College Freshman 2010-2011 (Part I)

Defining Runners

Hong Cho, Wissahickon

At Upper Dublin, our biggest rival was Wissahickon. The Wissahickon dual meet always felt different than the other ones (honestly, it was the only one that felt like it mattered, even when we were facing great teams like Cheltenham). So naturally, I was picking out guys on this squad as my own personal rivals. I’d go online and look at their times, comparing them to my own, and try to find a suitable guy to chase.

From an early age, I was chasing Hong. He was a year younger than me with more raw 400 speed, but our 800 times were comparable. Briefly. Hong and I were both trying to become sub 2 minute guys during the indoor season in 2010. At the Burdette Invite, Hong beat me by one spot and we both medaled, qualifying for Meet of Champs with about 2:03. But that was the last time I was even within sniffing distance of Hong.

From then on, Hong started to make big improvements. He and his Wissahickon teammates went on to grab a set of 4x8 medals at indoor states that year (his junior season). He suddenly became a consistent sub 2 minute guy and, at the outdoor state championships, he dropped all the way down to 1:53 and beat Sam Ellison (who, if you’ve been keeping with my posts, was a beast that season). But Hong still wasn’t at his peak just yet.

As a senior, Hong had his best ever XC season, qualifying for the state championships individually after spending his first few years coasting through the fall. The indoors, he medaled at 800 meters and ran the lead off leg for Wissahickon’s state championship winning DMR. But for the second straight year, when things got the spring, Hong turned it up to a whole other level.

Cho rolled through his races from 400 through 1600. He beat Dustin Wilson in the 1600 at the PTFCA Carnival and clocked a 47 split on the 4x400. However, his best event remained the 800 meters. Hong dropped a 1:50.92 at the District One Championships to set the meet record before winning states against a stacked field in windy conditions a year later. In a field at Henderson, with ideal conditions and competition, Hong lowered his personal best to 1:50.41. At the time, the mark was PA #6 all-time.

Ryan Gil, North Allegheny

North Allegheny had been a team on the rise throughout my high school years. They had some amazing runners during their WPIAL streak including Max Brown, Matt Jacob and Justin Taylor, but, ultimately, Gil was their first transcendent super star. As a freshman, Gil was a scorer on NA’s state squad, which finished 3^rd. The next year, he was a state medalist as a sophomore and was the #1 guy on a national qualifying team. When 4 of the top 6 guys from that time graduated, Ryan helped carry NA to 2^nd in the state (even better than their national squad) with a 3^rd place finish at states. He went on to qualify for the Footlocker National Championships to cap off his junior XC season.

That right there was enough to make the kid a hall of famer, but he still had some magic left. As a senior, Gil and his North Allegheny team emerged as an early favorite for the state title in a relatively wide open team competition. However, a foot injury sidelined Gil and the once invincible front-runner was pushed down the state rankings. In fact, when he finally returned to action, three guys from the same team (the North Hills monster) defeated him. The Tigers were also pushed as a team. Baldwin emerged as a legit WPIAL contender (winning Tri States) and, if it wasn’t for Gil’s 4^th place return at districts, their streak may have been over before it really got going. As things stood, with Gil in the line-up, they held off Baldwin at Coopers by just 6 points.

At states the defending state champions from Henderson were waiting for them, as were talented squads from the PCL and D6. And of course a rematch with Baldwin was in store.

As the state race started, it was unclear what Gil had in the tank. He raced off to a relatively conservative start, going through the mile in just 17^th place. His team followed his lead as they were 4^th at the mile. But Ryan stayed patient. Barely back running after his stress fracture, Gil moved to 7^th at the two mile and timed his move perfectly to escape an absolutely stacked group and win the state title in 15:52. The three guys immediately behind him would all go on to qualify for national championships at the end of the month, but Gil was savvy enough to defeat them all in the big moment. And, oh by the way, North Allegheny won the state championship as a team, charging home on the final mile to win by 22 points.

By the way, Gil’s track achievements were pretty spectacular as well. He won a state title at 3k as a senior and was state runner up in the 3200 as a junior (with a time of 9:03). Gil clocked a 4:12 1600 equivalent at Baldwin and also picked up an indoor mile state medal as a junior. In 2011, he helped NA qualify for indoor states as a team in the DMR (they placed 10^th).

As a senior, Gil looked poised for an outdoor title in the 3200, but surprisingly pulled out of the field after falling ill at districts.

Wade Endress, Altoona

Wade is one of my favorite PA runners of all time-and I’m not just saying that because he was the first person to ever ask for a picture with me. The Altoona grad was always a factor in big races and was never afraid to race the best or try a crazy double. As a senior in XC, Endress trekked across the state to race all the biggest names. He went to Coatesville to race Chris Campbell. He went to Coopers to race the WPIAL names. He went to Carlisle to take on the mid-state guys. Endress didn’t take the gold at any of those meets, losing to Chris Campbell and the North Hills monster, but when he got to the state championships, he had learned from those races. Wade sprinted his way to a silver medal, only topped by Gil.

In track, Endress was known for doubling or tripling in every meet that mattered. Altoona was usually in the mix for a team title or top finish and Wade wanted to help them get there. As a junior at outdoor states, Wade ran the 1600 and 800, medaling in both events with times of 4:15 and 1:53. This came after he doubled mile-DMR indoors and picked up major points in both events. But by his senior season, Wade was stronger than ever. He entered the indoor state meet as the favorite in the mile and, despite a great race from Nate McClafferty, dropped a 4:13 full mile to win the event. After that heroic, near record setting performance, Endress entered an 800 field that was stacked with defending state champ Luke Lefebure, relay stand out Kyle Moran and future state champ Hong Cho. All three of those guys were fresh, but Wade didn’t care. He hung tough to the pace and unleashed his signature kick to storm across the line in first place. In the process, he set a new meet and state record at 1:51.73 – beating what had, at the time, seemed like an improbable record from Tom Mallon two years earlier.

Unfortunately, Endress had injury trouble during his senior year outdoors. However, even though he was going to have to face some monstrous talents at less than full strength, Wade showed up at Shippensburg and delivered some awesome runs. He took 4^th in the 1600, running 4:13.77 and helping push the early stages of the race (which played a role in the state meet record) and then doubled back for 3^rd in the outdoor 800. Those were career best finishes on the outdoor oval for Wade.

All this traveling and doubling may make it sound like Wade was out to show off and look like a star. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Wade took every chance he had to not just elevate himself, but his team. Over his years at Altoona, the program grew from off the radar to a massive power. They had two top 5 finishes in the state in XC, took 2^nd in the DMR, ran well under 8 minutes for the 4x8, and won multiple team titles. Wade was willing to sacrifice himself to go for the team wins and set an example of how to race every time he hit the track. He was a winner in all senses of the word.

Defining Teams

Abington & CB West

During this two year stretch, you couldn’t talk about one of these two schools without talking about the other.

For Abington, I think the story really starts in 2008 with Kyle Moran. From the time he was a freshman, Kyle was a revelation on Abington’s team. My sophomore year (Kyle was a freshman), we raced against Abington in the TFCAofGP frosh/soph 4x8. This was our one chance to win the event before moving on to varsity races. We got out to a good start before Kyle absolutely took over on the second leg of the race. It was the first time I saw him race and it was the start of something big. Kyle exploded over the course of the season and the Abington middle-distance dynasty began to emerge.

The Ghosts entered the 2008 indoor state meet as the #3 seed, but couldn’t hold that position and fell out of the medals. In 2009, they came in as the #1 seed, the only squad to break the 8 minute barrier with a 7:57 season best. They were also the #1 seed in the 4x400, led by Chris Morales. However, they had to settle for 4^th place in both relays. Jump to spring 2009. Abington is once again a factor in both relays and their 4x8 drops a monster time of 7:47 but somehow that wasn’t enough to medal in the stacked field. Seemingly, the mid distance squad had that long awaited breakthrough when they shocked Altoona on the anchor of the 4x4 relay, knocking off the highly touted Brady Gehret. However, an unexpected DQ call knocked them off the medal stand completely.

