Check out the posts below for more details on what I think could shake up these lists in the coming week. It's almost state time folks ...
4x800m
Mile
800m
3,000m
DMR
One Week To Go: Who Will Make States? Relay Edition
Meets Remaining on
PTXC Calendar
Valentine’s Invitational 2/14
State College Invite 2/15
CSU Run at the Rec #3
TFCAofGP MoCs
TSTCA Indoor Champs
Youngstown #4
DMR
With one week to go, the state cut off is set at 10:48.57
and leading the bubble is State College. The Little Lions just raced a fast DMR
this past week at their home meet, but they may choose to use their last home
meet to take one more shot at better that mark. At this point, they’ve got some
solid performers (Etter being most obvious, but sophomore Zach DeCarmine was
awesome at the PTFCA Carnival), but it seems like they don’t have high odds of
qualifying individuals outside Etter in the 3k (Etter is #11 right now so he
may want to try his hand at the 3k one more time).
Some other teams that could show up for the last State
College meet include Mifflin County (10:52 is #16) and Wyomissing (the AA state
champs have been super quiet with no Cullen or Kuhn at the Carnival). Let me
know what other mid-state teams may be active in this meet (Penns Valley? Could
they get in the mix?).
Henderson has their Valentine’s meet so, if they can find
the competition, they may take a shot at lowering their 10:52.14 DMR.
Otherwise, they are not in the MoCs so I believe they won’t be able to better
that time.
Which brings us to the two big meets: TSTCA and TFCAofGP
Championships. Currently only Seneca Valley has punched a ticket to states from
the western part of the state. SV (currently #1 in 10:23.07) won’t need to run
a DMR hard this weekend and I’d be surprised to see them chase it. However,
Butler seems like a very real contender. They’ve already clocked 10:57.38 and
Noah Beveridge just ran a blazing 4:16 (while Brett Brady clocked his own big
time mark at 4:30). AA darling Greensburg Salem, fresh off two big runs at
1600, could take a big shot in this event. If they click, they can definitely dip
into the low 10:40s. But will they go for it? Dylan Binda isn’t in qualifying
position, but Cameron and Mark Brown appear to have Mile spots locked up for
now (they are both top 15 with projected scratches). I’d like to see Indiana
Area push their chips in the pot on this race and see what happens as well.
Now at the TFCAofGP Meet, the DMR is the first event of
the day, meaning you can bet your bottom dollar teams will go after it. Last
year 7 teams broke 10:52 and the top 6 teams ran state qualifying marks. You
can bet a similar style race will take place this year. I’d guess LaSalle is
safe from a qualifying stand point so they won’t need to run hard. Same for CB
West. Neshaminy should be OK with their time (if they don’t get in, it would be
an unprecedentedly fast DMR in the state. They may choose not to take any
chances seeing as Rusty is safely in for individual events already and dabble
in the DMR.
CR North, Pennsbury, CB East, DT West, Penncrest, Great
Valley, Boyertown, Haverford and Twin Valley are all qualified and all in the top
21 times in the state this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if all of these guys
load up and chase a fast time to punch a state ticket. Twin Valley, Boyertown
and Great Valley would likely have to do it out of the slow heat at Meet of
Champs, but that’s doable (teams have won from the slow heat). CR South would
be fun to see in the DMR as well as I think they could pop a sub 10:50 kind of
mark.
My guess as of right now? It’s going to take about 10:46
(flat track) to guarantee a spot at states for the DMR. That leaves GFS right
around the bubble (without an obvious path to improve their time, they could
maybe toe the line against Henderson at Valentine’s).
4x800m
The 4x800 is on the slower side right now. The past three
years the state cut off has been 8:12, 8:12, 8:14. Right now I’ve got it at
8:19.76. Now remember that the amount of accepted teams has increased this year
(up to 18 teams compared to 16 last year and 12 before that). If you look at
the 16th time it’s 8:18 (converted) and the 12th time is
8:11 so at least that last one is fairly in line.
I’d expect more than a few bubble teams to dabble in the
4x8 this year. With 18 teams being accepted, no one under 8:10 should have
cause for fear (unless they want to guarantee a spot in the fast heat, which currently
projects to cut off at 8:07 bank). However those teams near 8:20 flat track
will need to improve to feel more comfortable. I’d guess the Penn Wood time
from last week (8:16.93 converted) is going to be the cut off. Bensalem is an
obvious candidate to make a big push to improve their time. Haverford could
certainly make waves, but have to come from a long way back at 8:29. I really
like CB South has a dark horse. They have been historically very well coached in
the middle distances. Penncrest could be dangerous if they’d like to be, but I
think the DMR will (and should) be more of a priority. Mount Lebanon is the
team to watch out west.
As mentioned, the hot heat cut off right now is 8:07 so
we may see some teams try and sneak into the fast heat. The most likely programs
would be CB East, Radnor, Boyertown or LaSalle who are in qualifying position
but not in the fast heat. LaSalle likely isn’t running a full “A” squad at
states (Addison has mile duties) so I’m not sure they will load up the 4x8 at
this point (although historically they tend to stack the 4x8 at MoCs). CB East is
in 10th so they don’t need a huge day to sneak into the hot heat. I
still feel like Boyertown’s best event in the DMR long term. I like Radnor’s
squad a lot, but I don’t know if they can break 8:10 this weekend and make the
hot heat.
Long shots to turn heads this weekend? The always
dangerous powers of North Penn and State College could make one last push into the
state finals.
One Week To Go: Who Will Make States? Individual Edition
Meets Remaining on
PTXC Calendar
Valentine’s Invitational 2/14
State College Invite 2/15
CSU Run at the Rec #3
TFCAofGP MoCs
TSTCA Indoor Champs
Youngstown #4
Mile
I’ll choose to focus more on the qualifying picture as
opposed to who I think will do well at states (that will come when I make my
state predictions later). So obviously I could write paragraphs about Hoey and
Forsythe and Kujdych (and Hengst now maybe as the PTFCA lists him as a qualifier but his Boston interview makes it sound like he won't be at states), but I’ll save those. That
being said I do want to point out a couple interesting sub plots. With Hoey
looking so close to unbeatable (and with seemingly no way/desire to punch a
ticket for the 800) will someone like Liam Conway scratch the mile and go all
in on the 800? What about Forsythe and the 3k? And suddenly Kujdych and
Beveridge are mile contenders. Do they have interest in the shorter event or do
they only have eyes for the 3k? It’s a tricky read right now.
With the mile, I tend to believe a lot of scratches will
happen whether it is for relay reasons or other individual event reasons. That
means that even if you are outside the top 40 right now, you could still sneak
into the state meet. And that’s why I suspect we will see some big time
performances in the last weekend of the season.
Elias Lindgren of Episcopal and his usual rival Peter Borger
of Malvern Prep are names to watch here as they try to punch their ticket for
states. Jake Robinson of Conestoga is another logical name who, unlike Borger
and Lindgren, is not qualified for the MoCs 3k and doesn’t have much of a fall
back option. Jack Miller is a wildcard after his impressive 3k last week. The
3k is setting up to be the toughest event to qualify in, but he’s currently on my
projected just missing list for both the 3k and the mile. Jack Sieberlich of
LaSalle has a shot at punching a state ticket. Yasin-Spann from Overbrook,
Theveny from Penncrest, Hoyer & Maiale from Wissahickon and Zawodniak from
CR South are fun wild cards if they chase in this event.
Out west, Gordon Pollock will need a big finish to his season
to guarantee a spot next to his teammate Tristan Forsythe on the line at
states. He could definitely do it (heck, he may get in even if he doesn’t
improve his time if scratches work in his favor), but he will need to have
things click. Connor Volk-Kloss is likely the only Seneca Valley miler who won’t
be pulling 4x8-DMR double duty and, based on his most recent result at SPIRE,
he’s right in the mix for a bubble state spot.
In Fast Heat news, it’s also important to keep an eye on
how the top 10 spots in the state shake out for this event. Charlie Herrmann
from Lower Merion, Will Merhige from the Haverford School and Sam Snodgrass
from South Fayette jump out as names with a lot to gain with a big race. I’ve
currently got them at 11th, 12th and 10th in
the standings when accounting for scratches. I’m not 100% Snodgrass will even
contest the mile at states (he may have a better shot at the 3k depending on
where the big names go), but he’s a returning medalist with big talent who
could drop a nice time at TSTCA this weekend.
800m
The 800 has seen some craziness this year. There are
plenty of new names atop the current state qualifying list which could put some
pressure on the big names to run fast this weekend to secure spots in the top
heats. Hudson Delisle of Quakertown jumps out as one of those guys as he’s
currently slotted at #17 in my rankings. That would be Heat 3 of 3. Now Delisle
may be hurt (I haven’t seen him race in a while) and he’s also proven he can
produce from the slow heat in the past (was 3rd overall last year,
running out of the middle heat). Matt Eissler, a state medalist as a sophomore
last year, also needs a big time this weekend. He’s sitting in 10th
on my current standings which would leave him out of the fast heat. He will
almost certainly be gunning for gold in this event at MoCs. Brett Zatlin of
Great Valley is a top contender who may just miss the fast heat, but he’s not
qualified for the 800 at MoCs meaning he may not have an opportunity to improve
eon his time.
What will the Pennsbury guys do? Are they concerned at
all about the open 800 or is this school all in on the two relays? In the
Western part of the state, the same thing applies to Seneca Valley’s Seth
Ketler. And, heck, you gotta wonder what CB West’s plan is for Baker,
Claricurzio and Fehrman (and Laatsch).
But how about bubble guys? There are some prominent
Westerners like Dylan Binda, Zach Ehling, and Kendall Branan. All of those guys
are currently slotted out on my list, but they aren’t far from getting in. I’d
be interested to see if Zach DeCarmine can keep the magic going from PTFCA and
find another big PR on a fast track like State College. Will any district 3
guys be at State College with a chance to make an improvement? Tyler Wirth of
Wallenpaupack could also lock in his spot with a nice run at CSU.
3,000m
Ah, the 3k. This event has always been brutal to qualify
for and this year is setting up to be no different. There are 17 guys under 9
minutes by conversion with two more at 9 flat and another at 9:01. And to make
matters even trickier, there are not projected to be a lot of scratches in this
event. Out of the top 20 or so guys, I’ve only got three who may scratch
(McKenna of Spring Ford seems likely but not guaranteed, Lederer could scratch
if the DMR qualifies and same for Rollins at DT West).
