The Etrain 11: Wyomissing? More Like Wyo-making

After squeezing through the crowd, I reappeared on the opposite side of the final hill. I was a bit taller than the average spectator in my area so I opted to stand behind and utilize my tippy toes. The AA State Champion was about to be crowned and there was tension in the air. Over the loud speaker, they had just announced the standings at the 2 mile mark. Harbor Creek led the way, but just 4 points back was Dallas. A few of their supporters were waiting nervously not far in front of me. York Suburban, the runners up in 2016 and 2015, were in 4th place but were only 21 points out of the lead with a history of making a strong final surge. Their supporters were behind me as Isaac Davis rolled through the final hill and cruised to an individual state championship. A short while later, I could hear the cheers: “C’mon Bryce!” As I raised myself up to full height again, I saw York Suburban’s #1 runner come into view and take the first spot in team scoring.

No more than 10 seconds later was a Harbor Creek. Another Harbor Creek. Then a York Suburban. Two Dallas. A third Harbor Creek. It was hard to keep it all straight. Especially this far into the race. Every second a person was coming by, sometimes in waves of two to three. As Wyomissing’s first runner put on a sprint to the finish, a pack of four runners were closing in on the finish at the same time. Three of those were other team scorers. In the results, four runners crossed the line at the exact same time of 16:51. But the first of those finishers was Wyomissing’s Joe Cullen.

***

Cullen has been a team leader on Wyomissing long before his senior season. As a sophomore, he anchored his team’s 4x800 with a herculean anchor split. Less than a year later, he was a district champion in cross country and a state medalist. As a result of his leadership, Wyomissing finished 11th in the state in cross country. However, despite an excellent fall, they left 2016 wanting more.

“Last cross country season was a rollercoaster of ups and downs as it unfolded,” said Ben Kuhn, a then freshman on Wyomissing’s 11th place team, “But fluke or by burn-out, members of our team consistently had terrible races at states.”

On the track was where Wyomissing seemed to naturally excel. Cullen in particular shined in 2017. After anchoring his Wyomissing team to second in the state, he ran 4:13 in the 1600. He also added a 1:53 open 800 meter performance to his list of accomplishments. But could that success be duplicated on the trails?

“Knowing that we are perennial contenders in track gave us a lot of confidence that we could step up to be a state-caliber cross country program,” Joe said, “In trying to take our program to the next level, we sought to emulate the consistency with which we’ve achieved our success in the 4x800 and 4x400.”

After leading the team at Paul Short and Districts, Cullen finished the state championship for Wyomissing as their #1 guy for a second straight year and earned another state medal for his quickly expanding collection.

***

After Cullen sprinted past, there was a bit of a pause as we waited for another recognizable jersey in the team title race. Then, at about the 17 minute mark of the race, two more Wyomissing jerseys came streaking into view. Ben Kuhn and Matt Driben were sprinting hard toward the finish. Driben had been in 76th place at the mile, but had moved up some 40 spots since then. Of course, he had overcome much more than that to get to this point.

***

Although Cullen was a leader on the course and in the locker room, but the 2017 Wyomissing squad would not have been as lethal if it wasn’t for the emergence of their 2-3 punch: Ben Kuhn and Matt Driben. From the first invitational at Paul Short, these two had made a name for themselves with times of 16:04 and 16:12 respectively.

“Having my teammates step up was huge,” Cullen said about the rise of his closest teammates. The importance of this was perhaps clearest at the Berks County Championships. It was here that Kuhn and Driben stepped up to the #1 and #2 positions on the team, filling the low stick shoes in a moment of need on a difficult course. The pair doubled down on that success by finishing 3rd and 9th in the District, with Kuhn the top returner for the 2018 edition of the race.

It was unclear in the preseason how good either of these harriers would be. Kuhn was just a sophomore and, although he had shined as a rookie, it’s rare to see a sophomore who contributes as much as he did in his second year in high school. For Driben, a senior, the trepidation did not revolve around youth, but instead, ironically, from experience.

“My sophomore year, I had two high hamstring injuries that damaged my performances during XC postseason,” Driben recalls, “Then, I suffered a knee injury in August going into my junior year that prevented me from running the entire cross country season.”

This would have been crushing to an average running, but not to Driben. He cross trained feverishly, peaking at a 100 minute bike workout. The hours he put in away from the track made him that much stronger when he returned, resulting in some great performances in the spring of 2017. But perhaps the biggest breakthrough came at Paul Short with his 16:12.

“Our first and only invitational of the season, Paul Short, had fantastic conditions and it was awesome to roll on the long, flat straightaways at Lehigh. It’s not often that a high school senior gets a 50-second PR, and I was in disbelief with not only how I had performed, but also that we had our top 6 guys under 17 minutes.”

***

Soon after Kuhn and Driben crossed the finish line, a 3rd runner from Dallas and a 3rd runner from York Suburban came into view. That meant if Wyomising wanted to have any shot at the state title, they would need their 4-5 to come through quickly. Well, Josh Diehl and Thomas Foster did not make their teammates wait long. Diehl closed the gap on York Suburban’s #3 Josh Kerr, placing just one spot behind him in the standings. Then Foster, at 17:19, came across the line 6 seconds later. Foster was one spot ahead of Dallas’ #4 man Josh Wyandt and 3 spots ahead of Harbor Creek’s #4 Nate Dougan. Helping to push Foster and Diehl along was Ryan Vargo, Wyomissing 6th man and another reliable contributor who raced through 2 miles with his teammates and hung on for a top 100 finish, 46 seconds faster than he ran a year earlier.

If Wyomissing was going to sneak in and steal the state title, it would have been thanks to this back part of their varsity line up.

***

Josh Diehl, Thomas Foster and Ryan Vargo were the 4-5-6 guys on Wyomissing’s state qualifying squad in 2016. However, that season, none of these boys cracked 18 minutes on the Hershey course. As a result, Wyomissing was 11th in the team standings. Knowing how critical their improvement would be to the team’s success, this trio used the summer to get out and train hard. However, it would be a while before they got to taste the fruits of their labor.

“We intended to keep a low profile and not go hard until Paul Short and post season,” said Vargo, “My teammates and I were looking to be noticed by the state, but we did not want them to know what we were capable of.”

“Yet.”

At Paul Short, Vargo led the way for the Wyomissing trio and ran 16:55 while Diehl and Foster followed closely behind, also cracking the 17 minute barrier. Wyomissing beat out two-time defending state champs Dallas and got their confidence going.

“With the incredible races that my teammates had, we realized we had a chance to win states, and that meet was one of the most important moments in the season.”

Building from that moment, the Wyomissing pack only became stronger. By the time their county and district meets concluded, the spread for this team had started to shrink significantly. And Wyomissing’s competition around the state was finding out just how much that impacted the results.

“At Paul Short we almost had 2 packs running, one of our top three up front and then a good distance behind them our 4 through 6 guys,” sophomore Thomas Foster explained. “We knew that we would need to close the gap between those two packs to compete at a high level, and the three of us worked hard to close it up. It all came together at states.”

***

“About 15 minutes after I crossed the finish line, I remember laying collapsed on the ground queasily as I watched another team start celebrating,” Joe Cullen remembers, “My teammates and I were hoping for a second place finish at that point; winning seemed out of the question.”

One of the trickiest things about being a fan of Cross Country is the fact that isn’t always obvious when watching a race which team won. It’s not like football or basketball where a scoreboard keeps the standings for you. It’s not until after the race is finished, results are verified and math is calculated that you actually know who came out on top.

So as fans from all sides waited, second guessing their races, trying to remember which jerseys were close by, the tension and excitement grew until finally it burst to the surface.

“The greatest part of this past season will always be winning states,” said Josh Diehl, perhaps the MVP of the season, “I can still remember the bitter taste of disappointment and then the explosion of excitement when we saw the results and realized the Wyo Boys Cross Country team had just taken their first state title ever in the history of the program. All the time and effort our coaches and team had put into finding results of our competitors, comparing time spreads and making sure our bodies had enough time and care to recover had paid off.”

There are no perfect days at the state championship, but Wyomissing’s guys ran hard for one another on state Saturday. When they needed someone to step up and make a play, that’s what they got.

