The Etrain 11: The Young and the Restless

By Jarrett Felix

It’s been said that a team of distance runners is like a family. We’ve also been called less endearing terms like “cult”, but I think I’ll stick with family. Although each family is unique, but they also have certain traits in common. They work together to achieve their goals. They passionately support one another as they chase their dreams. And they lean on one another, when they don’t have the strength to stand alone.

At the core of the Spring Ford family is a, perhaps unlikely, trio of youngsters. You can tell just how young they are by their preferred method of communication: Twitter. Now I’ll be the first one to tell you how unlikely it is for an underclassman to excel on the state’s biggest stages, but this is not a typical set of underclassmen.

Rising juniors Shane Ainscoe, Jacob McKenna and Zachary Smith have been leaders of the team, contributing members of the varsity cross country squad before their sophomore years were even half way done. First, there’s Ainscoe. Although he’s still working through his second year of high school, Shane is quick to organize his teammates when I ask for an interview with the Rams. In his responses to my questions, he clearly makes it a goal to highlight the achievements of not just the top names at his school, but also the other key members of a team who contribute behind the scenes and define a program outside of the scope of what’s covered on a blog or milesplit page. It’s a leadership trait that truly exceeds his age.

Next, there’s McKenna. Unlike the other two members in his trio, he’s a newcomer to the varsity XC squad in 2015. But he understands the training, the balance between working hard and recovering properly. He’s quick to praise Senior leader John Conner and learn from him, incorporate the teachings of others into his mindset. He too brings valuable traits to the team even in his youth.

And finally, there’s Zach Smith. He’s been a key contributor to the varsity squad since his freshman season, running in the footsteps of super star Paul Power. Smith brings a clear joy with him to the sport. He’s passionate, remembering the defeats, but reveling in the successes. He continues to dream big and likely inspires others to do the same. Don’t believe me? Check out the quote that start’s this article. That’s his.

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Together the Spring Ford boys team has tested themselves on the XC course and on the track, participating in some of the toughest and most grueling trails of the sport. Dating back to the previous summer, Spring Ford set their sights on the first PAC-10 title in program history during the fall. “Over the summer, our coach really only had one major goal which was to win a PAC-10 championship which we had a really good chance at doing even though we had so many young guys,” McKenna said of the Spring Ford squad.

However, they were losing a key piece: sub 9 3200m runner and multi-time state medalist Paul Power had graduated and would be attending Villanova, leaving a team of relative unknowns to follow in his footsteps. Fortunately, they came ready with a back-up plan. “With Paul graduating, we realized that we wouldn’t have a clear cut front runner that would contend for the win every race and that we needed to have our top 5 as close together as possible.” Ainscoe remarked about the team’s attitude entering the 2015 season.

But perhaps what the team couldn't plan for was the arrival of a missing link for the Spring Ford program. Not just a top tier runner, but also a Senior leader. At John Paul High School, John Conner had finished 8^th in the D1 AA Championships in 2014 for Cross Country. He was a talent and a runner who had shown consistent progression during his first three years, transitioning from the shorter distances. But joining an established team with big expectations can be a daunting task for anyone. “First joining the team there was a mood with the top guys that took a little to get used to the new guy,” Conner remembers, “But once I showed my ability we all became pals and the ideal distance squad.”

That ability was on full display at the Foundation Invitational. Conner showed just what he was capable of against AAA competition, leading the Rams to an 8^th place team behind a 15^th place individual finish. In a field that included many of the top runners in the state and a variety of future state medalists.

However, Spring Ford (and the rest of the state) got a big surprise up at Hershey. The boys from league rival Owen J. Roberts had come to play: running their way to 4^th place overall in the prestigious invitational behind their own talented sophomore, Liam Conway. “During the cross country season, we knew that Owen J. Roberts was going to be the toughest team for us to beat in the PAC-10 so to see them beat us at Foundations was a little concerning,” McKenna remembers, “So we knew we had to run fast at Paul Short.”

And that’s just what they did. On a cold and rainy day, the Spring Ford boys took the starting line in a rematch against OJR. They also would be battling some of the top District 3 and District 11 schools. In TheRealTrain’s preview of the race, Spring Ford was left out of the pre-race predictions. There was plenty left to prove for this team. 

“We knew that Lehigh’s course is a great course to get a good PR on,” Ainscoe said, “So all of us pushed each other to run that PR.” Conner led the way again, placing 19^th in the race and running 16:09, but the pack behind him packed in tight, as the Rams 2 through 4 runners finished within 25 seconds of one another, all breaking 17 minutes. Besides Conner, the varsity 7 featured four sophomores and two juniors. “We had our top 5 all go under 17 and PR with other guys like Richie Baird, Joey Power and Tino Magazollo all break 18 for the first time on a full 5k.” The result: a 2^nd place team finish and an important win over Owen J. Roberts.