Of course, you never know if Kujdych would rather do the
mile-DMR double or Beveridge wants to try that if Butler has a big day this
weekend. Maybe Forsythe doesn’t have any interest in over extending himself with
the double.
By the way, the field is likely to get more crowded this weekend.
I’d be surprised if Ben Bunch of CB West and Peyton Sewall of DT West aren’t on
the start line at MoCs trying to punch a ticket to states. Chayce Macknair of
Mifflin County has the ability to get into states, he just needs the
opportunity. Maybe he and Morgan Cupp (plus Etter?) take a shot at a fast time
at State College this week.
One of the Cinderella stories of this season, Matt Maiale
of Wissahickon, is another name to watch at TFCAofGPs. Plus the TFCAofGP has
some fun sleepers like Donnelly of Haverford, the LaSalle boys, Noah Demis of
North Penn and Andrew Malmstrom of Owen J Roberts.
Out West, Christian Fitch and Josh Lewis lead my picks
for game changers in the 3k. Those two plus Dan McGoey (3rd at
states in XC) have a ton of talent and have shown signs that they could break 9
minutes on the right day. At this point you’ve get down to 8:56 to start to feel
confident about your state qualifying odds (and even still there are no
guarantees with the depth of this group).
What History Says About Indoor State Qualifying
The table below compares the current SQG against my personal projected cut offs and the actual state cut offs in the major distance events the past three seasons (since they changed the way state qualifying works basically). Note that there have been plenty of occasions where the state cut off is actually slower than the state guideline (of course the 3k and 4x8 tend to be pretty quick by comparison).
| 4x8 | Mile | 800m | 3,000m | DMR | |
| SQG | 8:17.63' | 4:31.73' | 1:59.63' | 8:58.43' | 10:40.73' |
| 17 Proj | 8:14.50' | 4:30.77' | 1:59.10' | 8:57.30' | 10:44.61' |
| 17 Actual | 8:14.50' | 4:31.91' | 1:59.55' | 8:57.20' | 10:44.61' |
| 16 Proj | 8:12.83' | 4:30.05' | 1:59.85' | 8:56.13' | 10:42.98' |
| 16 Actual | 8:12.83' | 4:29.08' | 2:00.15' | 8:56.13' | 10:41.42' |
| 15 Proj | 8:11.94' | 4:32.01' | 2:00.87' | 8:54.88' | 10:49.29' |
| 15 Actual | 8:12.10' | 4:32.24' | 2:02.54' | 8:59.14' | 10:48.38' |
Junior Year: 2008-2009
Defining Runners
Jimmy Tarsnane,
Perkiomen Valley
Tarsnane was likely the best long distance guy we had
during the 2008-2009 season. In a lot of ways, he was as clutch as the two
Pioneer guys before him (Mark Dennin and Jason Weller) who have gone down as
all-time great type performers. But for whatever reason, I kinda wavered on
whether or not he belonged on the defining runners list.
Jimmy was twice a top 10 performer in the state in XC and
also won a state title individually with a fearless front running strategy. He
ran sub 15:20 for 5k at Lehigh. During his years at PV, he took the school from
an afterthought in the district to 4th in the state. He won district
and state titles in the 3200 (PR of 9:04.22) and was also 3rd in the
same event as a junior. Although Tarsnane didn’t have super flashy mile times,
he picked up an indoor medal in the event and helped anchor PV to a strong DMR
performance at indoor states. That’s a pretty darn good resume.
On the flip, Jimmy had to deal with Ben Furcht and Joe
Beveridge (we will get to them) who somewhat overshadowed his achievements and
ended up going into his lane and overlapping with his legacy. For whatever
reason, I was drawn to some other runners from this time period and Tarsnane
sort of fell out of the spotlight. But the dude was a baller who won the two
most important races of the season for distance runners when he wasn’t even the
favorite. Props to Tarsnane.
Joe Beveridge,
Bishop McDevitt
During my high school years, Beveridge was the first AA
guy I remember that made you think-hey is this guy better than the best AAA?
There were other good AA runners, but Beveridge was dominant in the long stuff.
He won Mid-Penns, Districts and States in XC back to back years. His second
season he was utterly dominant against a strong XC contingent in AA that
included future sub 4 miler Alfredo Santana and future US Championship
Qualifier Jimmy Spisak. On the outdoor track, Beveridge won back to back titles
in the 3200 including a 9:11 mark as a junior (he opened up like a 7 second
margin of victory in one lap over Spisak). In Beveridge’s final state meet he
won the 32 and also ran a leg on McDevitt’s 4x400.
Sam Havko, Fairview
For the first three years of high school, Havko was
definitely solid, but the Fairview harrier really turned things up a notch as a
senior. In XC, he was the District 10 champ and clocked some all-time great
marks on the western courses. He also placed in the top 10 at the state
championships. But things really heated up for Havko on the outdoor oval. He
won the Baldwin Invite mile and then stormed through Districts and States,
winning AA championships with marks of 4:10.17 and 1:52.78. Both results were
blow outs and negative splits. If Beveridge made you think about how the AA
guys stacked up head to head against AAA, Havko made it seem like a fact that
he was the best middle distance guy in the state regardless of classification.
Honorable Mention: Ben
Furcht, Lower Merion & TJ Hobart, Baldwin
Furcht and Hobart did different things, but their
legacies are similar because both guys graduated without a state championship.
Let’s start with Hobart. TJ was a super star from his
sophomore season which included a 4:12 run in the 1600 and an epic 4x8 3rd
leg carry of 1:52 that catapulted Baldwin into position for the upset over
North Penn. From that time on, TJ was something of a mythical figure in the PTXC
forums and was always a big topic of discussion. Hobart had flashes of
potential in XC (a couple top 5ish finishes in the WPIAL), but he really shined
on the track. He would routinely win championships at 800 and 1600 and would
post some outrageous doubles and triples. Once he reportedly split 47 seconds
for the 400.
But Hobart had bad luck going for state titles. As a
sophomore, he was too tired from his 4x8 carry to have anything left for the open
16. As a junior, he tried a triple indoors for the 16, 8 and DMR and things
didn’t work out. Then outdoors, he was in position to grab the title, pulling
away from Greg Kareis, when Nick Crits came flying out of nowhere for the
victory. His senior season indoors, he fell in the state final and outdoors he
once again struggled to pull off the 4x8-16 double and finished out of the medals
in the state final.
Final fun fact: I met TJ Hobart at outdoor states my
junior season and he showed me that he opens his bananas from the back and eats
them that way. It was pretty cool.
If Hobart had heartbreak, it’s hard to figure out what to
call Ben Furcht’s career. Unlike TJ, he didn’t start his sophomore or even
junior seasons as a big time speedster. The humble beginnings for Furcht
included a time of just 17:27 as a sophomore at districts for XC. A year later
he ran 15:53 and barely cracked the top 50 at states. Then, as a senior, Furcht
won Foundation, Paul Short and Districts with a personal best of 15:08. Ben
entered Hershey as a clear favorite for the 2008 AAA XC state title, but he got
off to a slow start through the mile and could never catch back up to Jimmy
Tarsnane. After running in 2nd for a while he faded hard on the last
hill and fell back to 11th. Furcht had redemption at the Footlocker
Northeast Regional, placing 10th and qualifying for Nationals. He
was once again the top PA high schooler.
Indoors, Furcht decided to try his hand in both the mile
and the 3k after finding some surprising speed in the shorter distance. Ben
qualified for the fast heat of the mile (#2 overall seed), but the pace never
really got going in that event. As a result, the top 3 finishers from the slower
section took 2nd, 3rd and 4th overall. Furcht
finished 2nd in the fast heat but had to settle for 5th
overall. With revenge on his mind, Furcht threw down a fantastic race in the 3k,
but was denied the title yet again as Bobby Micikas of Crestwood sprinted by
him with an epic kick. Both runners dropped (at the time) mammoth PRs at 8:35
and 8:36.
No, I’m not done. Outdoors, Furcht went to the Penn
Relays and faced Micikas again. Furcht ran the 4x8 at the very beginning of the
day, but was otherwise fresh for the 3k final that night. He would be taking on
not just Micikas and Tarsnane (his two big rivals) but also the top 2 finishers
in the state from the indoor mile at PA states. Oh by the way, the reigning
Footlocker National Champion Solomon Haile was also in the race as a huge
favorite.
Ultimately, although Haile was expected to win, he didn’t
have enough at the end of the race. Furcht was in position to strike for the title
on the last lap before, once again, Micikas surprised with a late surge for the
victory. The Crestwood senior dropped an 8:23.84 to Furcht’s 8:24.72 and the
two took 1-2 in the event. At outdoor states, Furcht put all his eggs in the
3200 basket. A well-executed second half surge put Micikas out of position to
kick him down. However, Jimmy Tarsnane was ready for revenge. The Perkiomen
Valley senior sprinted by Ben for a 9:04.22 to 9:04.55 championship finish.
Another silver for Furcht.
Look, I think my bias is showing. I’m a big Ben Furcht
guy (he has a running diaries character so you know he must be a big deal) and
although he didn’t get that state title, he was less than a second away from
being an all-time great on many levels.
Defining Teams
CB South
PA’s greatest 4x8 of all time started out in the shadow
of another all-time great. As North Penn stormed to a 7:38 mark at the 2008
state championship, CB South was clawing for a 7:46.32. South returned three members
of that team and saw first-hand how close to a state record a team could be.
They had to cut 10 seconds off their prior best mark if they were going to
knock off a legendary Wissahickon record. From the first meets of the season,
they were focused on getting it.
During indoor track, CB South was off to a slow start.
Tom Mallon, the reigning outdoor state champ at 800, was struggling in his
junior year. The relay was OK, but Upper Dublin and North Penn were turning more
heads. However, when push came to shove, Mallon came to play. The junior
stepped up a shocked Upper Dublin’s Mike Palmisano at states with a then record
1:51.79 (#11 US AT on race day). Then Mallon came back to anchor his 4x8 to a
state championship over the 4x defending champions from North Penn. His 1:52
carry led to a 7:49.01 time which was then the second best mark in state meet
history.