“Although our top 3 were aiming for states medals, we knew our strength was our back end,” says Driben, “We figured if our #4 and #5 were close to our top 3, we would have a decent shot at winning. And they delivered- our #4 and #5 beat all other AA teams’ #4 runners. In fact, the only team in any classification that had a better #5 than Thomas was LaSalle which won in AAA.”

Thomas Foster, that critical number five man, had this to say about the golden moment: “Our team is a very tight knit group, and we spend a lot of the time throughout the year training together, so it seems fitting that any major victory like a state title should be won through the contribution of each member of that group.”

You cansee the full interview with the Wyomissing squad here. This group seems very professional and well-written. They are confident in their abilities, but also respectful of their opponents and incredibly appreciative of their coaching staff’s time and effort to get them to this point. Every one took the time to thank their coaches and praise their competition. Hard to believe there were only 2 seniors in this group! Everyone seemed mature (and fast) beyond their years! Congrats to a deserving group of state champions and good luck going forward!

The Etrain 11: The Roman Empire

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

You’ve probably heard that expression before. It’s that annoying saying that your dad said when you struck out at your first baseball game. It’s that sarcastic comment your more fashionable friends make when they convince you to stop wearing sweat pants and start wearing jeans-but you’re still wearing the race t-shirts.

However, if you’re a runner, it’s more than a throwaway. It’s the definition of training. Much like Rome (or, you know, basically any city), a runner’s fitness is not accumulated in a day. Or a week. Or even a year. People may be amazed by how far or fast you run, but to you this level of fitness is surprisingly ordinary. It snuck up on you as part of a long, gradual transition. Running is a process. And you have to trust it.

Oh goodness, I did not mean to do that. Pretend I said evolution or progression or something.

For the Spring Ford Rams, that-um-advancement has been years in the making. It’s hard to pinpoint where anything starts, but I look at the 2011 season. Spring Ford was 37^th in the District that year with 982 points. But look a little closer and you can see the start of something. Senior Joseph O’Such became the first state qualifier from Spring Ford in recent memory. It was a break through the program needed to show others what was possible.

The next year, the Spring Ford boys jumped from 37^th to 19^th in the district. This time they had two state qualifiers: senior Michael Cassidy and sophomore Paul Power, perhaps the most important piece of them all.

Paul Power may have graduated in 2013, but his impact on the Spring Ford program is still felt to this day. And that’s not just through his Power siblings. In 2014, Power was a state title contender. He had already qualified twice for states and medaled there in 2013. But now he was the Foundation Champion, running a blazing fast 15:50. Seeing his breakthroughs was inspiring, especially for a young core of runners. With Power at the helm, Spring Ford took 12^th at Paul Short and 17^th at Districts. The young squad included two freshmen among their scorers: Zach Smith and Shane Ainscoe.

And so the dominoes continued to topple over. One moment builds off the next. But that doesn’t guarantee that all pieces will fall in succession. Things looked great for Spring Ford in 2015 as a squad that prominently featured three star sophomores ran away with their league title. At districts, they finished in the agonizing 6^th spot. However, they were young. With the exception of senior standout John Conner, Spring Ford was bringing back everybody from their varsity, including those three talented sophomores. Surely, the 2016 season would continue to bring big strides forward.

But it wasn’t meant to be. Something was off in the formula as Spring Ford took 6^th yet again at the next year’s district championships. The narrative of prior years where Spring Ford was a “young team on the rise” was replaced by the fear of being “chokers”. The legacy of the class of 2018 could end up as “what could have been”.

Yet as we all know, Rome was not built in a day. Armed with the devastation of years prior, Spring Ford came back with a vengeance in 2017. After Shane Ainscoe made a big leap in 2016, his now senior teammate Jacob McKenna followed suit a year later. At Paul Short, McKenna provided a huge front running edge with a 15:48 while teammate Zach Smith followed in behind him under 16 minutes. Overall, Spring Ford won the Paul Short Invite, defeating emerging powerhouse Downingtown West.

The team was led by four battle tested seniors. Along with McKenna, Smith and Ainscoe, the Rams also boasted Milan Sharma, an 800 speedster who had made a very successful transition to the trails in 2016. However, the real x-factor was their youngest runner. A guy who hadn’t been around back in the Paul Power days and was likely in elementary school back when Joseph O’Such punched his ticket to states. John Zawislak, a freshman sensation, took this team’s ceiling to another level. Learning from his senior mentors, Zawislak nearly broke 16 minutes at Paul Short and then, in arguably the most pressure filled meet of the season, provided a key #2 leg for the Rams as they finished 4^th in the district. After three years of struggle, Spring Ford finally punched their ticket to Hershey.

With the proverbial monkey off their back, Spring Ford raced across the Parkview hills with a sense of freedom. Almost across the board, the team saw breakthroughs. McKenna, who had finished just 23^rd at districts, took 20^th overall at states. Ironically, his finish matched exactly to Paul Power’s all-important first medal for Spring Ford in 2013. After finishing a disappointing 63^rd at Lehigh, Shane Ainscoe rallied with a huge performance at Hershey, taking 57^th overall. Their freshman, Zawislak, took an incredible 50^th overall, making him just the 5^th runner his age to break into the top 50 at AAA states in the last decade. With Zach Smith moving up 24 spots on the last mile and Milan Sharma bringing it home strong, Spring Ford jumped from 7^th at the 2-mile all the way to 4^th at the finish.

In a span of just six years, Spring Ford had gone from an afterthought in the district to the #4 team in the state.

***

In 2012, Bishop Shanahan was 45^th in the district. They scored 1,109 points at Lehigh’s championships. But what they had on that season’s roster were freshmen Chris Kolimago and Seamus Breslin. In a few years time, those two would be critical pieces on a state caliber team. Starting in the 2014, Shanahan made the switch to AA for XC. The small school made a nice jump, moving from 40^th in AAA to 3^rd in AA during the first year. Seamus Breslin was a state qualifier for Shanahan with his 4^th place finish.

But where this XC team really found its strength was, funny enough, on the track. In 2015, Shanahan surprised everybody with a 7:53 at the District One Championships. The upstart 4x8 nearly found themselves in the state final before people even had time to realize where they came from. Chris Kolimago was the strong lead-off runner for the squad that season and his heart set the tone for the relay behind him.

After their emergence on the track, the proceeding XC season seemed like a great opportunity to prove that wasn’t a fluke. Using a pack mentality, the Shanahan boys won the White Race at Paul Short and then survived a 1-2 finish by HG Prep to qualify for states out of the AA classification. Freshman Jack Ettien along with his brother Blake provided a killer 1-2 punch at the district meet. Sophomore Logan Yoquinto was also coming on strong at the right time. At states, Ettien and Yoquinto were the #1 and #2 runners for Shanahan. Despite the fact that their #1 runner was just 35^th, Shanahan rolled to 3^rd in the state and posted a strong spread to take the bronze.

Still, this was in AA. Most AAA schools in District 1 will dismiss those results without much consideration. So a year later, when Shanahan moved back to the largest classification, they would have the chance to really show what they could do. Of course the big news in 2016 wasn’t Shanahan’s transfer to AAA, it was the transfer of Josh and Jonah Hoey to their program.

In a quick span, Shanahan had went from obscurity to the center of attention for the distance running community. Josh Hoey, the reigning Penn Relays champion in the mile as only a sophomore, was perhaps the biggest star in the sport and after he and his brother Jaxson had led DT West to a state title in 2015, expectations were very high for Josh and his brother Jonah. But Shanahan’s 2016 season was shaky and things didn’t gel quite the way many were (ambitiously) projecting. Injuries loomed and a small school needs everything to click to make noise against the bigger ones.

However, Shanahan didn’t throw away the 2016 district meet. They had the chance to rest up and switch over to track, but all of their varsity runners raced. Josh Hoey gutted out a 15:53 and the team got clutch races from Jon McGrory and Logan Yoquinto to pair with Jonah Hoey and Jack Ettien’s best races of the year. In a somewhat surprising finish, Shanahan had 5 guys under 17 minutes and took 12^th in the district, one spot ahead of Ches-mont Champions West Chester Rustin. And, as many noticed, their whole top 5 was coming back in 2017.

