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10/22 |
Story and Photos by Phil Grove
It wasn’t a Saturday walk in the park. Allderdice just made it look like one.
The Dragons swept both team championships and added an individual title as the PIAA postseason kicked off with the District 8 (Pittsburgh City League) meet at Schenley Park. The titles were the 17th consecutive for Ed Flynn’s boys team and 13th in a row for the girls. “We’re very happy and very proud of them all,” Flynn said. “They work really hard.” ![]() Junior Ean DiSilvio stood as the star performer entering the meet off quality invitational victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and he did not disappoint. The junior zipped through the opening mile in 4:58 and stretched his lead to 39 seconds as he hit the 2-mile mark in 10:20. On Oct. 1 in the Central Catholic Invitational at Schenley Park, DiSilvio outraced Central Catholic’s Mike Runco and Mount Lebanon’s Alex Moran to the line in 16:38.6 in horrendous conditions. In defending his District 8 crown, DiSilvio dropped down to a meet-record 16:24.17, breaking his mark of 16:40.74 from a year ago. His state-qualifying effort – with a 60-second cushion at the finish – came despite running solo for the entire 5,000 meters. “I really wanted to run a bit faster than I did,” DiSilvio said. “I would have liked to break 16, but it didn’t happen. I was running by myself, and my last mile was just too slow to do what I wanted to do.” With just one meet left on the 2011 schedule, Flynn is confident that his standout is prepared to meet the challenge of Pennsylvania’s best come Hershey. “We’ve done the right things,” the coach said. “We’ve gone to a number of invitationals – Boardman, Erie McDowell and Mingo last week – and the goal was to see as much competition as we could and just getting used to running up there. “Ean’s a strong kid. The goal is to latch on (to the top runners), and anything can happen up at the state course.” The DiSilvio-led Dragons took seven of the top eight places, with Obama’s Sam Lapp keeping them from a perfect score by qualifying for Hershey in fifth. Seniors Barrett Adams, Adam Hermann and Nick Hoffman were second through fourth for Allderdice. ![]() “We had a plan and we were practicing it all week,” the winner said. “We just stuck with our plan the entire time – not go out as hard as everyone else and ease into it. The first mile was to be easy, and then after that we tried to pick it up a little more and it worked.” Allderdice grabbed the lone team berth in Hershey by taking the next six places, led by Emma Paytas’ 21:45.50. The sophomore led most of the race before a flare-up of shin splints and the Key sisters relegated her to third. “A good pack run for the girls,” Flynn said of his team’s 25 points. “At the Mingo meet, they finished second and part of that was because they were a good pack team.” With two weeks before his squads take on the Parkview course, Flynn has the practice schedule mapped out. “We are going to work hard next week, we always do traditionally,” he said. “We’ll include some team-bonding things like a two-man 10-mile run. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a lot of work. We’ll work hard through Saturday and then the week before states will be a taper week.” |
Pittsburgh, PA ONSITE COVERAGE RESULTS POSTED
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10/26 |
Elk Lake High School
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Dimock, PA ONSITE COVERAGE RESULTS POSTED
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VIDEO INTERVIEWS
Matt Samuel, Head Coach, Dallas (sweeps AAA Girls and Boys Team Titles
Regan Rome, Sophomore, Dallas, wins 2nd consecutive D2 AAA individual title
Ed Roman, Head Coach, Holy Redeemer (sweeps AA Girls and Boys Team Titles
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10/26 |
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Story by Cory Mull and photos by Megan Zeller
HERSHEY -- It was fitting, at least for the best friends, that in the final 200 meters there was only one question to ask.
Who was going to win this thing?
Fortunately for the best friends, they didn't take much time to deliberate.
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One second later, senior Meredith Speakman, the Bubbler's No. 1-A runner, legged into the finish in 19:18.
"We've been best friends for a long time," said Brown, who admitted that she's hitting her stride with less than two weeks remaining in the season. "Every single workout we do together, it makes us better as a whole."
Brown had broken out as a sophomore in 2010, but Speakman didn't have quite the same luck.
As a sophomore in 2009, she had dealt with a stress fracture. And as a junior, other various injuries hampered her season.
As a senior, she wanted to improve.
So over the offseason, she approached Shippensburg University head coach Steve Spence, who was a family friend, and asked the expert how to get better. The Raiders skipper gave Speakman his team's freshman training regiment, which the Bubbler performed to a science.
That's one big reason why the senior has dropped over three minutes -- YES, THREE -- from her junior campaign. Through an unquenchable work ethic, intense training runs with Brown and good coaching, the Boiling Springs senior made herself an elite runner.