This was a good start, but CB South still had a long way
to go to get down to 7:36. They needed some guys to step up outside of their
all-star anchor leg in Mallon. And they didn’t have to wait long to get those
performances. At the Penn Relays, CB South ran 7:52.08 to make the championship
of America. Mallon, usually the team’s savior, managed just a 1:57.3 in the
prelims and said he felt terrible. The other legs pick up the slack with marks
in the 1:58-1:57 range. A day later, they ran the finals.
With the pressure on, CB South clocked an unreal 7:36.93
(which was absurdly just 3rd best in a race that featured 5 sub 7:40
teams and a then national record for Abemarle at 7:30.67). Jeff Dickson set the
tone with a 1:57.20, Matt Poiesz clocked 1:53.41, Dave Manion dropped a 1:56.53
and then Tom Mallon brought things home. With a 1:49.79.
With that kind of time in the bank in April, South seemed
like a lock to cut off the remaining second or so needed to break Wissahickon’s
record of 7:36.24. All they needed was the right amount of competition. At
states, they got just that. But we will talk about that later.
North Allegheny
During the 2007 Cross Country season, North Allegheny was
the early favorite to win states until North Penn decided they were a
juggernaut on the trails as well as the track (the Tigers took 3rd).
But after graduating their two top guys (who were 9th and 12th
at states), NA retooled and somehow got better. With an unreal pack led by
varsity rookie Chase Broussard, the Tigers rolled through the Carlisle
Invitational and crushed defending champion North Penn. Also developing as a
star was sophomore Ryan Gil who went on to take 3rd at WPIALs.
But alas, the Tigers were not meant to be states
champions in 2008. The North Penn Knights ended up the champs again and North
Allegheny, in a surprise twist, dropped to 3rd in the final
standings. It was the second straight year that the Tigers were left off the podium.
But they didn’t sit back and stay sullen in defeat. North Allegheny trained
hard through to the Nike Northeast Regionals. It was here that they knocked off
North Penn and qualified for the National Championships, again utilizing a
crazy strong pack. They were picked to finish last at Nationals, but NA ended
up taking 12th overall. That’s one of the best finishes PA has ever
had at a national championship, beating all-time great squads like 2012 Henderson
and 2015 DT West.
Ryan Gil was the big name from that crew, but at the time
he was just a sophomore. Chase Broussard, Pat Morgan, Will Appman and Eric
Balaban rounded out the top 5. It wasn’t really a star studded group but they
are arguably the best North Allegheny team we’ve seen in the last 12 seasons.
Which is saying something when you consider how stacked past squads have been.
Upper Dublin
Ah yes, my high school. The blog would likely not exist
if it wasn’t for the Class of 2009 at Upper Dublin. These guys were hard
working, determined and inspiring. Plus they always gave me stuff to talk about
on the penntrack forums. Mike Palmisano was our #1 guy. He spent his entire
senior season gunning for a state title. After taking 3rd at the
indoor and outdoor state champions at 800 as a junior, Palm went after gold his
senior season. However, despite running a near meet record time, Tom Mallon
blasted by him on the last lap for the gold in that event. So outdoors, Palm
decided to jump up to the 1600 and avoid Mallon. It was here that he got that
elusive gold with a 4:13 PR.
But what was crazy about Mike was the doubles and triples
he attempted. Palmisano ran 3 races at leagues (winning the 16, 8 and taking 2nd
to a teammate in the 32) then a week later ran 6 races (trails and finals of
the 4x8, 16, 8) and took 2nd, 1st, 3rd in the
events. Then a week later he ran 6 more races (the same 6) and took 2nd,
1st, 3rd at states. When he graduated, he held school
records for the basically all the distance events.
However, the team around him was super strong as well.
Paul Reilly finished 3rd at indoor states in the 800 during his
first ever indoor season. He dropped an open 1:55 after just dipping under 2
minutes the year before during the spring. Matt Lorenzo mastered the 1200 leg
better than anybody and Pat Reilly, Paul’s twin, turned his first ever track
season (indoors or out) into a 1:56 split by the end of outdoors.
That combination of talent led to an indoor state title
in the DMR, a Penn Relays championship in the DMR and a silver outdoors in the 4x8.
They dropped a mark of 7:40.04 and, if it wasn’t for CB South, would have been
a legendary relay squad (that was #6 in state history at the time). Instead
they are a bullet point next to them in the history books. In XC, Upper Dublin
took 5th at states in both 2007 and 2008 and was 2nd and
3rd at districts in those same years.
Best “The 11”
Story
Other Districts in
XC
Prior to the 2008 XC season, District One had been
absolutely dominant in XC. They had the top 4 AAA finishers in 2006 and then
the top 6 in 2007. Plus the district posted 37 of the 50 AAA medalists during
that span. However, things took a turn starting in 2008 as a generation of
small district runners made a name for themselves.
It started with Bud Plazenski of District 9 Dubois. In a
truly unprecedented performance, Bud, basically completely off the state radar,
dropped a huge state meet performance and finished 3rd overall.
District 2 got in the action with top 10 finishes from both Bobby Micikas and sophomore
Reece Ayers. Looking back, those names make sense. Ayers was a top 20 finisher
in the northeast region multiple years and Micikas went on to win the indoor
state title over 3,000. But at the time those guys were also big unknowns. The
same can be said for sophomores Wade Endress (14th) and Jacob Kildoo
(17th). Three District 11 guys made the podium and the first PCL
guys ever (O’Sullivan and O’Kane).
Heck, even the district medalists from the major
districts were surprising. Tarsnane, Will Kellar and Dan Krystek all placed
better at states than districts. Kevin Hull was the top D3 runner after placing
well back at districts and Zach Johnston pulled out a surprise medal for the
middle of the state as well.
Welcome to the PIAA
LaSalle
Along the same lines, LaSalle joined the PIAA and added
to the craziness at XC states. We didn’t know exactly how this squad would
stack up, but there was plenty of respect for this program. It went to another
level after this state meet. LaSalle was 9th at the Carlisle
Invitational at the end of September, placing behind 7 other state quality
programs in the standings and 210 points behind North Allegheny (NA put 5 guys
in front of their #1). They didn’t have a clear #1 runner and they didn’t have
the spread to make up for that. But guess what? LaSalle came to play when the
pressure was on and finished 2nd in the states-ahead of North
Allegheny.
I’m still not exactly sure what happened in this race. If
you look at the results, it’s not exactly clear how LaSalle jumped one point
ahead of NA in the final standings. Tom O’Kane had the best race of perhaps his
career, surprising for 25th overall. They had just a 24 second
spread and, with just 2 top 50 finishers and 1 top 30 guy, somehow snuck out a
set of state medals.
PTFCA Indoor Mile
I alluded to this race already, but I think it would make
for a compelling story. So you have TJ Hobart and Ben Havleck-two all-time
greats searching for that illusive state title. You have a slow heat that gets
after it and pushes the pace, posting multiple state medalists and nearly
steals the state gold. You have Ivo Milic-Straklj, a surprise independent
leaguer who finishes with the state title as a DIII recruit (an all-time great at
Haverford who has plenty of all-time greats). Lots of layers to peel back in
this one.
Best Race
AAA 4x800m
The deepest 4x800 in state history. The boys from CB
South came out ready to chase the record and their lead off leg, Jeff Dickson,
set the stage for that record right away with a blazing fast 1:55 carry
(roughly a 2 second PR) which meant you could kiss the record good bye from the
jump. But what was more interesting was the fact that he was far from alone.
North Penn went toe to toe with South from the jump, getting a 1:55 lead of
their own. Abington’s Elezar Cardosa also got that young squad in the mix. A
bunch more teams were in the 1:57 range.
South’s Dave Manion got the stick next and was tasked
with opening up a gap, but his competition didn’t let him. Manion dropped another
1:55 meaning they had a 1:55 average (7:40 pace) which should knock out most of
the competition. But alas, the squads were ready to battle. North Penn got
another 1:55 leg. Tres Moore of Penncrest got in the mix with a 1:54. Upper
Dublin and Henderson got 1:53 legs (Henderson making the smart choice to change
their order and move Will Kellar to 2nd instead of anchor). Carlisle’s
Kyle Hurston had an awesome leg as well.
On leg 3, CB South finally did open up that gap. It was
Matt Poiesz who did work for the squad. Poiesz was an underappreciated #2 leg
who made a big sacrifice so that the team could get the record. He had the
individual credentials to be a state medalist, perhaps even an all-state
runner, for the 800 (and maybe the 400). But they needed fresh legs for Poiesz
if they wanted that record. In his only state final, Poiesz blasted a 1:53
carry and opened up on the rest of the field to give the baton to Tom Mallon.
Then Mallon did what he does. Without another guy in
view, Mallon dropped a 1:49.1 split and smashed the old record, stopping the
clock at 7:33.48.
And the teams behind him? They kept chasing. Upper Dublin
was second in 7:40.04 (thanks to a 1:51 carry from Mike Palmisano) and then 8
other teams broke 7:50 including 8 at 7:45 or better! It took 7:45 to medal.
What’s crazy is that Cumberland Valley dropped the baton at the onset,
otherwise they took would have likely been in this crop of sub 7:50 teams (they
were sub 7:50 the year before and flanked closely to Carlisle during the
regular season).
CB South set their school record. Upper Dublin set
theirs. Henderson ran the second fastest 4x8 in program history with 4 guys
coming back the next year. North Penn ran 7:42.47, #5 in a prestigious school
history, the year after they graduated 3 of their all-time greats. Penncrest
set their school record. Souderton set their school record. Carlisle set their
school record (which survived the Affolder era amazingly). Baldwin ran their
second fastest time in school history.
Those facts aren’t just “at the time”. They hold up to
this date.
AAA 1600m
I would suggest giving this a YouTube search. Matt Chylak
of HG Prep, notorious for liking to push the pace (he helped make the indoor
state mile what it was) blasted out the first 400 at a suicide pace, crossing
the first lap in 59 seconds. Chylak was good (he made the state final) but he
wasn’t sub 4 good. The pack held back and waited for him to come back. After
two laps, they kept waiting. After three laps (around 3:08-3:09) they were
still waiting. Now fans like me had to be getting nervous for their athletes.
