the race. All before the race that day the other guys were telling me that I have to make sure that I beat Hockenjos so we can perfect score them. So I started the race nice and relaxed and at the mile mark I finally caught up with Hockenjos and forced myself to stay with him for as long as I can. I passed him twice but he passed me right back both times. At the two and a half mile mark he really took off from me and beat me by 9 seconds. I was upset with this race because I knew that if Owen was healthy we would have perfect scored them and it was my fault that we didn't.
Downingtown West and West Chester Rustin Tri-meet Owen was still not racing yet so I felt like this was the race to redeem myself. I knew I had a really good shot at beating both teams 1st runner. The first mile of the race went by very fast and I was sitting behind Downingtown's 1st and 2nd runner. I passed them at the mile and a half mark and Drew did too. I got to the two mile mark and really felt good and thought the third mile was going to seem short. As I was coming to the finish I saw Sean not too far ahead. Then I turned a corner and couldn't find where I was supposed to enter the track then someone shouted to me and I saw the opened gate. It probably cost me a couple of seconds but nothing too much. I didn't have too strong of a finish but I still finished 5th and helped perfect score both teams. I went 16:26 and Kyle went 15:31 so I was happy with the spread but I realized I needed to work on my finish.
Carlisle Invitational Owen was finally back so I was back to the displacing crew again. Before coming into this race all I wanted to do was medal and go under 16:30. I didn't get either. When I was standing on the line I felt really tired for some reason. I struggled with the first mile a lot because I felt I was going too fast but I needed to go that fast if I wanted to have a good race. I wasn't having a horrible race though and I stayed consistent on the last two miles. My kick was a lot better then last week but it was downhill. I finished 37th and ran a 16:48. I was disappointed again.
Steel City Invitational I was very excited for this race. I desperately wanted to run it as a freshman but didn't get the chance. Everyone got out well especially Drew who was top 5 for a little while. I started moving at the mile and a half mark and passed quite a bit of people. Then I reached the hill and stayed short up it and most of the people who passed me going up it, I caught later on in the race. I made sure I hit my tangents. Once again I didn't have a strong finish. Drew really caught up to me at the finish too. We finished 29th and 30th. The top 5 went 2nd, 7th, 8th, 12th, and 13th. We won with 40 points.
Avon Grove and West Chester Henderson Tri-meet My goal for this race was to beat Henderson's 3rd man. I got out way too fast for the first 200 meters. That's what I think killed me a lot. I passed through the mile mark at 4:47 with Drew a couple seconds in front of me. The whole second and third mile was just me getting slower and slower. I passed the two mile mark in 10:13. Around 800 meters to the end of the race, Henderson's 4th guy passed me. My final time was 16:44. It felt like my good races came every other one. I would have a good race then a not so good one.
Ches Mont Championships Once again I needed to redeem myself. I had to stay with Henderson's 3rd guy. I just had to. The race started off well. I started moving around the half mile mark and found Jervis. I was behind him for most of the race. Right after the two mile I passed him but then he passed me right back. I died at the end and on the track he started to open the gap by a couple of seconds. Also Lobb passed me at the end. I finished 12th. I was happy with that and the spread wasn't all that good but I was okay with my time.
District 1 Championships This was the most disappointing race for me all season. I would say this was by far my worst race without even having to think about it. Before the race the only thing I could think of was sub 16. During the warm up and sprints before the race I felt more tired then ever before this season. My first mile was right where I wanted it to be but the problem was I knew I couldn't hold on to that pace because I was feely really crappy for this race which also meant the most to me so far. My first mile was 4:57 and my second mile was back down to a 10:35. My finishing time was 16:34 and I placed 87th. This was the only thing that if I could change about the season I would. I knew I could have run a faster time than that. I knew states was going to be a lot different.
PIAA State Championships Before the race no one on the team was nervous at all. We all stayed relaxed and were having fun joking around. I got out exactly like I wanted to by not pushing it hard until the half mile mark then that's when I started moving. I was right behind Drew, Sean and Jason at the mile mark and I was still moving pretty strong. I stayed short on all the up hills and dropped my arms on all the down hills. At the two mile mark I was at 10:15. I ran the rest of the race as hard as I could and I still didn't have the best finish but it was my best race so far. I finished 52nd with a 16:32. We set a record with our 26 point score.
Last Gasp We needed to run a race under Bridgetown in order to go to Nike Team Nationals. Nike needed times that weren't part of one of our high school races. We found out that day that Germantown Friends was going to be there too. I got out really fast. I picked one kid to stay with but I passed him early on then I was behind Jason and tried to stay with him for as long as I could. I died at the end once again and got passed by 2 people who came out of nowhere. I finished 10th. After the race, the Germantown Friends coach told us that they raced Shenendahowa and they put 2 in their top 5 and only one in our top 5. At the last rankings we were still in first and were pretty confident that we were going to get the bid.
Training for NTN We knew that we should get the bid because we knew we had something to prove. Drew found us some hay bails that we could use to practice on. During the one practice we jumped over them 40 times. Every time we ran by them whether it was an easy run or a workout we jumped over them. This was the longest time in between races for me. It felt like it was going by so slow. Finally we got the bid and found out we were going to Oregon.
Nike Team Nationals Coming into this race Drew and I knew that we were going to be important in this race. We could either win it for us or lose it for us. That morning we went out for our morning run. We were only out for about 10 minutes. Then we came back in. That whole morning nothing seemed too different than usual. I knew the race was that day but it didn't really hit me until I stood on the starting line. Everyone was calm and ready and our coach kept telling us that we were ready for this race. Off the start it was pretty crowded and there's a very slight hill in the beginning which I couldn't see because of all the people in front of me. I fell but caught myself and tried to get up but had to crawl a little bit before somebody picked me up from behind. Then I was running with Drew. I was passing people for the majority of the race. Sometime around the two mile mark I guess (I don't actually know how far into the race it was) I passed Jason and was 5th man. I had no idea how everyone else was doing because I couldn't see them and I didn't hear the announcer. Jason passed me back about 400 meters later (or somewhere around there). Then Drew passed me and said "We have to catch up with Jason." So Drew and I tried to catch Jason together and I finally heard the announcer at the 4k mark. He read off the top 5 team's points then he read off the top 5 team names. He said Bridgetown first. Then I said to myself "Chris, we're in first, this is nationals and you have to go." Then I passed a couple of more people and Drew was right along with me. I came to the last set of hay bails and cleared them perfectly like all the other ones. Drew took off from there and had an amazing finish. I took off from there too but it took me a little longer to finish.
The Results When I finished the race, I saw Drew right away and went over to him. We both looked at the scoreboard to see if we won or not. But we didn't realize it was going to take another hour to find out. We went back to the tent and got some clothes to put on and then went to find the other guys. We got interviewed a couple different times while waiting. Then they called us over to the award tent. They announced third and then we waited for them to announce second. Jason then turned to us and said "No matter what happens, we're going to be happy." Then they said second place with 148 points, Simi West. Then we went insane, we knew we won and we knew we were national champions. The rest of the day every person on the team was happy.
After the season This season couldn't have been more perfect. Everyone worked hard and ran amazing all throughout the season. I was really happy for Drew the most because he always said how good he could run and he always had bad luck until this year. The seniors of course aren't coming back for next year and there is no way they can ever be replaced. This team was a once in a lifetime team. Nobody thought we could do it and we did. Now I'm going to focus on indoor. I begin my training with the team in the beginning of January. My goals for track are to run a 4:30 mile and sub 10 two mile by the end of outdoor. Drew and I are also looking forward to next Cross Country Season. Of course we're not going to have as good of a team as this year but we still will be a team to watch out for. Our biggest goals are to qualify for states as a team and to win Ches Monts as a team. Our coaches were probably the reason why we won this year. They are the best two coaches we could have asked for. They make you the best runner you could possibly be in high school. I am proud to say I run for Mr. Andrew, Mr. Lapp and Coatesville.
Drew Mahoney
So it is a few days after NTN's and I am still ecstatic about our win. It is the best feeling in the world to be a part of the best XC team in the country and our seniors on this team definitely deserve it after all that they've been through in their 4 years of being on this team. My freshman year I was unable to attend the state meet but was heartbroken when I learned of their 5 point loss to the eventual NTN qualifier Cedar Cliff. What hurt even more was that we lost because of a transfer of the Dawsons to another local school. Next year they were back and I was so sure we would win the state title the next year.
One year later. Again our team has an off day and finishes fourth. This race is even more disappointing because we were so sure of ourselves all year and the team that beat us we beat 3 times in a row that year. Many of our runners didn't have their best races and were completely heart broken. We could have won states 2 years in a row but came up short both times.
This year our top seven is back from states but we're not taking anything for granted. We know what we have and who we're up against, and we have some huge goals in mind. Our major goal is to win states. My major goal is to finally make the varsity team I've been ever so close to making since my freshman year. Our whole top seven is back and I have some serious work to do if I want to be on the varsity team. I know what I can do and I know what I have to do. Thus begins one of the greatest seasons of any sports team in the history of PA.
Our first invitational is Big Valley where we have won the last few years. The biggest team there is PA#5 State College. It's pouring rain and it is unbelievably muddy. I don't mind the conditions at all but I know many other teams will and I know this is an advantage we have. Rain, mud, sleet, or snow, our coaches prepare us to be ready and run. I am running JV today and my goal is to win the race. I want my coaches to notice that I am ready to be on the varsity squad, I'm going to give it all I have. I just really want to prove I'm not an 8th man on the best team the #1 ranked NE team.
When we take off our sweats to run the race the ice cold rain hits my skin and I think how much I want the weather to change, but the feeling passes quickly. I've been ready to run this race for a week now. The gun goes off and feelings toward the weather quickly turn apathetic as I think of the fact that I may be a reserve runner for the 3rd year in a row. I get out as hard as I can and get in the lead about 350 meters into the race. A State College runner and 2 of our runners are the only people challenging me about 600 meters in. It was a great feeling to be in the lead and a few of my friends up with me but the race was far from over. When we get to the first hill I shorten up and Kevin Ammon (another Coatesville runner) and the SC kid pass me. I'm not scared, I feel fine, and I know that I can win this race. At the mile I'm right behind the two and the mile time is right where I thought it would be. I felt great and I started to pick it up a bit. When I took the lead about 200 meters into the 2 mile I felt the SC runner go with me. I don't know about any other runners out there but when I get sat on I get quite angry. My thoughts turned towards ripping this kid, whoever he was, and win this thing running away. 800 meters left this kid is still on me and I think I underestimated his talent. The last 400 meters came and my legs were sore and didn't want to move in the cold weather (I always stretched my thighs more thoroughly after this race). Finally I find this extra gear and kick it in the home stretch and get the win I oh so needed. I felt that I ran well and smart. I was happier when I watched the later race and saw our team perfect score the #5 state team. Overall we won the meet with 16 points, absolutely no challenge. Our 6th runner ran the same time as me and I beat our 7th runner by about 10 seconds. This didn't mean that much because the conditions for their race was way worse, but my track coach, Mr. Smith, told me not to take anything away from my race. I was happy with myself and overjoyed with how well our team did. We were out to win it in the state and then move on to do huge things and nationals. Winning never crossed my mind but I really wanted to go to Portland and run (and that doesn't mean the 8th) man race.
