Flip over to side one if you need some more background or if you want to watch some of these runs a second time. Hope you all are enjoying. I have the race videos at the front of the post as well as linked to the title within each paragraph. As always, if somebody has another quality video, feel free to share!
6. 2011 AAA 4x800m
5. 2015 AAA 800m
4. 2012 AAA 4x800m
3. 2009 AAA 4x800m
2. 2015 AAA 3200m
1. 2008 AAA 1600m
6. 2011 AAA 4x800m
In 2011, Abington high school was perhaps at its peak of a program. The leader of the squad, essentially since his freshman year, Kyle Moran, was now a senior and, after missing the outdoor season, he came back with a fire for winter time. Moran helped lead Abington to a sub 10:30 DMR and then, eventually, a state indoor record in the 4x8 (followed closely by a 4x4 state record). They entered the indoor state championships with a roughly 15 second advantage over the next best team. But that next best team brought their "A" game. CB West flipped the script on a doubling Abington, stealing the state title and the state record in the process. They ran a blistering 7:45.09, which is still the fastest mark in PA indoor history. A few weeks later, Abington went to Nationals looking for revenge. But CB West didn't follow them. So Abington had to settle for a national championship. I say settle because, as Moran crossed the line with his 1:52 anchor, he just barely missed CB West's record mark, running 7:45.21. So the indoor season ended with the three fastest 4x8s in state history, a state champion and a national champion. Not too shabby.
Naturally, there was a lot of hype before the outdoor season surrounding these two squads. How fast could they go? When they met at the Penn Relays in April they stepped up to answer the hype. And Abington was ready for the rematch. Abington ran 7:37 to CB West's 7:38, making them just the 4th and 5th teams in PA history to break 7:40 in the relay. Abington's Will Taylor had emerged as a prime talent at the half mile, splitting a low 1:53 mark. The two teams suddenly had realistic aspirations for CB South's state record and, unlike CB South's 2009 run, it seemed like they would have each other to push them all the way through the line.
But it's a long season. Moran was struggling a bit with health for Abington after his terrific indoor campaign. CB West's lead off leg Mike May was banged up and removed from the line up. At the District One Championships, neither team looked particularly impressive. Especially Abington. While CB West ran 7:46 to run away with the district title, Abington struggled to a 5th place finish. They did, however, qualify individuals in the open 8 (Moran) and open 4 (Taylor and Watson). Plus they won the 4x4 (and CB West was second). After the meet, Abington decided to enter all the individual events they had qualified for in addition to both relays.
But somewhere between the district and state championships, they changed their mind. Abington likely remembered their defeat on tired legs indoors. Or perhaps even their 4x4 defeat the previous outdoor season, where a tripling Charles Ross was walked down by a herculean effort from Corey Brown. So they used the only option left to them in a no scratch meet. Admist a ton of controversy, Moran, Taylor and Watson all purposely false started from their prelim heats to state fresh for the relay finals on Saturday.
With much anticipation, the teams got to the line for the 4x8. Abington was leading off Tevin Smith, who had split 1:55 at Penn Relays, while CB West was leading with Nico Metzler, their junior who was replacing usual lead off leg Mike May. Smith battled around the track looking for a strong early position. He got to the lead around 600m and tried to bring it up. Metzler ran a strong leg out front, hanging on for dear life through the opening lap and a half. But over the last 200m, it was sophomore Andrew Stone from LaSalle who broke the race open, sprinting away to the exchange zone in 1:55. Smith handed off roughly a second ahead of Metzler to give Abington the early lead.
Interestingly, Abington decided to change up their order. Kyle Moran, the team's usual anchor leg, was now running in the #2 position with left Will Taylor as the surprise anchor. That put a lot of pressure on Matt McGarvey of CB West to try and keep up with arguably Abington's best leg. Moran took off like a rocket, chasing LaSalle's other stud sophomore, Tom Coyle, and ultimately going by him and pulling away on the second lap. It was arguably Kyle's best race of his career and it came in the biggest moment of his career. It also helped give third leg Macey Watson a significant lead. Moran's 1:52 split was over three second's faster than McGarvey's 1:55.
Watson, much like Moran before him, shot off the line into a blistering early pace. LaSalle was still in second and then CB West and senior Matt Bee. Bee had been a similar situation a year earlier and had delivered. On the third leg of CB West's 4x8, he made a big move to put West in contention for gold, splitting a 1:53. Now, West would need a big leg again. But Watson was ready. Normally a lead off leg, Watson was surprisingly comfortable soloing. He opened the gap on the first 400 and had a nearly 50 meter lead on Bee (who had now moved up to second). It looked all but over, but with 100 meters to go Watson rigged hard, just as Moran had before him. That gave Bee the chance to narrow the gap ever so slightly as he handed off to anchor leg Connor Manley. For Abington, 400 meter convert Will Taylor got the stick, hoping to put away CB West one more time.
Now Manley had become quite the stud over 800 by the time outdoor rolled around. After laying low during the indoor season (his fastest time was only about a 1:54 split at indoor states and nothing near that in the open), he dropped a monster 1:51 split at Penn Relays. At districts, he followed that up with a 1:51.50 open 800 (on the double) for silver. The gap seemed insurmountable, but somehow it still felt like Manley might be able to come back.
As had become the trend, Will Taylor pushed out hard on the opening 400, running all alone. He had given up the open quarter, where he was a projected state medalist, to focus on both relays. Now, for the first time as anchor, he was running for the state championship. He hit the bell lap at around 6:38, some 6 seconds ahead of West's Manley. But down the back stretch, it was clearly CB West was making up ground. Manley charged hard as the crowd rose to its feet. Even with fifty to go, it seemed Taylor would still hold on, but, at the very end, he rigged up just enough to let Manley come by in literally the last possible steps. Taylor split 1:55, but Manley had dropped a herculean split of about 1:51.0. It had been enough to seal state gold.
Abington was an amazing middle distance program over that 4 year period, but they suffered some incredible heartbreaks as well. In 2009, they ran 7:47 and finished just 9th, one spot off the medal stand. In the same meet, Chris Morrales, one of the favorites to win the open 400, didn't make it out of prelims. Then, after it seemed Abington had finally won their state gold in the 4x4, upsetting Altoona and Brady Gehret, they were DQed for a violation and left off the medal stand again. In 2010, Charles Ross was run down in the 4x4 by one of the most absurd anchor legs in state history, Corey Brown's 46.1 anchor split. And then, in 2011, Will Taylor was run down not once, but twice, as the 4x4 was run down by O'Hara for the second straight year on the final race of the day.
Now obviously that's heartbreaking, but there's a positive to take away from this if you are Abington. Look at all those times they were competing for state titles. Look at how successful those relays were. They brought out the best in their competition and said competition needed herculean efforts to defeat them. They developed guys like Charles Ross and Will Taylor from solid 400 runners to anchor quality 800 guys. In 2011, they had at least four guys sub 50 and four guys at 1:56 or faster.
