PIAA's Greatest Hits: Side One

By Jarrett Felix

As we approach the start of my 10^th outdoor season covering the PIAA Outdoor State Championships, it’s fun to look back at all the amazing state meet performances I’ve been fortunate enough to witness over the years. I know some of you (most of you?) probably won’t care too much about the history of the sport, but spare me this brief moment of retrospection. I present my top 12 state meet races from the last nine seasons. It was supposed to be 11, but then I changed my mind like 50 times as made it 12. Hopefully this gets you a little more excited for spring to begin. Hype train leaving the station. Also, I suggest you watch each of the videos before reading the recaps. Should be more fun that way.

Here are the videos (if somebody has better links feel free to share)
12. 2009 AAA 1600m
11. 2014 AAA 800m
10. 2010 AAA 1600m
9. 2009 AA 1600m & AA 800m
8. 2007 AAA 3200m
7. 2011 AAA 1600m
 

12. 2009 AAA 1600m

The Race

Spare me this moment of incredible bias. Upper Dublin hasn’t won a lot of state championships in track. We’ve had some strong teams (particularly on the girls side), but our distance squad had never seen outdoor gold. That’s a tough stat to throw down when you are in the same conference as an historically prolific team like Wissahickon. But 2009 proved to be a big year for the Cardinals. And particularly, senior Mike Palmisano.

After winning the indoor state championship and Penn Relays championship in the Distance Medley Relay, Upper Dublin’s anchor leg Mike Palmisano turned his attention to the outdoor state championships. He had been defeated by CB South’s Tom Mallon at two straight state championship meets and decided it was time to turn his focus to the 1600. However, this made for a tough double with the 4x8, a relay which Upper Dublin had high hopes for, even in CB South’s record setting shadow. But somehow, Mike was able to do it all. He was a terrific doubler and, in May of 2009, he began the arduous journey to show just how good his doubling skills were.

At their league championships, Upper Dublin tried to use their distance depth to steal the league title from Wissahickon and Cheltenham. It didn’t quite work, but Palmisano won the 1600, 800 and then placed 2^nd in the 32 (finishing alongside teammate Sam Stortz) to help maximize team points. Then, at districts, Palmisano anchored the 4x8 to a second place finish, won the individual 1600 title and placed 3^rd in the open 800, qualifying for states in all three events. That included prelims and finals in all three events, bringing his racing total to 9 distance races in 7 days. All that left was the state championship meet, where he would once again try the triple.

I roomed with Mike at states (I was an alternate and just lucky to be there at all) and basically served as his personal assistant for the weekend. He raced through three rounds of prelims and then headed into the finals for each one, starting his day with a 1:51 split on the team’s 2^nd place 4x8. Then, about an hour later, he prepped to come back for the 1600.

Now there are plenty of guys who have pulled off insane doubles and triples over the years. What makes this race exciting (besides the fact that it prominently featured an Upper Dublin guy) was the way the 1600 played out. It’s one of the craziest races I can remember. And it’s not thanks to Mike, but instead thanks to a guy by the name of Matt Chylak.

The Holy Ghost Prep senior had finished mid pack at the district championships and managed to navigate his way into the finals as a relative afterthought. Although Chylak was a strong runner (sub 4:20, 1:56, 15:41) he was likely completely off most casual fans radar. So, when the runners toed the line for the start of the 1600, the crowd had to be amazed when the runner in white blasted out the start and straight to the front. The pack was noticeable quick and few dared to follow Chylak too close. Kevin Hull, one of the pre race favorites from District 3, sat in second as Chylak opened up his lead, coming through in 59 seconds. The rest of the pack came through over a minute with pre race favorites like Palmisano and Hobart, who had both run the 4x8, sitting in the back.

While many backed off the blazing pace, Chylak continued to chug along, opening up a huge advantage. He came through in 2:02-2:03 and held a mammoth lead on the pack. They had backed off substantially, backing off the pace, but Chylak was opening up a roughly 50m lead as they did so. Chylak showed signs of weakening at the bell, but still hit the line in about 3:08. The rest of the pack came through closer to 3:13-3:14.