After spending years near the back of the AAA field, Shanahan found itself full-fledged contenders in 2017. From the first meet, it was clear that Shanahan was clicking better than they had the previous year. But depth was still a concern. One injury to someone in their top 5 and that could crush their hopes of state qualifying. To further complicate their state qualifying hopes, Shanahan faded from 2^nd at the mile to 8^th at the finish in the Paul Short Invite, losing to 4 other District One teams. On top of all that, it looked like Logan Yoquinto, one of the team’s most reliable and clutch performers, would miss the district meet.

But this program was ready for the challenge. Just as they had the previous year, Shanahan entered the district meet looking like they had no momentum. The absence of Yoquinto made qualifying for states a real long shot. However, the boys came to play. Josh Hoey set the tone with a 15:12 time and a close 2^nd place finish individually. Then came his brother Jonah, posting his best race of the year in 10^th. Jonathan McGrory, who learned a lot starting his sophomore season as a varsity member of the state qualifying 2015 squad, delivered a 16:24 as the team’s #3 and that set the team up well. Now they just needed someone to fill the shoes of Yoquinto. That role came to Ryan Doherty who stepped up with the pressure on and delivered a 16:56 mark. With Doherty in the clubhouse under 17, Shanahan was in to the state championship despite the fact that it was one of the district’s smallest schools.

But no. They weren’t finished. Shanahan entered the state meet with what was still a long list of question marks. They had snuck into the state field, but at Hershey some thought their depth could be exposed. However, Shanahan didn’t come to the Parkview course to get exposed. The squad stormed through the course and got themselves in a strong position early. The top 3 delivered big performances as expected, but the #4-5 punch was the difference maker. Jack Ettien, who had first come to states as a freshman in 2015, raced incredibly clutch just as he did that day. Ettien finished 60^th in the team standings as the team’s #4 runner and edged out 9 other team scorers by 2 seconds in the final stretch. Those 9 points ended up being quite critical as Shanahan placed 5^th in the state, edging out WPIAL champs Seneca Valley by just 3.

3^rd in AA and 5^th in AAA. All that coming shortly after this squad was 45^th in the district. It’s one of the greatest turnarounds we’ve seen in the state.

***

In 2013, Owen J Roberts was 34^th in the district. The team had no finishers outside the triple digits. But this was a young team with three sophomores and a freshman in the top seven. There was room to grow. And, oh by the way, they were about to add one of the best runners in state history to the equation.

Freshman Liam Conway burst onto the scene in 2014 with a 16:10 run at Paul Short. He helped elevate OJR to 24^th in the standings at the meet. A few weeks later, when the school returned to Lehigh, Conway became the team’s first state qualifier since 2007. But he wasn’t alone. Junior Abe Van Helmond ran a fantastic race to take 34^th overall and snag one of the last five qualifying spots to states. The previous year, Abe had finished 264^th in the district, meaning he made a 230 spot jump in the final standings. Although Conway’s arrival was important, it was perhaps this breakthrough that changed the tone of Owen J Roberts XC for the years that followed.

After finished 24^th in the district in 2014, Owen J. Roberts came out with a vengeance in 2015. They were completely off the radar for most teams, but quickly announced their presence at the Foundation Invitational. OJR took 4^th overall in the team standings, defeating proven powers like State College and Cardinal O’Hara. Liam Conway and Abe Van Helmond led the squad as expected, but the pack behind them was what really brought things home. Only proven pack powers North Allegheny and LaSalle had a better pack as Ethan Conway, Sean Barone and Andrew Griffin bolstered the back half of the scorers.

However, the 2015 squad may not have been ready for the spotlight. After their hot start at Foundation and Paul Short, OJR slipped back at their league championships and lost to Spring Ford by a score of 38-70. The result likely meant their state qualifying dreams were over. However, the Roberts boys rallied at the District Championships and held on for 10^th in the final standings. It was a huge achievement for the program and, even if they weren’t heading to Hershey, it was something to be proud of for this program.

After graduating most of the core from that team, the 2016 OJR squad wasn’t expected to make waves. Only standout junior Liam Conway was in the state spotlight and he continued to excel. But the team was quietly accumulating young talent. At Foundation, a nice crop of returners got some experience on the Hershey hills. At Paul Short, the team finished a sneaky good 13^th place. They were second again at the Pioneer Championships and ended the season strong by taking 17^th at the district championship. Although the result wasn’t particularly head turning, you could tell that OJR was proud of that mark. Particularly, Andrew Malmstrom’s 16:37 breakthrough time caught some attention. Still, they had a long way to go to surpass the teams ahead of them, including not just perennial powers like CR North and DT West, but also league rivals in Spring Ford and Boyertown.

Feeling confident, Owen J. Roberts entered the 2017 season with dreams of making it to states. To see their passion, one only had to check out the comment section of the blog. Freshly graduated senior Sean Barone told everyone that Owen J would be “put on the map this year”. Some could have seen this as homerism, but in due time, it would prove to be a sign of things to come.

From the first major invite at Foundation, it was clear this team had improved. They placed 6^th in the varsity race and 2^nd in the JV race. This was a level of depth we had not previously seen from this program. However, there was still reason to be cautious. OJR was over 100 points back from those two league rivals in Boyertown and Spring Ford. It was hard to ignore the fact that front-runner Liam Conway had finished 57 seconds ahead of their #2 and Spring Ford had put 6 guys in front of their #3.

But Roberts worked through those concerns. Quickly. A week later at Paul Short, Linus Blatz delivered a huge day and ran 16:19 as team’s #3. In a blink, they had narrowed the gap on both Spring Ford and Boyertown. The depth that first caught my attention was on display again with their entire top 7 under 17 minutes. Then, at the Pioneer Championships, Andrew Malmstrom stepped up as the team’s #2. After finishing roughly a minute behind Liam Conway in the first two meets, he pulled that spread down to just 19 seconds at leagues. His teammates followed as the entire top 5 finished within a minute of Conway and OJR came within 2 points of knocking off Spring Ford.

Next came the moment of truth. OJR was now officially mentioned with the biggest names in the district. This school had finished in double digits for years in the crowded D1. Could they have a big breakthrough in 2017? The answer was a resounding “Yes”. Andrew Malmstrom doubled down on his breakthrough at leagues with a 15:48 and 9^th place finish. Kyle Malmstrom, who had his own big day at Pioneer, delivered a monster #3 performance in 28^th. Vincent Fennell was the man to step up in the #5 spot as his 16:53 made their state qualifying performance an easy lock. However, it wasn’t just a state qualifier. They took 3^rd in the district, defeating Spring Ford in a tight battle.

At states the next weekend, OJR brought home their first individual state medals since 2006 as Liam Conway and Andrew Malmstrom both cracked the podium. Thanks to another big day from Fennell and step up performance from David Brunton, Roberts finished an impressive 7^th place overall in the state.

In one year, Owen J Roberts went from 17^th in the District to 7^th in the state! To the untrained eye, that would look like Rome was built pretty quickly. But we know the foundation for this team was built a long time ago with a big piece, ironically, coming at a meet called Foundation.

***

Each of these three teams overcame the weight of history to place in the top 5 in a loaded district and the top 7 of the entire state. It didn’t happen with just one runner or just one race, but that didn’t mean that each runner and each race didn’t matter. During a race, most people don’t think about every individual step they take. But without every single step, you don’t get to the finish.

Some team right now is already taking their steps. If you scroll down the district one standings the next Spring Ford may already be hiding. Maybe it’s Oxford at 21. Maybe it’s Souderton at 33. Heck, it could even be Kennett at 38. It wouldn’t be the craziest story we’ve heard. All it takes is a couple well placed dominoes so that when one falls …

Well, you know how the saying goes.

The Etrain 11: Four Years In the Making

As runners, we typically put a lot of pressure on ourselves. Each workout could be overanalyzed-recycled through your mind with the hope of finding one small thing to make yourself better. The weight of that pressure can sometimes be crushing. So imagine having expectations thrust upon you from outside forces. Not just teammates or coaches, but also fans you’ve never met before.

