Class AAA Boys' Recap
Photo by Don Rich
Noah Affolder delivered.
While the Carlisle senior has his sights set on Foot Locker glory, the first step was winning a state championship in Pennsylvania. Affolder, who transferred to Carlisle from New York over the summer, was the immediate favorite to take the state title, and on Saturday, he got the job done.
Noah Affolder opens up space on Nathan Henderson late in the race (Photo by Ethan Rissell)
Affolder ran 15:33, the fastest time of the day, and a new course record on the newly updated Parkview course. Nathan Henderson of JP McCaskey hung with Affolder the longest and ended up second in 15:48, holding off Sam Affolder, who took third. Around two miles, Noah Affolder broke free and "found another gear" propelling him the state title.
Ephrata's Zach Lefever took fourth to make for an all-District 3 top four. Butler's Noah Beveridge ran a great race to place fifth in 15:59. Connor McMenamin of Souderton was sixth.
Watch an interview with Noah Affolder below:
In the team race, Council Rock North returned to the winner's circle. The perennially dominant Council Rock program hadn't won a state title since 1999, before the school's split into North and South. But on Saturday, no one was stopping North, which scored 76 points to win.
Ryan Campbell led CR North with a seventh place finish in 16:01. Bryan Keller (23rd) and Sam Earley (25th) both earned medals and Tim Haas was just outside the medals, taking 26th. Here's the team breakdown for North:
| EVENT | PLACE | ATHLETE | RESULT | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M 5000m | 7 | Ryan Campbell | 16:01.00 | 4 | |
| M 5000m | 23 | Bryan Keller | 16:28.00 | 14 | |
| M 5000m | 25 | Sam Earley | 16:30.00 | 16 | |
| M 5000m | 26 | Tim Haas | 16:30.00 | 17 | |
| M 5000m | 43 | Ethan Koza | 16:52.00 | 25 | |
| M 5000m | 115 | Kevin Ehrgott | 17:22.00 | 64 | |
| M 5000m | 162 | Matt Mullen | 17:54.00 | 93 | |
Carlisle was second with 118 points. The Affolders scored just three points between the two of them. Isaac Kole was 14th and Jack Wisner was 33rd in a strong day for the Herd. The defending champions from Downingtown West were third, led by Jake O'Neill. WPIAL champs Seneca Valley took fourth with 202 points edging out LaSalle, which was fifth with 204 points.
Ryan Campbell led CR North to the win (Photo by Ethan Rissell)
Watch interviews with the Council Rock North boys and coach Dave Marrington: