9/2-CB East gets win from transfer-O\'Hara girls deep-Hibbs quick, team wins by 4 @ Viking Inv (pix)

PHOTO GALLERIES OF JV AND VARSITY COMING BY TUESDAY
RACE PHOTOS BELOW

For the first time in a long time, the soup early September soup kitchen that is Tamanend Park in Bucks county became bearable - but this is cross country, so it was still considered hot. And some quality teams and individuals heated things up even more as the first real race of the season showed some predictions will be right on, while other will have to be revised.

The Cardinal O'Hara girls were expected to be a good team. They may even be better than that. Taking four of the first eight spots, they had more than twenty to give, and easily held off a strong St. Basil team 45-67. Hatboro-Horsham was 3rd with 75. But the race belonged to Central Bucks East transfer Kate Ross, who medaled for Gwynedd-Mercy in the 3200 in the state T&F championships in May. She held a lead coming out of the woods the first time, and by the time she reached the back part of the course, she was ahead to stay, cruising to an 18:50 win. Basil's Kathleen Davies was 2nd in 19.01. The Kelly sisters (Katie and Beth) of O'Hara ran 19:10 and 19:20 for 3rd and 4th.

Hatboro-Horsham senior Josh Hibbs led his team to a narrow three-point (68-71) win over Wissahickon, who placed three in the top seven to throw a scare into the Hatters. Josh held the same five meter lead as Ross, but extended it in the back woods to post a statement time of 15:44. The mark came within five seconds of Steve Hallinan's course record, which he ran for O'Hara in 2003.

In the girls' JV race, Hatboro-Horsham frosh Michele Kraske ran 21:31 to come from behind to take Wissahickon frosh Michele Rudolph, 21:52. Hatboro won the team race by 14. The Hatters also took the boys' JV race behind the 3-4 of Adamy Penny and Steve Topper - also by the same 14-point margin, and also over Wissahickon. Sophomore Nick Crits of Wissahickon, outsprinted teammate, junior Teddy Miller for the win, both clocked in 17:07.

Hibbs misses the meet record by just five seconds.

Ryan wins virtually from wire-to-wire.

RACE FLOW - BOYS, THEN GIRLS VARSITY WITH 2ND-5TH PLACE, PLUS JV WINNERS











21:30:16, Michelle Kraske, Michelle 9, Hatboro-Horsham

Left, Wissahickon's Nick Crits, 10th, 2nd in 17:06 25, and Teddy Miller, 11th, 1st in JV in 17:06 66.