It seemed like it might be an insurmountable lead and us Upper Dublin fans were getting nervous. Down the back stretch Palmisano made his move and charged hard for home. He sprinted away ahead of the field and, amazingly, made up the massive lead just in time to sprint home. Vince Perozze gave him a serious run for his money over the final 50 meters, but Mike had just enough to hang on for gold.

In case you were wondering, Mike’s final two weeks of his high school career:

5/9 4:19.16 (1^st)

5/9 1:57.74 (1^st)

5/9 9:58.68 (2^nd)

5/15 7:52.89q

5/15 4:22.00q

5/15 1:59.02q

5/16 7:44.32 (2^nd)

5/16 4:16.08 (1^st)

5/16 1:56.21 (3^rd)

5/22 7:54.24q

5/22 4:20.59q

5/22 1:55.62q

5/23 7:40.04 (2^nd)

5/23 4:13.93 (1^st)

5/23 1:54.85 (3^rd)

  1 Palmisano, Michael        12 Upper Dublin 01        4:13.93   10  

  2 Perozze, Vince            11 Perkiomen Val 01       4:14.30    8  

  3 Hull, Kevin               12 Hempfield 03           4:15.13    6  

  4 Kehl, Tom                 11 Father Judge 12        4:15.19    5  

  5 Horning, Dustin           12 Elizabethtown 03       4:15.79    4  

  6 Hibbs, Seth               12 Hatboro-Hrshm 01       4:15.93    3  

  7 Chylak, Matthew           12 Holy Ghost 01          4:16.12    2  

  8 Hurston, Kyle             12 Carlisle 03            4:16.24    1  

  9 O'Sullivan, Chris         11 St Jos Prep 12         4:16.27 

 10 Miles, Brad               11 North Penn 01          4:24.11 

 11 Hobart, T.J.              12 Baldwin 07             4:26.29 

 -- Fischer, Matthew          11 Unionville 01              DNF 

11. 2014 AAA 800m

etrain's Predictions

The Race

Post Race Interview

During the 2013 indoor season, Bensalem senior Brad Rivera stormed to the state title at 800m, using a front running style to earn gold. The Bensalem 4x8 also won the state championship a few hours later to cement their status as a mid distance power. But Rivera didn’t anchor that relay, and he may not have even been the best half miler on the team. Outdoors, in windy and cold conditions, Bensalem was ready to defend their indoor title against Cumberland Valley, the defending outdoor state champions. Taking the baton on the anchor leg with 1:51 runner Alec Kunzweiler chasing him, Kyle Francis, not Brad Rivera, was tasked with the challenge of bringing his team home in first place. Francis put his head down, charged through the wind and ended up running to gold with a reported split of 1:51.7. The time itself is no joke, but when you factor in the conditions and the fact that he raced completely alone it’s nothing short of astounding. No other runner in the entiremeet ran faster than 1:54 either on the relay or in the open.

But Francis wasn’t done making history. When he returned to PSU, he kept the 800m state title in house, sprinting from the gun to clock a 1:50.55 for 800m, a new state record that still stands today, even after the likes of Peretta and Lewis have taken their shots at it. Despite herculean efforts from Logue and Wiseman, Francis could not be touched. Expectations grew even higher for him heading into the outdoor season.

However, something about Francis seemed off outdoors. He wasn’t anywhere close to his form from indoors and was a surprising non-factor in the district championships. Meanwhile, Jeff Wiseman won a second straight district gold and Joey Logue of Pennridge anchored his relay to the district title. In the District finals, Francis finished 3 seconds back of Wiseman and 2 seconds back of Logue. Heading into the state championship meet, he had still yet to crack 1:54.7 in the open 8 and had suffered losses to Wiseman, Logue, Cooper and Sauer already, with names like Brehm, Smart and Cather waiting for him at Shippensburg.

In the state prelims, Francis snuck through to the finals, finishing in the 4^th and final automatic qualifying spot from his heat. Meanwhile, Wiseman won his section in an impressive 1:54.21, making a statement heading into the finals. It was madness just to get into the finals as multiple guys cracked 1:55 in the prelims. That left Francis as little more than an afterthought in many people’s state title predictions. It seemed like the reigning indoor state record holder may have peaked too early.

