Class AA Boys' Recap
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Photo by Don Rich
Ben Bumgarner was pretty surprised at his margin of victory in the AA boys' race,
The Waynesburg Central senior was second at last week's District 7 Championships to Quaker Valley's Zach Skolnekovich, but Bumgarner reversed his fortune on Saturday winning the Boys' AA race big.
The race went out pretty hard and Bumgarner and Skolnekovich tucked in, along with Jersey Shore's Isaac Davis, three of the favorites. Those three eventually separated around the halfway point and then Bumgarner took off on his own. He got a gap at around two miles and it was smooth sailing to the finish from there. Bumgarner clocked a 16:01 for the win. Skolnekovich was second for a second straight year, timing in at 16:13. Davis was in 16:26.
In the team race, the Dallas boys successfully defended their state title in what was expected to be a very close race. Dallas beat out second place York Suburban and third place South Fayette. Jack Zardecki led the way for Dallas and then a tight 2-5 group helped solidify the victory.
| EVENT | PLACE | ATHLETE | RESULT | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M 5000m | 7 | Jack Zardecki | 16:41.00 | 4 | |
| M 5000m | 30 | Josh Wyandt | 17:15.00 | 20 | |
| M 5000m | 33 | Adam Borton | 17:21.00 | 22 | |
| M 5000m | 35 | Jason Culp | 17:24.00 | 24 | |
| M 5000m | 37 | Mitchell Rome | 17:28.00 | 26 | |
| M 5000m | 106 | Steven Postupak | 18:06.00 | 56 | |
| M 5000m | 157 | Josh Jarden | 18:33.00 | 85 | |
It was a little deja vu for coach Matt Samuel and his crew. The Dallas boys, for a second straight year, didn't win September's Foundation Invitational (against many top AA teams), but peaked at the right time to take the PIAA title in November.
Dallas loses just Jason Culp from its top seven for next year. Could this repeat become a three-peat? Well, we won't be looking to Foundation to give us the answers next year.
Watch an interview with the Dallas boys and coach Matt Samuel below: