Chapter 4

Chapter 4: David and Goliath

West Chester Henderson came into the 2013 Cross Country season with National level expectations. The 2012 edition of their team was likely PA’s best squad since the 2006 Coatesville squad that won a national championship. Then they returned their top two runners and six of their top seven men overall for 2013 including state course record holder Tony Russell and All-American Reiny Barchet.

 

In other words, North Allegheny had their work cut out for them.

 

After a disappointing state meet, North Allegheny had made solid improvements on the track. They produced a talented 4x800m squad and had a few sub 9:30 3200m runners. However, they were outshined by a variety of teams including Bensalem, Pennsbury and Cumberland Valley. Even Fox Chapel, following a state championship performance by Ethan Martin, was looking like a powerful team in the WPIAL.

 

But when the fall of 2013 finally rolled around, the Tigers got back to doing what they do best: winning cross country races. With just a 20 second spread the boys from North Allegheny opened their season with a win at the Red, White and Blue Invitational, averaging sub 16 minutes on the course. The team took spots 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and scored just 30 points. Their top four runners, Matt McGoey, Cordon Luoco, Seamus Love and Scott Seel, all broke the 16-minute barrier in the race. They were also the top four returners from the previous year’s WPIAL championship squad. Added into the mix at the 5 spot, was another Junior, Hunter Wharrey, who delivered with a 16:05.

 

The team followed their dominant performance at RWB with another near record setting run at the challenging Hershey Parkview course. Against many of the other top teams in the state, the Tigers scored an unthinkable 31 points and averaged 16:33 on the very difficult course. At the time, only the national qualifying squads of O’Hara and Henderson had averaged a faster mark. NA’s spread fit with it’s usual brilliance, just 16 seconds, and the team’s top 5 runners were all in the top 10 overall finishers. Their entire top five placed in front of the third place team’s #1 runner (State College’s Will Cather).

 

NA’s class of 2015, their defining characteristic in 2012, was improving rapidly. With the addition of Wharrey, they now had Juniors who were legitimate medal threats. Their top 4 at pre-states were all Juniors as well. Matt McGoey, who finished 3rd at Pre States, seemed to be getting comfortable on the difficult Hershey course he had struggled on the year before.

 

Meanwhile, questions were swirling about Tony Russell’s health for Henderson. Their reigning state champion had suffered an injury during track season and after the team held him out of the Carlisle Invitational, some were worried about how vulnerable he would be at season’s end. O’Hara had seemed like the team with all the experience and talent in 2012, but had been upset by a rising group of juniors. Was Henderson headed for the same fate in 2013? North Allegheny was hoping history would repeat itself.

 

Henderson, behind an impressive performance by Tony Russell, had a strong showing at the Manhattan Invitational, while North Allegheny decided to rest their varsity runners at the Tri-State Championships. However, that didn’t mean the Tigers were outshined. With their “B” team, North Allegheny still finished second at Tri States and Senior Mike Becich finished 14th overall.

 

When the full varsity returned at the WPIAL championships, the extra rest appeared to have paid off. North Allegheny put four in the top 7 overall and scored 38 points. All this came despite an off day from Hunter Wharrey he finished 19th. The top seven runners all placed in the top 25, while no opposing squad had more than two in that range.

 

On the Martin brothers, two of the top five two milers in the state the previous year, had given the Tigers serious trouble as McGoey, Love and Luoco packed in right behind them. Then it was Jeff Van Kooten , with Scott Seel closely behind. If Wharrey was able to duplicate his Pre States performance when the team returned to Hershey, they had a legitimate chance at the upset. This was a true pack and, up until this point, Henderson had failed to show they were as complete of a team as they were in 2012.

 

Until the next day.

 

At the always-competitive District One Championships at Lehigh, Henderson scored just 60 points and averaged a jaw dropping15:34. Tony Russell became the first runner since 2006 to break 15 minutes on the course and his team followed his lead: all seven Henderson runners broke 16 minutes. It was the first time in course history that an entire team had broken this difficult time barrier. In 2011, there had been just eleven runners total that cracked 16 at Districts. Now seven runners from the same team had achieved it.

 

The pressure on the Tigers was ramped up immediately. Henderson had made a statement at Districts. The rest of the state was put on notice. A performance like that has to shake the confidence of their rivals and bring doubts to mind that may not have been there before.

 

Meanwhile, McGoey was beginning to draw comparisons to Ryan Gil, the legendary state champion and Footlocker finalist. Love, Seel, Luoco and Wharrey were still all medal threats on the right day. Those who enjoyed rooting for the upset seemed to be putting their eggs in the North Allegheny basket.

 

After a week of waiting, the teams gathered at Hershey, hoping to see the third NA-Henderson podium in five years. Looking to erase any painful memories from 2012, the NA boys got out near the front of a very fast opening mile. Their entire top six was out under five minutes, unprecedented for a team that had shown true patience the previous few state championships. But it was clear they had to push the boundaries: Henderson had sent all seven guys out in under seven minutes. Henderson’s top three were out well, but McGoey and Luoco had sat in behind. Love, who was happy to have both shoes at this point in the race, was the team’s #3.

 

At the mile, Henderson sat atop the standings with North Allegheny about 30 points back in third. Splitting them was Cardinal O’Hara.

 

O’Hara had returned Kevin James and Jim Belfatto from their 5th place team at Nationals and transfer Nick Smart had adjusted well to the program. Together, those top three made O’Hara very dangerous. The key would be their 4th and 5th runners, who many doubted had a chance to keep pace with NA’s excellent pack. At the mile, Rob Morro had provided a big lift at the 4 spot, but there was a fairly sizeable gap back to the #5 man, Drew Pastore.

 

From 1 to 2 miles, North Allegheny fought hard to make up ground, but Henderson did not budge. By the 2 mile mark, Henderson had six runners in the top 38 overall. NA’s 6 in the top 60 would be fantastic in a typical year; however, against the Henderson machine, the team found themselves trailing 56 to 104. To make matters worse, the Tigers were having difficulty breaking O’Hara, who was right on their tail with 107 points. Morro and Pastore had stayed consistent, while Kevin James and Nick Smart both looked like potential top 10 finishers. If Jim Belfatto and Smart, excellent 800m runners, put on a late kick, North Allegheny could find themselves off the medal stand for the third straight year.

 

Over the final mile, Luoco, Seel, Wharrey and Love all made up some key places. Luoco and McGoey both claimed their first state medals while Wharrey, Love and Seel all finished in the top 50 overall. They couldn’t catch Henderson, who had held their decisive edge over the final mile, but at least, with such a tight spread at the top of the field, they would be back on the medal stand.

 

But it was not so easy. Cardinal O’Hara had not only placed two runners in the top 11 overall, but Drew Pastore and freshman Ryan James had put on huge moves over the last mile. They dropped the hammer on the way to the finish and gave their team a huge lift. For the second straight year, it appeared that North Allegheny’s tremendous pack may be beaten out by a team with a fantastic top three.

 

When the points were tallied, North Allegheny had beaten O’Hara by just 4 points and were fortunate to be on the medal stand and receive the second place trophy. After dominating the Pre State meet, they had felt they had exercised their demons on the course, but when November hit, they still left Hershey feeling disappointed.

 

North Allegheny had run faster at the Pre State meet then they had the actual state meet and rumors were swirling that this team wasn’t clutch, was training improperly and, overall, was not state title material. To make matters worse, Seamus Love, one of the key members of their top five, was transferring schools.

 

At the end of the school year, the class of 2015 suddenly found themselves with their backs against the wall. After having such a talented young team for the previous three seasons, the 2014 season was their last chance at state gold.