State Champ Recipe

Becoming a champion is what every athlete dreams of. Sure you want to be the hero, you want score points or hit home runs, but the fantasy is never scoring 65 and losing or running 1:49 and finishing dead last. It's always going to be about winning.

But unfortunately there can only ever be one winner in a given race. Only one guy can call themselves the state champion (well thanks to the class system that's not completely true but I won't rant about that here ...). And because there can only be one, some fantastic athletes are going to finish second and third and beyond. It's a fact the best doesn't always win.

But what's so beautiful about our sports of cross country and track and field is that everybody has equal opportunity to win. And it doesn't matter what you did in any previous race, if you win, your the best on that day and no amount of debating or lobbying can change the fact that you won.

That's what everyone is chasing this year as the fall gets under way and it's a time of hope, dreams and a thirst to compete again.

So as everyone tries to become a champion, let me give you a recipe that I've noticed seems to be the mixture for state champions.

The first piece is that you need the talent. That's the obvious one. Drew Magaha had a furious kick, and could run 1:48 a few weeks removed from Mono. That guy was gonna be a champ one day without a doubt.

The second piece is luck. The same guy who ran 1:48 a few weeks off mono, didn't win a state championship his entire senior year. He got sick and maybe he picked the wrong event, but he was just worn down from an unfortunately timed illness. He ran the fastest time in the state at 16 and 800 that year, but he didn't get the title. That was from some old fashioned bad luck.

The third piece is experience and timing. You need a certain career arc to get the title. You need to pay your dues, learn how to run rounds, learn the intricacies of the Hershey course, and develop some tactics. I could pick on Drew again here (once he learned proper racing tactics at the end of the spring of his sophomore year he was practically untouchable) but I'll point to somebody like Jack Huemmler or Ned Willig instead. Huemmler had a close third, and a heart breaking second in the 16 on his resume going into indoors. He redefined his strategy, learned to kick to win and said screw times. Willig gained confidence after years at a high level, dropping 4:11 and 1:51 PRs and running the Millrose games. Look at the arc of a guy like Max Norris or Ethan Martin and the same rules apply. They were just due for a win and they got it.

And the last factor, what I argue the most important, is the proper motivation. The key word here being proper. Everybody is motivated. You don't do this crazy sport without being motivated. But the guys who win have an extra something, something that you only gain after a tough loss or a bad break. If you look at every champ they have it.

Just look at the career arc of somebody like Tony Russell. As a sophomore he finishes 27th at states, just out of the medals. He can't quite grab a top medal in the mile or 1600 on the track. He's pissed about that and he's extra pissed because idiots like me keep saying he's too inexperienced and too young to win a state title. Plus he knows Henderson isn't winning the title unless he is 1st. Literally. So he runs one of the best, most intelligent XC races and gets his state title.

The next track season, people are singing his praises, he has the confidence but not the f you attitude of old. He loses some tough races on the track. He has some heartbreaking losses, including one on a national relay. He deals with injury.

That gives him the fire back. He's a man on a mission to become the best XC runner in state history. He adds his name to the sub 15 club and wins another state title. When the dust clears he's the best XC that I've watched in my decade or so of following the sport.

The proper motivation makes a good runner great.

This isn't just one example either. Think North Penn after they were knocked around at districts in 2011, a week later they are pulling off an unreal upset. Ross Wilson, outkicked at outdoor states in 2013, finds an unreal gear and runs one of the almost impressive 3200m marks in state history. Rico Galassi in 2013 after Shearn outkicked him. Shearn in 2012 after Trueman outkicked him.    Curt Jewett after the DQ. Curt Jewett straight up stole a 800 title from a bunch of guys with way faster PRs because he was in hard core pissed off killer mode.

My favorite stories are probably Ryan Gil and Wade Endress, although my teammate Palmisano has a good one as well. Or maybe Crits in 08. You will notice I'm rambling here like crazy? It's because there are so many examples of this it's absurd! I could write a book!

So there you go. There's the recipe. Now let's look to apply it. Just for fun.

The first bullet was most talented. That's a tough one to say. There certainly isn't a Magaha or Russell type talent on the radar right now, but I think the most talented guy is Dom Perretta from Beaver. The kid ran 1:52 as a soph and took double gold at AA states. Unreal poise for the moment, excellent race tactics. And don't take talented as an insult. Lots of runners want to do that which I never understood. It doesn't mean the guy doesn't work hard or want it because I know he does, he just also happens to have some natural gifts. Other candidates here: Brehm, Molino, Hockenbury

The experience thing fits lots of dudes. Kev James has been up there plenty of times. A couple other dudes already have state titles. As an XC guy, Abert might be most experienced because he has been unafraid to lead big races and has been grabbing district titles for years. But obviously all the D1 guys have a big leg up here. Sam Webb and Jake Brophy for sure. They have been racing the best guys twice a week for years. And Brophy has had quite the nice career arc for himself. As a sophomore he mixed it up in a variety of races. He battled some great XC guys, in a wacky an fast paced 3k indoors he put on a huge kick and almost got 2nd there. He got some Penn Relays big moment experience and ran a gutsy 4x8 leg against some true 800 guys when he is probably a 32 guy at heart (but could definitely run some sweet times at 16).

Luck is just that, luck. I hope the various studs we have seen suffer injuries in the past are healthy and ready to go by November.

And then the motivation. The key to put you over the top. Who takes the key there. Kachman qualifies big time from Bedford. A true underdog who is under appreciated without a doubt and has had a slew of second places and tough losses in his first two years. He is only gonna be a junior and has a nice rivalry with Hockenbury already. That's gonna be a fun race. Plus you got Abert, 2nd at states and a near miss at Footlocker regionals. Griffin Molino after his finish to his track season after his fast start resembles Tony Russell a lot right now. Maybe even Matt McGoey who has been waiting patiently behind the Martin twins and teammates who were stealing his spotlight.

My guy is probably Kev James though. Two tie breaker losses for the team title. A close call at XC states. A fantastic double at PCLs as a soph but still had trouble getting by Coyle. Runs 9:03 and ends up just 4th in an absurdly loaded 32. Huge 1200 legs but no Penn Relays title (although he does have a national title and state record which is pretty darn good ...). Even his last race of this past spring was a tough loss: he goes toe to toe with Reiny Barchet, who drops a massive PR to take the W. This a year after James runs a great 4:14ish mile as a soph but is easily overshadowed by Ritz and Brehm. Even the nationals race wasn't even his moment. Belfatto stole the show with that 4:11 and Smart ran a sick leg as well. I think this guy is sick of being in somebody else's shadow and might be ready to put all the close calls behind him and get his first state gold.

But really you never know. And in the end, no matter what the talent, experience, luck and motivation says none of it actually matters.

Whoever crosses the line first wins. Period. End of discussion. No bloggers or posters are really necessarily.

Thankfully that day doesn't come Til November ..... Let the debates begin