This is when I first learned of the controversy of the way we schedule our meets and the way NTN works. I thought many teams in the NE would be amazed with our score at Big Valley but it seemed they just tried to find ways of saying we weren't a top 2 team in the region. It seems like the selection committee and all of the NE runners are hung up with New York being the best state in the country. They have some great teams and runners but none of them have proved to me that they are as good and consistent as our team. Why can't we prove ourselves in the state and not worry about traveling to New York to race teams that are ranked behind us? If we are supposed to be the best team in our region why do we have to travel and miss school to prove we our a great team? Why run races like Great American or the Manhattan that isn't the traditional 5k race that doesn't exist in our own state? Why must we seek out teams that the rankings already say we're better than? I think that if these teams want to race us so bad they can come here and race us. I would rather race in a legendary PA race like Carlisle and Steel City because that is the tradition in our state and that's what we have been doing throughout my high school career.
Anyway our next meet is the following Wednesday after Big Valley, a league meet with West Chester East. At least the teams in PA were impressed with our performance there. I'm trying not to worry about it because I want to focus more on running and making the varsity team since I still have a lot to prove. Most days before a race I have a specific routine I follow where I get up at the same time and eat the same time but it is quite difficult during the school days. It is hard to get focused on a race when you have to worry about tests and teachers and drama between your friends in between classes (especially when you struggle with your academics like I do). Now we are racing the PA #3 ranked team West Chester East. This is the team that upset us in the state last year and I keep that in mind before the race started.
The start felt real sluggish, but it was quicker than it felt. After the race I talked to some of the guys on our team and they said they felt the same. Around the 800 the feeling was gone and the race started to even out. I was amazed by how I did during that race compared to the other runners. I beat Andrew Lobb, who just won the state 800 title outdoors and Vincent, another returning varsity runner from last year. These are 2 runners I never saw myself beating and I just did it. Only their top runner from the year before beat me but it wasn't by much. I felt I ran a great race but my time didn't show it. It was close to my pr but I had no idea what happened with everyone else. I finished 8th overall and 6th on my team and I started to feel great about my position. It was very surprising to see how much we beat WC East by. I mean this was the 3rd best team in the state (ranking at that point) and we just perfect scored them. And finally I was running like I thought I could and I was proving it. This is definitely the most focused I feel I've ever been. The next race is at Gettysburg where you are able to run 10 in the varsity race. Our coach decided to bump me up to varsity and run 8, something I was ecstatic about. At last I get to run a varsity race I've longed for, and at the amazingly fast course at Gettysburg. Craig Miller went below 15 last year, an amazing feat in the sport of XC. I was looking forward to seeing Kyle to try and do the same against some difficult competition. Vince McNally of Connestoga Valley, 3rd in the state last year, was supposed to race also. It would be difficult to beat him but I felt Kyle could do it.
Well turns out McNally was hurt for Gettysburg and the race wasn't that fast. The start of the day was real humid and quite cold. Throughout our warm-up it generally got hotter and hotter until it was in the mid 80's. I liked the course because it was very flat and it seemed like it would be really fast during the walkthrough. At the start of the race I felt real tired and I got out a bit too fast. The rest of the race I just kept dropping places until the end. Our team didn't have our best race at all. Tom had a great race and Chris also did. Chris ran his best race easily of his high school career, getting 24th place as a soph. I'm real happy for him and I'm positive this kids got a great future. I felt horrible the whole race and ended up getting 56th at 17:56. My goal was under 17 and I was no where close. Later I found out that it was a super slow day. I asked Kyle if he got under 15 and his response was, Under 16". Wow. Not the fastest day on a real fast course. It doesn't matter, we won with a total of 26 points, another amazing total for an invitational on not our best day. Too bad I had a bad day finishing 8th on the team, sort of erasing my performances of late. I did my best to put it in the back of my mind and focus on the next race. Turns out WC East rested for Gettysburg and 6 of them beat me. They got 2nd with 72 points. Yeah, not sure if I underestimated them but they're a legit team; good challenge in the Ches-Mont.
Well the next meet is a dual meet against Downingtown East. Owen has to sit this meet out because of an injury, but we're not too worried. Chris felt a lot of pressure to beat D East's first man and was disappointed when he didn't but I thought he still had a good race. Before the race Mr. Lapp said that I need to start running faster and that a 10:12 (my 2 mile pr) on the track is better than what I've been running so far. It put it into perspective for me that I do need to step it up. Especially if I want this varsity spot. The start was quicker than usual for me on our course but I was real relaxed. Our other 7 got out real quick with d-east's #1. My 2 mile was on pace but I was still back if I wanted to catch our 6, 7 and d-east #1. My turn-over was real quick and I did get back into the race finishing 7th overall. It was in our top 7 but my time was 17:13, not what I hoped for. We won with 16 points taking 7 of the first 8 spots. If we had Owen it would have been a perfect score but we wouldn't want to risk Owen hurting himself again. It was bothering him all week so it was ok to not have him run in an unimportant meet we had a lock on.
The next league meet is against D-west and WC Rustin and again Owen doesn't run. The course is all pavement or on grass filled with gopher holes and such. Not my favorite course but it seemed really fast. My mile was around where it usually is and I felt very relaxed. This is where I realized I need to start going out harder. I can't sit back and feel fine at the mile and expect to have an amazing turn over. I believe I was 9th at this point and I wanted to get that varsity spot, along with beating every other runner in the race not on our team. My second mile was quicker and I was catching Chris a bit, after getting around one of our runners and a d-west runner. The finish was on a track, which I like a lot. On the track I feel like I have an extra kick going around the turn and going down the home stretch (even though we ended on the back stretch). I ended up getting the other d-west runner and finishing 6th. I ran the race in 16:29 and I am amazed to hear it. I beat my best time by 41 seconds! Too bad Rustin measured the course wrong and it was a 3.0, not a true 5K. Still my best race to date. We got 15 points running against both teams. Kyle, Jason, and Tom had great races today, especially Jason. He was one second off of Kyle's time and from what I hear put up a hell of a kick at the end of the race and almost got him. Even without Owen our 5 man spread is about 56 seconds. I beat our other runner by 30 seconds so I felt I finally secured that varsity spot and was looking forward to running Carlisle in a week.
Well I thought I would run varsity at Carlisle, but my coaches told me I was JV. I was real angry at that time, but I respected his decision. They got us to be this great and they know what they're doing. If I just keep proving myself, it's ok I know now that he made the right decision because of the fact that seniors can't run JV, and Chad is a senior. This way we both get to race and he can spend more time making the right decision. I just have to focus on running. At the time I was quite angry by the decision, but Kyle and Jason calmed me down. I had a real horrible attitude, but they were cool about it and pulled me aside and explained the situation. It took me a while to let it sink in, but I thank them for doing it. I'm just going to win this JV race and everything will work out was what I thought the day before the race.
Our team was bumped down to NE#2 because we were idle in invitationals for a few weeks. I didn't mind it that much but I can speak for the team that we all knew that it was the wrong decision. I wasn't that worried then. The forums on dyestat all agreed with the commitees decision, but they're all from NY just like all the PA teams disagreed with the decision. Not too big of a deal at this point.
Back to Carlisle. Time to get on varsity. Time to prove myself. I was a bit more nervous than I should be, but when the gun went off they were gone. I suffered from oxygen deprivation early in the race, but still got out in first. At the 400 I got passed by someone but I just stayed with him. Mr. Andrew and Mr. Lapp really put emphasis on tangents in this race so I paid good attention to them. I was breathing real heavy 800 meters in going through rolling hills and one of my teammates yelled something really encouraging to me that made me push myself (thanks Rob!). Anyway the person in front of me slowed up real heavy and I took control of the race at the 1k. My breathing eventually calmed and I did my best to put distance in between myself and 2nd place. My mile was fine, but my 2 mile wasn't where I wanted it at 11 minutes. From what I heard I had a comfortable lead but I needed to keep pushing the whole race. There is something about being up in front that makes me not push myself as hard. I had decent competition but I really wanted someone else to help push me. At this point I knew I needed to find the extra incentive to run harder. The last 100 meters is all downhill and I liked that a lot. I gapped the 2nd place person and my time was 17:10. My goal was under 17, but I was happy with my race. Mr. Lapp came up to me after the race and said that I ran a really smart, strong race, and I was really happy with that compliment (I don't think I was ever told I ran a smart race before that!) On to the important race, Kyle won in the VERY fast time of 15:17 uncontested. Owen was back and he had a great first race back. I was disappointed when I discovered that all seven of them beat me. I really want to run steel city but I think these last few meets I've proved something to my coaches. Still I was nervous about their decision they had to make. The team scored 30 points, handily beat North Allegheny and La Salle by about 85 points. Both those teams were ranked in the state at that point (I believe NA was 3rd, don't quote me) and I was very happy about that. Next week Steel City!!
I pushed myself harder in our work-outs that week to try to prove to my coaches I was ready. Looking at how Collegiate did at Great American, I realize that they did have a really strong race. I still believed we were a better team, but I can see an argument for them as the NE#1. It is a very prestigious race and of course the winner of a legendary race is going to be favored in the rankings. We are still #2 and I don't worry too much about the rankings. Right now I'm worried about running.
So the day before Steel City we haven't heard any news about who has the varsity spot. To be honest I felt sick to my stomach all day and I started to doubt myself. Before the practice Mr. Lapp called the eight of us to him and I knew this was when we would hear the decision. The whole rest of the season and what's happened up to this point flashes through my head and I'm thinking about a thousand things a minute. Mr. Lapp was talking about the race tomorrow when, to me it seemed, he abruptly stopped and looked at me and said, "Drew, I chose you to run the race tomorrow, and you have to run." I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders and I was instantly feeling better. I get a chance to run in our home invitational, the prestigious Steel City. I couldn't wait for the next day to run the biggest invitational in PA besides the state meet itself.
I was quite nervous to run this race, especially with how many hills were on this course. I'm a lot better at flatter courses (as almost all runners are, duh) but I'm not the best on hills. But I knew I had to run a great race. I wanted so badly to prove to my coach that he made the right decision. When the gun went off I got out hard. I believe I was in 10th a little less the 800 meters in (heh heh heh scary). I felt fine so I didn't slow up but eventually a lot of runners passed me. I just kept going at the comfortable pace I was in. My breathing was the best it's been in any race and at the mile I started pushing it harder. But then came the VA hill (mountain would be better). Even though I run it every week at practice I still got passed by 3 people on the steep part and about 5-7 overall when we hit the road. When we turned off the road on the dirt path, my legs were burning, but I could see Chris about 7-8 seconds ahead of me, so I tried to catch up to him. The downhill felt a lot better than the uphill for sure. I started to catch some people, and just started to open my stride because the rest of the race was downhill. I passed about 3 people whose arms were swinging above their heads ( its better to drop your arms going down hill guys, save some energy!). Coming around the turn past the HeadStart preschool I ran this amazing tangent and to quote my coach "You can be in 100th at this point and catch 25 runners!" Maybe not that drastic, but I caught about 6-8 runners when I turned onto the grass. I finished at 17:27 in 30th. I would have to call it my breakout race. I went from running 55th in my first varsity race at Gettysburg to getting 30th at the very difficult Steel City. Sure, I had home course advantage on my side but I was very impressed with myself. I felt like this was the definitive moment where I finally got myself on the varsity team. The only disappointment of the day was to find out Kyle didn't get first for the first time this season. I knew of Jason Weller from winning this race last year, I guess this is his course. All seven of our runners ran well at this race and it felt great to receive a championship plaque at this race. I've helped work the chute for the first 2 years I was on the team.