It took until about 100 meters to go, but eventually the
pack surpassed Chylak. Palmisano led the train and rolled through with a big
kick for the championship less than an hour after a 1:51 carry. 9 guys were
under 4:17 and Chylak hung on to stay on the medal stand with a 4:16.12.
Biggest “What If”
TJ Hobart doesn’t
fall indoors
Cumberland Valley
doesn’t drop the baton in the 4x8
You have to wonder about the ripple effects of these
flukey moments. Would Hobart have won the indoor mile? Would a faster time in
that event have discouraged Palmisano from chasing the 16 instead of the 8 come
outdoors? Does Hobart’s legacy change with a state championship?
And for CV, how fast could they have run in the 4x8?
Would they have made this race even more competitive somehow? Or would it be
overcrowded and a fall or a slip or something would have messed up the race?
Phil Wood doesn’t
transfer
LaSalle had a student by the name of Phil Wood for a few
years before he moved to a private school in New Jersey. But Wood still lived
inside the PA borders. And it was with a PA address that Wood ultimately qualified
for the Footlocker National Championships in XC. So that should give you an
idea of how talented Phil Wood was. If he stayed at LaSalle through his senior
season, Wood could transform the state landscape. For starters, he boosts the
score of the 2nd place team in the state by some 30 points (putting them
right in the mix for a team title). Plus individually, maybe he would have won
the state title over Tarsnane and Furcht considering his performance at the
Footlocker Regional meet.
Sam Bernitt doesn’t
run XC
In 2007, North Penn picked up Brad Miles from the soccer
team and transformed their squad into a state title contender. In 2008, after
graduating two state medalists, they needed to reload that firepower. So where
do you look? How about the soccer team? North Penn pulled Sam Bernitt onto
their team and the rest is history. In his first year of XC, Bernitt clocked a
time in the 15:30s and placed 10th at states, leading the Knights to
a second straight state title. Sam was worth a roughly 50 point swing in the standings
for XC. Bernitt went on to deliver a strong 4x8 leg on North Penn’s 7:42 squad
outdoors for extra benefit.
My Personal Best
Running Moment(s)
It’s funny-my high school and college years kind of
resembled each other. Freshman year for both I was just trying to figure things
out and find my footing. But I ended the season feeling like I had more to
give. Sophomore year of both, I really hit my stride and dropped some big PRs
while gaining a lot of confidence and knowledge. Then junior year, in both
locations, I had some setbacks and didn’t see the improvement I was hoping for.
But you have to dwell on the positives and, thankfully, those are the memories
that jump to mind for this post.
XC JV
As I’ve alluded to already, we had a pretty good XC squad
in 2008 and so I had the chance to a part of a pretty strong JV squad. It was
cool going into races and trying to win as a JV team or even as an individual
(although I had better teammates in Ryan Desch and Ian McGrath that never let
that happen). Being at the front of an XC race is a pretty wild experience and,
yes, it was a JV race, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a lot of fun. So shout
out to JV runners and shout out to my JV teammates that helped put together
awesome results at Foundation and Suburbans circa 2008.
2:01 in Sam Stortz’s
spikes
So junior year wasn’t great for me, but it did have some
PRs. The most memorable was a 4x8 at the fabled Trojan Track Classic. I was
supposed to run the second leg and, in preparation, laced up my spikes. But
here’s the thing-I like to lace up my spikes really tight on my narrow feet.
That created an issue as, when I went to pull the laces, I straight up ripped
them off the shoe. So now I couldn’t tie my shoe and, guess what, the race
starts almost as soon as this happens.
I called up to the stands to ask anyone to help me out.
We flipped me to 3rd leg instead of 2nd. I laced up Sam
Stortz’s spikes for the first time (which were supposedly half a size too
small) and dropped my fastest split of the season with a 2:01.9. I think it
really helped that I stopped overthinking the race and had my mind somewhere else.
Don’t overthink it kids. Just race. And also don’t rip your shoe laces.
PA’s Fastest
Seniors
800m (1:55)
1. Mike Palmisano, Upper Dublin 1:52.45*
2. Kevin Hull, Hempfield 1:52.4h/1:53.88
3. Sam Havko, Fairview 1:52.78
4. Michael Robinson, Dubois 1:53.71
1600m (4:17)
1. Sam Havko, Fairview 4:10.17
2. TJ Hobart, Baldwin 4:12.09*
3. Mike Palmisano, Upper Dublin 4:13.93
4. Kevin Hull, Hempfield 4:15.13
5. Ben Furcht, Lower Merion 4:15.6h
6. Bobby Micikas, Crestwood 4:15.78
7. Dustin Horning, Elizabethtown 4:15.79
8. Seth Hibbs, Horsham 4:15.93
9. Matt Chylak, HG Prep 4:16.12
10. Kyle Hurston, Carlisle 4:16.24
11. Jim Spisak, Bishop McCourt 4:16.86
3200m (9:20)
1. Jimmy Tarsnane, Perkiomen Valley 9:04.22
2. Ben Furcht, Lower Merion 9:04.55
3. Joe Beveridge, Bishop McDevitt 9:11.89*
4. Bobby Micikas, Crestwood 9:12.48
5. Matt McCullough, Malvern Prep 9:16.53c
6. Jim Spisak, Bishop McCourt 9:18.10*
7. Matt Gillette, Parkland 9:19.21
8. Nick Bonaventure, Penncrest 9:20.00
4x800m (7:47)
1. CB South 7:33.48
2. Upper Dublin 7:40.04
3. Henderson 7:42.01
4. North Penn 7:42.47
5. Penncrest 7:42.67
6. Souderton 7:43.69
7. Carlisle 7:44.20
8. Baldwin 7:45.44
9. Abington 7:45.69
Etrain Shorts: What Are You Ephrata?
In track and field, sometimes the most important thing to
do is turn your brain off and race. For the boys from Ephrata, they’ve gotten
pretty used to racing-and racing well. This season, Ephrata is undefeated in
the 4x800, the glamour event of Pennsylvania middle distance. Early in the
season, they picked up victories with more modest times of 8:27 and 8:26, but
then they unleashed an 8:06.02 at Franklin & Marshall to secure a spot
among the elite. Their mark currently stands 4th in the adjusted state
standings.
But this started long before this season. In XC, Ephrata
got a big push from Nate Becker first and then Zach Lefever next into the
forefront of state running. Becker was a two time top 50 finisher at states
before Lefever jumped to 4th in the state in 2016. A year ago was
the first time we saw monumental work from Ephrata on the track. Lefever was a
key part of the evolving 4x800 relay, but it’s clear that despite his star
power, the relay was/is much more than just him.
Using the culture established by their former anchor,
Ephrata has soared to big success on the track. Tyler Shue has led the team
individually, winning two golds and a silver in individual action thus far this
year at 800 meters. Shue, just a sophomore, ran 1:58.14 at districts last
spring when he was a frosh. Shue is joined by Alex Morales who holds a 1:58.40
best from last May’s LL championship. These guys have some excellent raw speed
to work with and are gamers on the race track.
Behind the speed demons is a more strength oriented
runner in Andrew Foster. Foster, who joined Lefever and Becker as yet another
top 50 finisher from Ephrata, has been active in the 3200/3k the past two
seasons. He ran a 9:42 last year and has already clocked 3 performances of 9:20
or faster for 3k on the indoor oval. Then, the team can lean on Tanyon Loose to
round out the quartet. Loose, who it appears is taking Lefever’s spot after his
graduation, has run 4:35 for 1600 last April and seems to be finding a nice rhythm
as a key component of Ephrata’s successful relay. Keep in mind an 8:06 is an
average of 2:01.5 per runner-only Shue has topped that in open results this
year. That means every leg on this team is dropping some big time splits.
Last year, Ephrata was also very fast in the regular
season. After opening with an 8:20 victory, Ephrata popped off a 7:56.98 on
April 22nd. They also posted an 8:00 for the victory at LLs before
setting their relay record of 7:56.17 to take 3rd in a stacked
district. They beat multiple programs that went on to compete in the state
finals and were right in the mix for gold along with team champs Carlisle and
powerhouse Milton Hershey (led by Austin Padmore). This young group was bounced
in the prelims of the state 4x8, taking 11th in 8:03, meaning they
had to watch the state finals a year ago. That should hopefully be a valuable
stepping stone for this program as they look ahead to a dog fight in the 2018
PTFCA Championships.
My guess is they won't be Ephrata much this year.
Sorry, it's not an Etrain post without a terrible pun.
Back to the Lab Again
Yes, my head is still spinning from an Eagles Super Bowl
victory, but I’ve recovered enough to give some quick thoughts on the state
landscape. Here’s an event by event breakdown in the order that they will
actually happen at states.
4x800m
# Accepted: 18
Teams
SQG: 8:17.63
Current Projected
Cut Off: 8:21.60
The 4x8 landscape got a big time shake up this weekend.
No, I’m not talking about Pennsbury (although they clocked a PA #2 7:57 at the
prestigious Millrose Games), but instead the boys over at CB West. After
impressing at Glenn Mills, West took to the flat track of Lehigh and turned
heads with an 8:00.14. Now I’m assuming based on the results that this was one
of those TFCAofGP meets where you can double (and maybe wear spikes?) but
someone would have to confirm. Regardless, West ran this time in the same meet
where Brian Baker dropped a 1:57 in the open 800 (top 5 in the state post
conversions). And if you can believe it Baker may not even be West’s best
runner as they have a 1:52 type in Jake Claricurzio who seems to be rounding
into shape at the right time. West also added a flat track 3:27 in the 4x4 in
the same meet and have run 10:29 for the DMR. I’m in on this team making noise.
The always dangerous squad from Pennridge announced it’s presence
this weekend as well. The Rams dropped an 8:06 to move to the #6 spot in the
rankings. This squad is led by two sub 2 minute legs in the Eisslers and has a
historically strong resume, particularly outdoors. Last year they added yet
another state medal to their collection in the spring and put together a 4th
straight season of sub 7:47 marks. Pennridge was state champs for the indoor
4x8 in 2012.