At the 2014 Paul Short Championships, Owen J Roberts freshman Liam Conway turned heads with a blazing fast 16:10 in sloppy conditions. He was the top 9^th grader in the marquee invitational and his time was one of the best we’d ever seen from such a young runner at the beginning of October. His name popped up in the comment section on PA’s distance running blogs. Conway likely didn’t know it then, but from every point forward, XC fans would be looking for his name in results. Could this top tier freshman maintain his prowess? Would he develop into a future star?

It had to be quite a bit of pressure. A few weeks later, when Conway returned to Lehigh, he ran a mark of 16:21. Although he qualified for the state championships as a freshman (a rare feat from District One) and posted a terrific time, because of his early season success, these outstanding results were surprisingly underappreciated.

It was here, at this same district championship, that another freshman started to become a household name. Henderson’s Spencer Smucker took an impressive 18^th overall in this meet. The result was easily Smucker’s best race of the season, dropping a 16:15 in tough conditions. Smucker’s big breakthrough was the main reason Henderson came within a few points of winning the district championship for an unthinkable 6^th straight season.

Of course, Smucker wasn’t finished. A week later, Spencer topped all freshmen in the state by posting a 24^th place finish in the AAA state championship. Smucker’s medal winning performance marked the first time a freshman had cracked the podium since Vince McNally did it in 2004. All of a sudden, the expectations for this freshman went from reasonable to extraordinary. He entered a class of names that include some all-time greats and anything less than the best ever would suddenly be a letdown to some people.

As just a freshman in high school, that pressure can be overwhelming. It’s why some top young athletes disappear from the state landscape by the time they are seniors. Smucker and Conway, the top two AAA freshmen at states, were going to be featured names on Penntrack’s top returning list for an entire summer. They would instantly have bullseyes on their back from every kid who with a milesplit subscription: from District One all the way to Erie.

It’s hard to stay at the top. Even the previously unbeatable Mo Farah and Usain Bolt couldn’t close out their world championship careers with gold medals. People will always come along to challenge the throne. But as sophomores, the expectations really start to climb. The runners have had a year in the system, a year of growth and maturity and a year of experiences. Conway and Smucker were not the top 2 in AAA as sophomores, but they were #2 and #4 in the class. Smucker improved from 24^th to 15^th while Conway jumped into the top 30 for the first time with a 28^th place finish.

Although these results were excellent, other names were starting to permeate the class of 2018. Josh Hoey of DT West was a national qualifier, leading his team to a regional championship. Rusty Kujdych, one of the state’s fastest 3200 runners as a freshman, was making waves as an aggressive, gutsy racer. Other districts were creating contenders as well such as Noah Beveridge of Butler and Morgan Cupp of Mechanicsburg. All in all, 7 sophomores took top 50 spots at the 2015 state championships, one of the best totals in recent years.

By the time Conway and Smucker got to be juniors, they were still top tier names, but the narrative around them had clearly changed. The pressure of being the #1 runner in the class had drifted away, landing on runners like Kujdych and Hoey instead. Meanwhile, Conway and Smucker had other goals. Liam raced to his first individual championship in the Pioneer League. Smucker led his West Chester Henderson teammates to a seemingly impossible state qualifying performance as a team in the 2016 district championships. As juniors, “class ranking” titles didn’t matter so much. Other goals became more important and these two raced admirably, making many of those goals reality.

Ultimately, when the dust settled at states, Smucker was the #4 junior in AAA, placing 12^th overall. Conway suffered an injury at the end of the season and slipped back out of the medal hunt entirely.

Three plus years in high school gives you some perspective. For Smucker and Conway, they had seen what pressure was. They had been under the microscope from practically the time they entered the sport. That type of scrutiny would break certain types of athletes, but not this pair. They were determined to succeed.

During their sophomore and junior seasons, even though they were not “tops in their class” anymore, these two runners were consistently improving. Conway had yet to grab a state medal in XC, but he helped lead Owen J Roberts to a top 10 finish in the district and his school was suddenly emerging as a legitimate XC force. Plus, he made huge strides on the track. His junior season included two medals on the indoor oval and another outdoors, only denied state championships by Carlisle’s three-headed monster.

As for Smucker, he led Henderson to back to back state qualifying performances after they graduated the last ties to their state championship teams in 2012 and 2013. He started a new era by consistently improving as a front runner. Each year he went to Hershey, he got better and was closer to the front of the field. On the track, Spencer had his best ever season as junior, making the state final in the 1600 meters.

Conway and Smucker entered their senior seasons more battle tested than arguably any other runner they faced. In time, that would prove to be a blessing rather than a curse. The OJR senior made the first big statement, dropping a 15:08 at Paul Short to join a truly elite all-time list. The same meet that had originally put him on the map as a freshman also provided the result that would set the tone for his senior season. Smucker added some marquee moments of his own, breaking 16 at Carlisle and 13 at Manhattan for the first time. Both runners won their league championships, a first for Smucker, and Conway even led his Owen J Roberts team to a surprise third place finish in the district.

Entering the state championship, neither Smucker nor Conway had posted a top 10 finish in Hershey. In perhaps their final race, the pressure was on both to find a breakthrough. When the final standings were posted, Conway took 8^th place and Smucker took 9^th as the boys capped off their last state meet with career best finishes. For Smucker, it was his 4^th straight state medal, each one a higher place than the last. No one can boast that resume of elite running and consistent performance. Not even the all-time greats that freshman medal put him in the league of.

At the end of the day, the two top freshmen from the class of 2018 left Hershey with careers that almost all would be envious of. But they weren’t finished.

Entering national qualifying weekend, Smucker and Conway, once the first names on everyone’s minds, were relative afterthoughts in the conversation for who would punch tickets to the west coast. At Bowdoin Park, the runners both lined up with confidence. Under a surprisingly little amount of scrutiny, they raced. The same way they had every race leading up to that point.

After weeks of training outside of the regular season, most runners would be mentally worn out or defeated. But these two were stronger mentally than most. Conway stuck his nose in it for the win and was rewarded with a 2^nd place overall finish at the regional championships. Smucker put himself in a qualifying position and held on through to the finish, claiming the last of 5 automatic qualifying spots for Nationals.

When the results went official, it was revealed that Conway (2^nd) and Smucker (5^th) had posted the best two regional finishes from PA high schoolers at either Footlocker or Nike Northeast. In other words, Conway and Smucker capped off their regional meets just as they started their careers: as the top two PA runners in the class of 2018.

The talent that these runners displayed at an early age was undeniable. Anyone who looked at their results could tell you they had potential. But what you couldn’t know at that time was the determination and resiliency these runners had at their disposal. And, ultimately, that is what will define your success as a runner.

Congrats to Liam and Spencer on terrific careers. The next generation of PA runners is looking up to the positive examples you set.

Good luck to both runners at nationals. And, hey, have fun out there because, for once, there’s no pressure. 

The Etrain 11: Links for Articles

Outdoor:
Carlisle Transformed
Seneca Unrivaled
Bumgarner v Skolnekovich

Indoor:
Central of Attention
Putting the "Fast" In "Slow Heat"

Cross Country:
The Journey to Footlocker
Let's Do Some Shout Outs
Cross Country Edition

The Etrain 11: Carlisle Transformed

Carlisle Senior Matt Wisner sprinted down the homestretch, locked in a tight battle with Jaxson Hoey of Downingtown West and Joe Espinal of Wilson. The 800 specialist and Duke commit rolled through, fighting until the very end and ultimately coming up just short of his first ever state gold. All the same, Wisner crossed the line with a huge PR at 1:51.49, one of the top 50 times ever in Pennsylvania 800 history. And just like that, it seemed like the Carlisle state title window was over.

Zach Brehm had won a state title each of the previous three seasons at the 800, 1600 and 3200. Wisner was his prime protégé, waiting in the wings, learning from Brehm and honing his strength to match his mind numbing speed. Ultimately, it paid off in huge gains for Wisner over the course of his senior year. He grabbed a cross country medal as well as a pair of silvers in the 800. With Wisner graduating, it appeared like it would be an end of an era for a great Carlisle program who had pushed through state qualifying teams in the fall and district champion type relays in the spring. Without a logical star in the waiting, it seemed like another district three school would now rise in their place.

