The stories of all four races are posted below. Karen Ward's Photo Galleries of all races and Awards, and Don Rich's Photo Galleries are linked from the right. Pix of four state champs below, along with select pix from each race, and the team champs and runner-ups.
AAA Boys -- East trains for the hills and edges Manheim Twp. Craiig Miller three-peats in hardest race of the season.
Sometimes, a reality check is all you need to remember your goals and trust your training -- or in this case -- your coach. Edwin Baghdasarian coaches in arguably the toughest league in Pennsylvania, Ches-Mont. Weekly, his West Chester East squad sees Henderson, Coatesville, and others. Before this year's race, Henderson and Coatesville had won five of the last nine boys' state AAA cross country titles. Now, with the addition of newly crowned Ches-Mont power West Chester East, the league has six - 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005.
The challengers gather near Craig Miller at 400 meters.
East, as Edwin Baghdasarian prefers to refer to the school, was ranked in the Northeast US after their strong 6th place finish at the 2005 Great American XC Festival in North Carolina in late September and an earlier win over Coatesville in a small invitational. But then they lost a meet, then a dual, and dropped from the ranking. Coatesville - returning four from last year's narrow state runner-up squad, and strengthened by two transfers, won the District title, Henderson was 2nd and East 3rd. So going into the state meet, East was among the favorites, but faced the formidable competition of not only their own league rivals, but the Miller twin-led Manheim Township squad. "I think the losses gave us a reality check," Baghdasarian says. "We were pumped after Great American, even though we didn't peak for that. I told the guys not to worry about it. It was one point and one loss. Focus on States."
And focus they did. Baghdasarian says he even adjusted their training this season for the course. "We worked on hills and speed, and especially how to get speed on hills." Like Hershey.
Team leader Duriel Hardy delivered, finishing 5th in 15:45. Baghdasarian says, though, that Ian Gough was an amazing 20th with 150 meters to go and picked up a spot to take 19th. "And (John) Lacolla and (Andrew) Lobb were flying down the stretch, with (Steve) Vincent coming through when it really counted." The result was a nervous wait for the coaches, teams and fans of East and Manheim Township as race officials double and triple-checked the video to ensure that the score differential of a single point was valid. It was, and East had their first XC title, 104-105.
It was a tough loss for Manheim Township. It was the last year for the remarkable Miller boys, Craig and Brad. Last summer, the rest of the guys on the team responded to the leadership of the Millers and did the work. Coach Terry Lee says that Craig and Brad shared a common desire to go undefeated as a team in dual meets in a 22-team league, and they accomplished, for a 4th straight year. "This year the two were captains, and they handled the position well. The team believed they could win Districts and States." Lee said he knew the feeling of that narrow a loss well, having been a runner-up by a single point his senior year in high school. "So they'll get to order as many pizzas as they want and we'll give the trophy a special place on the bus."
But while time will help turn their team 2nd from a disappointment into the great accomplishment it really is, the team was not happy. And among the least happy was Craig Miller, despite his personal achievement of winning a third straight PIAA AAA Boys' XC title. Lee says that with boys, that is especially difficult to do. Probably why it's never been done in Pennsylvania. "There is always that other one developing. This demonstrates not just strength, but tenacity. I'd call it remarkable."
Craig's thoughts were still on the team loss an hour later, and his brother Brad, who had finished an unexpected 13th. "I was hoping Brad would be with me. He'll be back." Craig says that getting his 3rd consecutive individual title was hard-earned. "This week I was kind of dying at the end. I was thinking Jon Grey or Vince (McNally) or (Keith) Capecci would be there. I knew they were good runners, and the were right with me. I definitely had to work hard today. That race, along with Gettysburg (where McNally pushed him to a 14:56), are the two races I ran hardest this year. Today, I definitely had to run my hardest."
Now it's back to training, and a trip on the 13th to New York to run in the New York Road Runners XC champs at Van Cortlandt Park, site of the Northeast Foot Locker Regional on Novemeber 26th, when Craig makes an attempt to return to the national meet. "I want to see the course again, and I want Brad to see it before the race."