In 2010, Abington entered the state meet as true favorites in the 4x8. The only team within striking distance was CB West, but Abington had the deeper squad and the faster seed. Still, there were doubters about Abington’s ability to perform under pressure (like me). After Kyle Moran finished 10^th in the open 800 (in a wacky final), it seemed maybe these guys were just cursed.  But it turns out there was nothing to fear. Moran and teammate Charles Ross absolutely dominated the closing stages of the 4x8 and won the state gold 7:50.86 to West’s 7:53.23. They added a silver behind a legendary Cheltenham 4x4 and all seemed right for the Ghosts.

Unfortunately, Kyle had injury trouble in the spring of his junior year. Abington fought valiantly to hold on without him, but they ended up 2^nd at the district finals behind that same squad from CB West. Of course, CB West had their own troubles. Although they had raced well indoors, their team had been largely buoyed by the efforts of Nick Scarpello. The senior was a breakout star, medaling in the mile at states before doubling back to hand his squad the silver on the 4x8. But now, he too was hobbled, struggling home on his 4x8 anchor carry to keep West ahead. Would he have anything left to anchor the team at the state final?

A week later, both Abington and CB West came to play. West needed someone to step up and they got it-junior Matt Bee clocked a massive 1:53 leg to position his team alongside Cedar Crest on the anchor leg. Then Charles Ross of Abington went to work to bring his team back into the mix on the last lap. Seemingly every team was still in contention for the win before Cedar Crest pulled away, leaving CB West with silver and Abington with bronze. But are protagonists were set for 2011.

Here we are. Kyle Moran, ending his legacy as a senior in 2011, looked to carry his Abington team on one last ride. Things got off to a fast start as Abington smoked a state record-without Moran. The team’s 4x400 relay blasted a 3:16.78 to set the 4x400 state record, led by anchor Will Taylor. Then, a day later, Abington doubled down with a 7:45.93 in the 4x8 to grab another record. Moran brought things home with his a blazing anchor carry of 1:52.8.

All this meant that Abington would toe the line at states as heavy favorites in both events. They were also the front runners for the team title. However, that team title would require some doubling. Moran was entered in the open 800 while his 4x8 teammates Will Taylor, Macey Watson and Tevin Smith all had 400 duties. That all went successfully (2-3 in the 400 for Taylor and Watson, 2^nd in the 800 for Moran) leaving just the relays to close things out.

The 4x8 was first and, seemingly, the easiest victory. Abington’s seed time of 7:45.93 was nearly 15 seconds ahead of anybody else in the field-CB West was next closest at 7:59.46. But CB West had gone all in on the 4x8 relay. They were completely fresh for the event and knew they had the potential to do something big. The team of Mike May, Matt McGarvey, Matt Bee and Connor Manley ran a consistent race and kept their team out front. The first three splits were 1:57-1:57-1:56 which put Manley in a position to close it out. To date, Manley didn’t have any flashy times and McGarvey and Bee had arguably been bigger stars, but Connor had his coming out party with a 1:54 anchor to not only hold off Kyle Moran but also run a new state record of 7:45.06. That record, despite an onslaught of attempts from great teams, still holds up today.

Abington ended up with the team title, but CB West left with the record. Shortly thereafter, Abington chased that 7:45.06 mark at Nationals. They came close (7:45.21), but couldn’t quite there. Despite winning a national title behind another flawless Kyle Moran performance (with big help from Macey Watson on leg 2), the Ghosts came up just short of the ghost of CB West.