On Wednesday, the Class AA race boiled down to two runners and two teammates. Now, two similar paths to a state championship race are bound together.
Whoever ends up finishing ahead of the other next Saturday is anyone's guess.
"We work really great together," Speakman said. "She's my best friend."
The pair registered their finish over one minute before the next best runner came through the shute, Fairfield junior Kaitlyn Beckham (20:20).
AA Girls: The 2011 version gave just 15 individual bids to the state meet, so places were at a premium. Littlestown junior Elizabeth Reese was fourth (20:27) while Schuylkill Valley junior Jessica Thies was fifth in 20:40.
Oley Valley senior Katie Hirko was sixth (20:42), Bishop McDevitt junior Sara Miller was seventh (20:42), Lancaster Mennonite junior Chloe Mattilio was eighth (20:44), Wyomissing
sophomore Devi Jagadesan was ninth (20:49) and Trinity sophomore Emily Dethlefs was 10th in 20:57.
Rounding out the final five five qualifiers were Kutztown's Madeline Short, Wyomissing's Tina Bowers and June Chiango, Oley Valley's Olivio Boyer and York Catholic's Victoria Rizzuto.
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"The local news said I was the favorite," said Lindsley, who finished fourth a year ago," so I was a little bit nervous about that."
She was followed by Governor Mifflin junior Tessa Mundell (19:00) and Lower Dauphin senior Jenna Flickinger (19:12).
10 more runners slipped below the 20-minute window, with Exeter junior Sarah Brzostek (19:16) and Shippensburg Reynah Spence (19:25) cracking the top five.
New Oxford's Kaylee Kubisiak was sixth (19:25), Exeter's Amanda Quaglia (19:29) was seventh, Elizabethtown's Olivia Esbenshade was eighth (19:36), York Suburban's Lily Corsaro was ninth (19:40) and Greencastle-Antrim's Caroline Schemel was 10th in 19:45.
The next five finishers were Manheim Township's Emily McBride (19:46), Chambersburg's Natalie Holder (19:47), Palmyra's Laura Duquette (19:49) and Maria Tukis (20:02) and Hershey's Gabi Broschard (20:02).
Solanco junior Jillian Eberly, who finished in 40th, was thelast to qualify for the state meet through placement. She finished in 20:36.
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Schatz claimed a time of 16:59 while Littlestown junior Xavier Sauvageau was third in 17:02.
Wolfe's teammate, Mark Bachman, finished in fourth in 17:17, while Boiling Springs netted the next two runners, John Clark (17:25) and Jonathan Goodson (17:26), in fifth and sixth.
Delone Catholic junior Nick Poole was seventh (17:29), Biglerville freshman Brady Wilt was eighth (17:31), Annville-Cleona junior Ben Mason was ninth (17:33) and Boiling Springs senior Sam Bohn was 10th in 17:38.
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The sophomore claimed his first big win of 2011, taking the District 3 large school boys' race in 16:30. He was followed by South Western junior Ryan Hertzog in 16:34.
"My goal was to get out with the first pack until the first mile, work the hills and then just hold on," Groh said.
Red Land senior John Felts was third in 16:36, Governor Mifflin's Evan Williams was fourth in 16:37 and Big Spring junior Vinny Todaro was fifth in 16:37.
Palmyra senior Connor Strynkowski was sixth in 16:38, Chambersburg senior Nick Rotz was seventh in 16:39 and Daniel Boone senior Luke Miller was eighth in 16:39.
Cumberland Valley junior Alec Kunzweiler was ninth in 16:41 while Solanco senior John Ausel was 10th in 16:41.
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Hershey, PA ONSITE COVERAGE RESULTS POSTED
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10/26 |
Bedford County Technical Center
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Story by Phil Grove
Game, set and match. “As we’ve done all year, we have won more with pack running than having a lead guy out front,” coach Tom Minnick said. “We were 13-1 this year, and that was just how we’ve done it.”
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Everett, PA ONSITE COVERAGE RESULTS POSTED
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10/27 |
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Bethlehem, PA ONSITE COVERAGE RESULTS POSTED
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VIDEO INTERVIEWSVideo Interview with Brendan Shearn, North Schuylkill, AA Boys repeat champ
Video Interview with Pottsville sophomore Paige Stoner, repeat champ in AAA Girls
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10/27 |
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Postponed to Friday 10/28
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Philadelphia, PA Postponed to Friday 10/28
RESULTS POSTED
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PHOTO GALLERYPhoto Gallery by Charles Stone
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10/27 |
Bloomsburg University
![]() ![]() ![]() In AA girls, Lewisburg earned another district championship, defeating Northeast Bradford 80-120. Lewisburg placed four in the top 19 team places, who were all in front of Northeast Bradford's number two runner to secure victory. Both teams will represent the district at states. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Bloomsburg, PA ONSITE COVERAGE RESULTS POSTED
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VIDEO INTERVIEWS Video interview with Erika Huffman, AA Girls champion
Video Interview with Mark Sundberg, Head Coach, AA Boys' Champs Lewisburg |
10/27 |
Logan Steiner and Margo and Shannon Malone win the AAA races.