So I just found out through Mr. Smith that at this point in time Mr. Lapp said that we were going to win nationals and Mr. Smith didn't doubt him for a second. At this point I just want to thank you Mr. Lapp for getting us at our level of running and giving me the chance to for this team. You are an excellent coach and your prediction turned true, thanks to hard work and dedication from you and Mr. Andrew.
It turns out Collegiate placed 3rd in Van Cortlandt, but without their #1 and #2 runners in the beginning of October. Ok, I'm thinking, they made it easier for us to regain our #1 spot in the region, that's cool. To my surprise the new rankings still have them ranked ahead of us. Why? They might of lost to a little better competition but it was still a loss. I understand that they were without their top runners but we're still undefeated. Based off of this I looked at all our past races and how we would have fared without our top 2 finishers. We would have won every single meet except Gettysburg. I'm not sure how many people know this but it amazed me when I found this out. It's a cool little statistic though.
Alright...next meet is a double-dual against #2 PA ranked team West Chester Henderson and Avon Grove. Henderson has a few great runners in Chris Aldrich and Chris Ferry, so this will be a closer meet than most. It starts to rain a bit before the race but I still felt really loose. The officials put us on the line about 9 runners deep and we had to tangent towards a gravel path about 100 meters in. I asked a few other runners on our team to be on the line instead of me so I could have a better angle on the start. I lined up behind Tom who always gets out real well. The start was a bit slippery but I got out real well and hard, but I still felt relaxed. At the mile Kyle had a great lead, I was in 9th in a loosely condensed pack with Sean, Tom, Jason, Chad, Chris, and Andrew Jervis, a Henderson runner. In the next mile it spread out a lot, but I did my best to stay with Jervis. At one point I pulled ahead of him but he took the lead back and put space in between us on a long uphill through the woods. I ended up getting 9th with a pretty large pr in the 5k with a 16:24. I really liked the course a lot during the warm-up and it showed when I ran on it. Kyle got an amazing time of 15:10 which blew away the course record. Owen and Sean also had outstanding races finishing 3rd and 5th. We won the meet 22-37, quite easily but it was our biggest test up to this point. Henderson is a great team and they could surprise at some point. Next up Ches-Mont Championships! We've won this meet 3 times in a row.
I'd say that the way our light mood during warm-ups is what helps us a lot the day of a race. For bigger meets I do get nervous, but the guys on the team always calm me down. Everyone is always in a great mood; still determined to run great but not wound up in a little ball full of nerves. We were always relaxed before a race, talking and joking during our warm-ups, sometimes even seconds before we get on the line. The second the gun goes off, everybody is ready to run great, and we always do. I'd say our better races, like States or Steel City and NTN's we were our most calm because of how we talked during the warm-ups. The guys on the team helped me out a lot with their casual, sometimes carefree attitude before each race.
I wasn't feeling that great the day of Ches-monts and I didn't really like the course. It was mostly uphill and it was horribly marked. I'm happy I wasn't ever in the lead or I would have gotten lost for sure. Kyle went the wrong way last year and it might have cost him an individual championship, but our teammate Beau made sure that didn't happen. I heard him yelling to him the whole time. We got in a very short warm-up before the race and I didn't feel that ready. I got out well, but coming around the track at the start of the race I had a horrible position and had to run far outside to get around some people. I think Jason and Sean had a hard time getting out because they both passed me far outside on the track. Sean usually starts slower than most people though, so it could have been a normal start for him. When I would shorten up going up the hills it seemed like I was getting passed by a lot of people. I just felt out of energy the whole race, I didn't really run that well at all. I ended up getting 17th, which wasn't what I wanted to be at, and my time was 17:37. I wanted to be in the top 15. Kyle ran a really fast time, 16:00, on a tough course. Chris also ran really well too, finishing 12th. We had our scorers in the top 7, which is really good for such a strong league, and our spread was around 43 seconds. We won with 21 points to runner-up WC Henderson, who had 55. Mr. Andrew wants our spread to be around 35-30 seconds, which is attainable. I'm looking forward to running districts next week, which is a very fast course. My goal all season was to be under 16:00 and this is my best chance to hit that time.
So Collegiate helped us move back to #1 after another loss. They ran without their #2 and finished third at Brown Invitational. I'm happy to be #1 again, as I feel that is our rightful position in the Northeast. But on the District 1 Championships.
Not the best weather for a race but I don't know why I'm being so picky because of how fast the course is. At the start I figured 3 runners would go under 15:00, which is exactly what happened. The shocking part was Springer's 14:47, pretty much dominating the race. He is a lot better on flatter courses, but is a great consistent runner overall on any course. I got out really well and relaxed, and in great position. Close to the mile Jason passed me and I did my best to stay with him. Running through that chute by the mile with everyone screaming at you gets you real hyped and makes you speed up a lot. I started passing a few people and Jason got out of my sight eventually. I felt great the whole race and had a little kick left. A few that passed me in the last mile I got at the end. I kicked on this one kid, who I found out later was a freshman named Micheal Mahoney, a runner from Council Rock North. I'm 99% percent sure we're not related but he's going to be a beast when he gets older, good race Mike. (He was a few places ahead of me at States, taking away the bragging rights of being the best Mahoney finisher at the state meet, hahaha.) I didn't reach my goal, but was dreadfully close, finishing 42nd in 16:03. I was really happy with my performance, though. We scored 51 points, with Kyle getting 3rd at 14:58 and Sean not having one of his better races. Our spread was 49 seconds, not our best but keep in mind Kyle just ran 14:58. We easily won, beating runner-up Strath Haven who had 190 points. Kristina qualified on the girls side finishing 21st. Now we have our berth to states and we're going to take care of business next week. We can't take this meet lightly though, especially after what happened last year.
Our teammates and school gave us a nice little send-off Friday morning before we left for Hershey and States.. When we got to the course we ran it, and I liked it a lot. There were some long hills but it was designed perfectly for us. Our starting block was 24 which was Mr. Lapp's lucky number (at our banquet he said they might as well have given our state trophy with the block, haha). The courses first mile seemed really fast when we walked it and we found out it was the next day. Mr. Lapp really liked the course because he said the layout was very similar to Steel City. The hotel we were staying in was really nice; free of other teams in the race tomorrow. After we got situated at the hotel we went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant where I talked to Mr. Lapp about when he used to race and outdoor track. When we were talking about districts in the 2 mile I said because only 3 can qualify I probably won't get a chance to run. He said to me, "Don't ever count yourself out, because everyone has a breakout race and what's to say tomorrow won't be mine." Thanks a lot for the advice Mr. Lapp, I always think about that before a race now. When we got back to the hotel we put our chips on our shoes, our numbers on our shirts, and spikes in our shoes. Everybody seemed real focused for our race tomorrow before we went to bed. I slept pretty well, even though I was a bit nervous. Tomorrow is the biggest race of my running career, and I want to make sure I do really well to help out my team as best as I can.
When we wake up the next morning we went on a short morning run and then head back to the hotel. I had a little breakfast and then went back to my room to watch a bit of TV. Kristina left around 8:30 to go run and we had another hour or so to kill. We left around 10:15 and when we got there we caught the end of Kristina's race. She had a great race, finishing 24th, which got all of us real excited. When it was time we warmed up and got ready for our race. It was the loosest I felt all season and the best I felt before a race. I was ready to go. I lined up behind Kyle and then the gun went off, so I did my best to go out with him. The start was insane, and I wasn't ready for it. I got out with Jason, Sean, and Chris real fast for my pace. Jason and Sean weren't that far up. But I knew Owen and Tom were with Kyle so it was nothing to worry about. In my opinion, Kyle was the reason for the unforeseen fast times of the day. He set the pace and I believe that that's what helped Weller and Springer hit the times they did that day, also setting the pace for the other 18 or so people that went under 16:00. The first turn at the start of the race was too sharp that early in the race but I guess it couldn't be helped. I got tripped up and spiked in the knee at that turn, which bled for most of the race. It did look pretty hardcore though when I finished the race with blood dripping down my leg (my dad told me my mom was freaking out when she saw it). At the mile the four of us were still together all crossing in about a span of 4 or 5 seconds somewhere in the 40's. Sean and Jason made a huge move there and I stayed with Sean for a bit until we started heading back downhill. Chris passed me going around the bridge with a WC East kid, and I ran with him for a while. When we got to the huge hills around the 2 mile mark, I got really tired and lost about 5 spots. Later in the race a huge pack and at some point I was close to, if not in, the 70's. At the end of the race I felt I had no energy left, but I had a very strong kick, finished 62nd. I could barely walk after the race, and Chris's dad came up to me and I had to support my weight on him so I wouldn't fall (thanks Mr. Rosato!). This is when I found out we had our top 5 in at 18th and I was so thrilled. Every one of us had a great race that day, especially Tom and Owen. We won States with the lowest score ever of 26 points. It was one of the happiest moments in my life. At the start of the season we set this goal and to finally accomplish it after all we've been through felt so great. After our warm-down Mr. Lapp gathered us together and said when the selections come out for NTN's we'll get one...and we're gonna win the thing. At the awards I did some quick math and realized that if Kyle and Tom were taken out of the race, we still would have won by a little under 20 points. Here our some statistics I found after states for all you runner nerds out there. Without our top 2 finishers we actually would have won by 17 points with us having 60 points and Henderson having 77. That is really good against a team like Henderson, who could be argued for a high ranking in the Northeast. Also, if you dual meet score us against every team at the meet, we would have perfect scored them all except for 4 (Henderson, Strath Haven, Hatboro Horsham, and Parkland). Henderson would be the only team below 40 points with the score being 22-37. Also, we would have all seven of our runners in before 13 teams #1 runner (15-50 score against more than half the teams there).
The Ches-mont league has to be the best league in the state for cross country in the last ten years easily. In the last 11 State team championships, 6 have been won by Ches-mont teams. Three by West Chester Henderson (1996, 2002, and 2003). Two by Coatesville (2000, 2006, with a second place finish in 2004). And finally one by West Chester East (2005). It is wonderful being a part of this extraordinary league and I'm sure more great teams will come from are league in the near future.
We basically trained through States in a sense to try and peak twice, once for States and another for Nationals. We dropped our mileage before States to around 60-65 miles which shot right back up afterwards to around 80. This was my weirdest point in training for a few reasons. 1) I've never run a season this long before, dating back to summer practices, and 2) It took me a while to recover from my run at States. At this point we had to change our name because of a PIAA rule that states that because the season is over we cannot have any affiliation with the school. Mr. Andrew looked back in the archives and found that Coatesville at one point was named Bridgetown, due to 2 bridges on opposite ends of the town. This is where we got the name for our team.
Last Gasp was a bit different of a race for me, the big one wearing white instead of black. The warm-up felt fine and we did our sprints on the hills to get ready for the hills in the race. Waiting on the line was different too because they put us all up front instead of boxes for teams, because there weren't many teams there and a lot of individuals. One team there, Germantown Friends, was a good team so we got the opportunity to race them. I got out real well with the rest of the team and we had a nice pack for the first mile. Going up the hill towards the end of the second mile I started to drop back and a few guys passed me. A bit later a few more guys passed me and I started to get really frustrated but I felt I couldn't push myself harder. I got one guy at the end and finished 11th with a time of around 17:10. After the race a GF runner congratulated us, saying when they raced Shenendahowa they put 2 runners in their top 5 but only one in ours. This was interesting news that made us feel stronger because the selection process was coming up.