Heading into outdoors, the rivalry was better than ever. At the Penn Relays we got to see another CB West vs. Abington match-up. This time both squads had the same amount of fresh legs and the times did not disappoint. The squads pushed one another to what was then the #3 and #6 best 4x8s in state history 7:37.79 and 7:38.97. Macey Watson got things started for Abington with a 1:56.23 and then the squad’s secret weapon emerged. Will Taylor found his legs in the 800 after being more of a sprint specialist and rolled to a 1:53.01 carry. Despite a herculean anchor of by Manley at 1:51.51, CB West couldn’t catch up to Abington. Surprisingly, Moran could “only” clock a 1:53.26 as some injury concerns started to bubble up for the senior.

The next time the two schools saw each other was at Districts, however both squads weren’t the same as what they had been indoors. Mike May was out for CB West, replaced by junior Nico Metzler. Abington had decided to throw in a relative “B” squad for the 4x8 at districts. Metzler held his ground well as West rolled easily to a 7:46.07 victory. Meanwhile, Abington raced mid pack and left with just 5^th overall. Abington tried to spread out their talent to get more points but, perhaps ironically, it was CB West who left the meet with the district title.

If you’re looking for the juicy part of the story, look no further than this. Abington initially entered Taylor and Watson in the 400 and Moran in the 800 for states. However, by the time they toed the line in Shippensburg they had a change of heart. Watson and Taylor both false started in the 400 and then Moran picked up a similar penalty in the open 8. Suddenly, the team was all in on the 4x4 and 4x8 relays and CB West was actually the one putting more on their plate as Connor Manley was in the 800 state final.

For whatever reason, Abington had already been a team that had been the center of fans animosity. So add in some sketchy false starts and a problematic viral internet video and things were really heating up as the 4x8 started on Saturday morning.

The Abington race strategy seemed to be get out fast and put the race away. Their legs shot off like rockets the first 400 meters, but on the second half of the race, they tied up slightly, allowing their opponents to sneak back into the picture. The Ghosts also made a surprise strategy change. They moved up the banged up Moran to 2^nd, out of his usual anchor role. He came through with his best race of the year, seemingly blowing the race open with a low 1:52 carry. But Matt Bee chipped away on leg #3 and then it came down to Will Taylor of Abington against Connor Manley of CB West with about 4 second of daylight between the two.

As had become the norm, Taylor shot off like a rocket and Manley did his best to keep pace. The lead just seemed too big to be overcome but slowly over the final 200, the fans could see Taylor tying up. In a stunning turn, Manley sprinted up alongside the struggling opposition and took a dive at the line. Both runners were neck and neck but the video replay showed that CB West had overtaken Abington with a time of 7:41.51 vs. 7:41.57. All the other schools were over six seconds off the pace.

An epic rivalry between the two programs ended fittingly with a dive at the line.

Fans from back in the day may also remember the 4x4 results at the end of the meet. A year after O’Hara had hawked down Charles Ross of Abington with a blister 46.1 anchor from Corey “Philly” Brown (yes, that Philly Brown), O’Hara once again ran down Abington in the final race as Taylor had to settle for silver again. It was a rough finish to the Abington team from that season, but what a heck of a run they had. They were truly an elite 4-8 school, with some of the most disciplined and hardworking sprinters willing to push themselves that extra bit to run the two lap distance.

CB West has the titles and the record, but for whatever reason, I find the Abington run from 2008 to 2011 much more intriguing. Of course, CB West may be in the middle of yet another run this year after wrapping up an indoor state title. They will be trying to defending their outdoor golds in the spring.

The North Hills Monster

In the same year where Ryan Gil jumped out of the pool and into the history books for North Allegheny, he’s somehow the second best story in the WPIAL. Nothing in my history quite compares to the North Hills Monster of 2010-2011. Yes, there have been equal or better trios (most notably the DT West trio of Hoey-Hoey-Sappey), but nothing was quite the same as watching the Monster at work. Allow me to explain. It could take a while.