But then news broke. Stunning, nearly unprecedented news. A pair of brothers from New York, known as the Affolders, were scheduled to move to Carlisle area for the 2016-2017 school year. So naturally, it was time to look up these runners and see what kind of skills they had. It didn’t take long to find out they were truly remarkable athletes. The previous season, Noah Affolder, the oldest of the two brothers, had been Footlocker Northeast Regional champion over arguably PA’s best ever XC runner in Jake Brophy. And his little brother Sam had bested the national freshman class record in the steeplechase and placed 8^th at NY Federations meet.

Of course two runners is not enough to win you a state championship. Well, not in Cross Country anyway. Therefore, it was time to investigate who returned from last year’s squad. With Wisner gone, not a single member of the Carlisle returners had broken 17 minutes on the state cross country course the previous year en route to a 13^th place team finish. But there was more here than meets the eye. While Isaac Kole was just 93^rd at states the previous fall, he had shown real promise during the track season with sub 9:40 and sub 2:00 clockings in the 3200 and 800 respectively. Plus, they had Jack Wisner, Matt’s younger brother, who had been the top freshman in AAA at 110^th place. Given the natural improvement rate from freshman to sophomore age, it wasn’t unreasonable to speculate we would see big improvements from this youngster.

What proved much harder to qualify was the mental edge that the Affolder boys have to the Herd. From day one, Noah was a record setter, crushing every course in his path in never before seen times. Sam, at two years younger, was just as phenomenal, even running his brother’s shadow. And knowing how great those two were, combined with his own training alongside them in practice, Isaac Kole was ready to break out.

From the jump, it was clear Kole had hit another level. He rolled to an all-time great performance at Enos Yeager, impressed at PTXC and then smashed the 16 minute barrier at his home invitational. As a result, he solidified the top 3 for the Herd and the Carlisle boys defeated District One powerhouses CR North and DT West in back to back invites to cement themselves as the title favorites. In their home invite, Carlisle put five runners under 17 minutes, three under 16 and one under 15 as Noah Affolder ran a previously unthinkable 14:47 to smash the previous course record. This squad was here to stay.

But nothing was set in stone. Cross Country is, first and foremost, a team sport. Even with Kole’s development, the Herd needed a bit more at the back end of their varsity line up if they were going to hold on at the loaded state meet. DT West had been five runners in front of Jack Wisner, Carlisle’s #4 runner, at the invitational. Their young sophomore had a lot of pressure on him to continue to grow. And he rose to the challenge. Knowing he needed to step it up, Jack added a 16:24 on the difficult Big Spring course to place 24^th at Districts. He was getting healthy and peaking at the right time, ready to make a charge at states. Everything seemed to be coming together for Carlisle to do what no District 3 team had done in over a decade: win the AAA Cross Country state title.

However, over in District One an old foe was gaining steam. Council Rock North, one of the most historic programs in Pennsylvania, had put together their best ever showing at a district championship. With four guys under 15:50, they looked incredibly formidable. And other schools were improving quickly as well. Pack programs like DT West, CB West and LaSalle had looked excellent in recent weeks. New WPIAL power Seneca Valley was coming off a thrilling upset victory with momentum on their side. Carlisle, who had seemed like a state title hopeful for so long, now looked like they could struggle just to get a top 2 podium spot.

On race day, the Herd ran like a poised group of professionals, despite the fact that they were up against programs who had historically been on this stage, in this position, much more frequently. Through the first mile, Carlisle was tied for 8^th overall in the team standings. Then, the boys started to turn it on, moving up to 4^th with Noah now taking over the individual lead. But they still had a long way to go just to get to 2^nd. With only a mile left, the boys turned on the jets. Sam Affolder moved from 8^th to 3^rd, Isaac Kole from 17^th to 14^th, Jack Wisner from 54^th to an incredible 33^rd, and #5 man Max Fiorentino had his best race of the season, moving all the way from 183^rd up to 151^st.

When the final points were tallied, Carlisle finished with the state champion and new course record holder in Noah, two other top 15 finishers and a four top 50 finisher in Jack Wisner. That, combined with a strong last mile from Fiorentino, put them 40 points ahead of 3^rd place and comfortably on the podium for the first time. However, the fire power from CR North proved to be too much. Ultimately, North’s top 4 held ground and then Ethan Koza of CRN pushed the team over the edge with a 5^th top 50 finish for his team.

There was disappointment surely after such a long struggle to try and take state gold. Getting second place was never easy. But a determined group set their sights on the next challenge and the next chance to raise the trophy as team state champions.

This came on the indoor oval, a surface that Carlisle had only recently started to utilize. Zach Brehm never contested an indoor state championship, despite his excellent resume, and it wasn’t until Matt Wisner burst onto the scene that Carlisle became a real player. In 2017, with a lot of buzz about the Herd’s DMR potential, the boys decided to put their chips in for a big winter.

Right from the start, we saw that the Affolder’s would have just as big of an impact on the track as the trails. In the team’s first big meet at Ursinus, Noah tripled with the 4x8, open 8 and DMR as Carlisle rolled to big time victories. It would prove to be a sign of things to come. After becoming the indoor state record holder in the mile at the Millrose Games, Noah Affolder decided he would go for an unprecedented quadruple at the indoor state championship. Knowing they needed every point they could get to defeat Bishop Shanahan, Affolder decided to try the 4x8-Mile-800-DMR quadruple. It was a risky move, one that would require a lot of sacrifice from Carlisle’s top dog, but it was one that he willing accepted.

Taking the lead from Noah, the Herd attacked the state championship. Sam Affolder led off well against all-time great Nick Dahl in the 4x8 to start the day and then Jack Wisner and Isaac Kole powered through the middle legs to set up Noah in the perfect position. Coasting along gracefully, Noah turned on the jets at the right time, shutting down when the race was sealed so that he could conserve for what was to come. It was a fairly remarkable effort as the team nearly broke the state record in the 4x8 without even pushing all the way to the line, running 7:45.

The big day wasn’t done as Noah cruised to a victory in the mile, defeating future state champ Tristan Forsythe as well as great runners like Evan Addison and Liam Conway. Then, on his third race of the day, he nearly stunned a fresh Josh Hoey in the 800, leading through 600 meters before being hawked down at the final straight. All the same, he ran a new PR of 1:53 and grabbed 8 more points for the team. That left only the DMR to come. We got a great preview of what record attempting performances would be in the future as Sam Affolder broke the race open from the start and the team never looked back. Isaac Kole and 400 runner Jared Griffie soloed great performances and got the stick through to Noah with a big lead. From here, he was able to cruise home in a new meet record of 10:13. Noah competed in four events that led to a spectacular 38 points for his team. But ultimately, just as in Cross Country, the team came up just short of that team title. Bishop Shanahan was now the school to unseat them as Carlisle was 2^nd yet again.

However, Carlisle didn’t get down. They were built more for outdoors anyway. They had top hurdlers and jumpers who could really take advantage of the outdoor set up. The sprint relays were also trickier to negotiate at outdoor states and the Carlisle distance squad was confident they could continue to improve. A prime example was the New Balance Indoor National Championships. Here, Carlisle got their name in the history books for perhaps a long time to come.

They broke the state and national record in the DMR by running 9:56 for the 4,000 meter race. Noah anchored the team home in 4:04 after his brother ran a 3:02 split on the lead leg. Isaac Kole was the man tasked with 800 duties, running 1:57 to hold serve in the middle leg. But the Affolder boys were really the stars of the show and the press. The next day, Noah became the state record holder in the two mile with a mind blowing 8:46.08 and Sam moved into the top 25 in PA history (indoors or out) with a 4:09.89 mile time. Despite only running for two thirds of a year at a PA school, Noah was already getting some well deserved buzz about his position as the greatest high schooler ever in the state of Pennsylvania.