CB East, a team that has emerged as a bit of a 4x8 power
in their own right, also got in on the action with a time of 8:10. East is led
by David Endres, the surprise state #2 in the 800 with his 1:55.0 from Ocean
Breeze, but the other legs really came to play in this race as well. According
to East’s website Endres added a 2 flat anchor leg to PRs from his teammates,
making this a high upside pick moving forward if they choose to pursue this
event.
LaSalle, Twin Valley and Radnor all moved into a state
qualifying position this weekend although those spots will not necessarily be
safe when you glance at their closest competition. However, as things currently
stand the “slower” of the two 4x8 sections at indoor states would be loaded-led
by CB East and including teams like LaSalle, Radnor, Bensalem, Boyertown and
Spring Ford.
I like Haverford’s potential to make moves in the 4x8.
They have a fantastic core and it seems only a matter of time before they piece
it together and run under 8:20. One of the WPIAL/D3 teams that is off the radar
now is going to get in although I couldn’t tell you who. Maybe Hempfield or
Wyomissing, but I also like Mount Lebo and Indiana Area. If Seneca Valley wants
to stay in the hot heat at states, they may need to run a loaded 4x8 at one of
these WPIAL meets. That could pull the rest of the west to a fast time.
Mile
# Accepted: 20
Individuals
SQG: 4:31.73
Current Projected
Cut Off: 4:32.86
After projecting a ton of scratches in the mile earlier this
season, the field is starting to shape out more as expected. At the top is
obviously Josh Hoey. The Shanahan senior just clocked a 4:07.42 for the #2 time
in state history (just missing the mark Noah Affolder’s mark from last winter
of 4:07.24, ironically run at the same meet). Hoey was a little inconsistent at
the mile distance last year, but he’s been absolutely locked in at this event
in 2018. It’s hard to imagine anyone toppling him at states if he runs this
fresh (my guess is he won’t be on the 4x8).
The conversation for second is a bit more intriguing. You
have Liam Conway, the top returner, but also the guys who finished right next
to him in Evan Addison and Tristan Forsythe. Forsythe hasn’t had the flashy
times, but he hasn’t had the right opportunity either. Tristan’s last two state
meets have finished with gold. Addison is fresh off a 1:58 open 800, showcasing
his speed, and he’s also run a lifetime best of 4:17.08. Meanwhile, Conway has
run 4:15.33 and was victorious at the Millrose Trials in his earlier debut.
Your guess is as good as mine as to who is the favorite of this crop.
You’ll notice I left out Neshaminy’s Rusty Kujdych from
this mix as he think he’s going to scratch for the 3k. That being said, Kujdych
is piecing together an unreal stretch of miles. He dropped a 4:15.09 at Ocean
Breeze and really impressed with that display of speed. That’s #2 in the state.
In that race he beat Addison head to head which should give him some extra
confidence. Plus, Rusty likely just dropped a massive anchor leg on the DMR as
he propelled his Neshaminy teammates to 5th in the adjusted state
rankings. All I can say is wow.
There’s plenty I could write about the middle section of the
rankings, but I’m more interested in the back half right now. Some of the bubble
names include Will Merhige, David Piercy, Elias Lindgren and Peter Borger.
Three of those guys are independent leaguers that many people don’t know (but
should). Jake Robinson of Conestoga is putting together some awesome results.
He was a top 50 guy during XC and has a clutch factor that can’t be overlooked.
Boyertown could have three guys in the field when all is said and done-or maybe
0 if they all scratch for relays (as of now Boyertown appears to be first team
out in the DMR).
800m
# Accepted: 24
Individuals
SQG: 1:59.63
Current Projected
Cut Off: 2:01.48
The number of sub 2 guys has been consistently jumping up
as the projected cut off in this event is sinking quickly. Although this field
returned a crop of big names (Josh Hoey, Joe Cullen, Matt Eissler, Kamil Jihad)
the story to date has been the unknowns. The #1 and #2 runners in the state are
Collin Ebling and Dave Endres. Ebling has been a consistent force this indoors,
but I’d wager most can’t even tell you where he goes to school (it’s Pottsville
by the way). Meanwhile, Endres has been hiding among a super talented class of
2020 waiting for a moment to breakout. That came a little over a week ago when
he unleashed a massive PR at 1:55.05. He skipped the 1:56s completely (as well
as most of the 1:57s and nearly all of the 1:55s). That’s one of the most jaw
dropping breakthroughs in indoor history.
Yes, there is a Hoey in the top 5 of the state to this
point-but it’s not Josh. It’s Jonah Hoey, a sophomore who has run 1:56.11 and
has cruised to some impressive victories. I honestly think Jonah Hoey may win
the whole event this season, especially if he doesn’t have to go head to head
with his big brother. Jonah has also dipped into the low 4:20s for the mile a
couple times this season.
Brian Baker of CB West wasn’t even projected to be the
fastest guy on his 4x8 relay entering this season, let alone the #5 guy in the state.
Baker has enjoyed success at both the 800 and the mile, likely played a big
role in the team’s top 5 relays, and is picking up marquee victories on not so
marquee tracks like Haverford and Lehigh. I’m in on Baker, but I also suspect
he may be on double-duty for relays at indoor states.
Lamaj Curry is legit. Brett Zatlin is building a nice
base of consistency. Hudson Delisle is out there biding his time waiting to
strike. Tyler Wirth entered into the game this weekend (2 flat at CSU). Tyler
Shue is legit. Cameron Mitchell has some legit raw speed. There is a guy named
Jarrett in the top 20 who could make noise. I could keep going!
As usual, the 800 has the most intriguing list of names
of the bunch and things should only get crazier in the weeks to come.
Especially if the defending champion wants to throw his hat in the ring.
3,000m
# Accepted: 12
Individuals
SQG: 8:58.43
Current Projected
Cut Off: 8:59.88
Although there was some movement this week in the rankings,
the top 15 spots didn’t change. I suppose that’s not surprising considering
those type 15 spots are all under 9:01 by conversion. That’s pretty darn good
for this time of year. What’s crazier though is I only project 1 of the top 13
guys to be a scratch. That could change if some relays change hands (Henderson
could sneak in, maybe State College gives it a go, Manheim Township has long
shot potential like Wissahickon, could Kujdych do the mile-DMR double?), but
for now I’m not convinced.
I said this before, but we would have some fun names
competing for medals in this race. One of Patrick Theveny, Jason Corenlison, Matt
Maiale, Jake Underwood and Ian Miller would be guaranteed to leave the state
meet with hardware which would be pretty cool to see considering I barely knew
any of these guys names until this fall (sort of).
But we also have three top 5 XC guys in Kujdych,
Beveridge and Cupp plus the #2 guy in A (Brendan Miller) and arguably the #2
guy from AA (Sam Snodgrass) plus a national qualifier (Spencer Smucker). So the
star power is in this event as well.
DMR
# Accepted: 12
Teams
SQG: 10:40.73
Current Projected
Cut Off: 10:51.26
We are now up to 15 teams who are under 11 minutes
meaning that this race is officially heating up. The most surprising team of
this sub 11 crop has got to be Neshaminy. Even though I’ve been alluding to the
possibility of this squad dropping a big time for a couple weeks, I’m still
surprised to see 10:42 next to this squad’s name. They were state qualifiers
when Kujdych was a sophomore two years ago and they look poised to get back
there again (barring something dramatic). We’ll see if their sudden medal
potential makes Rusty reconsider his options in the mile and 3k.
I think Owen J Roberts has the potential to pull a
similar move to Neshaminy in the coming weeks. The top 10 squad from XC could
join other D1 qualifiers CRN, Shanahan, DT West and Spring Ford in the top 12
rankings in the coming weekend. They started showing some signs of life in the most
recent TFCAofGP meet.
At this point, I’m not sure how many teams will jump in
and out of this top 12. I could see Haverford, Twin Valley and Boyertown making
a run. The Western teams shouldn’t be counted out. But I’d also wager that CR
North, Pennsbury, and Spring Ford (among others) will be working to better
their qualifying marks sooner rather than later. I feel like those teams are
putting most of their chips in the center of the table for this event (although
who knows because Pennsbury could have their guys go 4x8-8-4x4 instead). Great
Valley is interesting as their performance at Yale was great, but can it be
duplicated? They are the #12 team as of this moment in time.
At the top, I really like Seneca Valley’s squad. I think Shanahan
could run with them considering their awesome depth, but I think SV has high
upside if they focus specifically on this event while their competition’s focus
drifts. LaSalle is always dangerous in this event as well. They, Henderson and
O’Hara are historically the most successful DMR programs with LaSalle having the
best shot of making serious noise this year.
Some Recaps And ... Apparently Some Breaking News
Susquehanna
Kyle Burke picked up a nice win a competitive mile. He
knocked off XC state champ Isaac Davis (4:40) and sophomore sensation Cole
Walker (sub 9:30 as a frosh in the 3200, also ran 4:40) with his time of 4:36.
He’s creeping down into the state qualifying mix every week and this win should
speak to his potential. Henderson won the 4x8 in 8:37 and also had the gold
medalist in the 800 when Spencer Smucker took the title in 2:04.77. Josh
Willard won the 3rd of 4 sections in 2:07 and looms as a sleeper
from the powerhouse that is Cumberland Valley.
The 3k may have been the race of the day as a crowded
field produced 14 guys under 10 minutes. Mitchell Etter of State College and
Morgan Cupp of Mechanicsburg (the top two guys in the Mid Penn during XC) finished
in the top two spots here with Etter getting the win and the faster mark
(8:57.10). This is Cupp’s first significant indoor race that I can remember and
bodes really well for a deep run not just indoors but also outdoors. As for
Etter, he’s established himself as a legit all-state contender in the 3k based
on his performances the past 12 months.
Shout out to Carter Kauffman of Saint Joseph on the 9:20
for 3rd. He’s a A guy who was strong during XC and makes a nice
transition to the oval in 2018. He beat out some legit competition including
Mitchell Rome (9:21), Owen Isham (9:24), Cade Rush (9:28) and Brett Pope
(9:28).
F&M
Invitational
Shout out to F&M. They didn’t used to have big time
indoor track meets, but now they are churning out some impressive stuff over
there.
