Henderson Flashbacks

by Jarrett Felix

The Henderson Invitational has a history for producing memorable results and fast times. A little top flight racing under the bright lights is usually perfect conditions for an all-star distance night. Last year we saw a prime example when a pack of runners went on an assault of the PA all-time list, led by Jake Brophy’s Junior Class State Record 8:57.68. However, the meet has been putting up historic marks for much longer than that.

The Baldwin Invitational used to be the #1 meet in PA for a mid-season quick 32, but Henderson made its case when Paul Springer, Craig Forys of Colts Neck NJ and Jason Weller went head to head on the track. In one of the meet’s earliest days, Springer, Forys and Weller traded off laps, agreeing to maintain a fast pace in hopes of taking down their respective state records. The result? A sub 8:50 equivalent for Paul Springer in the 3200 (and an even faster victory for Forys). It’s crazy to think Springer had the wheels to run basically 66 seconds a lap. Especially when, as a freshman in high school at the time, the fastest I could run a 400 all out was about 64 seconds. True story.

Three years later, CB South’s Tom Mallon was beginning his quest for a state record of his own in the 800 meters. He had shown flashes of his potential in the open 800, running a sub 1:50 split twice as a junior, but it wasn’t until Henderson’s meet in 2010 that he finally cracked 1:50 in the open race. It was a breakthrough run for Mallon who would go on to win gold at Shippensburg in a then state meet record. Soon after, he returned to Henderson’s track for one more shot at the record (he ran a “co-record” of 1:49.01).

Three more years passed until the 2013 edition of the invite. North Schuylkill’s Brendan Shearn, the 2011 AAA XC State Champ and 2012 Footlocker Finalist, was heading into an eagerly anticipated match up with AAA XC State Champ Tony Russell. Russell was fresh off a monster indoor nationals carry in the 4xMile and Shearn was the underdog. The AA track and field scene had been relatively barren in the last decade or so since Spooner had graduated and few thought of AA runners on the same plane as their AAA counterparts. However, on the big stage, on his opponent’s home track, Shearn defeatd Russell over the final 200m and clocked a 9:04.51 for the victory. It was an incredibly deep race from top to bottom as 7^th place (another small schooler runner, Sam Williams) was 9:12.13 and 13^th place (another 2011 XC state champ, Conner Quinn) was 9:17.83. 21^st place was 9:29.

This year, 2016, will mark the next three year interval in the Henderson cycle and perhaps another historic and memorable race for us as fans. We’ve seen a slew of sub 9 performances (including HS PRs for Russell, Brophy and Kaulbach), we’ve seen some of the fastest performances by grade (Dahl and Jaxson Hoey 9:02 and 9:05 in back to back years), we’ve seen stars emerge (Greg Kareis, Brian Fulton) and, of course, we’ve seen history (Springer, Mallon, Brophy). Some could say we’ve seen it all.

But I’ve got a feeling we ain’t seen nothing yet.

May the 4^th be with you.