Chapter 12: The End of An Era
I
suppose, technically, the final Springer v. Weller battle is not the end of
their legacy. In fact, not long after that epic 3200 meters, Weller was back on
the starting line again. This time contesting the 1600. The combination of the
heat and the high of winning a long coveted state title were both weighing
heavily on his legs and, perhaps more importantly, his mind. But after the gun
sounded, the 1600m runners did not seem too intent on stretching Jason to his
limits. Nick Hilton of Exeter, who had battled Weller to a near draw (4:13 to
4:12) at a midseason invitational, took control for the first lap and brought
the group through in about 63 seconds. Hilton slowed on the second lap, but no
one else was willing to take over pacing duties. This was good news for Weller,
who could conserve energy and hope his kick was strong enough to grab another
state title.
As they
approached the 800m mark, it was clear the lack of a willing leader had slowed
the race dramatically. Vince McNally, the runner up in 2006, moved around
Hilton and went to the front as the group hit halfway in 2:10. McNally, who was
never completely comfortable with his kick, made the decision to go hard with
800m still remaining. It was a bold move. A move this strong from only halfway
out was surely seen as suicide by most of the other milers. McNally had run
about 30 seconds for that next 200m, the equivalent of dropping the pace from
4:30 to 4:00. TJ Hobart, the sophomore from Baldwin, was brave enough to try
and cover the move, but he was out of gas after his heroic 4x800m leg. Vince
looked smooth the whole way. While everyone else was scrambling, trying to
figure out the best response, he was completely in control.
As they
made the turn at 1100m, moving onto the home stretch for the penultimate time,
the crowd got to its feet and began muttering excitedly. Moving into a clear
second place and charging hard was Boyertown’s Jason Weller. The crowd cheered
as he tried to erase the gap to McNally’s shoulder, which was still fairly
significant. But this was Jason Weller we were talking about, nothing was
impossible for this guy[1]. However, almost
immediately after the “Weller is going to win” hype reached its peak, he
started to fade and in his place, Isaac Bryan from Pennridge took up the chase
for McNally.
But the
junior from Conestoga Valley had no intention of being caught. After running 61
for his third lap, he bettered it with a 60 to close it out, stopping the clock
at 4:11.70. Behind him, Weller and Bryan were paying for their moves, and in
their place was Nick Crits from Wissahickon, furiously kicking his way into
second. Behind him was Ryan Fink, from Strath Haven who was also closing
quickly. Before Crits knew it, he was being edged at the line for the second
time in a row: first by Rotz in the 4x8, then by Fink in the 16[2].
Both
men ran massive PRs and shattered expectations with a pair of 4:13s. Neither
had been on the greater PA landscape before the conclusion of this race. In
fact, about a month before the state championship, Ryan Fink had just dropped
his personal best to 4:26 in a dual meet against Penncrest. Then he found another
gear to run 4:21. Then 4:17. Then 4:13 with a 59 second final lap. An amazing
stretch of racing. Both Fink and Rob Speare were the talk of the town after
they hung tough in a pair of state title races[3].
Weller’s
last race wasn’t an unreal double, but it was another gutsy run for a man who
wasn’t afraid to take chances and put his body on the line. He didn’t race for
2nd or 3rd, places he would have had a better chance at,
but instead took off with 600m to go in hopes of grabbing gold. It cost him in
the end as he fell back to 5th overall, but Weller ended his career
doing what he did best: giving everything he had in hopes of defying the odds.
It’s a testament to his legacy that even tired, fatigued and overheated he could
still bring the crowd to its feet, thinking they were about to see another
historic run from Boyertown’s Jason Weller.
Meanwhile,
Paul Springer closed out his career at the Nike Outdoor National Championships.
After disappointment in Shippensburg, Paul decided to pursue one last fast time
in both the two mile and the mile. First came the two mile, a stacked field led
by a familiar name: Craig Forys from Colts Neck, New Jersey. Out front, Forys
was hammering early, trying to get away from Maryland’s Matthew Centrowitz. In
the end, Centrowitz dropped things to another gear and pulled away from Forys
on the final kick en route to a blazing 8:41.55 full two mile, a top 10 high
school mark all-time and a meet record. Centro opened up roughly 3 seconds on
Forys in the final 200 meters.
With a
ton of talent toeing the line, Springer stuck his nose in the pack and did his
best to hang on. He finished 6th overall, lowering his PA state
record in the two mile down just a bit farther with an 8:52.77. They clocked
him through 3,000 meters in a record 8:18.1. The guys just ahead of Springer in
the race? Hassan Mead (8:51.23), Evan Jager (8:47.59) and Elliott Heath
(8:46.12).
The
next day, Springer came back and gave the mile a shot. In his heat were Evan
Jager, Luke Puskedra and, his fellow Pennsylvanian Vince McNally. They were in
the middle section of the three elite heats at nationals, so they ran all-out
with tactics out the window, trying to find a spot among the All Americans.
Evan Jager ended up crossing the line first in a 4:05.68 full mile, a terrific
two day double. Springer had one heck of a double in his own right, running 4:10.33
for the full mile. That put Springer within the top 15 or so milers in PA
history to go alongside his state record two mile.
Oh, and
by the way, Vince McNally did alright for himself too. He clocked a 4:08.99
full mile. That put him in the top 5 PA runners ever. When the fast heat was
officially completed, it was revealed that McNally’s time was good enough for 6th
in the national championships. And the top mark among all juniors in the race.
[1] I was not there to
witness this race live, so the only record I have is a YouTube video that I
watched before writing this paragraph. The same videoer posted the 3200 with
the 1600 from this state meet. During the 32, he called Weller “that
Coatesville kid” for most of the race. By the time we hit the 16, he not only
was able to correctly identify Weller, he was boldly and unabashedly picking
him to win the race when he made this move. Admittedly, he also boldly and
unabashedly picked about three or four other guys to win over the course of the
video, so perhaps it wasn’t quite as bold and unabashed as you would think.
[2] Worth noting here, I’m not trying
to beat up on Crits. We have the same birthday after all. I’m doing something
we in the business like to call foreshadowing. Little moments like these can
shape the future of a career. Keep it in mind.
[3] And honestly, it all started
because Strath Haven got tripped up in the 4x8 trials and missed the finals,
perhaps one of the biggest surprises of day 1. That opened the door for a fresh
Fink and Speare to run their guts out and run angry on day 2 and, boom, a
couple of clutch performances emerge. It’s funny how these things work out
sometimes.
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