The 1600 was a pretty great as Spring Ford’s Zach Smith
dropped a huge mark of 4:29.79. The Ram has been on fire in recent weeks which
is a great sign for this squad. Pair him and Jacob McKenna together and they
have a powerful 1-2 punch in the longer stuff. I’ve said it before, but I
really like this DMR’s potential as a sleeper team. Maybe they aren’t as flashy
time wise as some of the other programs that have trekked to bank tracks, but I
see them making noise. His teammate John Zawislak ran a solid 4:38 for 6th
in the race as a frosh.
Davis Piercy of Kennett is another guy who is quickly
gaining steam. This kid can run and his 4:32 for 3rd in this race
really proves that. He was lurking just below the elite tier for a couple weeks
and he punched straight through that barrier at F&M. Josh Endy of Boyertown
also posted a great race with a 4:32 of his own. Endy’s got a great 8-16 combo
that could make him an elite 1200 leg. On the flip, Boyertown is really deep
with McComb and Derafelo also on the roster. Lots of options for this team to
make a run at a nice DMR as well.
How about the 3k at this meet as well? The aforementioned
Jacob McKenna built nicely off his 9:12 effort at Kutztown and translated that
into an 8:56.88. That’s a SQG time and probably guarantees him a spot at states
(although you never know). If he wants it that is. Meanwhile, Ian Miller of
Manheim Township had a big breakthrough with his 8:58. Miller had posted a nice
2-mile at the Armory, but this is a far superior mark, especially when
accounting for bank and flat conversions. Miller is legit. He had some strong
moments during XC and is a part of a sneaky good distance program that also has
Evan Dorenkamp on the roster.
In other news, it’s time to stop overlooking Ephrata.
They’ve had nice 4x8 results to this point, but their most recent explosion put
the rest of the state on notice. Ephrata picked up a big win over an awesome
Boyertown squad (who impressed in their own right with an 8:14) and dropped a
mammoth 8:06.02. Last year, this team almost snagged some state medals in the
spring with a sub 8 effort. However, they lost key senior leader Zach Lefever
which I thought could be a problem for this squad. Whoops. They’ve only gotten
better as Tyler Shue (who won the 800 over a really strong runner in Seth
Phillips) continues to blossom into a star. If Shanahan isn’t all in on the 4x8
(and who knows if they are), should we be talking about Ephrata in the state
title discussion?
TFCAofGP #7
The Philly boys are still at Glenn Mills which does limit
some of the fast times, but racing is still racing and winning is still
important. CR South’s Andrew Zawodniak did some winning of his own against a
couple strong middle distance guys in Carter Laatsch and Nicholas Yeatman.
Zawodniak clocked 2:05.27 for the W. Sean Rahill, a 3k state qualifier a year
ago, was best in that event and sophomore Asher Pileggi of Neshaminy starred in
the mile, winning with a time of 4:55. Could he develop into a piece for a
Neshminy DMR attempt before all is said and done?
The relays were really the story in D1 as CB West clocked
an 8:11.30 to win the 4x8 and Abington smoked an 11:06 in the DMR. 8:11 may not
sound like all that much, but this a dangerous sign for the rest of the state. It
wasn’t that many years ago that a CB West 4x8 ran around 8:01 on this Glenn
Mills track. Then a short while later they stepped on the PSU track and clocked
a state record 7:45. This isn’t quite the same, but it is reminiscent of that
to me. They seem to be getting healthy and gaining steam at the perfect time.
Meanwhile their old rivals from Abington showed some real distance strength en
route to that 11:06. We think of them as a 4x8/4x4 squad but they had mile and
1200 legs step up to deliver a nice win over CR South (an always dangerous
squad this winter).
In Division II, Brett Zatlin continued his winning ways
with a 4:42 mile victory, Elias Lindgren showed his 800 speed with a gold in the
4 lapper and Domenic Moser continues to establish himself as 3k guy with a
victory in that event. The Great Valley boys were also victorious in the DMR,
taking the top spot by 10 seconds over Sun Valley.
TSTCA #2
The rescheduled Western Meet gave a boatload of kids
another chance to post some fast times. And those kids delivered.
At 800 meters, it was Seneca Valley’s Seth Ketler who
took the title. After impressing on the anchor leg at the Armory for SV’s DMR,
Ketler torched a 1:58 on the track this weekend for a big gold. The 1-2 punch
from Indiana of Kendall Branan and Joey Bujdos grabbed the next two spots with
strong marks of their own at 2:02. Not to be outdone, Ketler’s teammate Sam
Owori took over the mile and rolled to a victory in 4:30.83. His team was best
in the field by 8 seconds as Sam toppled state medalist Brett Brady of Butler
(4:38) and his own teammate Connor Volk-Klos (nice race at 4:38 as well).
To this point, the 3k has largely been the Rusty Kujdych
show, but Butler’s Noah Beveridge has inserted himself into the talks. Noah
clocked a big time 8:44.75 to take over the #1 contender spot from Brendan
Miller. Beveridge was 2nd at XC states and is the #2 outdoor
returner at 3200 behind Rusty. Beveridge entered the meet with an ambitious
0.08 second seed, putting a big target on his back. But ultimately he delivered
a fast time to back it up.
It wasn’t just Noah who turned heads in this race.
Christian Fitch of Fox Chapel has a couple state champs in his team’s trophy
case for the longer stuff and the sophomore impressed with a 9:06 3k. Fitch was
nearly a state medalist during cross and, at such a young age, has a ton of
talent. My favorite sleeper Josh Lewis dropped an 9:08 and Dan McGoey improved
his season best with a 9:11.
The much anticipated debut of the Greensburg Salem DMR
resulted in an 11:06 victory over Mount Lebanon (who ran 11:10). They are just
outside the state qualifying mix for now, but this should be an important
stepping stone toward a big time by year’s end. I’ve said it before, but I’ll
say it again. If the WPIAL loads up a fresh DMR at one of these meets, it is
going to be really impressive. My fingers are crossed we get to see it happen.
That’s all for now. I’ll come back with more Ocean Breeze
comments later in the week.
Oh, by the way, apparently Footlocker Finalist and sub
4:10 miler Dalton Hengst has transferred to Bishop Shanahan to join that super
star core …. So stay tuned for that ….
5 Sentences or Less
So there’s already some recap style comments floating
around the blog, but I figured I’d add in a few thoughts of my own. There were
plenty of meets to cover so I’ve tried to limit it to five sentences per meet
to keep this post a manageable list for all you loyal readers still hanging
around. Keep in mind one post down gives you the current indoor state
qualifying standings for reference along with a few other comments tossed in
about some overarching thoughts.
State College
Invite
Indiana Area is an intriguing team long term (won the 4x8
at this meet and did well at TSTCA). They were quite strong during XC and have
historically dropped some nice 4x8 squads in the past. I’m not sure we will see
a big time from them indoors, but I could definitely see them making noise by
the spring. State College could be another DMR sleeper after dropping two sub
4:40 miles and owning the top spots of the open 800.
Glen Mills
Dylan Servis is looking excellent through the first few
meets. I’m hoping for big things out of Twin Valley when they catch the right
week and stack their DMR accordingly. Luke Narbus of Penncrest, just a soph,
took 3rd in the 800 and could be a deep sleeper for late in the year
as Penncrest tries to make a push to states in the 4x8.
CSU
My gut says we see Kyle Burke in a Lehigh meet in the
mile before the season is over. He can get the SQG in the right race after
winning big in a sub 4:40 time at this meet. Ryan Curnew of Pottsgrove was very
impressive with a 2:03.80. Looks like this may be an undersized track? That
makes the times even more impressive.
Douglas W. Wesner
Memorial Invitational (at Kutztown)
Brendan Miller is legit. A Miller-Kujdych match up looks
fun as I think Miller could get pulled to a heck of a time in the 3k. I’m all
in on this Spring Ford team after McKenna (9:12) and Smith (4:34) both run
excellent races. Don’t sleep on the state champs from Wyomissing: they have big
potential in the DMR as Ben Kuhn continues to excel (4:32 for second to
Miller). Manheim Township another longshot DMR squad with high upside on the
right track in the right race.
TFCAofGP #6
Matt Maiale and Saabir Yasin-Spann are two names that
haven’t grabbed headlines, but have big time range. They were 1-2 at 800 in
this one, but can make noise up to 3k. Really feeling big things from Boyertown
before this season is over. Pennsbury is, unsurprisingly, quite good. I think
they will win the 4x8 at states.
TSTCA #3 (i.e. 1)
We need more Western meets-we are just beginning to
scratch the surface of their potential! I like the idea of Sam Snodgrass in a
3k (he is now a sub 9 guy), but wonder if he will ditch the mile completely for
a fresh run at the long distance come states. Zach Ehling has a 1:56 PR
outdoors and has already picked up some big indoor marks including this latest
2:01 run-by the spring I think he’s a guy to watch for the state medals. Butler
in the DMR is a fun development. Would be cool to see the 4 WPIAL powers (NA,
Butler, Seneca Valley, Mount Lebanon) in the same DMR before things wrap up-throw
in Winchester Thurston if you really want to see a show.
Youngstown
Although it doesn’t need to be said (so why waste a
sentence on it Trian!), Tristan Forsythe is going to be a force in the mile. That
4:21 to roll to a victory was really impressive and reminds me of Mike Kolor (a
4:11-1:51 guy) who has the facility record. Greensburg Salem could fit into
that DMR discussion from a meet earlier too after Mark Brown drops a 4:30.00. Nate Price (District
champ in XC against the best AA district) won his section of the 16 in 4:34 and
could be even better in a 3k/32 if he gets the chance. Don’t forget the name
Josh Lewis.
New Balance
The 4x8s of Abington, Penncrest and Penn Wood caught my
attention the most. Each team had some stand out legs and my hunch says that
these tight knit programs will push each other so that the gap between the
fastest and slowest legs shrink by season’s end. Abington’s anchor ran 1:57.06
(that’s moving) and we also had a sub 2 split from Upper Darby’s SMR anchor so
keep an eye out for those individuals.
In the mile, Kujdych really impressed me by not only
dropping a fast time (4:19), but also really handling the kick at the end with
a 61 second close. He’s a huge favorite in the 3k right now so is there any
chance he runs the mile at states?