Race photos from 1.25. 2.5, and finish, plus top two teams coming
AAA State Champs, West Chester East.
2nd place, Manheim Township.
AA Boys -- Scranton Prep adds another team title. Isaac Dunkelberger never quits and catches a distressed Jake Walker for win.
Scranton Prep repeated as AA champs, making it five of the past six years. They beat Ellwood City by 14 points, whose Jake Walker led much of the race before being passed over the final 800 meters by Isaac Dunkelberger of Tamaqua and Lucas Zarzeczny of Avonworth. Dunkelberger drafted Zarzeczny until the final 300 meters, passing him to win in 15:54. Walker was in 3rd until the final strides as Travon Rainford of Engineering & Science took 3rd in 16:14.
At the start, Dunkelberger is tucked in right behind Walker.
Actually, Isaac Dunkelberger was attending track and cross country meets before he was born. His mom, Wendy, was expecting her 5th child when the oldest boy in the family, Kenny, was winning medals in track and cross country. Isaac's brother Kyle was a two-time league champ in cross. So running is in his blood. Isaac had big goals this season, and one of them was to win the state championship. He logged four consecutive 100 mile weeks before the season, and then went to 90 miles for eight weeks, before tapering to his current 40. "That work carried me through every race this year. I felt amazing today."
Dunkelberger wasn't cowed by the pre-race talk about favorites Jake Walker and others. "People looked at me as a sleeper. I knew this would be the day I would run my best."
The race did go exactly to plan in one way, and didn't in another. Dunkelberger wanted to run his own pace for the first mile, and be patient. So he let Walker and Avonworth junior Lucas Zarzeczny go out hard. But soon he wasn't so sure his patience had been an entirely good thing. "I didn't think I was even in the race until after the two mile when I started creeping up on Zarzeczny." Dunkelberger thought Walker was long gone... but when he passed Zarzeczny and saw Walker just ahead he says he got pumped. "As I went around Jake, Zarzeczny went past me. So I decided to go with him because he was going pretty early. And I figured if I could ride him to the homestretch, I knew I'd have more than him."
And with 150 meters to go, Dunkelberger went. "I thought he was going with me, but he didn't."
Walker was disoriented after his race, and has no idea what happened. "It was the first time I ever felt like that in a race. Sitting in the tent after the race, things were spinning." Walker said he went out nearly on pace at 5:01 and felt fine. But at about a mile-and-a-half, his legs suddenly got heavy and he knew something was not right. "If that downhill had not been there I might not have made it. I knew after two miles I wasn't going to win, I was just trying to finish."
He's feeling better two days after the race, and focused on going after another season goal, making the top ten at the Northeast Foot Locker Regionals at Van Cortlandt Park on November 26th.
Dunkelberger says the support from the large Tamaqua cross country community has been energy for him this season, but he saved his biggest thanks for big brother Kenny. "He is more or less my coach and has always helped me more than just running. He has helped me with life."
One of those lessons must have been patience, because Isaac used it to perfection to win his first state title.
Race photos from 1.25. 2.5, and finish, plus top two teams
Isaac Dunkelberger credits big brother Kenny with much of his success.
The winning Scranton Prep team (Photo by Karen Ward)
Ellwood City, 2nd place.
AAA Girls -- A little intelligence goes a long way. A lot wins a first-ever state title for Latrobe cross country - Liz Costello simply wanted it more. What she got was a title and a big-time course record.
Liz Costello is surrounded by a few of the other top contenders.