![]() - Quaker Valley dominated the AA fields by placing its scoring runners in the top 11 of each race. The Quakers won two championship trophies by a combined 267 points. - Margo and Shannon Malone of North Hills dueled to the line in a 1-2 finish once again. With younger sister Mary just two spots back, the Indians put 46 points on the board in capturing their second consecutive AAA girls crown in District 7.
Then came the excitement from coach John Neff and PA#3 North Allegheny.
With senior Logan Steiner surviving a three-way battle for the individual title, the Tigers followed up with a 9-10-11 run that catapulted them to WPIAL gold, comfortably ahead of PA#2 Mount Lebanon and Central Catholic. “It was really something special,” Neff said of his team’s 50-point performance. “That was one of my best days in coaching and I’ve been in coaching a long time. On a day like this, what’s supposed to happen on paper doesn’t always happen.” PA#2 Mount Lebanon could not match the Tigers’ pack of six in the top 20 and 45-second spread for their top five. Senior Alex Moran’s eighth was best for the Blue Devils, who finished with 115 and only seven ahead of Central Catholic. Kiski Area put Brent Kennedy and Richard Lednak in the top 5 and grabbed the final team berth with 148 points. As he did a week earlier in winning the Tri-State meet, Steiner went immediately to the front, slipping and sliding his way to an opening mile of 5:24. This time around, the North Allegheny senior had company in Central Catholic’s Mike Runco and Baldwin’s Andrew Kuchta. ![]() With Steiner and Runco each taking quick glances over their shoulders in the final 400, Steiner had a little more left as his winning time of 17:04 was a second ahead of Runco and another tick ahead of Kuchta. “We were looking for whoever was going to cave in first, who was going to go for it, who was going to start to sprint before the other,” Steiner said of the last-second looks. “We started our kick at the same time. It was way too early, but we recovered from that and then gave it our all coming in the final chute.” ![]() “I was hoping to wait as long as possible,” he said of the timing of his final kick. “I knew they were going to try to sit and kick. I just wanted to see where Steiner and Kuchta were.”
Malone Sisters’ 1-2 Fuels North Hills
They have done it before, and they might do it again very soon. Margo and Shannon Malone utilized their unique running strengths to meet up for a stirring drive to the finish, with the elder North Hills star edging her sister in the final strides. “We wanted to go out conservative in the first mile, and then once we hit the mile just wanted to see what could happen and start working from there,” said Margo, who covered the distance in 19:25. “Shannon caught me at the 2 mile. It’s actually amazing whenever she catches me, I think it’s so fun to run with her and it gives me an extra boost. She picks you up when you are feeling down, and we were able to finish strong together.” With Shannon a second back and Mary fourth at 20:00, PA#5 North Hills was on its way to the team crown with 46 points. Mount Lebanon (137) edged PA#10 North Allegheny (156) for second, while Pine-Richland (223) grabbed the fourth and final ticket to Hershey. “I stare at her back the whole time and just try to catch her,” Shannon said of her race strategy in catching up to her pace-setting older sister. “It’s really nice to run together too, and I knew she’s a fast sprinter so I feel it’s good to be with her.” North Hills coach Doug Sundo was happy with the team and individual victories and leaving the muddy course intact. “Look at the course, we just wanted to get through,” he said. “You don’t run for time today. You just want to win today.”