I went over to Tom's house to watch the Eagle's game and wait for the call to see if we got a bid or not. It turns out he got the call before I got there, a few hours before he expected it. It doesn't matter though because I was so happy we were going to Oregon. It didn't even matter to me after I found out what the colors were we had left to choose from for our uniforms. Training for Nike Team Nationals was fun but I really just wanted to go right away. I couldn't wait until we could finally race against the best teams in the nation. I was able to get some bails of straw for us to practice jumping over. (I know they're not hay bails but they'll have to work, ha ha.) A week before we got a chance to rest a bit and then it was off to Oregon!
When we got there it was so awesome. All the other teams that were there, all the cool places and famous runners we would meet. It was easily the best trip I ever took in my life. With all the stuff planned and places we had to be or could go to it was difficult to find a time for us to take our runs. We ended up running early in the mornings and midday. Nike was very hospitable and it was awesome to get this chance to be there. The night we got there we had to do a skit up on stage. We chose to sing a song to the tune of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer but someone else had the idea and they went before us. We decided to do it anyway and I had fun doing it. This is how we met the Midlothian girls (the girls that stole our skit) who were a cool group that were favored to win. They were a friendly group and I give (as everyone else should) major props to one of their girls who finished in the 80's, after she broke her elbow early in the race. That is the definition of a strong runner.
The day after the skit we walked the course which was a different course to us. It was on the inside of a horse-track at Portland Meadows with hay bails and these man-made hills that went straight up and down. I liked the course a bit but Chris and Sean seemed like they really liked it. Later Chris confirmed to me that he really liked it and he knew he would do well on it. I was starting to get nervous whenever I thought of the teams. I kept having weird questions in the back of my mind. What if we weren't the best team in the nation? What if we get here and find out we're only 2nd best? Or 3rd? We're underdogs to the rest of the nation but what if we have a bad day? What if we don't show them who we really are? Finally I looked at our team and realized we were the best team in the nation, and that's all there is to it. I put the thoughts out of my mind and said we would win.
Race day came. National Championship time. The title and the bragging rights are on the line. We had a great warm-up and we were surprised to see it was not raining. At first I was dreading the color our uniforms would be but when I put it on I liked it. It really stands out for all the people watching. Chris and I knew how we had to do today as it could come to the 6th man. We had to get our seven-man spread down really low. On the ride up I told everyone on the team we're the team to beat and let's prove it. Let's run like we have been and prove ourselves to everyone. I guess I was a bit too serious because everyone started joking around after that. It was cool though we were still in light moods even on the biggest day of our lives. Warm-ups came and went and during the last sprint I felt really tired. "You can't feel like this," I thought, "Not now!" It didn't matter because the feeling went away right when we got on the line.
BANG! The gun was quick and so was the start (duh). At the start Chris fell on a hill about 250 meters in the race and crawled for a bit with me behind him. After I pulled him up I realized Sean was right with us too. Next thing I know there is a huge pile-up of about 30-45 people that I had to work my way through. Nothing is scarier then people falling around you with their limbs and spiked-shoes flailing. Luckily none of us went down. Sean quickly disappeared from view and then I heard the leaders and found out Kyle was in first (yes!). Another runner next to me yelled, "Yes Murdock didn't fall in the pile!" I found this funny since it wasn't a Shenendahowa runner. Coming up on the 1k I could see Tom, pretty close to us, and Jason was close to Chris and I. Feeling a bit nervous I looked at the scoreboard next to us (handy little thing) and saw that we were in fifth. Fear shot through me, quickly followed by the results of the girls race and the leaders after the 1k. This made me feel better and I focused on running harder. Soon we were through the surprisingly muddy 2k and over the hay bails. I didn't think the course would be this bad but then realized how many races were before ours and how many runners ran over the same ground we were on. I got with Jason and then saw Chris in front of him about 3k in the race. I got in front of Jason to help push him and I guess this worked because he took off. I was running behind Chris for a bit and panted to him "We need to get Jason". He got the message and we both took off. Jason was catching lots of people, as was Chris and I. Then I heard over the loud speakers the name and score of Bridgetown. To me this meant we were winning the first news I heard since right before the 1k. I started moving as hard as I could and Chris with me. We got over the last set of hay bails and I started to kick. It was the most pain I've been in and the most tired I've ever been in a race but I didn't care. I probably caught about 7-9 people and almost collapsed at the finish. Chris found me and we went right over to the scoreboard. I stood exhausted, praying we won. The girls results came up right away and I thought ours would to. After 5 minutes I went to find the rest of the team and hear how they did, still waiting for an answer to who won. I heard an eruption of cheers and looked over at another team as my heart dropped. No way they won. Then I heard them talking to that team over the speakers and learn they're just passing the time, interviewing other teams. We found out there was a mistake with the girls results and that the scoring would go slowly and carefully. We went right under the scoreboard and waited for the results.
This is where we compared our finish to the finishes of others. We knew there was no way to tell if any other team made up a lot of ground, but we found out how we did. We were 1st with 1k left, but with a small margin and we needed to find out how we did. I learned Jason fell twice over consecutive hay bails (how I missed it I don't know because I was near him most of the race) and he also caught several others. Chris and I said how we caught a decent amount. It seemed we all gained ground after the race, except Kyle who stayed the same. Sean learned he finished 2nd on the team, not 4th. The top 10 boys came up on the board and then I learned Kyle finished 8th. We kept being interviewed and then our parents and friends were interviewed, but all we wanted to know were the results. Supposedly it was only 45 minutes we waited, but it felt like 2 hours. Finally we arrived at the stage and were told to make our way to the front. Ok, top 4. Then they announce the 4th and 3rd place team. At this point, Jason turned and said, "That was our best race and we'll be happy win our lose". Then the answer to our question came, "And second place goes to...Simi West". We went insane. It was the happiest moment in my life celebrating with my teammates. What made it even better was that not everybody on our team had their best races. Only Sean, Chris, and I had our best races for sure that day (maybe Owen too). But it doesn't matter because we are the best team in the nation. We went up front, super happy, and were given hats and shirts that say we're champions and then Owen and Jason hoisted (or tried to hoist) the trophy in the air and I remember thinking "We're the champs, We're the best team in the nation!"
Thanks to Mr. Andrew and Mr. Lapp, the best cross country coaches in the nation, Mr. Smith, our amazing track and field coach, Mr. Backenstose, "Papa Stose", who was our chaperone for the trip and the coolest person ever to hang out with, Don Rich for covering us on PenntrackXC.com, Nike for flying us out there, the rest of our team for supporting us, and everyone else that made this possible that I forget that I will apologize to later when I remember.
Last thought: The Radnor girls. Colts Neck proved that they were a great team but it doesn't make a difference that the Radnor girls got completely overlooked in the selection process. Comparing them to how the rest of the NE did that day if they ran the way they have been, in my eyes, they were a top 5 team no doubt, and had a legitimate shot at winning. Congratulations on your accomplishments this season and hopefully you girls will have better luck in the future.
Jason Leonard
Looking back on it now with the entire season finished it has been an incredible trip. Everything from the first summer run to the end of NTN has been amazing and I am truly happy to have experienced it all with the best teammates, coaches and supporters that anyone could ask for.
Preseason
Coming into the season we knew this was going to be interesting and Mr. Lapp told us right away at the first meeting that this season had potential to be very special. We came off of our best summer training to date and everybody was focused and ready for the season. After last year we were not going to take any meet lightly. We had to be focused for every meet and run our best because any team could have beaten us on any given day.
The preseason rankings came as a complete shock to us. We were expecting to be ranked decent and I was going to be content with the 4-6 range and hopefully that would translate to a national ranking and we would just have to move up from there. But when we found out we were number 1 in the region and 4 in the nation it was just a huge shock. We came into it all with the attitude that every ranking we would receive all year would be meaningless except for the ones when the bids went out. Also we were expecting to just drop as the year went on and hope that we didn't drop too far to be out of contention regardless of winning or losing. So we didn't really stop and focus on the rankings and only allowed discussion on them for a ten minute warm up before our workout that day. As far as really looking at NTN we all talked about it as soon as the rankings came out and agreed to not worry about them and focus on states. If we could win states it would be hard to be disappointed over anything afterwards as long as we did everything in our power to make it happen.
Early meets
Big Valley-
This was a meet we have had success at since our freshman year when Kyle out kicked me for the JV win and Sean was right behind leading us to a dominating win. We had continued that success over the last two years and had jokingly talked about perfect scoring the meet our senior year. Coming in it seemed actually possible we just knew we had to worry about Travis Dean and State College and any new people who stepped up.
The weather that day was awful and the entire course was slow and muddy, although in retrospect now it worked to our advantage to run and run well in conditions like that. I remember months later being very happy that we had.
In the race I remember getting out bad while Owen sprinted to the lead and led the entire field the wrong way although I was so far back they had gone wrong and been corrected by the time I got that far. So while everyone stayed to the inside of the path with a solid mud center I sprinted along the outside to work my way back into the top ten and from there just moved back towards the front. The course had been bad at the start of the day and gotten worse after two races being run on it. It was very similar to the NTN course at spots with huge puddles and constant mud. Although I never caught our front three I passed Dean and just held him off in the end to complete a 1 2 3 4 6 performance that was very impressive for us. And although we ran slower then we did our sophomore years it was still a good start.
Coatesville 16
State College 68
Kyle Dawson 16:29 Coatesville
Sean Ward 16:55 Coatesville
Owen Dawson 17:01 Coatesville
Jason Leonard 17:04 Coatesville
Travis Dean 17:05 Westmont Hilltop
Tom Pannulla 17:17 Coatesville
League meet WCE/Shanahan-
This was our first league meet of the season and we got off to a good start on our home course. I remember being slightly worried when we were coming to the mile and it was Kyle and Tom ahead of me but all I saw was flashes of red and green behind me. That turned out to be no problem as we went 1 2 3 4 6 on everyone again. Chris Bodary had gotten a lot better and showed this when Owen had to use an amazing kick to pass him in the last stretch.
Coatesville 15 WCE 44
Coatesville 16 BS 47
Kyle Dawson Coatesville 16:05
Tom Pannulla Coatesville16:27
Jason Leonard Coatesville16:35
Owen Dawson Coatesville 16:47
Chris Bodary Bishop Shanahan 16:49
Sean Ward Coatesville 16:54
John Lacolla WC east 17:17
Gettysburg-
This was our first time running at Gettysburg and also our last. It was a much different course than I expected and Craig Miller deserves a lot of credit for breaking 15 when only Kyle could break 16. This probably was our worst showing of the year and we went in tired and ran that way. I didn't get in the race and watched everyone sort of struggle through the day before finally catching up a little on the last loop and then having to suffer through the deceiving finishing stretch.
1 Coatesville Area 26 1 3 6 7 9 20 40
Total Time: 1:22:09.14
Average: 16:25.83
2 West Chester East 72
1 Dawson, Kyle 12 Coatesville Area 15:56.18 1
2 Beegle, Bryan 12 Gettysburg Areas 16:00.43
3 Kareis, Greg 11 Red Lion Area 16:20.21 2
4 Pannulla, Thomas 12 Coatesville Area 16:20.66 3
5 LaColla, John 11 West Chester East 16:21.47 4
6 Berkow, Stan 12 Manheim Township 16:26.65 5
7 Dawson, Owen 12 Coatesville Area 16:32.56 6
8 Leonard, Jason 12 Coatesville Area 16:36. 7
12 Ward, Sean 12 Coatesville Area 16:42.84 9
League meet Downingtown East-
This was our last time running our home course and it was important for us to go out with a good showing. The race was Kyle going out and Tom, Sean and I were all reasonably close for the first two miles before Tom pulled away. So I think we can say we did when we scored 16pts again but this time without Owen running.
Coatesville 16 DE 47
Kyle Dawson Coatesville 15:45
Tom Pannulla Coatesville 16:19
Sean Ward Coatesville 16:36
Jason Leonard Coatesville 16:40
Matt Hockenjos Downingtown East 17:00
Chris Rosato Coatesville 17:09
League meet Downingtown West/ WC Rustin @Rustin-
This was the first anyone had seen of Rustin's campus and we were curious to see what it would be like. It turned out to be a track start and finish with a first mile and beyond completely paved then some more scattered throughout. This probably started off my best week of the season. Kyle led us off the track in roughly a 67 with Tom, me and Downingtown's 1-3 on our heels. After that opening I settled in a little and Sean went by me and Rosato came up on me. I stayed relaxed through the first mile and just felt good and then in the second mile started to close down the gap and passed Sean. Then finally kept closing in on Kyle and Tom until with about a half mile to go I passed Tom. I just felt amazing and Kyle was really close so I passed him too and tried to surge away. He caught me shortly after but when he tried to pull back away I went with him. Then when we came onto the track I made one last bid to pull away and win but coming off of the turn he sprinted away from me and beat me. It was probably one of my best races all season and the closest I've come to getting a win in a high school race. The final highlight of that day was probably Kyle leading most of our team in touching an electric fence that had fascinated him since we were first warned about it.
Coatesville 15 DW 46 Coatesville 15 Rustin 50
Kyle Dawson Coatesville 15:30
Jason Leonard Coatesville 15:31
Tom Pannulla Coatesville 15: 41
Sean Ward Coatesville 16:10
Chris Rosato Coatesville 16:26
Mid Season
Carlisle-
Coming into this we knew this meet would be the biggest test so far for us. It always featured strong team and individual competition and this year was going to be even more competitive. It would be our first look at a strong North Allegheny from out west and our only look at an always strong La Salle team as well as seeing State College again before Steel City and then the usual strong individual competition with some added names this year.
It was a fast start again and I found myself watching Owen in his first race back sprinting out with Van Kooten with the rest of the field following. Eventually I worked my way into the top ten and felt comfortable there going into the first mile. Then I just took off on the second mile and moved into third and tried to chase down Van Kooten for the longest time and at one point it seemed like I was closing the gap. I stayed in third for the whole second mile and just kept trying to get another point from Van Kooten to no avail. Then in the last mile someone came up next to me and I was shocked to see Vince McNally running alongside me. I tried to hold him off and was successful in going with him for awhile before he just dropped me. Approaching the finish Bryan Beegle caught me and blew by me as well and then Stan Berkow came up and passed me too. I started to panic and didn't want to lose it all now and managed to latch onto those two. Coming into the race my goal was to try to get a spot on that podium that fortunately held five because during the downhill finish I was able to out kick Berkow but couldn't catch Beegle. It was a good day individually and even better as a team as we ran well again and added another win over good teams.
1 Coatesville 30 1 3 5 8 13 30 39 Average: 15:55.79
2 North Allegheny 115
3 La Salle 115
1 Dawson, Kyle 12 Coatesville 15:17.83 1
2 Van Kooten, Scott 12 Pitt Cent Catholic 15:40.06 2
3 McNally, Vince 11 Conestoga Valley 15:42.90
4 Beegle, Bryan 12 Gettysburg 15:49.64
5 Leonard, Jason 12 Coatesville 15:51.83 3
6 Berkow, Stan 12 Manheim Township 15:53.01 4
7 Pannula, Tom 12 Coatesville 15:56.75 5
8 Stepp, Tim 12 Parkland 16:01.55 6
9 Hibbs, Dan 12 Hatboro-Horsham 16:05.70 7
10 Dawson, Owen 12 Coatesville 16:08.47 8
17 Sean Ward 12 Coatesville 16:24 13
Steel City-
We always look forward to this meet since it is such a big deal for us especially with it being our home meet. It was our last chance to run at home and for me personally my last chance to get one of those trophies which had eluded me in previous years. It's always a good meet and it's great to see all the people who come out and support us.
This year we had a new course that we knew all too well having changed some of our workouts to include the hill in them. The race got going and I found myself getting out hard and sprinting to the front alongside Kyle and as we dipped down behind some construction. We were all out well and running strong and stayed that way for most of the race. I felt myself fading at the hill but reminded myself it was my last time and I had to do it today. Down the hill I came back from fifteen area to get right back near Tom and Ferry and knew I had to keep him in sight for the team. Tyler Jones and me battled back and forth for the eighth position all the way down the hill and to the finish before I opened up a little daylight. Tom and Ferry were kicking too hard and fast for me to catch and I heard Jones coming on strong from behind and just used everything I had because I did not want to get passed and remember crossing the line with a smile knowing I finally got that trophy and could turn and see Owen and Sean as soon as I was out of the chute knowing we did it again.
1 Coatesville 2 7 8 11 12 40
2 Henderson 3 6 15 39 64 127
1 Jason Weller Boyertown 15:47.64 SR
2 Kyle Dawson Coatesville 15:54.50 SR
3 Chris Aldrich Henderson 16:19.00 JR
4 Josh Izewski Central Bucks East 16:23.06 JR
5 Mark Dennim Boyertown 16:24.66 JR
6 Chris Ferry Henderson 16:26.80 SR
7 Tom Pannulla Coatesville 16:29.05 SR
8 Jason Leonard Coatesville 16:32.02 SR
9 Tyler Jones Central Bucks West 16:32.95 JR
10 Tim Stepp Parkland HS 16:34.05 SO
11 Chris Bodary Bishop Shanahan 16:36.25 JR
12 Owen Dawson Coatesville 16:38.77 SR
League meet Avon Grove/ Henderson @Henderson-
It was our last dual meet for cross country and we knew that it was going to be a very hard one and we all had to be on our game to win. It didn't start off well for me when I had some stomach complications due to something I had eaten earlier I guess. I didn't get out well and didn't make up ground but we came out with the win.
Coatesville 22 Henderson 36 Coatesville 15 AG 49
Kyle Dawson, C, 15:10
Chris Aldrich, H, 15:31
Owen Dawson, C, 15:40
Chris Ferry, H, 15:44
Sean Ward, C, 15:49
Tom Pannulla, C, 15:58
Jason Leonard, C, 16:09
Andrew Jervis, H, 16:18
Chesmont championships-
This was a big race for us to win our league championships. We knew it wouldn't be easy by any means. All of the teams in our league were good and had some individuals who were just as good and always ran great here. Also the new course was something we had gotten used to this year since it seems like it was a growing trend for everything to be different. But we didn't have any fear of getting lost like Kyle and Duriel did the previous year. This year our entire JV team took up the task of being at every turn and telling us where to go and they did an awesome job of it.
In this race everyone got out hard so I remember just sticking with Kyle at first then trying to follow behind him to make my way to the front. I just kept trying to catch Tom and Owen who were battling each other just like they had all season and eventually managed to catch Ferry only to get destroyed on the track when he blew by me.
Coatesville 21; Henderson 55; WC East 59; DW 112; DE 134
Kyle Dawson Coatesville 16:00
Chris Aldrich Henderson 16:14
Owen Dawson Coatesville 16:28
Tom Pannulla Coatesville 16:29
Chris Ferry Henderson 16:34
Jason Leonard Coatesville 16:35
Sean Ward Coatesville 16:43
John Lacolla WCE 16:44
Andrew Lobb WCE 17:00
Chris Bodary Shanahan 17:08
Late Season
Districts-
This for the past two years had been our best meet of the year. It was personally my best race by far each of those seasons as well. I had not wanted to change any of that this year, just improve upon it the next week.
I started off the same as I had in past years by getting immediately boxed in and not getting out. Something just wasn't clicking for me to get out in most races this year. But instead of hanging back like past years this year I worked my way up a lot faster. By the mile I was in medaling contention roughly and could see Kyle, Weller and Springer pounding away in their sub 15 effort and then my three teammates right up there in the chase pack. I knew I could run with that group but something was just not letting me get up their with them. Then coming up to the two mile I got passed by all three Henderson kids at once. That really snapped me out of it and I immediately tried to start moving but to no avail and I watched Aldrich take off and Ferry, Jervis kept moving too. Eventually I hit the finishing stretch having gained some positions and just really started to kick. Mr. Lapp was yelling that I needed to get that pack and I wasn't sure how the team was going and just listened to him right away and started to go. I started to fade away in the end but managed to hold on and finished strong in the very end to nip a guy at the line. It was not the race I had hoped for after finishing better the year before and barely improving my time. But the team won and the big race was still to come.
1 Coatesville 51 3 5 8 12 23 42 87 15:27 49
2 Strath Haven 199
3* Wc Henderson 211
4* East 211
1 Paul Springer 14:47 Unionville
2 Jason Weller, Sr 14:54 Boyertown
3 Kyle Dawson, Sr 14:58 Coatesville
4 Chris Aldrich, Jr 15:19 Wc Henderson
5 Owen Dawson, Sr 15:22 Coatesville
6 Rob Speare, Sr 15:26 Strath Haven
7 Chris Ferry, Sr 15:29 Wc Henderson
8 Tom Panulla, Sr 15:29 Coatesville
12 Jason Leonard, Sr 15:39 Coatesville
23 Sean Ward, Sr 15:47 Coatesville
States-
This was the one we had been waiting for since our freshman year when we all come together and said we were going to win states our senior year. We had not expected to have two attempts before then but they both had their problems. Now it was down to this and it was our last chance to win a state title. For me personally I wanted to win an individual medal so badly and just to finally run well at this meet. We were all focused but loose like we had been all season. When we got there we were earlier so the girls race was going and we decided to go watch Kristina but we weren't going to get real crazy and run all over the place. That didn't last long because she came up the last hill and was in 23rd-25th area and we just started to sprint over to the finish line to watch that and were all jumping around screaming. Then we finally got back to the tent and Mr. Lapp sent us to a quiet area. I vividly remember us lounging in the grass when we went over to a quiet patch near the starting line, just talking and joking like it was any normal meet during the season. It was our last meet where we would run with the red C's on our chest and we wanted to make it count.
The race itself just seemed like it took a long time to get done. I remember getting stuck in the pack off the start and when it opened up a little I spotted McNally and figured he knew the course so I followed him out of the pack and up towards the front before he pulled away. Going down the first big hill I could see Kyle up leading with Tom and Owen heading up the chase pack and knew we were having a good day. I just kept working my way up closer and closer to the front until by the second mile I was constantly in the 20-30 range. I couldn't keep moving up and kept trying to gain momentum as I dueled back and forth with Sean at points. It was somewhat comforting when I was the fifth man because I felt like I could monitor how the team was doing and make sure we were still running well. Then coming down the big hill before heading back up and towards the finish someone went down right in front of me, I believe it was Josh Christopher. I saw this and he just laid out and someone was running right next to me. Their was no room for me to move so I just jumped up in the air as high as I could and leapt over him and landed losing all my momentum but still intact. Going up the hill and then on the stretch towards the finish I felt like I was done but just kept trying to push past people. At the turn to the final straight I couldn't get going and just felt like I had nothing left but then I got up and looked ahead and realized that this was it and I had to go now if I wanted to come away with a team title and a bonus medal. I started to kick and managed to get past a few people and nipped a North Allegheny guy at the line.