Then, disaster struck. After giving everything he could for his team at indoor states and nationals, it was revealed that Noah had suffered a serious ankle injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season. In all my years writing on the blog, I don’t think I’ve ever seen news that hit the readers of this blog so hard. There was not only a lot of desire to see just how fast he could run during outdoors, but also there was a ton of respect for this runner and the heart he had shown while racing in a Carlisle uniform. For weeks, people speculated that maybe he could return, but it was not meant to be. A short while later, it was revealed that Sam Affolder would be moving again the following year. That meant this spring would be his last time racing for the Herd despite the fact that he was only a sophomore. In a blink, the Affolder tornado passed through Pennsylvania.

Yet there was still a season left to be run and Carlisle, never one to give up, was ready to take their last stab at a state title. Knowing that they may never get a chance like this again, they put their foot on the gas early and often. With Noah out of the picture, Carlisle needed someone to step up and fill the void. While Sam continued to be amazing, running 4:08 and 1:54, the man who made the most noticeable strides was Isaac Kole. The senior clocked a 4:18 1600 at Shippensburg before unleashing a fantastic 3:04 lead of leg at the Penn Relays to hand off in first place. As the season progressed, Kole won the District 3 title in the 800 on his fourth race of the weekend and made himself a medal contender for states. With Jack Wisner clocking a 1:56 of his own, the Carlisle boys had a loaded 4x8 relay as well as a crop of potential scorers at the state championship.

The question became: what was the best way to disperse the talent? After a very rocky district meet, the question became much more important. Although Carlisle was hoping to get a big lift from their jumps and sprints, things didn’t go their way as championship season started. That left a gaping hole in their projected totals that needed to be filled elsewhere. So the Herd staff made the tough decision to bail on the 4x800 relay and instead put Sam Affolder in the 3200 and 1600 with Isaac Kole focusing purely on the 16. Those two combined with their jumper Millington and 800 runner Wisner could hopefully score enough points to overcome their District One opponents.

Although Kole and Affolder both made the 1600 finals with ease (Kole PRing in the process), the young sophomore Wisner couldn’t quite navigate his way to the 800 finals. And Millington left the track with no points in the field. That put this team in a big uphill battle. They would need a truly herculean effort for Sam Affolder and Isaac Kole in their last ever Carlisle races if they were going to have any chance. And even still, they would need a fair bit of luck on their side.

On State Championship Saturday, Sam seemed to get things started in the right way. Throwing down a massive kick on the final lap, it looked like the sophomore was going to unseat #1 seed Nathan Henderson and grab 10 points for the Herd. But amazingly, Henderson responded on the last straightaway and stole the victory over Sam in the final strides. With another 2 points now gone, Sam Affolder was left kicking himself furiously on the sidelines. It was clear how badly he had wanted that win, not just for himself, but for his team.

Now the previous state championship, Sam had tried another tricky double: the 4x8-Mile. This one had not gone very well. Sam had to drop out of the mile as he seemed spent, even at a reasonable pace. So how would the sophomore handle an absurd double outdoors? Meanwhile Kole, although a strong runner, had been mid pack at the district championships in the 1600. His PR was behind many of the top guys in this field and he had never even competed in an individual event at the outdoor state championships. So it was hard to expect much from this duo in their last gasp for team points.

And yet, we got something anyway. In a gutsy performance, Kole battled through the tight, tactical field and threw down a terrific kick to pull away the last 100 meters. Then, moving all the way up from out of contention, Sam Affolder came flying into the picture on the last lap to give the Carlisle boys an unprecedented 1-2 finish. Without their best runner and with one runner on the double from the 3200, Carlisle took 1-2 in the state 1600 meter final. We will never see anything like it again.

In their post race interview, the Carlisle boys revealed that they had stopped worrying about the team title by the time they got to the 1600. They had seen it as an impossible goal and it was time, for perhaps the only time in their season, to run for their own individual success. So in that way, it is truly poetic that, as soon as they stopped racing for their team, they got the success they needed to miraculously take down the outdoor team title. With points from only Sam and Isaac, the Carlisle boys were Outdoor Team Champions in one of the most unique state title races in history. After three seasons of trying, they finally got it.

The arrival of Noah and Sam Affolder at Carlisle gave us an amazing, unforgettable experience. And as they leave for what is sure to be other big things, it’s hard to not think about everything they were able to impact. There are, of course, record books that have been reset. Noah himself leaves with three state records and two state meet records. There are state titles, both team and individual. But there are also the countless stories of runners who they empowered and inspired to be great. Most notably, of course, is Isaac Kole. A big talent who was already on the ascension, but who got the extra push he needed from the arrival of these two superstars to end his career with a state championship of his own. But there are also guys like Jared Griffie and Jack Wisner. Or even District 3 runners in general like Nate Henderson or Jesse Cruise who grew so much in their pursuit of the Affolders.

In recent years, District 3 has struggled during XC as D1, D7 and even D12 have had their number at times. But this year, the District had their best team finish in a decade, produced the top 4 individuals overall, had 9 medalists and almost 15 top 50 finishers. We had the deepest DMR and 4x8 we have ever seen at the indoor state championship with GFS throwing down two absolutely terrific times as they gave chase to the Carlisle squads. And then we had one of the deepest, tightest top 8 finishes in the state 1600 where basically everyone ran a PR in the state final, some of them being pretty huge ones might I add. Everywhere this team seemed to go, success and fast times seemed to follow.

And lastly, it’s worth mentioning, that the Affolders didn’t have much of a reason to be loyal. To make sacrfiices. They’ve moved around a lot. Heck, Sam is moving again next year. It’s not like they grew up with the kids at Carlisle or the surrounding districts. It’s not like they had years fighting together for a joint cause.  They came in, they knew it might only be a year, but they decided that this one year was going to be special. Not just for themselves, but everyone they met. And I think it’s fair to say, they were successful. 

The Etrain 11: Bumgarner vs. Skolnekovich

Quaker Valley has been a powerhouse in WPIAL small schools. They’ve had team state championships in cross country and on the track in the 4x800. They’ve had individual state champions like LJ Westwood and Omar Hyjek. But perhaps none of their athletes have ever been more talented than Zach Skolnekovich, who hangs up his spikes without a state gold to his resume.

In the fall of 2013, Skolnekovich announced that he would be a force to be reckoned with state wide. He placed 2^nd in the WPIAL during cross country and doubled down on that mark with a 12^th place finish at the state championship. He was the top freshman in the state by 14 seconds and top within his classification by almost a minute. Just a year later, Skolnekovich was the WPIAL champion as a sophomore. Once again Zach was first in his class at the AA state championship and the young stand out was even gaining buzz as a sleeper for the state championship that very season.

While Skolnekovich was turning heads and breaking records, another runner from Waynesburg Central was finding his way on the trails. Ben Bumgarner finished his freshman season with a time of 20:46 at the WPIAL championships. He was almost four minutes behind Zach at that point. But Bumgarner quickly gathered steam, running 4:48 in the spring of 2014 and qualifying for the WPIAL championships in track. Then, a year later, he punched his first ticket to a state championship with a 4:28 performance.

The 2015 outdoor state championship marked the first time that Skolnekovich and Bumgarner both raced at the state championship. However, Skolnekovich competed in the 3200, placing 12^th in a PR of 9:40. A day earlier, Bumgarner had finished 11^th in his 1600 prelim, missing his own chance at a medal.

Being a pair of talented classmates within the same district, I’d imagine the two probably knew of each other. Over the summer before their junior seasons, they likely both made big goals for themselves. For Skolnekovich, he was hoping to take the next step and place in the top 10 at states for the first time. For Bumgarner, he was still trying to get on the podium for the first time.

At the 2015 XC WPIAL Championships, the pair both took an important first step toward those goals. Skolnekovich won the WPIAL title for a second straight season, but this time he was utterly dominant. Skolnekovich ran 16:11 to win by 42 seconds, the fastest time of any of the three classifications. Bumgarner didn’t cross the finish until 72 seconds after Zach, but all the same he punched his first ticket to the fall state championships, hoping for a bounce back performance.