In AAA Girls, the Latrobe program had been building toward this day for seven years, and led by freshman sensation Natalie Bower, who finished 4th in 18:51, beat all comers, including 2nd place Allentown Central Catholic and pre-race favorite Chambersburg, 117-149-194. And they did it with intelligence. Yeah, these girls are smart -- like most distance runners. But they had another advantage -- intel on their competition. "The girls knew their competition" says Head Coach Teress Curci. "They knew their uniforms, their names, and what they look like. And they looked for them during the race. Never behind, always ahead." Curci credits her assistant coach of seven years, Todd Simpson, with providing the information the team needed to know their competition. Simpson is perfect for the job. He's a member of the National Guard, and had missed the 2004 season while serving a year in Iraq. But he didn't miss this one, the first trip to states that also turned into the first state title. Curci says the intel included more than just the competition... it included what to do and where to be on the course, even where to be in relation to a specific barrel. It's not every team that can be trusted with this much information. "We ask our kids about the workouts. They know a month in advance," Cursi adds. "You have to get feedback from your kids. After all, they're the ones sweating, and grueling and getting wet in the rain." While she was beyond excited as the idea of winning started to sink in, Curci says she was calm all season. "I knew these girls. They did everything we asked. We didn't burn them out, but when we asked them to run fast, they did."
Chambersburg coach Chris Monheim was as impressed as everyone else with Latrobe's win. "Latrobe deserved it. We didn't run badly, and the girls are already talking about next year. And a day later, third in the state is pretty good."
District 1 champ Liz Costello of Conestoga, a senior and first-year runner/reformed soccer player, established herself as one of PA's all-time best, pulling away over the 2nd mile and ripping a spectacular 18:18 on a tough day. Putting it in perspective, the time was a 19 second improvement on the course record which was set in 2003 by Foot Locker finalist Frances Koons of Allentown Central Catholic.
The night before her big race, Costello says she was upset just thinking about the possibility of losing. "I was scared that someone could take this from me. As soon as I thought that, I knew that I really wanted it." But wanting and execution are two different things... so she made sure she was relaxed and not spending energy getting focused until race time. A little dancing to the oldies on the top of the team van apparently did the trick.
Costello's plan was to make sure she was with the girls she expected to be at the front. "I knew there were going to be some who went out more quickly than they could, but I got nervous because I was ahead and didn't know if I should back off a little." But then she started hearing cheers for familiar names, "the other studs," and knew she was in good shape. She relaxed and focused on her strengths. "I am very confident in my third mile. On the second hill, I heard Chanelle's (Price, Easton) breathing fade, so I just focused on my finish."
Costello says she gets great support from her coaches. "The positive atmosphere all the time is important. Plus (Ryan) Comstock has a lot of confidence in me, and I feed off of that. When I'm in a race, I can hear all three, and just say to myself, 'you keep cheering, and I'll keep running, and we'll work through this together."
Race photos from 1.25. 2.5, and finish, plus top two teams
How does Liz Costello relax before a race?
Try dancin' to the oldies on top of the team van.
(Photo by Ryan Comstock)
AAA Champs, Latrobe (photo by Karen Ward)
Champs GREATER Latrobe! (photo by Karen Ward)
2nd place, Allentown Central Catholic (photo by Karen Ward)
AA Girls -- Dallas overcomes adversity times two - Carly Seymour challenges the field and holds on to win first state title.
Carly Seymour does not hide her plan early.
For coach Matt Samual of the AA Dallas girls, this team win, their 2nd in three years and the 2nd in the history of the school for girls, reaffirmed his reason for coaching -- it's about the journey itself, not the result. "I would have been proud of them even if we hadn't won because of the way they raced and the adversity they overcame." And adversity is putting it mildly.
At last week's District 2 race, they lost their #4 girl for the season. And because of the conditions of the course, times were slow, runners fell.. and they even had one girl carrying one of her shoes for the whole race. But little did they know that this week would get even worse - and better.
The night before the race, #1 girl and senior Lisa Giacometti told him privately that she was suffering from a severe sinus and ear pain. She didn't want to alert the other girls to avoid damaging their confidence. The pain got worse overnight.
Then, 500 meters into the race, #3 girl Kenslie Kerestes, a junior, broke her foot. "She felt something pop. She was in such pain she was crying the whole way."