Cross Country Novice Finds Home at Cooper’s Lake For Sewickley Academy’s Caitlin Bungo, the “cross country experience” is a new one, having played soccer in the fall throughout high school. She certainly has found a home at Cooper’s Lake, with her entire harrier career of three races having occurred at the site of Thursday’s meet. Bungo picked up her second victory of her season – and career – by getting the best of Derry Area’s Hannah Scipio once again. “The first race (in the Slippery Rock Invitational) was really exciting, it was nice weather out,” said Bungo, who is no stranger to running with two podium finishes in PIAA 1,600-meter races to her credit. “That was a time to get a feel for the whole cross country experience. “The second time (at Tri-States) the weather was a little big rough. It was hard to judge but I wanted to go out and see how the course reacted to the rain. This time, I gave it my all and hopefully do the best that I could.” Near the front the entire race, Bungo, Scipio and Lizzie Manickas of Neshannock had separated themselves from the field at midpoint. Just past the two-mile mark, it was a two-girl race. “I try to focus on an even pace,” the winner said of adapting to her new fall sport. “The hills are definitely a different concept that I’ve been trying to get used to. The atmosphere is really great in cross country, and I’m really enjoying it. It’s a really cool experience.” Bungo crossed the line in 20:21, with Scipio four seconds back. In her first race, Bungo beat Scipio by only a second. “I really took my time to warm up today, just shake out my legs and hopefully they would respond well,” said Bungo, who was on the field Wednesday night for Sewickley Academy in a WPIAL soccer playoff game.
Quaker Valley Domination, Part 1
“We talked about that a little bit,” Noyes said of choosing a path through or around the muddy layout. “Especially on the straights, look for the higher ground. Everyone wants to keep as short of a course as possible but go up a little bit higher. It’s a little bit longer but its best in the long run. I guess they did a pretty good job of it.” That the Quakers claimed the boys team title was no surprise, but their winning score of 29 points was the best of the day and eye-opening. That paled in comparison, however, to junior Roy Hadfield being the first Quaker – and runner – across the line in 17:21. “Out of nowhere, it’s totally unexpected,” Noyes said of Hadfield’s victory by six seconds over teammate Nat Fox. “He’s been running No. 3 for us all year long. He said he’s been feeling really good in practice, and he’s been running really well. “He’s just a big race kid. He gets in a big race and it doesn’t faze him. That’s what happened today.” In a day that presented few opportunities for clean and clear running room, Hadfield said an opportunity opened up for him and he benefited.
“I am feeling really good about next week. I have high expectations so hopefully we can take it home.” The Quaker Valley boys will be joined at the Parkview Course by Beaver Area, which was well back with 146 points. Vincentian Academy was third with 166, and Freedom Area grabbed the last spot with 173.
Quaker Valley Domination, Part 2 With its first three runners separated by only eight seconds, AA PA#1 Quaker Valley put the AA girls title away early. Led by senior Sarah Miller in fourth, the Quakers finished with a 1-5 spread of just 31 seconds, the best of the day’s champions. “They all feel pretty strong, they ran well,” Noyes said. “They had a nice tight pack. Any cross country race if we can keep ’em close, then we’re OK. And even our sixth runner was only eight seconds back behind that. “Our No. 1 runner fell back to eighth (overall). I really expected her to win this race. If she moves up to where we expect her, I feel pretty good about states right now.” Quaker Valley finished atop the standings with 36 points, an astounding 150 less than runner-up South Park. Freeport Area (213) and South Fayette (231) grabbed the other two team berths for Hershey. |
Slippery Rock, PA ONSITE COVERAGE RESULTS POSTED
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10/28 |
By Lex Mercado
The district 1 AAA races did not disappoint as both races were very compelling and many runners and teams had big performances. The girls race was the first time PA#1 West Chester Henderson and PA#2 Pennsbury would go head to head since PTXC 3 back on September 10. Last week, both teams won their league championships.
This week, Pennsbury continued their momentum from their league title win and came away with a big win. Led by Ann Herman's 5th place finish and Sara Sargent's 6th place finish, Pennsbury used a 51 second spread and an 18:35 team average to cruise to the team championship for the 2nd straight year with 69 points. An adjusted game plan and a smarter race strategy from the top two runners was a factor in their victory. Not going out with the leaders in the first mile, Herman made her move near the mile and a half mark while Sargent tagged along with Herman, while their 3-4-5 continued their hot running with all of them running lifetime bests for the course. Unionville finished 2nd with 130 points after starting 11th at the mile mark. Courtney Smith finished 7th to lead the team while the rest of the varsity ran an even paced race which allowed them to move up in the last two miles. West Chester Henderson finished 3rd with 132 points led by an 8th place finish from Stephanie Aldrich. 4th place went to Downingtown East with 158 points led by a 12-13 finish from Katelyn Callaghan and Biz Weiler. North Penn earned the 5th and final spot with 252 points. After missing qualification by 4 points behind Central Bucks East, North Penn took the last spot ahead of Central Bucks East this time around.