But in the end the narrowest of margins was enough for CB West. In the big moments, they stepped up and grabbed both state titles. What a battle we had in 2011.
In 2011, Abington high school was perhaps at its peak of a program. The leader of the squad, essentially since his freshman year, Kyle Moran, was now a senior and, after missing the outdoor season, he came back with a fire for winter time. Moran helped lead Abington to a sub 10:30 DMR and then, eventually, a state indoor record in the 4x8 (followed closely by a 4x4 state record). They entered the indoor state championships with a roughly 15 second advantage over the next best team. But that next best team brought their "A" game. CB West flipped the script on a doubling Abington, stealing the state title and the state record in the process. They ran a blistering 7:45.09, which is still the fastest mark in PA indoor history. A few weeks later, Abington went to Nationals looking for revenge. But CB West didn't follow them. So Abington had to settle for a national championship. I say settle because, as Moran crossed the line with his 1:52 anchor, he just barely missed CB West's record mark, running 7:45.21. So the indoor season ended with the three fastest 4x8s in state history, a state champion and a national champion. Not too shabby.
Naturally, there was a lot of hype before the outdoor season surrounding these two squads. How fast could they go? When they met at the Penn Relays in April they stepped up to answer the hype. And Abington was ready for the rematch. Abington ran 7:37 to CB West's 7:38, making them just the 4th and 5th teams in PA history to break 7:40 in the relay. Abington's Will Taylor had emerged as a prime talent at the half mile, splitting a low 1:53 mark. The two teams suddenly had realistic aspirations for CB South's state record and, unlike CB South's 2009 run, it seemed like they would have each other to push them all the way through the line.
But it's a long season. Moran was struggling a bit with health for Abington after his terrific indoor campaign. CB West's lead off leg Mike May was banged up and removed from the line up. At the District One Championships, neither team looked particularly impressive. Especially Abington. While CB West ran 7:46 to run away with the district title, Abington struggled to a 5th place finish. They did, however, qualify individuals in the open 8 (Moran) and open 4 (Taylor and Watson). Plus they won the 4x4 (and CB West was second). After the meet, Abington decided to enter all the individual events they had qualified for in addition to both relays.
But somewhere between the district and state championships, they changed their mind. Abington likely remembered their defeat on tired legs indoors. Or perhaps even their 4x4 defeat the previous outdoor season, where a tripling Charles Ross was walked down by a herculean effort from Corey Brown. So they used the only option left to them in a no scratch meet. Admist a ton of controversy, Moran, Taylor and Watson all purposely false started from their prelim heats to state fresh for the relay finals on Saturday.
With much anticipation, the teams got to the line for the 4x8. Abington was leading off Tevin Smith, who had split 1:55 at Penn Relays, while CB West was leading with Nico Metzler, their junior who was replacing usual lead off leg Mike May. Smith battled around the track looking for a strong early position. He got to the lead around 600m and tried to bring it up. Metzler ran a strong leg out front, hanging on for dear life through the opening lap and a half. But over the last 200m, it was sophomore Andrew Stone from LaSalle who broke the race open, sprinting away to the exchange zone in 1:55. Smith handed off roughly a second ahead of Metzler to give Abington the early lead.
Interestingly, Abington decided to change up their order. Kyle Moran, the team's usual anchor leg, was now running in the #2 position with left Will Taylor as the surprise anchor. That put a lot of pressure on Matt McGarvey of CB West to try and keep up with arguably Abington's best leg. Moran took off like a rocket, chasing LaSalle's other stud sophomore, Tom Coyle, and ultimately going by him and pulling away on the second lap. It was arguably Kyle's best race of his career and it came in the biggest moment of his career. It also helped give third leg Macey Watson a significant lead. Moran's 1:52 split was over three second's faster than McGarvey's 1:55.
Watson, much like Moran before him, shot off the line into a blistering early pace. LaSalle was still in second and then CB West and senior Matt Bee. Bee had been a similar situation a year earlier and had delivered. On the third leg of CB West's 4x8, he made a big move to put West in contention for gold, splitting a 1:53. Now, West would need a big leg again. But Watson was ready. Normally a lead off leg, Watson was surprisingly comfortable soloing. He opened the gap on the first 400 and had a nearly 50 meter lead on Bee (who had now moved up to second). It looked all but over, but with 100 meters to go Watson rigged hard, just as Moran had before him. That gave Bee the chance to narrow the gap ever so slightly as he handed off to anchor leg Connor Manley. For Abington, 400 meter convert Will Taylor got the stick, hoping to put away CB West one more time.
Now Manley had become quite the stud over 800 by the time outdoor rolled around. After laying low during the indoor season (his fastest time was only about a 1:54 split at indoor states and nothing near that in the open), he dropped a monster 1:51 split at Penn Relays. At districts, he followed that up with a 1:51.50 open 800 (on the double) for silver. The gap seemed insurmountable, but somehow it still felt like Manley might be able to come back.
As had become the trend, Will Taylor pushed out hard on the opening 400, running all alone. He had given up the open quarter, where he was a projected state medalist, to focus on both relays. Now, for the first time as anchor, he was running for the state championship. He hit the bell lap at around 6:38, some 6 seconds ahead of West's Manley. But down the back stretch, it was clearly CB West was making up ground. Manley charged hard as the crowd rose to its feet. Even with fifty to go, it seemed Taylor would still hold on, but, at the very end, he rigged up just enough to let Manley come by in literally the last possible steps. Taylor split 1:55, but Manley had dropped a herculean split of about 1:51.0. It had been enough to seal state gold.
Abington was an amazing middle distance program over that 4 year period, but they suffered some incredible heartbreaks as well. In 2009, they ran 7:47 and finished just 9th, one spot off the medal stand. In the same meet, Chris Morrales, one of the favorites to win the open 400, didn't make it out of prelims. Then, after it seemed Abington had finally won their state gold in the 4x4, upsetting Altoona and Brady Gehret, they were DQed for a violation and left off the medal stand again. In 2010, Charles Ross was run down in the 4x4 by one of the most absurd anchor legs in state history, Corey Brown's 46.1 anchor split. And then, in 2011, Will Taylor was run down not once, but twice, as the 4x4 was run down by O'Hara for the second straight year on the final race of the day.
Now obviously that's heartbreaking, but there's a positive to take away from this if you are Abington. Look at all those times they were competing for state titles. Look at how successful those relays were. They brought out the best in their competition and said competition needed herculean efforts to defeat them. They developed guys like Charles Ross and Will Taylor from solid 400 runners to anchor quality 800 guys. In 2011, they had at least four guys sub 50 and four guys at 1:56 or faster.
But in the end the narrowest of margins was enough for CB West. In the big moments, they stepped up and grabbed both state titles. What a battle we had in 2011.