At states, both runners exceeded expectations. Skolnekovich was 2^nd behind only defending state champ and all-time great, Dominic Hockenbury. He also broke 16 minutes on the incredibly difficult Hershey course. Meanwhile, Bumgarner was 7^th at states, the same finish he had at WPIALs. When the dust settled, Bumgarner and Skolnekovich were distinguished as the top 2 returners from the meet. As expected, Skolnekovich was first in his class at the state meet for a third straight year, but now Bumgarner was within striking distance. On the outdoor oval, unsurprisingly, the boys were the top returners once more. It set up a potentially thrilling senior season.

From two very different paths, Ben and Zach had reached their final year in high school. They had already accomplished a great deal, but that state gold hanging just outside their reach pushed them to be even better. It’s hard to say how great of rivals this pair was, but coming from the same district, guaranteeing they would race multiple times a year, had to make the pair very familiar with one another.

There are tons of other talented runners in AA, but in the 2016-2017 school year, things quickly became all about Skolnekovich and Bumgarner. The two didn’t race head to head for a while and entered the WPIAL championship ready to test one another. Skolnekovich was the two time defending champion, but Bumgarner had shown flashes of potential to knock him off. After a somewhat tactical start, there was a group of five runners in the lead pack at 2 Miles. Then, the pace cranked up a notch. Over the course of just over a mile, the Skolnekovich-Bumgarner duo gapped the rest of the field by over 30 seconds. Zach took down a third straight title with a 16:15 mark, edging out Bumgarner’s 16:18.

To this point, Skolnekovich had owned Bumgarner in head to head competition. He had unbelievable closing speed and unbelievable pedigree. But nothing is ever given, it is only earned. After years of being the top dog, Skolnekovich entered the state championship with a ton of pressure and had to face a man who had proven himself on the hills before.

With the lights brightest, Bumgarner put the pressure on early and never looked back at states. He was in the lead back at 4:50 through the first mile, the fastest opening clip of any of the three races. He got the two mile in first and continued to pound from there. By the time he hit the final hill, there was no doubt and Bumgarner pushed his way to the line in 16:01, posting a 12 second margin of victory. It was a statement victory and a coveted state gold.

For Skolnekovich, after years at the top, it had to be disappointing. He had wanted that state title and, having beaten Bumgarner in the past, he knew he could have beaten him on a different day. I thought Zach’s spirit would be broken and his season would be all but over, even though he mentioned in his post-race interview that he was planning to do the Footlocker Regional Meet. It was one last Bumgarner-Skolnekovich match up on the cross country trials.

Only now, the pressure was off for Zach. Running with a new sense of freedom and a thirst for vengeance, Skolnekovich threw down a crazy final mile and sprinted his way into the top 10 at the regional championships, punching a ticket to Footlocker Nationals in San Diego. He had an excellent race out west, finished as PA’s #2 runner ahead of Sam Affolder and Nate Henderson, trailing only all-time great Noah Affolder. In the end, Bumgarner got the state title, but Skolnekovich had a lot to still be proud of. And the debate restarted about who win outdoors in their rematch at 3200.

I thought Skolnekovich would be better suited for the track. He had great closing speed and his PRs were more impressive than Bumgarner from a year earlier. But that was, obviously, a year earlier. Ben made it clear he wasn’t messing around from the jump, rolling through the indoor season and clocking a sub 9:20 mark at 3200, even with Zach’s personal best. If not for a fall at the indoor state championship, he might have been in the mix for a state title there. Just like in cross, he had turned things up a notch and was ready for the challenge.

But it quickly became apparent that Skolnekovich had turned it up a notch as well. Zach clocked an early season sub 9:20 performance and then unleashed a bombshell at the Baldwin Invitational. He stormed away from a stacked field that included Bumgarner and future state champion Tristan Forsythe in the mile to win in 4:14.00. Then he doubled back and easily bested a loaded field in the 3200 with a 9:17.77.

The two matched up twice at the WPIAL championships with much anticipation around their battle. Once again, Ben Bumgarner showed signs at the District meet that could mean he would take the state title. Bumgarner outsprinted Skolnekovich for the silver in the 1600 with a new PR. Although Skolnekovich ran away with the 3200 title, Bumgarner was able to coast through to a state qualifying mark, positioning him with fresh legs for the next week’s state championship.

In the first boy’s final of the day, Bumgarner and Skolnekovich took the track together for the last time. Just like in XC, this pair had asserted themselves as the clear 1-2 punch that everyone was focused on. And just like in XC, they quickly backed up that assertion. It was odd watching these two race against one another. Despite all the close match ups and the clear natural opposition they would have for one another, it was odd to see the pair almost trading off laps to start. Despite the fact that they wanted that state title, the small schoolers also wanted to put on a show with a fast time.

The second half of the race, Bumgarner took over. Just as he had during XC, he put his foot on the gas and forced his opponent out of his comfort zone. It worked to perfection as the senior rolled to a new PR of 9:10.58, sealing a state title in his final race. For Skolnekovich, he was left holding the silver once more.

But unlike Ben, Skolnekovich wasn’t finished. After a hard run in the 3200 where he nearly PRed, Zach tried the incredibly difficult 3200-1600 double. In the shorter race, he was facing a load field of fresher runners. In one of the deepest AA races ever, Skolnekovich placed 5^th in a time of 4:18. It’s a double that went someone under the radar amidst all the other amazing performances, but if it wasn’t for the herculean efforts of Sam Affolder, this may have been the best double of the meet.

It’s interesting to consider the legacies of these two runners and rivals. Housed in the same district, they both accomplished so much, but were limited by the accomplishments of the other. Bumgarner finished without a WPIAL title, but he left with two state golds. He made it his mission to win the state meet. He learned from every race, he carefully planned his strategy and focused his peak on the biggest stage. As a result, he leaves Waynesburg as a truly clutch performer.

Skolnekovich, on the other hand, leaves without a state gold to his name. But he does have a total of 7 state medals, including four silvers. In four years, Skolnekovich qualified for the state championship in the fall and spring every single year. And he placed in the top 12 at every single state meet. Feel free to try and find a runner who has done that. You’ll be looking for a while. And sure, you can give me the AA talk, but when he face the big boys at Footlocker, he acquitted himself pretty well.

There’s lots of different ways to leave your mark on this sport. Both of these great runners took different roads, but ended up in an amazing position as all-timers. And neither gets to their peak without the other. Zach set everything in motion. From his first state meet, he set the bar very high and gave Bumgarner something to chase. Then, Bumgarner knocked him off and that gave Zach the extra motivation he needed to push himself to a height that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.

Each of these runners have left a lasting legacy on Pennsylvania. But the greatest impact they had may have been on each other. 

The Etrain 11: Seneca Unrivaled

If you are taking time from your schedule to read this blog, you probably already know that Pennsylvania’s track and field teams are separated into 12 different “districts” from which athletes can qualify for the state championships at Shippensburg. But did you know that the athletes from District 10 have actually qualified for PA states out of Ohio? When you think about (and admittedly I usually don’t), PA is a big state with boundaries that stretch far beyond Philly, Pittsburgh or Harrisburg. And even easier to overlook a small high school in Erie that only houses about 500 total high schoolers.

Seneca High School, housed under the Wattsburg Area School District, is tucked away in the top right corner of the state. Their Wikipedia page is two sentences long. But if you click over to the school’s website you will see the bright stars who have dominated the local headlines. The Seneca boys track team has represented Erie County proudly. Basically every picture on the front page’s slide show is related to them. Seneca finished 3^rd in the state as a team during Cross Country and 4^th during Outdoor Track. But what really makes the Seneca boys famous in their 4x800 relay. A team that ended the 2017 track season unrivaled across the state.

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In the fall of 2013, Donovan and Phoenix Myers competed for the first time in Seneca uniforms. Their impact was instant. After finished 11^th the previous season, Seneca Cross Country placed 3^rd in District 10 and qualified for the state championships in Hershey where they would finish in 6^th. Unfortunately, the twins freshman season ended in disappointment. At the District 10 spring championships, the Seneca 4x800 was edged out by one place for a spot in the state championship.