![]() ![]() In the team standings, West Chester Henderson successfully defended their district championship over league rival Great Valley. After a close meet last week at Ches-Mont Champs, Henderson didn't let the result get as close as last week. Henderson placed five in the top 27 with a 37 second spread to score 89 points and defeat Great Valley by 59 points. North Penn had a strong performance from their top three runners to earn a 3rd place finish with 155 points. Council Rock North also used a strong performance from their front three to earn 4th place with 237 points. 5th place went to Holy Ghost Prep with 274 points, their first appearance at states since 2007. ![]() ![]()
GIRLS DISTRICT ONE AA and AAA 2010 PREVIEW
by Coach Coren(Strath Haven) jumpdr1@aol.com AA GIRLS 1st place team and next 5 non-1st-place team finishers qualify for STATES TEAM ST. BASIL-ST. BASIL-ST. BASIL-ST. BASIL-ST.BASIL---That’s right! 5 times in a row ST. BASIL has won AA District 1. And this year is no different. They have run against the AAA schools and more than held their own this year. Here are their results so far--6th PTXC3 “A”--2nd PIAA Blue--8th Paul Short--11th Manhattan Eastern States-- 1st AACA INDIVIDUALS Lets first look at the non-St.Basil runners. Remember 5 individuals(not on St.Basil) will make it to STATES. Here are the leaders--Mahoney(12)(VJM)(2 2010 2 2009)--Twomey(10)(VJM)(3 2010)--Bothelho(NHS)--McDonald(12)(SHEART)(6 2010)--Gehman(12)(CD)(8 2010)--Kelly(SFLMONT)--Davies(11)(LMORE). CHAMP? McGarrity(11)(STB)(1 2010 3 2009) will defend her title!!! AAA GIRLS 5 teams plus the next 25 non-team finishers qualify for STATES TEAM HISTORY---NORTH PENN(6th 2010) has qualified 8 of the last 12 years--WEST CHESTER HENDERSON(2nd 2010) has made it 6 of the last 8 years--DOWNINGTOWN EAST(4th 2010) has made it 3 of the last 4 years. PENNSBURY was 1st in 2010 and 2nd in 2009. For the fourth year in a row District One gets only 5 TEAMS to qualify for STATES. Last year it took 213 points to make it, with NORTH PENN missing by 4 points and BOYERTOWN by 7(that shows how important EVERY spot really is!!!). 2011 PREDICTIONS!!?? Here are my 4 locks to go to STATES---PENNSBURY--WEST CHESTER HENDERSON--DOWNINGTOWN EAST--and UNIONVILLE! With only 1 spot left, there are a few teams that would love to eat some chocolate bars at Hershey. The favorite for the 5th spot is NORTH PENN. They have improved greatly since the start of the year and now look very solid. 2 other teams have an outside shot---BOYERTOWN and HAVERFORD. There may be another team that thinks they have a chance--if so RUN HARD AND MAKE IT!!! Who will be the District Team Champ??WEST CHESTER HENDERSON barely over PENNSBURY. Here is the list in alphabetical order with relevant team finishes and information. BOYERTOWN--1st Steel City--3rd Centaur--6th PIAA Gold--1st PAC DOWNINGTOWN EAST--1st Centaur--2nd Champs Briarwood---3rd Paul Short--1st Souderton--3rd Chesmonts HAVERFORD--1st Abington--6th Paul Short--2nd Delcos--1st Centrals NORTH PENN--2nd CBE--5th Champs Briarwood--5th 6 Flags--1st Salesianum--1st Manhattan B--1st SOL Continental PENNSBURY--2nd PTXC3--1st Champs Briarwood--1st PIAA Gold--1st Paul Short--4th Manhattan Eastern States--1st SOL National UNIONVILLE--2nd PIAA Gold--2nd Chesmonts WEST CHESTER HENDERSON--1st PTXC3--2nd Adidas Championship--1st Shore Coaches “A”--1st Chesmonts INDIVIDUALS If WEST CHESTER HENDERSON, PENNSBURY, DOWNINGTOWN EAST, UNIONVILLE, and NORTH PENN qualify as teams, these runners will likely be near the front and will be taken out of the TOP 25 Individual qualifiers for STATES---Aldrich(WCH 11 55th 2010), Augustyn(WCH 12 13th 2010), Eisman(WCH 18th 2010), Sargent(PENNS 11 4th 2010), Herman(PENNS 12 9th 2010), Callaghan(DE 11 10th 2010), B.Weiler(DE 12 14th 2010), A.Weiler(DE 10 99th 2010), Smith(UNV 10), McGovern(NP 12 7th 2010). That’s 10 spots, meaning it will take 35th to make STATES. Who will be the Individual Champ? The TOP 6 will likely include Gerlach(PENNR 12 1st 2010), McGovern(NP 12 7th 2010), Grossman(SHAV 12 6th 2010), Sargent(PENNS 11 4th 2010 1st 2009), Smith(UNV 10), and Aldrich(WCH 11 55th 2010). Gerlach finished 1st Centaur--2nd Champs Briarwood--4th PIAA Gold--2nd Paul Short--1st SOL Continental. McGovern was 1st CBE--3rd Champs Briarwood--2nd 6 Flags--1st Salesianum--1st Manhattan B--2nd