In the long awaited state final, Wiseman entered with fresh legs while his main competitors, including Cather, Logue and Brehm, all had raced earlier in the day. As a result, Wiseman took it out hard and tried to break the field. It was a pace few could hope to match, especially after such a difficult prelim the day before. Wiseman had a little extra motivation. He had broken the state meet record indoors, but still finished second to Francis. And a year ago he had surprisingly missed the state final outdoors after winning the district championship.

The only runner to truly cover the pace was Kyle Francis of Bensalem, running as best he could to Wiseman’s shoulder. On the back stretch, Francis made a powerful surge, looking to take the lead, but Wiseman fought it off valiantly. He held the advantage into the turn and Francis gathered himself to rally again. Sprinting off the turn into the homestretch, Kyle found a final gear and sprinted away from Wiseman to take the stunning gold. The clock stopped at near state record time of 1:49.57 with Wiseman at 1:50.37 and Logue at 1:51.45. Then, we saw a mad dash to the finish for the final medal spots, with 4^th through 11^th being decided by essentially a second.

It was the best top three finish in the state championship’s history, with PRs for each of the top three. Francis’s mark was, at the time, #2 in meet history and Wiseman was #4. Even Logue’s time would have earned him state gold in 19 of the previous 20 championships. After such a fantastic indoor meet, it was hard to imagine that these trio would be able to repeat the feat, but they did that and more. In his post race interview, Francis explained his breakthrough as a combination of adrenaline and proving people wrong. He even called out the blogs who doubted what he could do. It was one of the most impressive displays of heart we have seen in the last decade.

  1    29 Francis, Kyle       12 Bensalem 01          1:55.01    1:49.57#  10  

  2   181 Wiseman, Jeffrey    12 CR South 01          1:54.21    1:50.37#   8  

  3   458 Logue, Joseph       12 Pennridge 01         1:54.76    1:51.45#   6  

  4    75 Brehm, Zach         11 Carlisle 03          1:54.54    1:54.24    5  

  5   472 Sauer, Alek         11 Pennsbury 01         1:54.69    1:54.38    4  

  6   597 Cather, William     12 State College 06     1:54.53    1:54.56    3  

  7   260 Smail, Marcus       12 Gr Latrobe 07        1:55.89    1:54.64    2  

  8   477 Garton, Dave        12 Perk Valley 01       1:56.06    1:54.71    1  

  9   438 Wilhoite, Dylin     12 Penn Hills 07        1:54.93    1:54.78 

 10   562 Foster, Brett       12 Seneca Valley 07     1:54.69    1:54.95 

 11    46 Mercado, Eli        12 Boyertown 01         1:55.40    1:55.33 

 12    72 Smart, Nick         12 Crdnl O'Hara 12      1:54.58    2:00.87 

10. 2010 AAA 1600m

The Race

Although upsets happen, I think it’s rare to see a truly surprising state champion in the distance events. I’m talking a guy nobody was picking. In the 2010 AAA state final, Will Kellar was that guy. The West Chester Henderson 4x8 was one of the favorites for the state title with stand outs Kellar, Lefebure, Khattabi and Zengel who had all run at least 1:56 at some point in their careers. However, at districts, the team had an unfortunate DQ in the final 100 meters of the day’s first prelim. That meant the Henderson boys had to scramble to find a way to get to the state championships as individuals. Kellar hopped in the 1600 prelims and snuck through to the final on tired legs. The next day, he managed to finish in the top five and punch his ticket for the state championships. However, he was a clear step behind standouts like Drew Magaha, the surprise district champion from Upper Moreland, and Vince Perozze of Perk Valley, the 2009 silver medalist. That wasn’t even including indoor all-state runner Wade Endress of Altoona, multi time state medalist Chris O’Sullivan or, most notable of all, indoor state runner up Tom Kehl of Father Judge.

Kehl, who had clocked the equivalent of a 4:09 for 1600m at the Penn Relays, was hungry for his first ever state title. He had been beaten to the line indoors by the kick of CB South’s 800 legend Tom Mallon, but now Mallon was focusing his complete attention on the state record at 800 meters which left Kehl as a clear favorite. Kehl smoked his prelim in a blistering 4:14.48, the fastest of the day by nearly a second. Magaha also won his prelim in another new PR of 4:16.12. He was rapidly ascending as a star in this field. It took 4:18.88 just to make the finals and every single runner ran faster in prelims than at their district final the previous week.