1 Central Bucks West 01 7:50.38 7:41.51# 10
2 Abington 01 7:50.28 7:41.57# 8
3 La Salle College 12 7:51.68 7:47.93# 6
4 Hershey 03 7:51.93 7:49.60# 5
5 Easton Area 11 7:51.53 7:51.84 4
6 Central Bucks South 01 7:52.07 7:52.02 3
7 Penn Hills 07 7:50.07 7:52.19 2
8 Strath Haven 01 7:52.90 7:52.58 1
9 North Penn 01 7:51.05 7:52.75
10 Eastern Lebanon County 03 7:52.57 7:54.11
11 Spring Ford 01 7:50.41 7:56.56
12 Pennridge 01 7:51.96 7:57.41
John Lewis entered the state meet fresh off a crazy district championships that included a 1:49 split in the 4x8 prelims and then an unthinkable 1:49.15 to win the District One Championship. That time moved him to #4 ever in PA history behind only Tom Mallon, Paul Vandegrift and Drew Magaha. The state meet record seemed likely to fall (Tom Mallon at 1:49.31) and the overall state record was likely about to be retired (1:48.82 by Drew Magaha). But Lewis was not a guarantee for the win. Elias Graca of Fox Chapel had given him a real run for his money indoors when both guys cracked 1:51 at PSU. Zach Brehm was still looming as a defending state champion. And a slew of other talented runners were ready to pounce if Lewis’s blistering early pace caught up to him. Dylan Eddinger of Boyertown was my sleeper after he cut out the 1600m to chase a fresh 800.
As expected on race day, Lewis shot off the line like a rocket. He blasted through the first 200m in close to 24 seconds before backing off a bit to come through around 51.1 seconds. That left him with a big gap over the chase pack of Graca, Sauer and Eddinger. Going from 400m to 600m, it seemed like Lewis was backing off slightly and, in the same moment, Elias threw down a big move on the backstretch to go after him. Things looked dicey for Lewis for a brief moment before he turned it up a notch in the last 150 and powered away to the finish. Alek Sauer and Dylan Eddinger managed to run down Graca for the silver and bronze, but all eyes were focused on Lewis and the clock. When he hit the line, the clocked stopped at 1:48.72, a new state record by a full tenth of a second over Drew Magaha’s 2012 mark and over a half second faster than Tom Mallon’s 2010 meet record. Behind him, the top 8 runners were under 1:54.2 with the top four all under 1:52. With the exception of 2014 and 2010, Sauer and Eddinger would have won every state championship dating back to 1984 with those times. A total of 28 different AAA state championships. And Sauer clocked his 1:51.00 time with tired legs: he had just anchored Pennsbury to the state championship in PA’s 4th fastest relay time: 7:38.42. His split was somewhere around 1:50.0.
John Lewis was really unlike anything we have seen in recent 800m history. If you look at the top guys on PA’s all time list, runners like Magaha, Lowry, Vandegrift, Francis and Mallon were all more 800-1600 types who navigated fairly even paced runs to the state title. Lewis had unique 400m speed (split 46.0 reportedly after that 800) and wasn’t afraid to gun things out absurdly fast. He was fearless and dominant in his racing. The epitome of this may have been a few weeks later when Lewis traveled to New Balance Nationals to race the 800. He earned the victory, going out in about 49 seconds for the first quarter, and hitting the line in a 1:48.33. It’s the fastest recorded time in PA 800m history, even including Ken Lowry’s legendary 1:48 split in 1982.
1 Lewis, John 12 Cheltenham 01 1:55.40 1:48.72R 10
2 Sauer, Alek 12 Pennsbury 01 1:55.37 1:51.00# 8
3 Eddinger, Dylan 12 Boyertown 01 1:54.87 1:51.19# 6
4 Graca, Elias 12 Fox Chapel 07 1:55.43 1:51.97# 5
5 Wisner, Matt 11 Carlisle 03 1:55.66 1:53.18 4
6 Samuels, Khai 12 Pleasant Vly 11 1:55.50 1:53.67 3
7 Gatchell, Ethan 12 Red Lion 03 1:55.46 1:53.73 2
8 Williams, Dan 12 Pennridge 01 1:56.68 1:54.18 1
9 Nicewicz, Thomas 11 Mechanicsburg 03 1:57.13 1:55.31
10 Sulllivan, Sean 11 Bonner Prend 12 1:56.91 1:56.38
11 Kelly, Andre 12 Radnor 01 1:56.99 1:59.28
12 Brehm, Zach 12 Carlisle 03 1:55.40 2:04.29
Often times, rivalries bring competitors to new heights they had never reached before. And as fans of the sport, it’s hard not to fully embrace the excitement that comes with rivalries. And the battle between Chambersburg and Cumberland Valley in 2012 is one of the state’s best and closest ever. But where do these rivalries even start? Sometimes they can start somewhere as random as the Susquehanna Indoor Invitational.
CV and Chambersburg faced off for the first of 7 head-to-head match ups during the 2012 season at Susquehanna’s indoor track in the first race of the day. Both squads were hoping to get a qualifying time for the upcoming indoor state championship. Cumberland Valley had run 7:50 in 2011, but had graduated a key leg in Andy Flynn. Meanwhile, Chambersburg was a team on the rise, having also cracked 8 minutes the previous spring. The two district three rivals battled all the way around the track, ultimately ending with Ryun Holder of Chambersburg barely defeating Alec Kunzweiler of Cumberland Valley by 0.02 seconds. The times were 8:17.53 and 8:17.55, finishing 1st and 2nd overall.
A few weeks later, the District 3 teams journeyed to Penn State University for the indoor state championships, seeded right beside each other in the slower of two sections. Once again, the two teams found themselves locked in a battle. Although both squads had runners doubling back from open events, Chambersburg managed to edge out CV again at the line, this time with marks of 8:03.45 and 8:03.81. They finished 1st and 2nd in the slower section and Chambersburg managed to take 8th place overall. CV was left in the dreaded 9th spot and off the medal stand by less than a half a second.
Both teams continued to drop outdoors, but Chambersburg continued to win out. And their advantage was growing. After the teams finished 1-2 yet again at Shippensburg’s Invite (7:53.27 for Chambersburg, 7:56.61 for CV), the boys from Chambersburg clocked a 7:56.15 at the prestigious Penn Relays and qualified for the Championship of America. Cumberland Valley had to watch as they were run out of the finals, having only clocked an 8:01.73. This marked four straight head to head losses for Cumby. And they had now watched their rivals claim a state medal and a COA appearance right in front of their eyes.
So naturally, it was time for revenge at the Mid Penn Conference Championships. Cumberland Valley got the better of their rivals this time around, clocking a 7:49.61 to Chambersburg’s 7:50.05. It was a big breakthrough. But their success was short lived. A week later at Districts, Chambersburg rallied to take back the crown in 7:48.94 to CV’s 7:49.67. In both races, the teams finished 1st and 2nd. At the end of the meet, Ryun Holder defeated Alec Kunzweiler in the individual 800 as an extra statement for Chambersburg. Heading into the state meet, Chambersburg now had a 5-1 record and their anchor seemed to have the edge over the Cumby junior.
But in the middle of all the craziness out in District 3, District 1 was rallying their own troops for battle. Pennridge, the indoor state champions, had also qualified for the COA and had two runners under 1:55 in the open. Bensalem, led by 1:53 man Brad Rivera, had defeated the reigning indoor champs at Districts in a surprising upset, putting them in the discussion for state title favorite as well. Although CV and Chambersburg had gone toe to toe each week, it was unclear exactly how they would stack up against their competitors from the east. Some so called experts were picking the D1 teams to beat out those from D3.
Soliman from Cumberland Valley surged to the lead early on, fighting off a challenge from Bensalem’s Armand Cox-Finn, who took things out aggressively as well. But Chambersburg didn’t want to let their rvials get any edge. Nick Rotz pushed things down the back stretch and rallied to Soliman’s shoulder. Then, coming off the final turn, Rotz made on more surge. And then he took off, handing off to their second leg in first place. The two handed off the top two spots at 1:54 followed by 1:55. They were well out ahead of the filed, but lots of squads had brilliant runners on the middle legs.
Cumberland Valley, with Scott St. Peter, rallied back quickly, chasing aggressively. CV and Chambersburg, in a moment of déjà vu, battled one-on-one through the first lap. It wasn’t until the second lap that Cardinal O’Hara’s Mike Billotta, kicked his way up to the front, pulling the rest of the field with him. Penncrest and Pennridge handed off in 4th and 5th as the 3rd legs took the track.
Cumberland Valley continued at the front, led by Alex Coburn. O’Hara was in second with Chambersburg leading a long line of runners in 3rd. Coburn the led the entire first lap, before starting to open up on O’Hara. Down the back stretch, Chambersburg started to make a push with Powell making a strong surge. On the final straightaway Coburn started to tie up ever so slightly and Powell and Pennridge’s Nick Stenderowicz started to close hard on him. When they finally handed off, Nick was just in front, giving the baton to sophomore Joey Logue just ahead of Alec Kunzweiler and Ryun Holder. Logue had anchored the squad to a state championship indoor, but he hadn’t been racing Holder and Kunzweiler on their home turf.
Logue led through the first lap followed by Kunzweiler Holder hung back and, surprisingly, Brad Rivera from Bensalem came surging in to the lead pack. Down the back stretch, the group of 4 battled for position and Kunzweiler moved into the lead. Holder and Logue battled in his wake, jockeying for position into the final turn. They swung wide for the last 100m, Holder forcing Logue to go all the way wide. Alec had the better position and all the motivation. Could he hold off Holder?
At the line the two both leaned dramatically and collapsed onto the ground, Holder completely sprawled out on the track, in danger of being trampled. It was impossible to tell who had crossed the line first, until finally, but just 0.03 seconds the winner was decided.
The three anchors ran 1:51, 1:51 and 1:52. And the winner … was Cumberland Valley.
Here’s a look at the Chambersburg-CV rivalry by the numbers. They had 5 races decided by less than a second!
States: 7:43.81-7:43.84 (0.03) CV-CH
Districts: 7:48.94-7:49.67 (0.73) CH-CV
Mid Penn: 7:49.61-7:50.05 (0.44) CV-CH
Penn Relays: 7:56.15-8:01.73 CH-CV
Shippensburg: 7:53.27-7:56.61 CH-CV
Indoor States: 8:03.45-8:03.81 (0.36) CH-CV
Susquehanna: 8:17.53-8:17.55 (0.02) CH-CV
How beautifully poetic. Their first race of the year decided by .02, their last decided by .03. Truly a pair of evenly matched squads.
How beautifully poetic. Their first race of the year decided by .02, their last decided by .03. Truly a pair of evenly matched squads.
1 Cumberland Valley 03 7:54.52 7:43.81#SQS
2 Chambersburg 03 7:55.12 7:43.84#SQS
3 Pennridge 01 7:51.26 7:44.49#SQS
4 Bensalem 01 7:51.60 7:49.73#SQS
5 Penncrest 01 7:51.92 7:50.60#SQS
6 Kiski Area 07 7:51.69 7:51.40#SQS
7 State College Area 06 7:54.21 7:51.76#SQS
8 Cardinal O'Hara 12 7:52.86 7:51.83#SQS
9 Upper Darby 01 7:56.59 7:55.14 SQS
10 Downingtown West 01 7:51.72 7:57.47 SQS
11 Spring Ford 01 7:56.75 8:05.32
12 West Chester Henderson 01 7:55.36 8:14.91
In 2008 North Penn was the class of the 4x8. They torched the PA landscape and ran the first sub 7:40 clocking since Wissahickon and Chester pushed each other to state record back in 1982. The North Penn team had been building towards this moment for years, grabbing indoor state records and national championships along the way. But even this team, with four experienced runners and a ton of prestige and history, could not defeat that legendary Wissahickon record. If they couldn’t do it, who could?
A year later, three returners from Central Bucks South’s 4th place 4x800 began training to take a shot at the state title. Having witnessed that great North Penn squad first hand, South trained diligently with one, singular goal of defeating that 7:38 time North Penn had clocked a year earlier. And, perhaps optimistically, they also targeted the 7:36.24 mark that was the current state record. Although CB South didn’t have quite the same experience and history as North Penn, they did have something that their now graduated rivals couldn’t have hoped to match: Junior sensation Tom Mallon.
After surprising for the 800 title as a sophomore in 2008, Mallon turned his attention to claiming his first indoor title as a junior. Early in the season, it looked like Upper Dublin’s Mike Palmisano had his number. The two faced off a couple times and Palm defeated Mallon seemingly effortless. But just before the state championships, Mallon defeated a doubling Palmisano at the TFCAofGP Meet of Champions. This gave him the confidence to go head to head with Mike when both runners had fresh legs. The result? Mallon stormed by Palmisano on the final lap to run an absurd 1:51 and break the indoor state record. At the time it was one of the top 12 fastest marks ever recorded indoors.
A few hours later, Mallon doubled back to anchor his 4x8 to state gold with a 1:52 split. However, CB South came up two tenths short of North Penn’s 2008 Meet Record. They entered the outdoor season behind the pace of their rivals. But the 2009 indoor season had extended their rivalry beyond the ghosts past teams, but on to a current team: the Upper Dublin Cardinals. Led by Mike Palmisano and Paul Reilly, UD had taken 2nd and 3rd indoors at 800 meters and then followed it up with a state championship in the DMR. They, too, returned 3 men from the previous year’s sub 7:50 4x8 and they, too, were determined to grab the state title in the 3200 relay this outdoors. On the message boards, a few posters (myself included) started comparing their projected times and guessing at possible records. I held out hope that we could challenge CB South and give Mike a chance for a rematch with Mallon on the anchor leg.
CB South sat in the stands as their rivals from Upper Dublin entered the Penn Relays DMR as a relative after thought for the title. After a big finishing kick from lead off man Matt Lorenzo, UD was able to get the stick around to their anchor in perfect position. Palm did the rest, outkicking Jim Rosa, and giving the Cardinals a Penn Relays title. Perhaps it was motivation for CB South, who entered the arena a day later hoping to lay out their response in the 4x8.
The 2009 Penn Relays 4x8 was one of the fastest races in high school history. The great Abermarle team went toe to toe with New Jersey’s Morris Hills and both relays combined for the #1 and #2 times in the history of the nation. But just behind them, battling valiantly in the loaded field, CB South was pulling off their own history. With splits of 1:57.20-1:53.41-1:56.53 and then 1:49.79, South had clocked a 7:36.93 for 3rd place overall. It was less than a second away from the state record and it was an intimidating run for the boys from UD and the rest of the state.
After dominating the district championships in another meet record, CB South entered the state meet ready to perform. The front page of the Shippensburg paper was a giant picture of Mallon with the 4x8 time stretched out below him in big white letters. There was a mountain of pressure, but the team was ready for the moment. Of course, so was everyone else.
CB South ran their relay in order from slowest to fastest at the state championships which meant Jeff Dickson would take lead off duties. He had run 1:57 already (a huge improvement from a year earlier), but CB South would need him to really shine if they wanted to realistically take a shot at the record. With that in mind, Dickson pushed it out hard, following closely behind Souderton's Dan Muelners through the first lap. Everyone seemed ready to attack this race as the field went after the opening lap hard. But Souderton, CB South and North Penn had managed to pull away down the back stretch. And finally, North Penn's Justin Kohl took off on the field and moved into first with 200 to go. Dickson looked like he was hurting badly and might not be able to cover the move, but he dug down and fought his way up the back. Just behind the two leaders was now Abington and Eleazar Cardosa. Over the final straightaway, Dickson rallied one more time and handed off just ahead of Kohl. When I split my watch, I saw that Jeff had just run a 1:55 split. At that moment, I knew the record was gone.
Next came Dave Manion on the second leg. His PR was a 1:55 as well and so he took the baton in first, trying to improve on that mark. Just behind was North Penn's Nick Burkwitt and then a slew of runners in chase mode. Manion, who liked to get out hard, went to the front and controlled the pace as Burkwitt shadowed him. Behind those two was a mass of bodies, essentially the entire field, all jockeying for position. Breaking free of that chase pack heading into the 4th lap of the race was West Chester Henderson's Will Kellar.
Kellar had run as anchor leg for Henderson at districts, but they felt the need to make a switch and stay more competitive early in the final. On the back stretch, Kellar joined the Suburban One party and made a bid for the lead just before the turn. However, Manion was ready and fought him off. Burkwitt too found a way to rally and swung wide to add to the assault on CB South. Through two legs, there were three teams neck and neck for the lead. And just behind these runners, was a mountain of challengers including Upper Dublin and Penncrest. Ultimately, North Penn found a way to edge ahead and hand off in 1st, followed by CB South. The rest of the field's second legs included a pair of 1:53 splits (Kellar and Upper Dublin's Paul Reilly) as well as a 1:54 low from Penncrest's Tres Moore (plus whatever Kyle Hurston of Carlisle split). It was another 1:55 for South, who would now need to average about 1:52 for the last two legs for the state record. But the defending state champions were not making it easy on them.
North Penn had graduated their three fastest legs from the previous year's record attempt and they had been little more than an afterthought in the preseason. Now they had rallied together a team with two 1:55 guys already under their belt. The 3rd leg was junior Sam Bernitt, who had just recently ascended as a star after his 10th place finish at XC states. However, Bernitt was only supposed to be the alternate for this race, but was then subbed in as a last minute replacement for Dominic Comasso. Now he took the baton in first place, with a hoard of studs ready to pounce. And the best third leg? That belonged to CB South.
Matt Poiesz is one of the unsung heroes of this 4x8 squad. Many remember Tom Mallon, the multiple time state champion, but few remember just how good Poiesz was as a #2. He had grabbed hardware at indoor states and was a favorite to earn more medals during the outdoor season. Based on his achievements to date he was arguably the 4th best 800 runner in the state of Pennsylvania (behind only Mallon, Palmisano and Hempfield's Kevin Hull). But South needed him fresh if they were going to make a realistic push at the record. So he sacrificed his individual potential for a chance at history.
Poiesz got after his leg from the gun and dared anyone else to run with him. Bernitt did his best to hang on to the second position and keep with the fast early pace, but Poiesz was a man on a mission, who, if you will excuse the pun, was running with a lot of poise. Bernitt, Henderson's Sam Zengel and Upper Dublin's Pat Reilly clung to the next three spots, but it was becoming more and more apparent that South was going to be the race's champion. Poiesz broke away with a 1:53.2 split and passed off the stick. Slowly the attention switched to the clock. And to one of PA's best ever 800 runners: Tom Mallon.
Mallon, the junior leader for CB South, already had three state golds, a state record and a 1:49 split on his resume when he took the baton on anchor, but his greatest moment was yet to come. Mallon took the baton, running completely alone, and set off to chase the record. It would require something around 1:51 to get there. Mallon sprinted out the gates, running fast but controlled and hit the bell still maintaining his impressive lead. With only the roar of the crowd and the ghost of record's past, Mallon sprinted around the track and into the final straightaway. On the same track where he had stunned the PA world with a state championship his sophomore season, he carried the baton through the line in a mythical 7:33. The crowd cheered triumphantly as Mallon, fatigued and tired, finished the line for a National Federation High School record. His final split was 1:49.1.
Obviously many people will remember the record, but it's hard to believe just what was going on behind them. Upper Dublin crossed the line second in 7:40.04. That was the 7th fastest time in state history. Then team's 2 through 8 ran between 7:42 and 7:45. Then another two teams broke 7:50. The final two teams (one of which dropped the baton at the very start of the race) broke 8 minutes.
A year later Cedar Crest won the state title with a time of 7:43.64. That time would have been good enough for just 6th in 2009. This race was not just amazing for South, but also for all other teams involved. It was historic with school records for almost all of the top schools and plenty to celebrate. It was the 4x8 that officially put PA relays on the map. To this day, we are still one of the deepest 4x8 states in the country and it is arguably are deepest and strongest event nationally.
PA don't play.