In the fall of 2007 (like I said, it could take a while), Juris Silenieks (sorry Juris, but I will never spell your name right, no matter how hard I try) and Joe Kush of North Hills become stars. As a pair of freshman, the two runners took 46^th and 47^th at states, making them the #1 and #2 9^th graders in the field (#3, taking 52^nd place, was Ryan Gil). That heaped a good amount of expectation on this duo before they were even half way through their first year of high school. In 2008, those flashes looked like they may have been misguided as the boys struggled a bit, but by 2009 they were back and better than ever. With Kush leading the way at 15:48, Juris and Joe took 3^rd and 4^th in the WPIAL as juniors and 5^th and 13^th in the state. Outdoors, they clocked times of 9:12 and 9:15 for 3200 and established themselves as two of the best in their class once again.

But something was a little different in 2009-2010. It wasn’t simply a 1-2 punch any more. Zach Hebda had emerged from out of the boy’s shadow. He was 5^th at WPIALs, 27^th at States and had dropped a 9:17 3200 PR to end the year. That meant North Hills entered the 2010 XC season with 3 sub 9:20 guys, all of whom had been top 30 in the state. And keep in mind that North Hills was a power within the WPIAL for the last decade plus.

So Kush and Juris are going to be stars and Hebda is going to be a nice piece to round things out. That was the story line over the summer. But Zach had other ideas. At the always fast Red, White and Blue Invitaitonal, Hebda knocked off his two teammates-and everybody else-with a blazing 15:16. Kush dropped a 15:23 and Juris added a 15:41. As a team, they finished 13^th in the standings-three freshman and a sophomore rounded out the top 5.

With Hebda hitting another level, the North Hills trio looked down right invincible. They continued to improve steadily until October when the trio swept the top 3 spots at the Tri State Invitational at Coopers with times of 15:39-15:39-15:50 (Juris-Hebda-Kush). They defeated Wade Endress, one of the early favorites for state gold and PA’s top guy from Carlisle, and everybody else. Could this team actually take all 3 of the top spots at states? It was absurd enough to imagine a 1-2 finish from a single team (at the AAA level, it’s almost impossible), but what about a 1-2-3?

The frenzy was only amplified at WPIALs when North Hills did it again: a 1-2-3 finish, this time over Ryan Gil of North Allegheny. Hebda led the way with a 15:29 on the Coopers Lake course and Silenieks and Kush were also under 15:40. How many programs have had three guys under 15:40 on that course in its history? Let alone in the same race.

With the pressure on, North Hills jumped into the state final. Hebda, who had never even grabbed a state medal before, led the charge through the mile with Juris right alongside him. The two paced it through at 1-2 with Kush hanging back in 19^th. Although they had been dominate to date, at 2 miles, their pack was shaken up a bit. Hebda was back to 5^th, Kush was at 14^th and Juris was the one leading the way in 4^th. Reece Ayers led the charge with a hard surge and a familiar face in Wade Endress was 3^rd. They gave it everything they had over the final mile, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. Hebda fought valiantly and took 3^rd, Kush jumped up to 10^th and Juris slipped to 11^th. Three guys in the top 11 at states. It was historic, but it also somehow felt like a disappointment.

Apparently the North Hills guys felt that way as well. Juris and Kush convinced Hebda to extend his season through the extra month to the Footlocker Northeast Regional and the trio trained together for the extended time. After weeks of waiting for the chance at redemption, the North Hills boys came through. Hebda led the way with a top 10 finish a Footlocker qualifying spot, Juris was 11^th, barely being edged for a spot at Nationals and Kush was 13^th. Three guys from the same team were top 13 in all of the Northeast Regional. Now this lived up to the hype.

If you’re wondering, the North Hills boys found some solid success on the track as well. After all qualifying out of District 7, the trio took 2^nd, 5^th and 6^th at states in the 3200. Under hot conditions, Hebda challenged for gold and raced to a 9:07.93 PR. Kush and Juris ran 9:20 and 9:21 respectively.