In typical championship fashion, things started on the slow side for the opening lap. The leaders were at about 64 seconds, but much of that came from the open 100 meter fight for position. At 800m, the group came through in 2:11 or so, still all tightly bunched. At this point, Kehl decided to take control. He had the fastest time, but also boasted a 1:50 4x8 split so he was confident he could win in a variety of ways. As the group approached the bell lap, Kellar moved to Kehl’s shoulder. The pace still wasn’t anything crazy, but the group had begun to wind it up. Just before 400 to go, Nate McClafferty surged into the lead and the pack followed. Kehl and Kellar hit the line side by side around 3:14.

Down the back stretch, Kehl surged back into the lead and Kellar followed him as best he could. Perozze was also fighting to stay close, but he couldn’t quite match the raw speed of the two athletes in front of him. Turning into the final straightaway, Kehl had a decisive edge over Kellar. Both runners were sprinting, but neither seemed to be closing on the other. If anything, Kehl seemed to have the advantage. Then, with about 50 meters to go, Kellar found an extra gear. He swung wide to try and chase down Kehl in the race’s closing seconds. It wasn’t until the races final tenths of seconds that it seemed Kellar was close enough, but he gave a dramatic dive at the finish line as both he and Kehl leaned for gold. There was a solid pause while the officials tried to determine who the victor was. And then, in stunning fashion, it was revealed that Kellar had edged out the favorite from Father Judge by just two hundredths of a second. It was over a three second life time best for Will and it came with a blazing 58 second last lap.

Upsets like this don’t tend to happen in the 1600. Kellar’s win was the only time in the past 10 seasons that the 1600 state champ did not win their district championship meet.

  1 Kellar, Will              12 WC Henderson 01      4:17.10    4:12.00#

  2 Kehl, Tom                 12 Father Judge 12      4:14.48    4:12.02 

  3 Perozze, Vince            12 Perkiomen Val 01     4:16.78    4:13.70 

  4 Donnelly, Ed              12 Haverford Twp 01     4:17.18    4:14.44 

  5 Mcclafferty, Nate         11 Conrad Weiser 03     4:18.88    4:14.79 

  6 Campbell, Chris           11 CouncilRock N 01     4:15.35    4:14.93  

  7 Endress, Wade             11 Altoona Area 06      4:16.86    4:15.00 

  8 O'Sullivan, Chris         12 Saint Joseph 12      4:18.51    4:15.41 

  9 Day, Kevin                12 Lansdale Cath 12     4:17.48    4:16.22 

 10 Gibson, Nick              12 CanonMcMillan 07     4:17.48    4:16.70 

 11 Bishop, Bobby             10 Baldwin 07           4:17.98    4:33.42 

 12 Magaha, Drew              10 Uppr Moreland 01     4:16.12    5:02.00 

9. 2009 AA 1600m & 800m

1600m

800m

Winning the 1600 and the 800 at the state championships is extremely difficult. It’s not unheard of, but it’s far from easy. In fact, in AA it’s almost common. We’ve seen double gold winners in 2015, 2014, 2009, 2004, and 2003. But out of all those runners (and they were some fantastic runners), nobody this century produced a 1600-800 double like Sam Havko. Not even all-time greats like Peretta (yet) or Chris Spooner. Havko entered Paul Vandegrift territory at that state meet in 2009 and, ironically, I was sitting next to Paul Vandegrift as it unfolded.

 Unlike many other all-time great performances, I’m not sure many saw this kid coming. As a Junior, Havko produced PRs of 1:57 and 4:17. He had a solid, but not jaw dropping cross country season (9^th in AA) and then he skipped competitive racing indoors. But then, the Baldwin Invitational happened.

