At the top of the hill at William Tennent High School -- a little after the two mile mark -- it was anyone's race. In one of the most thrilling finishes we've seen so far this season, Ryan Tarapchak of Neshaminy came out on top, winning the Tennent Invitational in 15:45 with a good final push.
There was a big pack of contenders throughout much of the race, and Tarapchak came out on top with a solid last half mile to take the victory. Hatboro-Horsham's Brian DiCola was second in 15:46 and Twin Valley's Anthony Engle was third in 15:51.
Tarapchak went out relatively conservative and moved up methodically throughout the race. He was hanging midway through the lead pack during the race and pounced late.
It's Tarapchak's third win of the season after taking a Week 1 win at his home invite and then winning last week at Souderton. He also had strong performances against strong fields at PTXC, Briarwood, and Foundation. But his 15:45 is nice PR heading into the postseason. He'll certainly be one to watch.
Central Bucks West captured the team title with a solid 62-point performance to claim the win by 43 points. Twin Valley was second and Wissahickon was third. CB West put four in the top ten for a dominant performance. Brennan Wellock was fourth in 15:55 and Nikolaus Mangeot was fifth in 16:00. Eric Mass took seventh and Owen Donaher came home eighth.
Watch the boys varsity race from the Tennent Invite above and check out an interview with Tarapchak below.