SOL Continental. Grossman ended up 1st Abington--2nd Large Briarwood--4th Bull Run--5th Paul Short--1st Delcos--1st Centrals. Sargent finished 4th PTXC3--5th Champs Briarwood--1st PIAA Gold--10th Paul Short--2nd SOL National. Smith ran in very few races, but ran well--2nd PIAA Gold--1st Chesmonts. Finally Aldrich ran--8th PTXC3--6th Adidas--6th Shore Coaches “A”--2nd Chesmonts. Other individuals(not including top 5 teams individuals) who are almost assuredly going to make it to STATES are (in alphabetical order) Harvey(OXF) Holl(12)(UDUB)(23rd 2010) Hontz(9)(RUSTIN) Iatorola(CBW)(24th 2010) S.Meehan*(12)(HAV)(21st 2010)(16 2009)(27 2008) T.Meehan*(11)(HAV)(30th 2010)(22 2009) Scott*(11)(CRN)(11th 2010)(99 JV 2009) Sheva(9)(PENNR) Steinke(10)(8th 2010)(METH) Taylor(9)(MTSTJ) That’s 10(Team Qualifiers) + 2(Grossman and Gerlach) + 10(likely top 35) = 22 There is room for??13 more?? Others who have a legitimate chance to make STATES???(not on a TOP 5 team) In alphabetical order they are----- Angello(12)(BOY)(19 2010)(94 2009) Bizal(12)(BSHAN)(35 2010) Chang(11)(PC)(33 2010)(11 2009) Claffey(9)(GREATV) Galligan(10)(SFLD)(248 2010) Huuki(10)(CBE)(63 2010) Kerr(CBW)(117 2010) Krause*(11)(CBW)(50 2010)(58 2009) McAteer(12)(UMER)(61 2010)(47 2009) Pastore-Sebring(11)(AGROVE)(62 2010) Reiche(11)(MTSTJ)(46 2010) Rudowsky(11)(GARV)(49 2010)(102 2009) Serletti(12)(LMER)(32 2010)(37 2009) Shemeluk(10)(INT) Sheva(11)(PENNR)(16 2010) Simpson(11)(BOY)(43 2010) Stewart(12)(CRS)(38 2010)(61 2009) Sweeney(10)(CON)(37 2010) Tromentina(SOUD)(76 2010) Wheeler(NAZ) That’s 22 more!! 22 + 22= 44!!! REMEMBER probably only the TOP 35 will likely make it to STATES!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!! |
Bethlehem, PA RESULTS POSTED ONSITE COVERAGE
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10/29 |
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By Phil Grove
The season-long grudge match between Grove City and Cathedral Prep for Class AAA bragging rights in northwest Pennsylvania came down to the last mile of the District 10 championship meet. The boys team race ebbed and flowed amidst ankle-deep mud before the Eagles locked up the lone berth in Hershey, thanks in large part to one of the state’s best runners and a rapidly improving freshman. Grove City claimed its second consecutive district title over the Ramblers by an 11-point spread, 36-47. “Prep really goes out hard and fast,” Grove City coach Mike Sample said. “I knew they were going to try and draw us out and make us expend our energy at the beginning. I thought they almost had us there.
“They looked better than we did going into the second mile, but the guys held on. They held on. It’s one of those races you got to get out, but you got to hold on at the same time.” Junior Daniel Jaskowak had company early on from a pair of Cathedral Prep harriers but began to gain some space at the front. A strong second half from Corry’s Austin Pondel closed the gap to about five seconds with a mile to go, but Jaskowak rebuilt the margin to 11 seconds at the line, 17:33 to Pondel’s 17:44. “Today was terrible, you couldn’t escape it at all,” Jaskowak said of the thick mud. “You were just slipping the whole way.” Cathedral Prep and Grove City then alternated finishers before freshman Aaron Benka led a run of three Eagles in 20 seconds that sealed the title. Sample said the newcomer’s effort was critical to the team outcome. “(Aaron) really made a big jump, that was a huge step in the right direction for us,” Sample said. “I felt very confident after I saw him last week and what he was able to do in our region race. If he could repeat it here, I knew we had a real good shot.” Prep coach Chet Moffett saw his team execute its pre-race plan but “soon after, it turned around.” “My hat’s off to Grove City, they’re a well-coached team,” he said. “We’ve been battling each other for several years now. In 2008, they beat us by one point here. And last year, it was a great race.” Sample said District 10 having just one AAA team in Hershey is unfortunate. “(Prep) deserves to be at states more than any other team in western PA, except for those schools in the WPIAL,” he said. “In fact, they beat the third and fourth teams that qualified at WPIAL for states. That’s a tremendous program. I really think Prep should be there, but that’s the way the rules are.”
Richards Gets Wake-Up Call, Defends Title Morgan Richards of Hickory defended her AA girls title, but it wasn’t easy. Getting a wake-up call from Sharpsville’s Dana Cerroni with about a mile to go, Richards turned a shrinking lead of a mere two seconds into a comfortable margin at the finish.
After a turn or two, Richards began to rebuild her lead as the field headed for the finish. The diminutive senior said the worsening conditions caused her to change her gait. “I try to take shorter, choppier steps when it’s really, really muddy, and obviously on the turns I couldn’t run on the inside because it was so bad,” the winner noted. With a fourth trip to the state meet assured, Richards is hoping to return to the form that placed her sixth as a freshman. She followed up with runs for 27th and 24th the next two years on the Parkview Course. “I’ve enjoyed every trip to Hershey, but my last two years I haven’t performed as well as I wanted to,” she said. “I had a really great race freshman year, so I know what to expect. I hope to do better on the hills this year.” Cerroni faded slightly down the stretch and finished third in 21:02, a great accomplishment in a season that had the senior wearing a cast on her right arm after being hit by a car in late August and breaking her wrist. “The first thing I thought was I did all this summer training and I have a cast on,” the two-time state qualifier said of her immediate reaction after being clipped by a car while bicycling the short distance to cross country practice. “Everybody from my team and people that I work with all told me no matter what you are a strong runner. Just because you have a cast on is not going to hold you back. “I had to keep training like I always did for when the cast came off. I was very determined to get that cast off in six weeks.” Also returning to Hershey will be Dave Stolar’s Mercyhurst Prep squad. The Lakers claimed the title with 92 points, followed in the other two state spots by Villa Maria (120) and West Middlesex (152). “I tell the kids anytime just be fearless, and when a course is this tough, you’ve got to be aggressive in that first mile because everybody will have a hard time moving later in the race,” he said of their strategy. “You better get out there, be fearless early, don’t worry what’s going to happen and then just hang on. Senior Carly Vicary was first home for Mercyhurst Prep in fifth at 21:19. The state trip is the Lakers’ second consecutive as District 10 champions. “After getting there last year, all the kids said, ‘Coach, I wish we would have been on that course before we got to states,” Stolar said. “So I promised them I’d take them back this year (for the PIAA Foundation meet) so hopefully we’ll have a better outcome. They were sixth last year, so we’re hoping for a top 5 finish this year.”
State Powers Battle to Tight Finish With District 10 traditionally producing two if not three top-10 teams at the state meet, it was no surprise that a pair of the state’s top ranked AA schools were separated by just three points in Sharon. PA#2 North East used a pair of runners – junior Ryan Smathers and senior Ben McAuley – in the top five to survive a three-second spread from West Middlesex’s 3-6 runners. The Grapepickers advanced to Hershey as the district champions with 88 points, with West Middlesex at 91 and Mercyhurst Prep at 146 also moving on.
“I’ve been coaching 50 years, that’s the worst conditions I’ve ever seen for a meet. It was a cow pasture out there. I told them to try to hit the sides and not the middle part (of the course) where the ribbons are.” While North East returned to the top spot after a year’s absence, Saegertown’s Nate Tallada closed out a three-year run as the AA’s best with an 18:01 victory. Sophomore Jeremy Parsons of Maplewood was eight seconds back after leading for much of the race. “I really wanted to get three – my third District 10 title – so I’m glad I ran the way I did,” Tallada said. “Coming down the hill, I realized (Parsons) was better in the mud than me. My plan was (to pass him) on really good footing on a little uphill over there, and I buried him there just like I was planning on doing. Tallada has high expectations for his fourth state meet appearance. “I want to get in the top 5,” said the senior, who has finished 12th, 10th and 19th.
Simple Game Plan Leads Erie McDowell Erie McDowell coach Becky Glus tried to keep everything business as usual prior to the AAA girls race. With one notable exception, that is – telling her team what to do if one of them fell on the slippery and muddy course.