If you are curious, I'm putting together a 4x8 list to go with my PA All-Time list (hopefully going to post updated versions of both soon). It's far form complete, but here's where I have the medalists from this race ranking all time with some estimated splits:
#1 CB South (1:55-1:55-1:53-1:49)
#9 Upper Dublin (1:58-1:53-1:56-1:51)
#22 WC Henderson (1:58-1:53-1:56-1:54)
#25 North Penn (1:55-1:55-1:57-1:53)
#26 Penncrest (1:57-1:54-1:57-1:53)
#37 Souderton (1:57-1:56-1:56-1:52)
#45 Carlisle
#57 Baldwin
CB South ran their relay in order from slowest to fastest at the state championships which meant Jeff Dickson would take lead off duties. He had run 1:57 already (a huge improvement from a year earlier), but CB South would need him to really shine if they wanted to realistically take a shot at the record. With that in mind, Dickson pushed it out hard, following closely behind Souderton's Dan Muelners through the first lap. Everyone seemed ready to attack this race as the field went after the opening lap hard. But Souderton, CB South and North Penn had managed to pull away down the back stretch. And finally, North Penn's Justin Kohl took off on the field and moved into first with 200 to go. Dickson looked like he was hurting badly and might not be able to cover the move, but he dug down and fought his way up the back. Just behind the two leaders was now Abington and Eleazar Cardosa. Over the final straightaway, Dickson rallied one more time and handed off just ahead of Kohl. When I split my watch, I saw that Jeff had just run a 1:55 split. At that moment, I knew the record was gone.
Next came Dave Manion on the second leg. His PR was a 1:55 as well and so he took the baton in first, trying to improve on that mark. Just behind was North Penn's Nick Burkwitt and then a slew of runners in chase mode. Manion, who liked to get out hard, went to the front and controlled the pace as Burkwitt shadowed him. Behind those two was a mass of bodies, essentially the entire field, all jockeying for position. Breaking free of that chase pack heading into the 4th lap of the race was West Chester Henderson's Will Kellar.
Kellar had run as anchor leg for Henderson at districts, but they felt the need to make a switch and stay more competitive early in the final. On the back stretch, Kellar joined the Suburban One party and made a bid for the lead just before the turn. However, Manion was ready and fought him off. Burkwitt too found a way to rally and swung wide to add to the assault on CB South. Through two legs, there were three teams neck and neck for the lead. And just behind these runners, was a mountain of challengers including Upper Dublin and Penncrest. Ultimately, North Penn found a way to edge ahead and hand off in 1st, followed by CB South. The rest of the field's second legs included a pair of 1:53 splits (Kellar and Upper Dublin's Paul Reilly) as well as a 1:54 low from Penncrest's Tres Moore (plus whatever Kyle Hurston of Carlisle split). It was another 1:55 for South, who would now need to average about 1:52 for the last two legs for the state record. But the defending state champions were not making it easy on them.
North Penn had graduated their three fastest legs from the previous year's record attempt and they had been little more than an afterthought in the preseason. Now they had rallied together a team with two 1:55 guys already under their belt. The 3rd leg was junior Sam Bernitt, who had just recently ascended as a star after his 10th place finish at XC states. However, Bernitt was only supposed to be the alternate for this race, but was then subbed in as a last minute replacement for Dominic Comasso. Now he took the baton in first place, with a hoard of studs ready to pounce. And the best third leg? That belonged to CB South.
Matt Poiesz is one of the unsung heroes of this 4x8 squad. Many remember Tom Mallon, the multiple time state champion, but few remember just how good Poiesz was as a #2. He had grabbed hardware at indoor states and was a favorite to earn more medals during the outdoor season. Based on his achievements to date he was arguably the 4th best 800 runner in the state of Pennsylvania (behind only Mallon, Palmisano and Hempfield's Kevin Hull). But South needed him fresh if they were going to make a realistic push at the record. So he sacrificed his individual potential for a chance at history.
Poiesz got after his leg from the gun and dared anyone else to run with him. Bernitt did his best to hang on to the second position and keep with the fast early pace, but Poiesz was a man on a mission, who, if you will excuse the pun, was running with a lot of poise. Bernitt, Henderson's Sam Zengel and Upper Dublin's Pat Reilly clung to the next three spots, but it was becoming more and more apparent that South was going to be the race's champion. Poiesz broke away with a 1:53.2 split and passed off the stick. Slowly the attention switched to the clock. And to one of PA's best ever 800 runners: Tom Mallon.
Mallon, the junior leader for CB South, already had three state golds, a state record and a 1:49 split on his resume when he took the baton on anchor, but his greatest moment was yet to come. Mallon took the baton, running completely alone, and set off to chase the record. It would require something around 1:51 to get there. Mallon sprinted out the gates, running fast but controlled and hit the bell still maintaining his impressive lead. With only the roar of the crowd and the ghost of record's past, Mallon sprinted around the track and into the final straightaway. On the same track where he had stunned the PA world with a state championship his sophomore season, he carried the baton through the line in a mythical 7:33. The crowd cheered triumphantly as Mallon, fatigued and tired, finished the line for a National Federation High School record. His final split was 1:49.1.
Obviously many people will remember the record, but it's hard to believe just what was going on behind them. Upper Dublin crossed the line second in 7:40.04. That was the 7th fastest time in state history. Then team's 2 through 8 ran between 7:42 and 7:45. Then another two teams broke 7:50. The final two teams (one of which dropped the baton at the very start of the race) broke 8 minutes.
A year later Cedar Crest won the state title with a time of 7:43.64. That time would have been good enough for just 6th in 2009. This race was not just amazing for South, but also for all other teams involved. It was historic with school records for almost all of the top schools and plenty to celebrate. It was the 4x8 that officially put PA relays on the map. To this day, we are still one of the deepest 4x8 states in the country and it is arguably are deepest and strongest event nationally.
PA don't play.
If you are curious, I'm putting together a 4x8 list to go with my PA All-Time list (hopefully going to post updated versions of both soon). It's far form complete, but here's where I have the medalists from this race ranking all time with some estimated splits:
#1 CB South (1:55-1:55-1:53-1:49)
#9 Upper Dublin (1:58-1:53-1:56-1:51)
#22 WC Henderson (1:58-1:53-1:56-1:54)
#25 North Penn (1:55-1:55-1:57-1:53)
#26 Penncrest (1:57-1:54-1:57-1:53)
#37 Souderton (1:57-1:56-1:56-1:52)
#45 Carlisle
#57 Baldwin
PS This race inspired the very first post on my original blog back, back in the day. So that’s an added bonus.
PPS Keep in mind this came just one year after all the hype around North Penn. North Penn was supposed to be the team that broke the record, but CB South came out of nowhere to do it. And also keep in mind, Henderson returned all 4 runners from their relay, including a talented sophomore by the name of Luke Lefebure. They were supposed to be the anointed team to re-break this record a year later (and maybe they would have considering they had at least 1:55-1:53-1:56-1:51 legs on paper), but they didn't get there either (an odd DQ at districts that allowed Upper Dublin to get into the district finals, the only district final I ever ran). Just goes to show you A) it's funny how the world works and B) it's really, really hard to break a state record.
PPPS Abington ran a 7:45.69 at Nationals to place 5th a little later on that summer. That time, even though it was an improvement on their 7:47 from states, still would have finished 8th and out of the medals.
PPPPS North Penn ran 7:42.47 in 2009, but the 2009 squad was only the 5th best time in program history behind the 2008 squad as well as the 2005, 2002, and 1981 squad. North Penn has run under 7:47 at least 12 different times in program history. They won state titles outdoors in 2008, 2007, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1998 and 1996 (Henderson broke up that run in an epic battle in 1997 and then went on to become national champs). I'm also pretty sure North Penn won indoor 4x8 titles in 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 and 1998. No wonder Zack Montijo liked to throw up the dynasty sign.