Back in the days before the Henderson Invitational, Baldwin used to be the biggest invite of the spring. Under the bright lights, Havko competed in both the invitational mile and the 800, winning both and clocking times of 4:13.82 and 1:54.88, winning the shorter distance by nearly two seconds and the longer by nearly ten. Those were massive PRs and set him up as the favorite in both events at the state championship. But running well in two events at states is very tricky. You have to run a couple extra prelim races, the weather is usually hot and not conducive to doubling and the events are surprisingly close together. Even if he was able to win both, who knows what kind of times he would produce.

In the first race of the day, the 1600m, Havko was up against a fresh Jim Spisak of Bishop McCourt. Spisak had scratched the 3200 to focus purely on this event, hoping he may have a better shot against Havko then he would against eventual four time state champ Joe Beveridge. Spisak himself was a multi time state medalist with a sub 9:20 PR at 3200. And of course Beveridge himself was also toeing the line, doubling back from the 32. Both guys had a reputation for getting out hard.

Havko put himself in 3^rd for most of the first lap, tucking in behind Spisak and Beveridge. The group came through in about a 64 second first lap, with Sam looking very comfortable with Jim began to try and push things on a bit quicker. The top three started to breakaway down the backstretch with Havko now in second and Spisak pounding the pace. They hit 800 in around 2:08-2:09. Down the back stretch Havko moved into first place, preparing to drop the hammer with 600 to go. When he hit the bell at 3:09-3:10, things were turned up yet another notch. He absolutely torched the final 400 leaving the rest of the field as an afterthought.

  1 Havko, Sam                12 Fairview 10            4:10.17#  10  

  2 Spisak, Jim               12 Bshp Mccort 06         4:16.86    8  

  3 Beveridge, Joe            12 Bshp McDevitt 03       4:21.13    6  

  4 Ingle, Ben                12 Tyrone 06              4:22.25    5  

  5 Snook, Walter             12 Devon Prep 01          4:24.20    4  

  6 Hyjek, Omar               11 Quaker Valley 07       4:27.68    3  

  7 Kubiak, Brett             11 Mltn Hershey 03        4:28.34    2  

  8 Hunyara, John             12 Minersville 11         4:28.52    1  

  9 Hirst, Ryan               11 Fairview 10            4:28.60 

 10 Miller, Evan              11 Laurel 07              4:31.92 

 11 McCormick, Michael        12 Washington 07          4:32.82 

 12 Brooker, Matthew          12 Penns Valley 06        4:33.77

 

Havko came back less than an hour later after running one of the fastest 1600m in meet history to go after the 800 title. Many runners have not had the fire or the strength to pull off the double, but Havko filed into the pack through the opening 300 and saw what he could do. But things started to slow and, ultimately, he found himself at the front again, coming through in about 57-58 seconds. Once again, Havko cranked it up to another level on the second lap. The meet record (1:51.9) seemed way out of reach just a few seconds before, but suddenly he was crushing the pace. Again he sprinted away from the field and the crowd rose to its feet as Havko nearly eclipsed the long standing meet record. He just missed it, but still ended with a dominant, impressive double.

For the record, I was sitting next to the meet record holder at the time with our team. We all looked at him to see if he showed any signs of concern for his record. He said simply, “I’ve had this record long enough, I’m fine with somebody taking it.” So Peretta, feel free to take it this year if you'd like.

  1 Havko, Sam                12 Fairview 10            1:52.78#  10  

  2 Shrawder, Adam            12 W Middlesex 10         1:55.04    8  

  3 Gentile, Nick             11 Freeport 07            1:55.76    6  

  4 Jewell, Kevin             12 E Allegheny 07         1:55.79    5  

  5 Pegg, Ian                 12 Quaker Valley 07       1:57.50    4  

  6 Piazza, Nicholas          12 Notre Dame GP 11       1:57.68    3  

  7 Finn, Matt                12 Sprngfld Twp 01        1:57.74    2  

  8 Erhard, Tyler             11 East Juniata 04        1:57.78    1  

  9 Kosanovich, Chad          12 Quaker Valley 07       1:58.06 

 10 Grasso, Mike              12 Milton Area 04         1:59.24 

 11 Pawlush, Derek            10 Trinity 03             2:01.68 

 12 Ingle, Ben                12 Tyrone 06              2:03.03  

8. 2007 AAA 3200m

The Race

Heading into the 2007 state championship, Paul Springer looked invincible. He had run 8:52 for a full two miles and clocked down around 4:10 for the mile. He had defeated Weller indoors in the mile and the previous outdoors at 3200. At the previous week’s district championship, Springer had dominated the field with a sub 4:20 final mile, gliding effortlessly away from the competition. As the fastest two miler in PA history, Springer had his sights set on the 8:58 long standing 3200m meet record when he took the trip out to Shippensburg and few saw his race as much more than a battle against the clock.