Back with a vengeance in 2014, Seneca powered through the start of the cross country season. With sophomores holding each of the top three spots in the line-up, the boys won the District 10 championship over Mercyhurst Prep and defending state champions Saegertown in an impressive upset. Donovan led the charge in 2^nd place overall. A week later, Seneca finished 6^th at the state meet for the second straight year with both Phoenix (15^th) and Donovan (18^th) grabbing their first ever state medals.

On the track, the same three sophomores that had led the team during the fall, helped lead Seneca to a runner-up finish in the 4x800 at Districts in a blazing fast 8:05.35. That made Seneca the #2 overall seed heading into the state championship. But any big dreams the program may have had were squashed on Day One as Seneca surprisingly missed qualifying for the state finals, again by just one spot.

After two seasons, the story of this school seemed to be that of near misses rather than great successes. Although the team had far exceeded the school’s recent results, they had yet to truly breakthrough on the state’s biggest stages. The team moved up to 5^th at XC states in 2015, but the squad was still left wanting more as they turned to the track. In fact, it wasn’t until the spring of 2016, when they finally found what they needed to get over the top: a great rival.

Harbor Creek entered the 2016 track season with some serious momentum. Senior Dan Kuhn had found his rhythm in the 800 and the team had some incredibly talented youngsters in Christian Babo and Ryan Stravaggi. Babo had medaled at states in cross country as a freshman while Stravaggi’s freshman season ended with a district championship on the trails. Together, these three runners and Justin Kita helped make up Harbor Creek’s 4x800 relay, a capable opponent for a Seneca team returning all their key pieces from their 8:05 run a year earlier.

In the school’s first match up, Habor Creek bested Seneca by less than a second 8:14 to 8:15, grabbing the meet record in their home invite. But then Seneca turned the tables at Baldwin, winning the prestigious invite in 8:04. Even the anchors got in the action. Donovan Myers dropped a blazing 1:56.21 800 PR at Butler while Dan Kuhn then turned around and dropped a 1:56.16 to surpass him.

Things came to a head at the Erie County Championships when Harbor Creek stormed back in 8:02.41 to defeat Seneca in the last match up before districts. To add insult to injury, Dan Kuhn edged out Donovan Myers for the individual 800 gold by just 0.03 seconds.

The 4x8 victories had been traded back and forth all season so it was no surprise that Seneca took back the gold at Districts. But what did turn heads was the fact that both relays busted under 8 minutes en route to the District title. Seneca ran 7:58.92 to Harbor Creek’s 7:59.35 in the duo’s closest matchup of the entire season. Seneca’s time was faster than even the winning time at states a year earlier.

Heading into the 2016 state championships, it was assumed that the alternating pattern would continue and that this race would belong to Harbor Creek and their superstar anchor Dan Kuhn. Kuhn had split a herculean 1:52 on the anchor at districts and if he could get it close enough to the front, the race would likely be over. But for Seneca, they couldn’t worry about the final just yet. They had to make sure they didn’t get bounced in the prelims for a second straight season.

Using the experience they had gained in their intense battles with Harbor Creek, Seneca left no doubt of their intentions for the weekend. The boys rolled through the prelims with the fastest time and then took aim at the finals and another rematch with Harbor Creek. Phoenix Myers started off the race brilliantly with a 1:56 carry, but Seneca dropped back into the pack on leg #2. Nervously, 3^rd leg Adam Hanes waited for the baton.

Hanes wasn’t talked about in the same way as the Myers twins on the distance circuit, but his speed was good. The question was how well could he translate that speed to the 800. Making strides all season, Hanes picked the right moment to pop off a big race. He split a 1:56.0 on his carry and gave Donovan the baton with a nice advantage on everyone else. And from there, it was over. A 1:53 solo anchor gave Seneca the state title in a blazing fast 7:51.07.

The emergence of Hanes as a star was the key. The Myers twins had been a killer 1-2 punch since the beginning, but Hanes was a newcomer. He was a strong sprinter, but now he was becoming a well rounded distance runner too. As Adam continued to gain strength, he moved into the team’s top 5 in XC and placed 21^st at Districts that next fall, helping Seneca clinch a 3^rd straight district title. Then he sprinted home his final XC race, placing 50^th in the state after not being a varsity runner the previous season. His finish helped Seneca place 3^rd in the state, their best finish of the decade. Also chipping in was #5 runner Jake Schneider, the lone sophomore in the team’s top 7.

Turned out, Schneider could run a pretty strong 800 as well. As the team looked ahead toward spring and a title defense, the sophomore was a nice injection of urgency to the group of seniors. He didn’t have a gold medal in his trophy case and he was hungry to add one.

Right from the start this Seneca team made it clear they would make it difficult for any team to unseat them. On April 1^st, Seneca dropped a 7:58.50 at South Hills. Then they dropped a bomb, unleashing a 7:49.05 at the Butler Invitational to defeat a loaded group of AAA schools and top the state rankings. All of a sudden, Seneca wasn’t just good for a small school. They were good for any type of school. And they were ready to prove it against the biggest powerhouses the state had to offer: State College and CB West.

Seneca traveled all the way across the state to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia in the last weekend of April. In the second heat, the Seneca boys ran 7:50.12 to punch their ticket to the Championship of America, the only A school to accomplish this feat in recent years. Jake Schneider delivered a big second leg at 2 flat to hold ground before Hanes and Donovan powered home. A day later, as all three times raced on tired legs, the Seneca boys narrowly defeated State College and CB West in the Championship of America, backing up their 7:49 with a head to head victory.

The Seneca boys could have sat back and settled on their achievements, but they continued to attack and stay hungry. They remembered how it had felt to miss out on state qualifying or state finals or state medals. They had suffered through disappointments and been defeated by rivals. But they were champions now and they liked how that felt a lot better.

The relay stormed through the rest of the year, winning every single 4x8 they contested including an Erie Country record of 7:51, smashing the record Harbor Creek had set just ahead of them the previous year. As they cleaned up at the District 10 championships, getting wins from Hanes and Donovan, only one last race stood on the horizon.

With individuals qualified in the 400, 800 and 1600, Seneca could have tried to conserve energy in the 4x8 and chase individual success. It would have been easy. They came in as far and away the fastest seed. They were the defending champions with the same core. But they had started as a 4x8 school, from the time they missed the state finals, to the time Harbor Creek last defeated them. And what was important to this school was pursuing a state record in the relay. Leaving one last mark that no one could take away.

But on race day, Wyomissing surprisingly took things to them early. The silver medalists from 2016 and state champions from 2015, this school was looking to shock Seneca and steal the state golds for themselves. After one leg, Wyomissing took a strong early lead and put 2^nd leg Phoenix Myers in a hole. But, fitting to his name, he rose out of the ashes behind him and sprinted off at full speed to catch the front pack. Hammering through his leg, Phoenix handed off with a blazing 1:55 carry and gave the baton to Adam Hanes, knowing that Hanes could do what needed to be done.

Just as he did a year earlier, Hanes sealed the race with his carry. The sub 50 second quarter miler, who held school records in the 400 and the 200, rolled through his leg and never looked back. Pressing forward as if he was being chased, Hanes clocked a 1:54 split and blew the race open for his anchor leg. Now it was a simple race between Donovan Myers and the clock.

The senior sprinted out as fast he could, knowing he need to split around a 1:52 to get his team under the 7:44.44 record belonging to Lewisburg from 2003. In his urgency to try and lift Seneca to the top spot, he may have gone out a little too quick and his legs caught up to him on the second lap. Despite this fact, he willed himself forward, stopping the clock for Seneca with a winning time of 7:48.92. One last school record for the dream team of Myers, Hanes and Myers.

In the 2017 season, no other PA team was able to defeat Seneca in head to head competition. A year after rolling to their first state championship, the Seneca boys came back with a vengeance. They not only raced top notch AA talent during their season, but also traveled across the state to take on and defeat the top 2 finishers from the AAA state championship in the 4x800.

Ironically, what this small school needed most to solidify their resume, to grab that 7:44 state record that was floating just outside their reach, was company. They won the state championship by some 12 seconds over the next closest team. No one else was in sight as Donovan took the baton or even as he sprinted home the final 40 meters, desperately trying to get his legs moving faster. What they were missing that day was exactly what had helped make them into the all-time great relay they had become. A rival.