As soon as we finished the race it was just a mob of people telling us how good we did and they were all so excited. But with the team title pretty secured my attention turned towards individual success and I was so worried that I had missed a medal and no one could seem to tell me my place. It was just craziness and I was so worried while everyone else was so excited. Then Mr. Lapp pulled us away to warm down and told us that we aren't done and we had to stay focused but we could enjoy the rest of the day. It was a very enjoyable day when we got up on that state and Owen held the trophy up it was amazing. Then I finally found out I finished 18th when I heard them calling the individuals names to line up to go on stage and the day became complete. The scoring record was pretty cool also and something we had joked about and it seemed attainable but to really get it was phenomenal. An added note about that if you look at the results Sean, Owen and I all just edged out another guy with team points in finishing kicks (Kyle and Tom were too up front to have anyone to edge out). So if we all hadn't tried the entire time and ran through the line we would of only tied the record.
The celebration afterwards was just great. We were able to enjoy the feast laid out for us and then get ready to head home from an amazing day. But the day was not over. When we arrived back in the area I was puzzled why we were heading a certain way over the faster route but dismissed it until we saw a gathering of our fans from Hershey standing on the side of the road at a gas station. Then all of the sudden police and fire trucks appeared and began to escort us into the city. We all got to put down our windows and just stick our heads out and scream to everyone that we did it as people clapped and looked puzzled and a huge procession of sirens and fans followed us to the school. Then we had another contingent of fans, teachers and classmates all cheering for us as we got off the bus and then just took off sprinting with balloons and the trophy on a victory lap around the building.
1 Coatesville (1) 26 1 3 4 7 11 21 27 15:43 42
2 Wc Henderson (1) 89
3 Strath Haven (1) 129
4 Wc East (1) 133
5 North Allegheny (7) 166
1 Jason Weller, Sr 15:04 Boyertown (1)
2 Paul Springer, Sr 15:06 Unionville (1)
3 1 Kyle Dawson, Sr 15:17 Coatesville (1)
4 2 Chris Aldrich, Jr 15:29 Wc Henderson (1)
5 Vince McNally, Jr 15:29 Conestoga Valley (3)
6 3 Tom Panulla, Sr 15:38 Coatesville (1)
7 Scott Van Kooten, Sr 15:42 Pittsburgh C C (7)
8 4 Owen Dawson, Sr 15:47 Coatesville (1)
9 5 Tim Stepp, Sr 15:48 Parkland (11)
10 Mark Dennin, Jr 15:49 Boyertown (1)
11 6 Chris Ferry, Sr 15:50 Wc Henderson (1)
12 7 Sean Ward, Sr 15:54 5:08 Coatesville (1)
13 8 Andrew Jervis, Sr 15:55 Wc Henderson (1)
18 11 Jason Leonard, Sr 15:59 Coatesville (1)
Time between-
There was no time to rest on our laurels because the week after states we cranked the mileage back up and started training hard again with one of our hardest weeks yet. Now it was up to the NTN committee to determine our destiny. We felt that we had done everything in our power to earn an invitation. We just had to wait and make it official. When the bid finally came it was a relief to know that nothing crazy up in New York or some other state messed us up and we were going to Oregon. It was exciting to know that this was actually coming true and we were in a good position to go up there and run well. We got through the Last Gasp race with a decent performance although I felt tired most of the race. In the weeks prior to NTN I had begun to feel a little nervous because my legs just felt dead and I couldn't stay up on workouts as well. During the layover we also got to go up and watch Northeast Regional's and cheer Kristina on in her last race. She capped an incredible season with a solid showing. We were happy to see her run amazing all year and she deserves a lot of credit for what she accomplished. It was a fun trip where we didn't have to worry about racing just our workout. But then the day finally came when we got to go and leave for Oregon.
NTN-
There is so much to say about this meet but I'll try to keep it short since the rest of this isn't. It was the best experience of my life. From the moment we got to the school in the morning to when we came back the entire trip was simply amazing. Nike puts on an incredible meet and it is all just great. We arrived and were greeted by a spectacular sight of the banners hanging up in our hotel for every team. It was pretty cool to see Bridgetown XC Club hanging up their. We figured out that we were basically outsiders though since every other team seemed to know each other except for us; which was fine by us. Although the first day we were constantly late for everything it was still fun. Including our marvelous job at our opening skit. Even though none of us have any vocal talents what so ever we went up their and sang our song and it was enjoyable. Although my other teammates might not agree with me on that part. Then the next day we managed to be the first team on the course (by a lot) and the last team off it when we got our first look at Portland Meadows. We were excited after getting out there and just wanted to get right to the race.
Finally the race did come after another cool dinner and van decorations. We were just so relaxed on the warm up and everything and all the timings met up perfectly with introductions and it was a cool experience to go run through the chute they had set up for us with people just lined up and clapping for us as we ran over to the start.
The gun went off and I got out better then I did all season. It was incredible to be out there racing with the best in the nation and I was a little startled when the fireworks went off that I even turned and looked at them for a second. Then the mud slowed me a little initially and I fell into the pack. Going around the outside of the first turn I noticed people to my left going down and just avoided it having to give a kid a stiff arm so he wouldn't take me down as he cut me off. I sort of settled in and was trying to hold position as we came around in the 1k and was at ease after watching Tom and Sean pass me knowing that our team is still alive after the fall and Rosato then came up with me as well. I felt sluggish as we approached the 1k mark and was relieved to see him running so well. After navigating the slop and coming of the rolling hills I started to make a move to get up further. I was rolling along until I hit the turn which was all mud and just stopped me. Then we came up to the first hay bales and I had no momentum going. I floated over the first one came up to the second one and didn't get high enough and just went down. Immediately I tried to pick myself back up and was already at the third one and tried to get over that one and was down again. The first thing that went through my mind was I had to get up and then it was going back to what our coach said earlier that if we went down relax get back up and don't sprint to get back to where you were. Slowly work your way back into the race and it will be fine. I thought about that as I started going again and think I might have even started off a little too slow but started to move again. I lost a lot of spots directly after getting up and tried to just focus on not losing anymore and then started to move back up. Rosoto and Mahoney passed me and it was reassuring to see them both running so good and knowing that I had time to regroup and make a move later instead of trying to sprint through the mud and pointlessly burn myself out without making progress. It was also reassuring when we came to the next hay bales that I cleared them all and could keep going. Then when we made it off the hills and into the infield I took off and started blowing by people. It felt so good to be passing people and picking up points because unlike at states every person here represented a point. I picked off a lot of people and just kept going all the way around and continued moving up. Then coming around the end I was beginning to lose my surge. But a coach yelled (it was Royal's coach) they were down 11pts at the 4k and I knew I had to go. I had no clue if we were winning if we were down even more or what but all I knew was I had to make up as many of those points as I could and I saw Royal's fifth man for a second before starting to kick away from him and then coming down to the finish it was just crazy and people were everywhere and I just remember coming out of a pack ahead to cross the line. Once across I was nervous and worried I didn't do enough to help the team. Throughout the race I heard no splits but had seen everyone ahead of me in good standing. Although I couldn't recognize any other teams to compare against. When I heard we were up at the 4k it was good to hear but I wasn't sure where the splits where if that was before or after I passed people or if I got passed after that. For a team that has known we won every time our fifth man crossed the line to have to wait for an hour to get results it was ridiculous. We were so nervous and just stood off together for awhile staring blankly at the screen. Then we kept getting interviewed and just didn't know what to say and eventually relaxed when all our parents and friends who came out to support us came over. It was great that so many people came across the country to cheer us on and I'm glad that we didn't disappoint them. They eventually called us over to the stage and there they announced the top four teams and we were one of them. We were all quiet and nervous and then they announced fourth, third and finally second. When we didn't hear our name called we just erupted and started going crazy and jumping into each other and screaming. It was a great moment to go up there and get the trophy. It was so fun to be able to go and enjoy the experience afterwards and meet some of the teams and enjoy it all. Then that night a amazing moment was at the awards ceremony when we went up to get our awards to have all the other teams standing up clapping for us was just a great feeling. Then after a long plane ride home we arrived back at our school at like 11pm at night and found a huge crowd waiting for us and cheering. Since then it hasn't stopped and we were constantly doing something with the most recent the pep rally our school threw for us which was a pretty cool experience.
Someone who deserves alot of credit for everything at NTN would be our chaperone Mr. Backenstose. He was the best chaperone any team could ask for and kept us focused in the midst of it all without encroaching on any of our fun instead he simply added to it. The entire trip he was either laughing at something we did or said or making us laugh at a story all the while keeping us focused on our objective for the meet. It would be a significantly different experience if we did not have him their to keep us happy and focused throughout the trip. I'm very happy that he came along with us.
Two people who deserve a whole lot of credit for evertyhing we have accomplished running wise in general are our two coaches Mr. Lapp and Mr. Andrew. They both are brilliant coaches and have trained us since our freshman year with incredible success in every aspect. They do so much for our program and have helped us all become the runners and people we are today. From devising our workouts to motivational speeches to measuring out the courses or bringing us food they have been their for us the entire season. They even were their for us in Oregon even though they had to fly out with our track coach Mr. Smith (who himself has been their for us since we were freshman and earned the nickname young lions from him. and has continued to be their for us through our senior years). The two of them constantly helped us improve and stay focused throughout the season with out letting any rankings our pressure really get to us. It was a memorable season and it wouldn't of been possible without them helping us through it all.
Looking back on the season it was perfect and everything was great. Just have to thank everyone who supported us all year our parents, teammates, coaches, everyone who went to Oregon with us, met us when we came home, the other runners who were cheering for us, and anyone I missed it was amazing.
Sean Ward
Amazing, and once in a life time are some words that I think of when I think of this year's cross-country season. There really isn't anything left to say that hasn't already been said. But allow me to review the season. My teammates and I have accomplished more this season than I could have ever imagined. We went to every race - big and small - and ran it like it was our last. Because, in reality, it was the last time we would run that course. We all had each others backs. When one of us would start falling back someone else would come up and pick up the slack. We always went into a race ready to run our hardest.
Also, we wouldn't have been able to accomplish what we did without our great coaches. They knew when we should run hard at practice and when to back off. If anyone of us got hurt they knew right away what to do. And they were always careful not to run us too hard as to burn us out.
And of course I can't forget to mention our fans. Our fans who (who were made up of our parents, friends, and teachers) were always there to cheer us on. From meets on our home course, even all the way out in Oregon, our fans were there to cheer us on and congratulate us on a job well done.
Tom Pannulla
Big Valley Invitational:
Going in to this season, I feel more confident in myself and my team than I ever have before. Not saying that I wasn't confident the past years but just more this year. It is kind of crazy around here finding out that you're ranked fourth in the nation... We are all doing our best to keep it under control and not let it get to our heads. Our first meet at Big Valley was awesome. This is more of a tune-up meet that we use to see where we are at with our training. It turns out that we are right on track and then some. I hated being the fifth man but I can't say that sixth place overall is a bad finish and Travis Dean is an excellent runner. However, I can't wait to get back on the course and prove that I can do better. It is going to be a great season.
Gettysburg Invitational:
We haven't traveled to a new course in a long time because our schedule has been really consistent over the past three years. This year we went, for the first time, to the Gettysburg Invitational. How excited was I? I was really confident that I would finally break the sixteen minute mark. I mean after all, this is the same course that Craig Miller broke the fifteen minute mark! It's a historical course with really good competition. I didn't really feel very well during this race but it may have been one of the most consistent races I have ever run. Ending up fourth overall and second on my team was huge for me. I had just placed second on our team in a duel meet against West Chester East and Shanahan so I did have some confidence going in to it but to do it again made me realize that I can do it every time. Now, I just have to prove that.