Apparently, the Trojan runners didn’t need additional instruction as they put together two three-runner packs in the top 10 to run away with the team title and state berth. With freshman Kelsey Swantek first in 21:57 and a 59-second spread for its 1-6 runners, McDowell finished with 23 points to Meadville’s 67. “Before she’d even run her first race, (Kelsey) said she wanted to go to the state meet,” Glus said of the race winner. “She won our alumni race, and she’s been first on our team the entire season. It helped push the upperclassmen to have this freshman out in front of them. It’s been such an amazing team effort, just outstanding.” Despite her relative inexperience, Swantek has proven to be effective in achieving season goals. “I had two goals – go to state as a team or individual and get under 20 minutes,” she said. “I got (20 earlier this year), and we made it to states as a team so I’m happy that I reached my goal. |
Sharon, PA ONSITE COVERAGE RESULTS POSTED
PHOTO GALLERY
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10/29 |
Indian Valley Intermediate/Elementary School
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Postponed to Monday 10/31
Summary by Jayson Jackson
AA Girls
The day started off with the #1 girl in the state, Angel Piccirillo, repeating as district champ in 18:51. It was a solid final tune-up before the state meet this weekend. Central Cambria made sure the team trophy remains in Ebensburg as they repeated as champs scoring 68 points, 13 better than Penn Cambria. Alyssa Brandis of Central Cambria was finished second in 19:45. Samantha Fetter of United ran 20:14 to take the bronze medal. Forest Hills was the final team qualifier as AA Girls had an increase to 3 teams and 15 individuals. AAA Girls The State College girls put on a clinic as they finished 1-2-3-5-6-7-8 to score 17 points. Tatum Del Bosco repeated as district champ and was followed by Emma Cousins (20:08) and Kathryn McNaughton (20:11) to round out the top 3. Somerset was the runnerup with 71 points. AA Boys Ryan Brown of Penns Valley pulled away from the field a little before the first mile and maintained his lead over the rest of the course to win his first XC district title in 17:05. Kevin Dailey of Westmont Hilltop was second in 17:09 and Connor Dimond of Forest Hills finished in 17:21 for third. The team championship was the tightest of the four races and saw the top four teams separated by 7 points. Bishop McCort won with 125 points and was followed by Richland (128), Ligonier Valley (131), and Westmont Hilltop (132). AAA Boys Before the race, Altoona head coach Lee Baranik said, "This will be the best district race in 25 years," and it lived up to the billing. Nine points separated the top three teams in the final race of the day. Altoona came out on top with 42 points, followed by State College in second with 47 and Mifflin County with 51. Altoona's 1-2 punch of Korey Replogle (16:05) and Dylan Mountain (16:13) lead the way for the Mountain Lions. Mifflin took the next three spots Zach Moon (16:35), Addison Monroe (16:36), and Jon Colwell (16:50) to round out the top 5. |
Reedsville, PA ONSITE COVERAGE
RESULTS POSTED Postponed to Friday 10/31
POSTPONED TO MONDAY, OCTOBER 31 AT 3 PM
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10/29 |
Photos courtesy of Fay Leet and Brenda Kemp
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Ridgway, PA RESULTS POSTED
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10/29 |
PA Independent Schools Championships
Photo courtesy of John Seykora
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The Germantown Friends girls held off Notre Dame by a score of 55-62. GFS placed five in the top sixteen to win the title. Maria Seykora of Notre Dame held off last year's winner Catie Skinner by 9 seconds, running 19:52 to win the title. It was her third title in four years. Dustin Wilson of Chestnut Hill Academy repeated as boys champion, running through the snow in a time of 16:34.7 to win by almost 50 seconds.
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Philadelphia, PA RESULTS POSTED
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10/29 |
University of Louisville
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Louisville, KY COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED
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10/29 |
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Charlotte, NC COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED |
10/29 |
York College of Pennsylvania
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York, PA COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED |
10/29 |
Centennial Conference Championships
Dickinson College
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Newville, PA COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED |
10/29 |
Princeton University
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Princeton, NJ COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED |
10/29 |
Lehigh University
Photo courtesy of Kevin Tumey Timing
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Bethlehem, PA COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED |
10/29 |
Middle Atlantic Conference Championship
Messiah College
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Grantham, PA COLLEGIATE
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10/29 |
Monmouth University
Marissa Polk (Oakland Catholic/ Wexford, PA) and Thomas "Tip" Worob (North Caroline Hs/ Denton, MD) received the top freshman award
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Holmdel, NJ COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED
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10/29 |
Lehigh University
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Bethlehem, PA COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED |
10/30 |
University of Illinois
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Champaign, IL COLLEGIATE RESULTS POSTED
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