It was a brutally hot day at states and Springer wanted no part of the early pace. Lucas Zarzeczny from the WPIAL, the AA XC State Champ, took things out to an early lead. He opened up a strong lead through the opening laps as Springer and Dawson led the chase group. But it was short lived as no one was motivated to break away under the conditions. Kyle Dawson, the man who had led the blazing fast pace at states in XC, went to the lead to take things through the mile, just under 4:40, before Springer finally felt compelled to make his first appearance at the front. If he wanted the long standing meet record of 8:58, he would need to drop the hammer over the second mile. However, anything about 4:30 should be no problem for an 8:52 full two miler.

With 1200m to go, Weller moved into second place, flanked by Strath Haven’s Rob Speare. Weller, who had tripled at indoor states, had seemed to lack that extra spunk outdoors. He had struggled at Penn Relays and finished well behind Springer at Henderson’s Invitational. But the XC state champ hung tough to Springer’s pace, looking tired. These two, along with Speare had clearly broken free from the rest of the group and the pace drop in these conditions was noticeable.

With a lap to go, no one looked comfortable and all three runners went through in about 8:03-8:04. Springer was still leading, but Weller and Speare did not budge. Down the back stretch, Springer put down a surge hoping to break away, just as he did at districts, but Weller was ready for the challenge. Springer looked back over his shoulder to check, with noticeable fear.

Weller rallied off the final turn, but Springer rallied as well, fighting valiantly to hold off the final charge. Springer and Weller both launched into an all-out sprint for the line. The duo went stride for stride, neither backing down before, finally, in a heroic final sprint, Weller found the extra gear needed to pull away for victory.

It was a huge win for Weller who had beat Springer at both XC states and outdoor states just weeks after Springer had run record setting runs. First it was his 14:47 at Lehigh and then his 8:52 state record. In that moment on the track, beating the defending champion and state record holder, Weller cemented himself as one of the clutchest runners in PA history.
 

  1 Weller, Jason             12 Boyertown 01           9:02.75    10 

  2 Springer, Paul            12 Unionville 01          9:04.30     8 

  3 Speare, Rob               12 Strath Haven 01        9:10.09     6 

  4 Kareis, Greg              11 Red Lion 03            9:15.74     5 

  5 Dawson, Kyle              12 Coatesville 01         9:16.05     4 

  6 Ward, Sean                12 Coatesville 01         9:18.79     3 

  7 Ross, Zachary             12 Meadville 10           9:18.89     2 

  8 Dennin, Mark              11 Boyertown 01           9:19.16     1 

  9 Mcclimon, Danny           12 Owen J Robrts 01       9:22.33 

 10 VanKooten, Scott          12 Pittsburgh CC 07       9:23.65 

 11 Cristopher, Josh          12 Penn Trafford 07       9:28.97 

 12 Beegle, Bryan             12 Gettysburg 03          9:32.34 

 

7. 2011 AAA 1600m

The Race

I can still remember the first time I raced Drew Magaha. I was a junior and he was an upstart freshman. We were at home, for a dual meet between our team and his. Our top guys were resting which had opened the door for myself and a couple teammates to get our first chance to win an individual race on our home track. Naturally, I really wanted to win and impress my peers and teammates in my big moment in the spotlight. But when the race finally began, I chased Drew for two laps and never caught him. I remember I would get close and then he would seemingly randomly throw down big surges and pull away again. That was the thing I always noticed about him early in his career, he didn’t seem to be comfortable racing or have a clear strategy. But he did have one of the sickest kicks around.