“Our coach, Brian Sullivan, knew we could accomplish something special for the first time in school history if we kept locked in for the rest of the season.” said Conner, who had led the team again at Lehigh. That history? Winning the school's first Cross Country Pioneer Championship.
 

In 2014, Spring Ford had a strong showing at Paul Short, but struggled to hold their momentum through the league and district championships. Would the same thing happen in 2015? Simply put: no. Spring Ford made sure their first PAC championship was never in doubt as the Rams raced to just 38 points and put 5 guys in the top 12 overall. All the hard work they had put in over the summer had paid off and an important goal was checked.

 

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“Well obviously we were devastated.”

“We were all very disappointed.”

“Nobody wanted to see the season end like that.”

There is no perfect family. Each family is tested with adversity and misfortune. In those moments, a family must lean on one another. And that’s what the Spring Ford family did. At the District One Championships, Spring Ford came up just one place short of CB East in the team standings and missed out on a coveted trip to states. To add insult to injury, Spring Ford’s top runner (Conner) was the first individual to miss out on a state qualifying birth as well. Immediately following one of the highest of highs, Spring Ford was faced with one of the lowest of lows. How would they handle it?

“We improved so much from the previous season so that helped change the attitude of most of our guys,” McKenna says, echoing the sentiments of many of his teammates. And the group pressed on. They made new goals and refocused. They had another PAC 10 Championship to win after all.

“(We) were super pumped to get back at it and training for the coming winter, outdoors and next XC season.”

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“From the very first practice, I found myself bonding with the other distance guys. They welcomed me with open arms. The reason I feel that the distance squad is so deep is because there was never a moment where we didn’t push each other to be better. The desire for self-improvement and to see our teammates grow among each member of the distance team benefited me immensely.”

Like any family, members will come and members will go. During the 2016 track season, the Rams picked up another key runner in the distance rotation. Junior Matt Schweitzer joined the team and his teammates, as he puts it, “welcomed him with open arms”. The stable of distance talent added another horse.

“Having so much depth in the 1600 and 3200 was awesome to have, especially in dual meets where we did not need to stack every event.” said Conner and with Schweitzer now in the pack, this team was locked and loaded for the stretch run of the 2016 season.

The spring has, fittingly, been Spring Ford’s season. They had won five straight PAC 10 outdoor titles and were hungry for #6. At the Championship meet, it was all hands on deck. The runners laid everything on the line, doubling and tripling to try and rack up the points needed to hoist a trophy and complete the 6 peat. Spring Ford placed 6 runners under 4:50 in the 1600 and 5 in the top in the 32 (with 4 guys under 9:50). John Conner tripled with the 32, 16 and 8, scoring highly in all 3 events.

“It’s always nice to see a team come together when it matters and have success.”

Spring Ford qualified three runners for the District One Championships in the 3200 (and would have qualified at least 4 in any other district). John Conner ran a brilliant PR of 9:28 in the 3200, under the SQS, but unfortunately, just as was the case in cross country, the depth of district one left him on the sidelines. But there was plenty to celebrate, not just the achievements of that season, but the friendships and bonds that would set the stage for a potentially bright future.

 

“My total thoughts on the track season was that I really thought I created a name for myself besides just in (the) movie Terminator.” Conner jokes about his senior season. “PRing by 30 seconds in the 3200 since last season ... and a whole minute in XC ... have to thank my coaches and role models for that.”

 

Ironically, as Conner graduates from Spring Ford and heads off to Shippensburg, he leaves as a role model himself ... for the next generation at his high school.

 

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The Spring Ford Rams have big goals for next year. Their trio of youngsters are becoming oldsters now, entering a junior season filled with difficult classes and college searching, but also the potential to make the biggest strides on the trails. The “Junior Jump”, as it’s sometimes called, refers to the fact that high schoolers tend to make their biggest improvements during their Junior seasons thanks to extra maturity, experience and additional years of training. It’s not a foolproof formula, but it certainly has it’s fair share of evidence.

 

The Rams hope to not just avenge their 6^th place finish next year by qualifying for states, but also want to place highly once they get there. The 16 minute barrier will be in the front of their minds as will the 9:20 mark on the track. There’s a certain optimism and excitement around the team that can’t be quantified. As the team’s newest member puts it, “I feel as if this XC season is going to be one to remember.”