Boys Gold Race Recap - PIAA Foundation Invitational
It only got hotter as the day went on and no race was affected by the intense high temperatures more than the boys' Gold Race, which went off at 12:45 P.M.
One runner who it didn't seem to faze was Mount Lebanon's Patrick Anderson. The senior, who won a AAA state title the last time he was at Hershey, ran to the win in 15:51, his fastest-ever time on the Parkview Course and first time under 16 minutes.
Anderson was step-for-step with Mars Area's Zachary Leachman after two miles before Anderson broke free and ran to the win. Anderson said he felt great, despite the conditions. Leachman came home in second in 16:29, using an aggressive strategy that paid off in a big way. In a deep WPIAL, Leachman continues to prove he's one of the best.
West Chester East's Joshua Lewin closed hard to take third in 16:31, out-leaning Peter Township's Zach Marmol at the line. It was a strong opener for Lewin, while Marmol turned in his third strong performance of the season. Perkiomen Valley's Tyler Clifford was fifth in 16:40 and Penncrest's Patrick Theveny took sixth in 16:49.
The team race got really interesting, and perhaps the day's biggest surprise occurred in the team standings. Lower Merion claimed the Gold Race win with 172 points. Joey Litvin had a big day, taking seventh in 16:51 to lead LM to the win. The Aces depth proved to win the day with two others in the top 25 -- Trey Gannon (22nd) and Simon Schmieder (25th). North Allegheny took second with 198 points, despite a DNF from usual top runner Daniel McGoey. Owen J. Roberts was third with 226 points and Perkiomen Valley was fourth with 258 points, a few ahead of fifth place Downingtown East (164 points)
A number of top runners dropped out. NA's McGoey was in third at the two mile, but did not finish. Fox Chapel's Christian Fitch was in fourth at the two mile and also didn't come across the line. Boyertown's Christian McComb was a DNF and North Penn's Noah Demis struggled across the finish in the heat. State College's expected top two -- Ben St. Pierre and Bennett Norton -- did not finish either.