So in 2010, when Drew finally developed his tactical approach to match his immense talent, he sprinted away from a loaded field at the District One Championships to claim his first district title as just a sophomore. Then, a year later, he took up another notch. He rolled through the district meet, setting the meet record with a 4:10.99. A full 2.1 seconds faster than Dan McKay’s record from 15 years earlier. So, as a huge favorite, Drew entered his second outdoor state championship, looking for his first gold. And perhaps something more.

Vengeance was on Magaha's mind as a year earlier he had fallen ill and struggled even to finish the race. Now he had to prove he could rise to the occasion on the big stage. As the race began, the field set out at a fairly strong pace. Drew positioned himself at the front in a pack including double indoor gold medalist Wade Endress, District One stand out Ned Willig, District 3's Ed Schrom and the WPIAL's Alex Moran. The first lap was covered in about 63 seconds.

Endress took over for lap two, pushing the pace at some key moments, but keeping the tempo relatively consistent. The same pack of five jockeyed for position out front. Controlling their effort, the boys went through in a pretty strong 2:05-2:06 type split, setting things up very well for a record attempt. And there were still plenty of guys there, ready to strike. Noticeably absent from the front pack was indoor state runner up Nate McClafferty of Conrad Weiser. He had suffered a minor slip up at districts (I believe he lost a shoe after running the 4x8?) and seemed noticeably off his game. He had made a huge surge on the third lap of his indoor state race that helped make things so fast overall. If Nate wasn't the man to do it outdoors, who would step up?

The answer came on the backstretch of the third lap. As Endress continued to hammer the pace, Great Valley's Ned Willig came to his shoulder at the 1,000 meter mark to make a bid for the lead. It was now a pack of three who were starting to establish themselves at the front. Drew made a smart move to cover Ned's surge and the two battled around the turn into the straightaway. Here, getting a view of the clock, Drew knew it was time to go. He took off at 400 to go, hitting the line around 3:09, knowing he needed a sub 60 second final lap to eclipse Craig Miller's record. What he got was a 58. Drew hit the line in 4:07.32, blowing the race open on the final lap. After watching Drew eclipse the record, fans were treated to an exciting race behind him. Nate McClafferty came out of nowhere to surge on the final 400, possibly clocking the fastest final lap of the field and running down Willig on the last straightaway.

Amazingly, this race was Drew's only state championship of his four year career. Although he was one of PA's all time greats at both the 800 and the 1600, he had two bouts of sickness that left him out the back of the championship fields. However, it was a moment like this, where he smashed a meet record held by the legendary Craig Miller, that reminded us just how much potential this kid really had.

Keep in mind, the last three guys to own this meet record (Bair, Miller and now Magaha) were all underclassmen and none of them earned a state medal their senior year outdoors. I hope it's not jinxed ...

Also, remember the excitement for Drew vs. Ned we had after this? Things only got better during indoor. But it wasn't meant to be. Injuries for Ned and mono for Drew wrecked a good portion of their senior seasons. And then, just a year later, the state title became a battle of two new up and comers: Tom Coyle and Jack Huemmler. Funny how these things end up sometimes.

  1 Magaha, Drew              11 Upper Morelnd 01     4:16.62    4:07.32R  10  

  2 Mcclafferty, Nate         12 Conrad Weiser 03     4:19.30    4:11.37#   8  

  3 Willig, Ned               11 Great Valley 01      4:14.41    4:11.99#   6  

  4 Endress, Wade             12 Altoona Area 06      4:17.81    4:13.77    5  

  5 Moran, Alex               11 Mt Lebanon 07        4:14.62    4:15.46    4  

  6 Schrom, Ed                12 Cntrl Dauphin 03     4:14.66    4:16.63    3  

  7 Groff, Matthew            12 Hempfield 03         4:17.80    4:17.35    2  

  8 Campbell, Chris           12 CR North 01          4:15.65    4:18.08    1  

  9 Koliso, Mahdi             12 Glen Mills 01        4:23.77    4:19.48 

 10 Dallago, Matt             12 Perkiomen Vly 01     4:20.38    4:24.02 

 11 Gregor, Austin            12 CB South 01          4:18.02    4:26.06 

  12 Norris, Max               10 Harriton 01          4:22.59    4:33.94 

 

 Part Two is coming soon! Feel free to try and guess what is still left to come!