1 Central Bucks South 01 7:33.48R 10
2 Upper Dublin 01 7:40.04# 8
3 West Chester Henderson 01 7:42.01# 6
4 North Penn 01 7:42.47# 5
5 Penncrest 01 7:42.67# 4
6 Souderton Area 01 7:43.69# 3
7 Carlisle Area 03 7:44.20# 2
8 Baldwin 07 7:45.44# 1
9 Abington 01 7:47.68#
10 La Salle College 12 7:49.80
11 Cumberland Valley 03 7:57.27
12 Bensalem 01 7:59.08
In 2014, Ross Wilson, Tony Russell and Colin Martin became the first runners to break the legendary nine minute mark at the PIAA State Championships since 1983 and Wilson broke the seemingly unbeatable record of 8:58.90 formerly held by Upper Perk’s Mike Connelly. At the time, it was perhaps the greatest race in PA State history and certainly worthy of a list such as this. So how would the Class of 2015 handle the encore?
With two sub 9 runners on the agenda before the race even began in Matt McGoey and Jake Brophy, fans were extremely excited for the race to unfold. Behind them was a group I called clear favorites for the medal stand: Zach Brehm, Paul Power, Andrew Marston, Casey Comber and Colin Abert. Perhaps the most interesting name for me personally was Zach Brehm. Brehm had won the 800m as a sophomore and the 1600m as a junior, meaning if he won the 3200 as a senior, he would have completed a three year distance triple: the first AAA runner to accomplish the mark since Jerry Richey of North Allegheny in the 60s. The history buff in me predicted Brehm would win it, but as many as five different runners were projected to cross the line first by commenters and writers.
Few thought Brehm could actually win. The odds were against him. He was running the 1600m and 800m prelims (and finals) the previous day and Carlisle was right in the mix for a state championship as a team. They would need all the points they could get from Brehm and an all-out effort in a stacked field didn’t quite gel with that strategy. But all indications from the Carlisle camp were that they really wanted that career triple.
Although many speculated we would see a blazing fast pace, no one seemed too interested in taking the reigns so #1 seed Matt McGoey went to the front. After hammering for 8 laps the week before, he wasn’t interested in taking things through under 4:30, but things were still fairly honest, going through in about 4:32. Brehm was well back in the group early, but the other top names were packed up out front. In the later stage of the race Colin Abert and Kev James took over, battling each other in a sprint to the finish. Brehm started to really make up group the second half of the list and came flying around the track on the final lap to barely catch Abert at the line. Both guys ran massive PRs and broke the old state record Ross Wilson had set a year early. Brehm was clocked in about 4:19 for the final mile and roughly 57-58 seconds for the last quarter. Four runners broke 9 minutes, the top five finished in 9:05 or faster and the top 9 were under 9:10.
For those who don’t know, I keep a file with all of the fastest times I have found in PA high school history. It’s fairly extensive, although I won’t guarantee it’s 100% accurate. In the 2015 state finals for the 3200m, the top 8 finishers are currently #3, #4, #6, #8, #9, #14, #17 and #18 all time in the event. That’s all time. For comparison, the 8th place finisher in the 2015 800m is somewhere around 150th on my list and 8th in the 1600m was well outside the top 200 (my list only goes to 4:17.00). Six guys in the race finished 2015 with PRs under 9 minutes and the other two were at 9:00 and 9:01. In the entire history of the 32 at states, it’s only been won in a time under 9 minutes three times: 2015 and 1983. That’s both AA and AAA. And that’s dating back to 1965.
It’s the deepest and fastest line-up of state medalists in the 3200m and it played out in a beautifully poetic way. It left me giddy in the top corner of the stands.
1 Brehm, Zach 12 Carlisle 03 9:09.05 8:55.60R 10
2 Abert, Colin 12 Easton Area 11 9:19.41 8:56.00R 8
3 James, Kevin 12 Crdnl O'Hara 12 9:25.94 8:57.49# 6
4 Power, Paul 12 Spring Ford 01 9:15.51 8:59.87# 5
5 Comber, Casey 12 Hatboro Hrshm 01 9:19.11 9:00.95# 4
6 Marston, Andrew 12 Conestoga 01 9:19.09 9:02.72# 3
7 Mcgoey, Matt 12 No Allegheny 07 8:56.43 9:04.35# 2
8 Brophy, Jake 11 CB East 01 9:17.30 9:05.23# 1
9 Henderson, Nathan 10 McCaskey 03 9:18.48 9:08.89
10 Diestelow, Eric 12 WC East 01 9:19.77 9:18.34
11 Wharrey, Hunter 12 No Allegheny 07 9:18.88 9:21.30
12 Gunzenhauser, Todd 11 Mt. Lebanon 07 9:22.20 9:22.53
Editors Note: We highly suggest you watch the video before reading on. You may be surprised.
I feel like in every league around the state, there’s a runner who is seen as invincible. As a super star. Right in front of your eyes, you watch this guy put down crazy times and victories. For me, I was always impressed by my teammates in practice. The Upper Dublin teams I got to witness were amazing. But at our league championships, one guy could always defeat us. No matter what we did, he always was at least a step better. And we shared a birthday. That guy was Wissahickon’s Nick Crits.
I hate Wissahickon the same way I would hate the Giants or the Cowboys, but I loved to watch Crits race. He had one of the most brilliant kick’s I’ve ever witnessed and he left our guys in the dust fairly consistently when he decided to move. So after winning the district championship in both the 800 and the 1600, I really liked Nick’s odds at state gold a week later. Usually, if you wipe the floor with District One, you won’t have too many more problems at states. However, 2008 was a big exception. Waiting for Nick at Shippensburg was defending champion and 4:07 1600 runner Vince McNally, sophomore sensation and 4:12 miler TJ Hobart and the man who had toppled McNally at districts (twice) and won the Henderson Invitational 1600, Greg Kareis of Red Lion.
Those were the four. There was little doubt they would finish at the top. But which of them would win? As Baldwin’s 4x8 failed to advance out of prelims and Crits missed the finals in the 800, it became clear that all parties were going all in on this distance.
On race day, with the hype and hopes for a fast, memorable race, things turned tactical early. I know most people hate tactical, sit and kick affairs, but I'm a real fan. I like watching the kickers and I like watching the guys ballsy enough to make the first move. They went through the first 400 in maybe 66 seconds, which isn't anything mind numbing (considering the SQS was just 4:24). That left thoughts of a fast time pretty much off the table. Greg Kareis of Red Lion, one of the favorites, controlled the early pace with David Adley of Baldwin sitting in just behind.
