PIAA State Champs-Boys AAA Race Story
PIAA State Champs-Girls AAA Race Story
PIAA State Champs-Girls AA Race Story
For Chris Spooner, his race plan worked. He surged with 600 to go, but felt something going wrong on the final straight, and was overcome by heat in the final 30 meters as Westmont Hilltop's David Mock passed him to win. Spooner held on for second, but was taken to the hospital with heat exhaustion. He's fine, and pleased that he and his team, which finished second to Eisenhower, gave everything they had.
Mock has been having a dream season, setting a course record at Steel City in early October, and beating some talented runners. Still, he almost let Spooner and Greenville junior Jed Christiansen go a couple of times, before finally marshalling the energy to make a late charge. He had passed Christiansen with about 600 to go, but had all but given up on Spooner. His motivation came from behind, and it worked. "I wasn't feeling that good the whole race today. I heard people yelling that Jed (Christiansen) was starting to come up behind me, so I just started to kick. And I felt good and continued to push. As soon as I saw him (Spooner) pull up, I pushed even harder."
Spooner said he didn't feel the best even before the race. But he was under control until the final straight. "When I reached the stones on the final straightaway, I could feel my whole body shutting down. When I got ten meters from the cones (of the finish) I couldn't see. I remember hitting the ground and saying to myself, 'get up, get up', he's coming." And Spooner's favored Lewisburg team also finished 2nd. "I'm disappointed for the team. We wanted a day where we all ran well, but we all raced the best we could. They were all spent. It's the best we could have done."
Eisenhower finally captured that elusive state title they nearly got two years ago, when led by Foot Locker Finalist and State Champ Anndy Weilacher, they came within one point of beating Scranton Prep. The "Ikes" were led by senior Grant Allen, 8th in 16:35.
It's too close to call just after the mile.