VA Showcase
What Bishop Shanahan does the rest of the season will be
the focus of everyone’s attention. Jonah is showing a ton of speed through the
first few meets and is set up to compete for the individual title at 800 (he
may be the favorite if his brother isn’t it). Josh is obviously an all-time
great. The DMR still has a lot of time left to drop off an already fast mark in
the 10:20s. Yoquinto and Zink are great pieces for the speed legs.
New Balance
(again)
Yes, I already did this one, but I had more than 5
sentences worth of stuff to say so pretend that I didn’t. Seneca Valley’s DMR
was awesome in meet one and I’d very curious to know which guy ran which leg. A
sub 4:20 anchor carry indicates they could have an individual contender in that
event if they want it (but they have two relays to consider as well).
Michael Clark of Methacton had a very strong 600 (1:23)
this weekend and could be a breakout candidate at 800. From the mile crop (PA
had a deep contingent), I like Wirth getting some extra experience on the big
stage (he ran 4:24) and would be interested to see how he handles either a 3k
(considering his XC success) or an 800 (he’s split 1:53 before) as things move
forward.
Yale
The Great Valley chatter came to a head as they produced
a big time DMR (10:51) behind Brett Zatlin’s 3:10 lead off carry. GFS’s team
has also been impressive lately as they have a 400 guy with wheels, an
experienced guy in Riley and an improving distance stand out in Blaylock.
Smucker drops an 8:51 3k and further complicates the mile picture (will he
scratch or not?) while Dom Moser quietly impresses with a sub 9:20.
First Edition of the State Qualifying Rankings
Hi all,
As I have done in past seasons, I keep track of all the top times in each of the distance events in PA for the indoor season. Because the state qualifying picture is purely based on how you rank within the state (no state qualifying marks), it's important to have this list in the back of your mind as a coach, athlete or (most importantly) an analyst. Let me know what you think of the list, the projected scratches and any missing times.
Note that I am using the conversion guidelines and entry cut offs from the PTFCA website (ptfca.org). If I misinterpreted any conversions, feel free to let me know. These do often times matter (and are sometimes inconsistent) so I'd like to understand the rules so I can provide the best possible list for those trying to deduce the state qualifying picture.
I'll continue to update these regularly and post them up on the site. The links to this week's edition are below:
4x800m
Mile
800m
3,000m
DMR
As I have done in past seasons, I keep track of all the top times in each of the distance events in PA for the indoor season. Because the state qualifying picture is purely based on how you rank within the state (no state qualifying marks), it's important to have this list in the back of your mind as a coach, athlete or (most importantly) an analyst. Let me know what you think of the list, the projected scratches and any missing times.
Note that I am using the conversion guidelines and entry cut offs from the PTFCA website (ptfca.org). If I misinterpreted any conversions, feel free to let me know. These do often times matter (and are sometimes inconsistent) so I'd like to understand the rules so I can provide the best possible list for those trying to deduce the state qualifying picture.
I'll continue to update these regularly and post them up on the site. The links to this week's edition are below:
4x800m
Mile
800m
3,000m
DMR
Sophomore Year: 2007-2008
Defining Runners
Mark Dennin,
Boyertown
My freshman year, Jason Weller had established himself as
one of the clutchest performers in the state’s history. It didn’t take long for
his teammate Mark Dennin to join the same group. After spending most of the XC
season stuck behind Chris Aldrich and Vince McNally in the state rankings,
Dennin entered the state meet an underdog. But he pushed the pace hard from the
gun and broke the spirit of all his competitors en route to a 29 second victory
at the state championships. By the way, it wasn’t a fluke. Dennin doubled down
on his accomplishments with a 2nd place finish at the Footlocker
Northeast Regional and a 13th place finish at the National
Championships.
When he stepped on the track, Dennin did something that
even Weller hadn’t done. He won the Penn Relays individual title at 3,000
meters (8:30.11). Capitalizing on that momentum, Dennin cruised to district and
state championships in the 3200 and ran a very quick 9:03 for 3200 meters.
But ultimately my biggest Mark Dennin memory will be the
time I met him on the bus at my first ever district championships. Apparently
our teams were getting in some type of fruit throwing fight during a rainy day
and Dennin came on board with Dave Moyer to talk with us once a treaty had been
brokered. At the time, he easily passed the “Felix is probably wetting his
pants right now” threshold that teammates used to determine how good a runner
was. And isn’t that the most important testing of all when determining defining
runners?
Max Kaulbach, GFS
From my perspective, Max Kaulbach was the first great independent
leaguer. And Kaulbach’s achievements marked the first time (of many) that I
would lament not having a PA Meet of Champions. I knew Kaulbach was good. He
led a strong GFS team to one of the top spots in the Northeast Regional during
XC, was top PA at Paul Short and had run very fast over 4,000m at Van Cortlandt
(12:27). But Kaulbach didn’t truly become generation defining (to me) until his
mile at indoor states.
Kaulbach, more of a longer distance type, entered the
mile against Vince McNally and Nick Crits, the top two individuals returning
from the previous year’s outdoor state meet. He was a big underdog against the speedsters
and, as he sat back in the early stages and allowed a slow pace, it seemed like
his chances for gold were increasingly unlikely. But on the last lap, Max
sprang into action, handled an early surge from Crits and then blasted home the
final 100 meters for the state gold. A short while later, Kaulbach won the indoor
national championship for 2 miles at NSIC, defeating the reigning indoor state
champ from the 3k in Josh Izewski. His time of 9:02.65 was also an indoor state
record for the two mile.
Outdoors, Kaulbach joined the sub 9 minute club with an
8:58 for 3200. He also anchored GFS to a Penn Relays championship in the DMR
and ran 3:54 for 1500. It would have been fun to see him go head to head with
Dennin when both were clicking, but we never got that match up at either XC
Regionals or a major outdoor meet.
Nick Crits,
Wissahickon
Crits and I have the same birthday. It’s not really that
important to the conversation, but I just wanted to throw that out there. The
fact that I know that (and it was a huge deal when it was brought to my
attention) should indicate how significant Crits was during his senior season.
Nick ran for our rivals in Wissahickon and was the first
elite runner I saw up close and personal. His kick was lethal and no one within
the Suburban One league could hang with him when he made his move. But Crits
proved himself outside our small bubble of achievement. He was 5th
at states for XC, 2nd indoors in the mile (while sick) and then 1st
at states outdoors in the 1600. That race forever made him a legend-but we’ll
get to that.
Crits is also a member of the sub 1:55, sub 4:17, sub
9:20 club, speaking to his range across a variety of distances. He has PRs of
15:26, 9:15 (basically solo), 4:11 (1:56 last 800) and 1:53 (on the double to
win districts).
Vince McNally,
Conestoga Valley
McNally is one of the greatest talents that we have ever
seen come through PA. From his freshman season, he was a star. Lost in the
shuffle of a loaded Lancaster-Lebanon, McNally took 13th at XC
states as a frosh. He followed that mark with an outdoor state title, splitting
1:55 as the third leg of a 7:40.06 4x800 relay. By the end of his sophomore
season, McNally had clocked 15:02 for 5k, taken bronze at XC states and set
himself up as the favorite to take over the state once the Miller boys
graduated.
However, things weren’t easy for Vince. He had to battle
injuries during the next fall and settled for 5th in the state.
During indoor track, he was well back from the leaders in the mile. Eventually,
though, he rounded back into peak form and he hit his stride for the outdoor
season. Vince entered the state 1600 feeling confident and strong for perhaps
the first time all year and the results reflected it-he clocked 4:11 with about
a 2:01 second half for gold. Then, extending his season out to nationals, he
ran 4:08.99 for a full mile, or 4:07.55 converted for 1600. Vince is still in
the top 10 ever for PA high schoolers in the event. If you don’t count indoor
times, he’s even higher on the list as Josh Hoey, Noah Affolder and Sam Ritz
drop out from ahead of him leaving only Vandegrift, Lowry and Magaha.
As a senior, Vince didn’t eclipse that 1600 PR, but he
continued to add to his legacy. He qualified for Footlocker Nationals in XC,
ran another 15:02-this time at LLs, placed all-state for the indoor mile and
dropped 4:13-1:55-9:05 marks on the outdoor oval. It would have been
interesting to see McNally shift his focus to the 3200 outdoors. He ran 9:05
very early in the season and beat Dennin head to head. However, McNally decided
to stick with his original success at 1600 and try to defend his title.
Ultimately, he didn’t have the kick to hold on and win another gold in the
event. But we will get to that.
Defining Teams
GFS
Led by the aforementioned Max Kaulbach, GFS rolled to
back to back independent league championships in XC. They also represented the
state proudly in some marquee invitationals including Paul Short where they
took home the gold. Germantown Friends was 5th at the first ever
Nike Team Northeast Regional championships, one spot back of PIAA champs North
Penn. Kaulbach was 2nd in the region and Jake McKenzie was 13th.
On the track, the GFS boys impressed as well. After
running some fast times in the DMR, they decided to focus their energies on
individual events at the indoor state championship. Kaulbach set the tone
winning the mile and was joined by teammate Isaac Ortiz on the medal stand (6th).
In the 3,000 meters, Kaulbach doubled off his 4:15 for 3rd in a time
of 8:37. This time, it was Jake McKenzie who accompanied him at the awards,
placing 6th with a time of 8:48.
Because they loaded up on the individual events, GFS
decided to run a completely fresh DMR without any of their big three legs.
Despite the absence of their seniors, a young squad competed valiantly with the
deep field and clocked a time of 10:41 for 7th overall and another
round of state medals. Their point total placed them 5th in the
state and was made up completely of distance events. At indoor nationals,
Kaulbach added an individual national title in the 2 mile and their 4xMile
relay took 3rd in the same meet, dropping a very quick 17:34.
Outdoors, the focus shifted back to the relays where the
team could shine. They dropped an early season 4x8 at 7:47.50 at the CB West
Relays and asserted themselves as an early PA #1. Then, they rolled to the Penn
Relays Championship of America in the DMR. Ortiz set the tone from the jump,
running 3:07 on his 1200 leg, while Kaulbach brought it home with a 4:15.1
anchor. Their final time was 10:11.54 and they had a winning margin of exactly
5 seconds over indoor state champs LaSalle.