Senior Hillary Adams, sensing that Giacometti was not racing her best, picked up the effort. She and Lisa would both medal. Kerestes would run 4th for the team, while Jil Nutche, a senior, and sophomores Erin Delaney and Kasia Szulborski would finish 5th and 6th for the team three second apart, with junior Katie Gilligan just 14 seconds back. The 2:05 compression was enough to hold off the front-running pair from Lancaster Mennonite and win by ten points, 153-163.
"I am more proud of the manny in which they did it and competed. These kids (both girls and boys teams) trust each other implicitly. Overcoming this kind of adversity makes it even sweeter."
Carly Seymour never looks back. The Central Cambria sophomore goes to the front, pushes the first mile hard, tries to stay steady for the 2nd, and depends upon "hearts and guts" to get through the 3rd. It's a good thing she didn't look back in the final 50 meters of the girls AA race, because Harbor Creek freshman Lauren Zarger was coming hard. Another ten meters, and it would have been a different outcome. Seymour says she heard the cheers, and even though she was extremely tired, mustered what strength she had to sprint the final. "I'm glad I did, because I was surprised she was right behind me." Her coach, Randy Wilson, says that keeping runners healthy is one philosophy that works. Central Cambria had seven girls PR at Districts, including Seymour's 18:04. They run on grass, do pool running, and just try to pay attention to the little things. Seymour finished in the 50's in 2004 as a freshman, and Wilson says the biggest change -- in addition to the hard work -- is the attitude, and resulting improved confidence. "She didn't come afraid to lose. She came to win."
Race photos from 1.25. 2.5, and finish, plus top two teams
AA Champs, Dallas (photo by Karen Ward)
2nd place, Lancaster Mennonite (photo by Karen Ward)
Flash Summary - 11/5
A day of upsets, miracle finishes and coronations on a warm day that would make more than the chocolate melt in Hershey at the PIAA State Championshps.
Craig Miller of Manheim Township delivered one point, trying to lead his team to the school's first championship outside of the school's 1971 Rifle team... and fell by a single point to previously ranked West Chester East 104-105 in AAA. Miller, who will be signing an official Letter of Intent next Thursday with the University of Wisconsin, ran what he termed his hardest race of the reason, winning in 15:30, four seconds ahead of Council Rock North's Keith Capecci. Pre-race favorite Coatesville finished 4th behind Wissahickon.
In AAA Girls, the Latrobe program had been building toward this day for seven years, and led by freshman sensation Natalie Bower, who finished 4th in 18:51, beat all comers, including 2nd place Allentown Central Catholic and pre-race favorite Chambersburg, 117-149-194. District 1 champ Liz Costello of Conestoga established herself as one of PA's all-time best, pulling away over the 2nd mile and ripping a spectacular 18:18 on a tough day. The mark sets a new course record, breaking the 2003 record of 18:37 run by Frances Koons of Allentown Central Catholic.
Scranton Prep repeated as AA champs, making it five of the past six years. They beat Ellwood City by 14 points, whose Jake Walker led much of the race before being passed over the final 800 meters by Isaac Dunkelberger of Tamaqua and Lucas Zarzeczny of Avonworth. Dunkelberger drafted Zarzeczny until the final 300 meters, passing him to win in 15:54. Walker was in 3rd until the final strides as Travon Rainford of Engineering & Science took 3rd in 16:14.
Dallas overcame a broken foot, a sinus infection and more, running a gutsy race to take their 2nd AA state title in the past three years by ten over Lancaster Mennonite, 153-163. Gwynedd Mercy was at 190. Central Cambria sophomore Carly Seymour used a front-running strategy, barely holding on in the final ten meters to beat a charging Harborcreek freshman Lauren Zarger, 18:56-18:57.
Carly Seymour, Central Cambria, AA: 18:56
Liz Costello, Conestoga, AAA: 18:18 course record
Isaac Dunkelberger, Tamaqua, AA: 15:54
Craig Miller, Manheim Township, AAA: 15:30 course record