The only person to even be in the 15's was my teammate, Kyle Dawson with a 15:58. I ended up at 16:20 which I was obviously a little disappointed about but I realized that the day just wasn't right. Our legs were sore since we have been training through these early meets and it was hotter than we expected. But, no excuses…just race on.
Carlisle Invitational:
The Carlisle Invitational has been very good to us in the past, my first year on varsity we placed third and last year we won. I have always liked how it has a great mixture of hills, both up and down, and flats. To me, this is what a cross country course should feel like. My times have been good in the past and I planned on continuing that trend. Our team raced magnificently to capture the title for the second consecutive year. I felt really good during the race and just tried to beat as many people as possible. Surprisingly, it was the fastest day of the year! I ran a 15: 56 and Kyle ran a 15: 10!! This really boosted our confidence and hoped that it would signify that we are for real this year. We may be receiving some criticism but we haven't let it bother us all season so far and we plan on continuing that way.
Personally, this year so far has been a complete turn around from last year. I have placed higher, ran faster, and ultimately feel much more confident in my self going in to every race. I can tell this is going to be a special season but I'm just going to buckle down and continue to train hard. The competition has been awesome so far so we need to keep on our toes. We are not underestimating anyone. Next up is Steel City…should be a lot of fun.
Steel City Invitational:
Steel City- one of the most historic running events in Pennsylvania history, running in your backyard, and lots of pressure- we wouldn't want it any other way. There was a new course this year and I believe it is by far the best course designed for this meet that I have ever seen. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a cross country race. Only the strong will survive this course as it goes strait, and I mean strait, up the VA Hill and then right back down again to a fast finish. I loved training on it and I loved racing on it. By far my favorite race of the season and my career so far.
I have had great success in this race ever since I was on varsity and I had no plan of stopping that this time. Only this time, I surprised even myself with how well I did. My plan was to get out and try to hang with Kyle for as long as I could. Well, let me tell you that that plan got ruined real quickly. Jason Weller of Boyertown came up next to us and took off within the first 300 meters of the race. Kyle, of course, took off with him and left me hanging but to no avail, I had plenty of competition. I stayed with my teammate Owen Dawson for all of the first mile and a little bit of the second mile. When I got to the hill I decided that it was my time to go. I didn't press at all but I maintained very well going up and just flew down. There were some really excellent runners around me including Mark Dennin of Boyertown, Chris Ferry of Henderson, and Jason Leonard (Coatesville). All of them pushed me to my best finish and time for this meet. I ended up second on the team but only by a couple of seconds because Jason was catching me in the last mile. Good thing it wasn't a 3.2 because he probably would have had me. Overall it was a great day. We ended winning the meet and soaring to an all-time Steel City low of just 40 points!
Ches-Mont Championships:
Going in to this race, all of the teams had a good idea of what to expect from all of the others. We had all raced each other numerous times before but finally, the championships have started. These next three meets are what I like to think of as the post season of cross country. They mean everything to a team. Since we went undefeated in dual meet action, we realized that we were the favorites coming in to the meet, which had not bothered us all season so we just brushed it off like we usually did. This was an extremely exciting meet for me. Kyle and Chris Aldrich (Henderson) took off in the lead and then Chris Ferry (Henderson), Owen and I were the next pack behind. The three of us ran together for a long time until Owen and I put on a surge near the two-mile.
The Owen-Tom Battle to the Death
It all started last year with Owen and me. We decided to form a little competition inside of the racing competition. One of us bet the other that they could win more races, between the two of us, than the other. Owen pulled out the victory last year with two amazing races at Districts and States. This year seemed to be my year by this time. I had a commanding 4-2 lead on him and one more win would seal the victory. All looked well with 400-500 meters left, I started to pull away a little bit. I knew that the finish was 300 meters on the track and Owen has tremendous leg speed so I had to make my move early. It didn't work. With about 200 to go, he sprints passed me and beats me by about 3 seconds. We ended up finishing 3rd and 4th which was great for the team but the score between us just became 4-3.
Tom-4 Owen-3
All in all, we ended winning the meet and Kyle received the Most Valuable Runner award for the Ches-Mont league. One championship down, two to go.
District One Championship:
The weather could not have been better on this October day. Our team confidence could not have been better at this time. We knew that every team there was gunning for us. But, we just did our usual stay-relaxed thing. On our warm-up we all crack jokes and make fun of each other as we normally do. This day was a big day not only for my team, but for me individually as well. Last year I, in my opinion, bombed this race with a 30th place finish and a time of 16:09, definitely not what I had expected. This time I had something to prove to myself and needed a race to build confidence for states.
Our warm-up time was a little longer than usual because it was colder than usual but we were at the line with plenty of time to strip down and stay relaxed. From my view, this was an extremely fun race for me. From the start, I ran up to the front and was with the best runners in District One. At the mile I was 5th behind Kyle, Jason Weller, Paul Springer and my other teammate, Owen Dawson. I was feeling great at this point in the race. Toward the two-mile I dropped back to about 7th but was still in great position. Almost everyone that I was with at Steel City was right up there with me in this race too. That's when I realized how cool this race was because I figured that this battle from a couple of weeks ago is still going on and will continue at States as well. I ended up finishing 8th with a new PR of 15:29. I was extremely excited about this performance because my set goal before the season was a time of 15:30.
The Owen-Tom Battle to the Death The battle will continue…Owen finished 6th placed just ahead of me and ties the series at 4 all. Wow, did I ruin every opportunity I had to put him away. Oh well, this just made last week a thousand times more exciting. Not only will I be running for the State Championship but I have this battle to push me just a little harder.
Tom-4 Owen-4
Coatesville won the meet and gained more confidence going in to States. Finally, the redemption meet has come.
PIAA State Championship:
Remember what I said about Districts being a beautiful day? Well, check that, November 4th, 2006 had by far the best running weather of the season. We took this as a sign that everything was going our way.
Redemption Meet
Last year was probably the worst memory of my life. Coming in to States last year, we were one of the favorites along with Manheim and the Miller twins. It did not work out the way we had planned. We finished fourth overall and only one of us medaled (Kyle). Obviously, this year we were out for revenge. When we arrived at the meet just in time to see Kristina Kubala, the only Coatesville girl to make it place in the top 25 for a medal, her first one! This made all of us excited and we realized that this was our day. Our coach, Mr. Lapp, took us aside from everyone and let us be by ourselves until we had to warm-up. I have never seen more people at a Cross Country race to support one team than the amount of people we had there that day. Every parent, a ton of friends, and some people I still don't know to this day.
I'll get right to the race. Kyle, Owen and I had a great start; all three of us were in the top 5 at the mile so everything was looking good. Everywhere on the course I could hear people talking about how good we were doing which really helped me keep my pace going. Towards the two mile, Owen and I were right next to each other as usual. I began to catch Scott Van Kooten which really made me pick it up because I knew how good of a runner he was. It made me realize that I was having a great race and with the last hill coming up, I knew I had to keep it steady. Coming down the home stretch, I finally passed Van Kooten on my way to a 6th place finish. I get out of the shoot and I am really dazed because I have absolutely no energy left in me. I do not see any one or know where I am. Finally my mom and all the parents find me and hug me as if I actually have breath in my lungs. It was the most emotional moment I have been apart of to have all of my family, all of my coaches, and all of my best friends just surround me and my teammates. Our two coaches hugged each other to celebrate their second State Championship and we all hugged one another to celebrate our first. Finally, the dream has come true. The five scoring seniors on the team made a pact our freshman year saying that we would not graduate without a State Championship. We had many scares and came close so many times but now, we finally accomplished what we had started.
The Owen-Tom Battle to the Death I had finally done it! After three straight meets of losing to him, I finally beat him. All it took was a sixth place finish at states…unbelievable.
Tom-5 Owen-4
Last Gasp Classic:
First off I would like to say thank you Don Rich for putting on a good race and thank you again for supplying us with a qualifying meet to get to Nike Team Nationals. We didn't exactly know what to expect when we arrived at this race. We weren't real sure who was going to be there or what the course was like but we decided to have fun with it and run it like any other race. We saw that Germantown Friends had shown up and we knew that we had some competition since they did well at Manhattan.
This was an exciting meet because it was the first time that we would race under the name Bridgetown XC Club. It was cool because we ordered new jerseys which were designed extremely similar to our Coatesville jerseys. Instead of black, they were white and instead of the big C in the middle, it was a big black B. We made all of the parents laugh when we clapped it in and shouted Bridgetown instead of Coatesville right before the race. The course was nice since it was all grass and had a good mixture of hills and flats to work on. Sean started out harder than usual so Owen and I were doing our best to keep up with him in the first mile and a half of the course. We ended up finishing with 5 in the top 6 so it served as a nice confidence builder. Now all we had to do was wait for the invite and Oregon…here we come.
Nike Team Nationals:
Have you ever felt like you don't belong and everyone is looking down upon you? Have you ever felt like no one believes in you? Well that's kind of how we felt at NTN. The whole year it was, "Coatesville doesn't belong. They haven't traveled out of state or even come near a ranked team." Or "Pennsylvania cross country is a joke, they don't deserve the invite." It was very easy all year to show up at a meet and be recognized for being the favorite but when you're in the presence of the best teams in the country…it's a completely different story. It seemed as if every other team knew each other and were able to get along with one another very easily. We felt very out of place. We were the last team to arrive, Jason actually had to eat a vegetarian lunch, and we made a couple of teams late for dinner because we didn't get down to the bus on time. The first dinner night was supposed to be casual…we showed up in dress clothes and ties. The opening ceremony skits…we completely butchered our song after it was copied by a girl's team from Virginia. So, the start of the weekend wasn't exactly what we had planned.
The next day we took it upon ourselves to have a good time no matter what. After all, this was the opportunity of a life time. The morning course run through is where it all started. They gathered all of the teams in a big venue in front of the course to explain the design. Then, they set us all free to run the course for two hours. That's a lot of people trying to get through one set of doors. So, we improvised. We saw steps that led downstairs so we took them to find an exit. We had no idea where we were, people were staring at us, and we definitely were not supposed to be where we were. But, we found an exit and headed ourselves toward the course. There wasn't another team on the course for another 5-10 minutes. That is just an example of how we decided to take this trip and to live it up as much as possible. That night, we dressed down for dinner and had the opportunity to eat with Shalane Flanagan, who was really cool. We talked about running the whole night and just prepared ourselves for the race.
That morning we ordered a Jet Li movie from pay-per-view to stay relaxed and so we didn't over-think about the race. At the race, we did the exact same warm-up and stretched the exact same way as we always did. We weren't going to change anything about our routine or race strategy for any reason. We were the last ones on the line and we just snuck in our clap with the loudest 1, 2, 3 COATESVILLE (Yeah, Coatesville, not Bridgetown) that we have ever done. The race started with fireworks and drums pounding, it was the most adrenaline-filled start I have ever encountered. On the first turn, I see people starting to stumble in front of me and right away I knew I was in trouble. By the time I got there, people were on the ground in front and I literally had to hurdle over them just to have a chance of staying on my feet. Somehow, some way, I stayed up escaped the madness. Not knowing where any of my teammates were or if they had survived the pile-up I raced on hoping for the best. After a while I was with Jason for a little and I could then see Owen and Sean in front of me. Knowing that Kyle would be with the leaders, if not leading, I knew that we were in good position. After the first kilometer, I could not hear the announcer at all. I had no idea what place we were in or what was going on at all. Honestly, I thought that we were somewhere around fifth or sixth the entire race. For the first time all season, I was scared that we were going to lose. I couldn't breathe that well and I was slipping all over the place not hitting a single tangent. Then, the hay bails came and it did not make anything any better. I sucked it up and said to myself that there is no way we came this far to get fifth or sixth. I picked up my pace and started to pass some people, after all, every person counts as one point so passing anyone was money in the bank.