As they approached 800m and things continued to dawdle, defending state champion Vince McNally took the lead. He had made a very similar move the previous year when he won the state title, breaking the race open with a near 60 second third lap and powering home for a 4:11 victory. Perhaps he had the same move in mind this year, pulling to the lead and dropping things down after the field came through at about 2:12.
When Vince went to the front, the field began to string for the first time. Kareis sat in second, Hobart in third and then Chris Bodary of Bishop Shanahan, all one behind the next in single file. Down the back stretch, Dave Adley made a second hard move and that work up Hobart who decided it was time to take the lead with about 600 to go. Unlike the previous year, McNally's hard surge had not been enough to break the field and a tight group of five hit the bell with Nick Crits of Wissahickon now into 5th place. The clock showed around 3:13-3:14 as the bell rang.
Hobart continued to control things from the front, making a long charge for home. Kareis covered the move well, but McNally, Adley and Crits were falling a step or so behind. Down the back stretch, with just over 300 meters to go, Kareis decided he wasn't going to wait any longer and surged back into the lead passing Hobart. He opened up a step or two on the junior from Baldwin and now McNally was reeling back in TJ ever so slightly as the field approached 200 to go.
But at 150 to go, Kareis started to wilt from the earliness of his move and Hobart, having rallied one last time, broke into a furious sprint for home. McNally, who didn't have the same raw foot speed as the other two, was left in their wake and it became a two man race for the front. Kareis held strong to Hobart's challenge as the two battled neck and neck through the home straight. Neither could get an edge on the other as they flailed for the finish.
And then, all of a sudden, Nick Crits showed up. In a flash, Crits erased a massive advantage and blasted by both Hobart and Kareis to steal the gold. The two probably had no idea he was even coming and both seemed to lose a step of intensity when the Wissahickon (or as the PCN people said, Wissahocken) stand out blasted by them. It was one of the best kicks I'd ever seen and somehow, the kid managed to time it right. I was told he split 56 seconds for the last 400 which I don't think is an unreasonable estimate. Most of that probably came in the last 150.
On race day, with the hype and hopes for a fast, memorable race, things turned tactical early. I know most people hate tactical, sit and kick affairs, but I'm a real fan. I like watching the kickers and I like watching the guys ballsy enough to make the first move. They went through the first 400 in maybe 66 seconds, which isn't anything mind numbing (considering the SQS was just 4:24). That left thoughts of a fast time pretty much off the table. Greg Kareis of Red Lion, one of the favorites, controlled the early pace with David Adley of Baldwin sitting in just behind.
As they approached 800m and things continued to dawdle, defending state champion Vince McNally took the lead. He had made a very similar move the previous year when he won the state title, breaking the race open with a near 60 second third lap and powering home for a 4:11 victory. Perhaps he had the same move in mind this year, pulling to the lead and dropping things down after the field came through at about 2:12.
When Vince went to the front, the field began to string for the first time. Kareis sat in second, Hobart in third and then Chris Bodary of Bishop Shanahan, all one behind the next in single file. Down the back stretch, Dave Adley made a second hard move and that work up Hobart who decided it was time to take the lead with about 600 to go. Unlike the previous year, McNally's hard surge had not been enough to break the field and a tight group of five hit the bell with Nick Crits of Wissahickon now into 5th place. The clock showed around 3:13-3:14 as the bell rang.
Hobart continued to control things from the front, making a long charge for home. Kareis covered the move well, but McNally, Adley and Crits were falling a step or so behind. Down the back stretch, with just over 300 meters to go, Kareis decided he wasn't going to wait any longer and surged back into the lead passing Hobart. He opened up a step or two on the junior from Baldwin and now McNally was reeling back in TJ ever so slightly as the field approached 200 to go.
But at 150 to go, Kareis started to wilt from the earliness of his move and Hobart, having rallied one last time, broke into a furious sprint for home. McNally, who didn't have the same raw foot speed as the other two, was left in their wake and it became a two man race for the front. Kareis held strong to Hobart's challenge as the two battled neck and neck through the home straight. Neither could get an edge on the other as they flailed for the finish.
And then, all of a sudden, Nick Crits showed up. In a flash, Crits erased a massive advantage and blasted by both Hobart and Kareis to steal the gold. The two probably had no idea he was even coming and both seemed to lose a step of intensity when the Wissahickon (or as the PCN people said, Wissahocken) stand out blasted by them. It was one of the best kicks I'd ever seen and somehow, the kid managed to time it right. I was told he split 56 seconds for the last 400 which I don't think is an unreasonable estimate. Most of that probably came in the last 150.
1 Nick Crits 12 Wissahickon 01 4:11.69# 10
2 T.J. Hobart 11 Baldwin 07 4:12.09# 8
3 Greg Kareis 12 Red Lion 03 4:12.94# 6
4 Vince McNally 12 Conestoga Val 03 4:13.37 5
5 Dave Adley 12 Baldwin 07 4:17.09 4
6 Chris Bodary Bshp Shanahan 01 4:19.55 3
7 Nathan Zondlo 12 Pittston Area 02 4:20.33 2
8 Tim Moyer 12 Dallastown 03 4:21.32 1
9 Cam Stauffer 11 Seneca Valley 07 4:21.45
10 Matt Molitor 12 Gr Latrobe 07 4:21.71
11 Robert Micikas 11 Crestwood 02 4:23.48
12 Julian Rankin 12 CanonMcMillan 07 4:31.28
Small side note that you are going to have to indulge me/I guess you can just skip down a few sentences but still: I did one of my first ever prediction contests for the 2008 state meet with a couple friends and the 1600 was the trickiest one to predict by far. I decided to go bold and picked Crits to win and McNally to get 4th (Kareis 2nd and Hobart 3rd), but I was super indecisive about it. One of my friends who I was predicting against decided he didn't know enough to predict so he literally copied my exact predictions, but flipped McNally and Hobart because he knew those were the spots I was most unsure about. I was kinda pissed, but thankfully I still won so then I just kind of laughed, called myself the master and called it a day.
Yep that's probably how you expected this post to end, with back to back not so humble brags from etrain. Your welcome readers.
Small side note that you are going to have to indulge me/I guess you can just skip down a few sentences but still: I did one of my first ever prediction contests for the 2008 state meet with a couple friends and the 1600 was the trickiest one to predict by far. I decided to go bold and picked Crits to win and McNally to get 4th (Kareis 2nd and Hobart 3rd), but I was super indecisive about it. One of my friends who I was predicting against decided he didn't know enough to predict so he literally copied my exact predictions, but flipped McNally and Hobart because he knew those were the spots I was most unsure about. I was kinda pissed, but thankfully I still won so then I just kind of laughed, called myself the master and called it a day.
Yep that's probably how you expected this post to end, with back to back not so humble brags from etrain. Your welcome readers.
Taking an 800 out in 49 is simply ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAre there any races at this years championships with the potential to crack into the Etrain greatest hits?
ReplyDeleteI agree with whoever said in a different post that the comment section needs to be more active
ReplyDeleteyeah I only read this blog for the comments.
ReplyDelete