Finally, at the fourth kilometer I heard it. "In first place…Bridgetown! Bridgetown with a huge jump!" My heart started to pound a little faster after hearing this. I realized that I was one thousand meters away from becoming a national champion. Everything that I had went in to every single meter of it. The last set of hay bails were probably my best set, my lungs were not bothering me nearly as much as they were before, and I felt a second wind come on. I finished very strong and saw three of teammates already done which was a very good feeling. I turned around to see Jason finish which made that feeling even better. Then, Chris and Drew finished right there with us! Our seven guys finished before anyone's sixth runner finished. We went back to our tents and waited for an announcement. Then, we heard yelling and cheering. My heart dropped. Academy XC Club was going crazy with someone interviewing them and I felt like I was going to throw up. Why else would they be getting interviewed so quickly? They must have won I thought to myself. Next thing I know, we are being pulled aside to get interviewed as well. Does this mean that we got second or third? I had no idea what was going on. It was the most frustrating time of my life. They had no announced a winner for over an hour and we had been interviewed at least ten times. We eventually put all of our warm-ups back on and strolled over to the awards stage. Spokane XC Club was announced with a third place finish and we then knew that it was either first or second for us. The crowd became deftly silent and it seemed like the announcer was taking forever to announce second place.
"And second place at the third Nike Team Nationals goes to…Simi West XC Club!" Pandemonium.
I can not think of a better word to describe what we turned the crowd in to after we knew that we had won. Never before had we ever cheered to a victory. Never before had we yelled or shown more expression other than smiles. This time was special. We were on top of the entire United States of America. There were no forced smiles, no one cared what place they finished on the team, or in the race in general. Today was not about individualism, it was about team work. Today was about a band of brothers all coming together on one occasion to fulfill a dream that comes once in a lifetime. We wore our shirts and ties proudly that night at the award ceremony and respectfully took our trophies on the very same stage which we had been laughed at the first night on. The single greatest day of my life…
When we arrived home, we were greeted by about forty friends and family at the school. They had candles and balloons waiting for us and we just took in the moment with the most amount of joy a person could have. We can go no further. We accomplished every single goal that was set. Now, all we can do is enjoy the limelight for as long as it lasts. Oh, and one more thing…Pennsylvania cross country is for real.
The Owen-Tom Battle to the Death Yeah, he beat me the last two races. I still say its because of the pile-up but he won't buy it. Congrats Owen. You better hope we don't go to college together because this battle will never stop.
Tom-5 Owen-6
Seasons End:
All in all, this has been the perfect season. I know I speak for everyone when I say that nothing should be changed about it. So many times have we heard that we will be State and National Champions forever and no one can take that away from us. The more I hear this, the more I know it to be true.
I would like to take this time to thank everyone who was involved in this remarkable season. Firstly, I would like to thank my coaches, Mr. Lapp and Mr. Andrew. Almost every speech I have made about them, I have said the exact same thing and there is no other way to explain it. These two men are like fathers to me. They take an immense amount of time out of their own lives only to make other people better. They have been there for us on any occasion. There are no two better coaches that anyone could ask for. Secondly, I would like to thank my teammates. Guys, we finally did it. There have been so many laughs, so many stories to tell such as getting lost in Medina or the team-room fanatics, and just forming a family with once complete strangers. Nothing will take away what we accomplished together and I will never forget any one of you. Thirdly, I would like to thank our supporters and parents. All of the parents were there every meet and it didn't matter what the weather was because they were right there running after us all the time. They supplied us with positive thoughts and great food. To our biggest supporter, Mr. Smith, thank you. Ever since my ninth grade alumni meet he has been right along side me and has been one of the most influential people in my life. Without your care and perseverance, none of us would be the people that we are today. Finally to our chaperone, Mr. Backenstose or Poppa Stose as he eventually became known as. One of the most humble men I have ever known who was just a thrill to be around. None of the guys on the team had spent more than 5 minutes with him before the trip and 15 minutes in to the airport, I felt like I've known him for my whole life. He made the entire trip ten times better. Thank you.
Owen Dawson
Kyle Dawson
Summer Training-
The summer was probably the most important part of our season all year. We put in so many miles running every day and sometimes twice a day to build up a big base so when the season started we could get right into workouts. This summer was harder than other summers for me because I finally decided to get a job. Luckily I was a life guard down the road from where we practiced so I was never more than 5 minutes late, but I was still mad I was late. My brother and I even ran during vacation at the beach. The one day we ran almost to Atlantic City from Ocean City, New Jersey. It was a lot of work but all worth it.
Scrimmages-
I won the alumni race that we run every year before the season, it was a good race and I ran it a lot faster that I did the year before so I was happy about that. The McCaskey scrimmage was ok. It was on a lot of pavement with a super nasty downhill on some road but no one got hurt on it so it was ok.
Big Valley-
I won this race last year and really wanted to do it again. We knew that we could do very well at this race. The course was like a swamp but we ran well and scored 16 points. After that we knew the season would be good.
West Chester East/ Bishop Shanahan-
We started the dual meets off great sweeping the defending state champs. We really wanted to run well against them because we felt like we had some unfinished business.
Gettysburg-
This was our first year at this invite and we all wanted to run real fast, and with what (Craig) Miller and (Vince) McNally did last year we thought we would. No way dude, that race sucked. I got out good but felt real heavy and slow, if I would have run that race last year I would have gotten my butt kicked.
Downingtown East-
I broke the home course record at this meet I felt real nice during the race.
Downingtown West/Rustin-
I felt nice for a mile and then my body decided it hated me and shut down. I knew I was gradually getting caught by Jason and Tom. Then when we had 600 to go they got me. When Jason went around me he didn't blow past me so I tried to go with him. I knew if he would have smashed me right then and went for it I would have never gotten him, but I somehow stayed close enough to outkick him in the last 100. During the warm down I got to grab the electric fence so that made up for the bad race.
Carlisle-
This race was supposed to have some phenomenal dudes running and I couldn't wait to race them. The race started off great with me and VanKooten battling for the first mile, but then I took off. I crossed the line and all these people were saying I broke Miller's meet record. But I didn't believe them until my coach told me it was true.
Steel City-
I couldn't wait, the course was new and hard. I kept thinking of it as this big gnarly monster and I couldn't wait to kill it. I was hoping (Paul) Springer and (Jason) Weller would run but I only got to race with Weller. We took off and he was pushing the pace right away. After the mile he started to pull away but at the top of the hill by the two mile I caught back up. I led down the hill until about 800-600 to go and he had a nice kick and left me behind. I felt like this was definitely my best race so far all year, but the day wasn't over yet. I still had the homecoming dance that night. That made my legs hurt more than the race. October 7th was a great day.
Avon Grove/Henderson-
We already had beaten them (Henderson) at Steel City, but we didn't take them lightly. We knew Henderson had some dudes that were real good and they had a good team. I would like to say before I get into details of the meet that they did not get the respect they deserved. All year long we raced them hard and they ran hard right back. They took a lot of shots at us all year and should have been ranked regionally and ranked well regionally. Now on to the meet. It was a great day to run and we knew we had to run hard. We got out fast, me, (Chris) Aldrich and (Chris) Ferry ripped through the first two miles going 4:29 and then 9:17. Then it was just me and Aldrich. I was leading by about 10 seconds, but I knew I had to run hard. I finished in 15:10 and was so excited because I had run faster than I did at districts the year before and this was a pretty rough course. I also reset the school senior class record.
Chesmont Championship-
My race was ok I was also a little nervous that I would get lost again but I had the JV crew like Beau Wilson and Zach Wilson telling me where to go on turns. I remember smiling when I saw them yelling at me on the first turn "go right Kyle. Don't get lost you got to win." I had Aldrich on my shoulder all race until the last 600 meters, that's when I pulled away to win.
District One Championship-
This race was so fast it was nasty. It was an awesome day and there were awesome dudes in this race. I got out nice and relaxed and Weller and Springer were right there with me. I led for about two miles then I dropped off some. I came back a little on Weller in the final kick. There's not much more to say other then our team did very well. 3 dudes under 15. That's some sweet stuff man.
PIAA State Championship-
When we got to the course we figured the girls race was over but we were able to see Kristina finish. We saw her coming up the last hill in 23rd to 25th area so we got real hyped. So we quickly ran over to the finish and were pushing our way to the front, jumping on people and making this one dude real angry. Kristina ended up 25th. When we went over to congratulate her and tell her where we watched her from, the first thing she said was "did you see me spit all over myself?" After that statement we knew she was happy with her race. Then Mr. Lapp made us go to this grassy area away from everyone to get focused. Well, for us getting focused was making fun of each other and talking about stupid things that had nothing to do with the race. When the race started I got out well and then decided I was going to just go and push the pace. I was good for almost two miles, then faded, and then Weller took over the lead. Shortly after that, Springer passed me. I kept running as hard as I could to finish third. Right after the race everyone said we won and we knew we had won it. It was so great because our dream from 9th grade finally came true. We were the state champions.
The Time In Between-
This was just lots of training and waiting. We ran the Last Gasp Classic which was an ok race for me, but we had to do it. Then we got our official bid and we knew we were ready to run. We still had some time to go until NTN and I think it rained every day until we left. Then one day, Kristina started a mud fight be sneak attacking me from behind. After practice I finished it and won the mud fight. My brother did hit me in the forehead with a rock, which almost knocked me out. But I still won. Then we went up to New York to watch Kristina run at Foot Locker regionals. This was a very fun time and Kristina ran very well to end a great season.
NTN-
I never was on a plane before, so this was a fun way to have my first plane ride. We stopped in San Francisco and I saw palm trees, which was cool. It was a really fun trip but we knew we had to stay focused and we did. All our parents, our chaperone Mr. Backenstoes and his family, Hollie and Kristina, Mr. Smith and Mr. Lewis, and both our coaches came out plus Jerry Alex and Rob, who got stuck in Chicago, came out, which was awesome.
The race was super nasty and lots of fun. The mud was so deep. I felt good, so I went for it. I faded a little but it was still a good race. After we waited for an hour for results we didn't talk to anyone except during the web cast interview, which I had fun with, giving the worst interview ever, always sticking with one word answers. When they announced that Simi Valley was second we went crazy because we knew we won. It was the best feeling I ever had. After we were given the award we had pictures taken and they wanted us to jump in the water. The team wanted to, but I wasn't having any of that. I was not going to jump in a nasty puddle full of goose poop. NO WAY! That night was awesome. We had so much fun at the closing ceremonies, the dance and the rest of the night. I had the time of my life.
I have been asked since winning NTN, would it have been better to win 10th and 11th grade and to not have the upsets you did. Yes, of course it would. Who wouldn't want 3 state championships and a national championship? But we didn't win them. But those terrible upsets only made the story to a perfect season better. To come back from one upset to get defeated again and then pick yourself up to race another season to win it all without a loss is more than I could ever ask for.