North Penn
The Knights in blue had already labeled themselves a “Dynasty”
before the 2007-2008 season was underway. The team’s 4x800 relay had won 8 of the
previous 10 indoor state championships, including the most recent three
seasons. In the spring of 2007, after a drought in their favorite relay, a team
of Justin Bookheimer, Brian Quintrell, Steve Franks and Zack Montijo brought
the outdoor golds back to North Penn, outdueling a talented squad from Baldwin with
a 7:43.22. All four of those guys were set to return in 2008 to defend their
title.
During the indoor season, North Penn quickly established
their dominance. Montijo, Bookheimer and Franks all entered the open 800 meters
at the indoor state championship and took down 2nd, 5th
and 6th respectively. They entered the 4x800 relay with tired
legs-with the exception of lead off runner Brian Quintrell. But any doubts
about their victory were quickly erased as Quintrell handed off at the front of
the field, clocking a 1:57.08 split on leg 1. North Penn’s final time was
7:48.99, a new state meet record. Montijo soloed the final leg with a time of
1:55.45. The team clinched the state title with over 40 points. To cap off the
indoor season, North Penn broke their own indoor state record by clocking a
7:47.48 at the indoor national championships to roll to the national title at
the Armory by nearly 5 seconds.
After their electric indoor performance, it was on to
outdoor track. They had bested records on the short track, but taking down the
fabled 7:36 4x800 record would be much tougher. Things didn’t start great for
the Knights at the Penn Relays either. After cruising through the preliminary
round, North Penn entered the finals hoping to win the Championship of America
against top Jamaican squads Calabar and Manchester. Quintrell held his own on
the crowded lead off and handed off in third at 1:58.7. Steve Franks dropped a
huge 1:53.4 to keep them at the front on the second leg and then Justin
Bookheimer opened up the lead with a 1:54.9 split. That meant Zack Montijo had
the stick in his hand with a lead. Up until this point, he had been money in
that position.
But in a stunning turn, Montijo faded on the last lap and
Machester soared by on the anchor leg. Montijo clocked an uncharacteristic
performance, dropping a 1:57.4 split and North Penn had to settle for 2nd-7:44.39
to 7:43.22.
However, North Penn did not let it get them down. The
Knights demolished a strong field at the District One Championships, clocking
7:44.81 and winning by nearly 8 seconds. In the finals at states, with heavy
pressure on their backs, North Penn did not disappoint. Quintrell started things
with a 1:57.54, then Steve Franks dropped a 1:53.68 on leg #2. Even with those
fast times, North Penn still had company from CB West who had run arguably
their best two legs in the 1-2 position. Once again it was Justin Bookheimer’s
job to break things open and he did just that, opening up a big lead with a
1:54.16 carry. Now it was down to Montijo. Running completely alone and
vulnerable, Montijo launched right into action. Unlike the Penn Relays, he ran
strong and composed the entire way and torched the track en route to a 1:53.08
carry. The clock stopped on North Penn’s epic relay with a time of 7:38.79. It
wasn’t faster than Wissahickon’s state record, but, at the time, it was the 2nd
fastest 4x800 relay in the history of the state. Note-at the time.
Oh, by the way, the 2007-2008 North Penn Knights were
also the state champions during XC earlier that fall. After not even qualifying
for states the year previously, North Penn decided to turn it up a notch.
Montijo and Quintrell were both integral parts of their XC success, each
breaking 16 minutes at Lehigh. Montijo was the team’s #1 runner at states with
a 6th place finish. However, the big lift came from sophomore Brad
Miles. In one of the best sophomore performances ever, Miles clocked a 15:24 at
districts and went on to take 10th at states and 7th at
regionals. Miles, Montijo and Zach Hoagland (posted all time marks at Carlisle
and Briarwood) all were medalists for the state and district champions.
Overall, North Penn came just 10 points shy of winning
the triple crown-XC, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track. The Knights won both the
4x8 and the 4x4 relay (3:15.54) with their middle distance prowess and also had
medalists in the 400 and 800. But it wasn’t enough as Altoona, led by sprinter
Aaron Nadolsky and timely field events, scored 44 points and knocked off the D1
powerhouse.
Best “The 11”
Story
Dan Lowry
The 2008 season was the last year before the PIAA let the
PCL in to race with the rest of the state so we never got to see Dan Lowry go
for an individual state championship in cross or outdoor. During the indoor
season, Lowry decided to skip any individual events to focus on the DMR. So
again, no individual title.
But Lowry was unquestionably strong. After winning the
PCL championship, Lowry took 12th at the Footlocker Northeast
Regional and came just a few spots away from joining PA’s big three at
nationals. During indoor track, Lowry ran a 4:12.51 anchor leg to win the DMR
championship by 14 seconds. His squad ran a meet record 10:15.89 that stood all
the way until Carlisle’s national record squad was able to knock it off the
list. Lowry also split 4:12.2 on the anchor at the Penn Relays, the fastest
split of the meet. It was good enough to move his team past 8 others and into 2nd
place overall.
Outdoors, Lowry ran 4:13.49 at the PA Distance Festival
in the full mile distance to cap off his racing career. Although he had a
rabbit in coach Greg Bielecki, Lowry ended up winning the race by some 6
seconds over the next closest competitor. That time converts to 4:12.02 for 1600
and would be in line with PRs from Nick Crits, Greg Kareis and TJ Hobart (the
top 3 at states). Lowry was a team player, a gutsy anchor runner and a talented
individual athlete. He went on to become a sub-4 miler and one of the fastest
PA-native 5k runners ever (maybe the fastest?). I’m sure he would be a
fascinating story, but also an under told one.
Khalif Featherstone
Khalif Featherstone is one of the most interesting runners
in state history. Although he’s more sprinter than distance runner, the Simon
Gratz grad could really do it all from the time he first stepped on the track
as a freshman. After producing big times his first season, the sophomore led
Simon Gratz to state championships in the 4x1, 4x4 and 4x8 relay. He anchored
the 4x8 in a time of 1:52, knocking off title hopefuls North Penn, and brought
home the 4x4 title with a carry of 46 seconds. Both wins were come from behind
victories by the sophomore. Featherstone also split a 1:52.2 on an indoor SMR
that got Simon Gratz near the national record.
But ultimately Khalif ended up more of a 400 runner than
an 800 runner. It would have been interesting to see him truly test himself in the
800, but he ran the 4-8 double his junior season (the great “what if” open 800
from a post ago) and left himself out of gas for the second race. As a senior,
he won long coveted state titles at 400 meters and skipped out on the 800 yet
again. Not sure if it is a “what if” or a “the 11” kind of storyline, but I’d
be remiss if I didn’t include Featherstone in with this class of guys.
And for added controversy, Featherstone graduated high
school in 2008 at the age of 19 years old, making him on the older side for a
high schooler.
Norristown
This was another interesting storyline. Norristown, not
known for their distance prowess, caught momentum at the right time and earned
the silver medals at states for the 4x800 relay. In the fall, Norristown was 52nd
in the district for cross country. Even the individual results for their 800
legs in the 2 and 4 lap races were lacking. But when the pressure was on,
Norristown ran 7:45.44 with a balanced line up and took 2nd behind
only one of the greatest 4x8 relays of all time in North Penn.
Best Race
I’m just going to leave that here. It’s the #1 race from
my PIAA all-decade races list for a reason.
Biggest “What If”
What if Tom Troxell
didn’t lose his shoe?
For those of you unfamiliar with minor details from 4x8s
that happened almost 10 years ago, allow me to fill you in. Tom Troxell of
Cedar Crest entered the 2008 outdoor state championships as one of the sport’s
biggest rising stars. He had run 1:52.61 at his district championship in the
middle of a triple and rolled to the individual title. That time made him the
#1 seed in the open 800. Cedar Crest was also the district champs in the 4x8
(#6 seed) and 4x4 (#3 seed). For most, they were a compelling sleeper pick in a
variety of events.
On Day One, the Cedar Crest relays qualified through to
the finals with relative ease and Troxell won his section of the individual
800. Everything was going well. Day two for Troxell would start with the 4x8.
He got the baton in the mix with a pack of teams competing for the silver.
However, during his leg he was clipped from behind and lost his shoe. Despite
this loss, he was able to gut out a carry around 1:53-1:54 and help his team to
5th overall. However, he was rolling when he lost the shoe and it’s
not crazy to think he could have put together something heroic and chased down
a higher position. Then, in the 800 finals, Troxell was feeling the effects of
running a hard race without a shoe. He had to DNF the open 800 opening the door
for a surprise state champion … Tom Mallon, a sophomore from CB South, stunned everybody
with an epic 1:52.35 carry for the gold medal. That race set the stage for big
things to come from Mallon and his CB South teammates. But, unsurprisingly, we
will get to that later.
What if other teams
cared about the 2008 Indoor DMR?
As mentioned earlier, a huge carry from Dan Lowry helped
LaSalle absolutely roll to the indoor state championship in the DMR in a record
setting time. But LaSalle was not necessarily favorites entering that meet. The
top seed was Engineering & Science, led by state champion hopefuls in
Elliot Rhodes (won the indoor 800) and Terrence Lee (won the outdoor 1600)
along with speedsters like Austin Perron. However, E&S was doubling
everybody, including anchor Terrence Lee off the 3,000 meters.
Germantown Friends was stacked (as evidenced by their DMR
title at the Penn Relays), but they opted to load up the individual events and
skipped out on the relay. Archbishop Ryan, who went on to become national
champions at NSIC, chose the 4x8 over the DMR. Sean Mallon would have been
their anchor. He ran a 4:15 anchor split in his best race at NSIC and also
medal indoors at the mile, taking 3rd overall. Ryan was the Last
Chance Meet Champions in the DMR and runner-ups to LaSalle at Meet of Champs.
CB East, who took 2nd in the 4x8, had the potential
to unleash a dangerous DMR. If you combine their 4x8 pieces with the indoor
state 3k champion in Josh Izewski you would have a pretty loaded squad. North
Penn could have done damage (but they were always gonna pick the 4x8) and HG
Prep or Wissahickon had nice squads as well. Out of the top teams that did
actually enter (Baldwin, Upper Dublin, E&S) basically everyone was doubling
(or tripling) a key leg.
Ultimately, this ended up a little bit of a one team race
as LaSalle won big. If they had more competition, maybe they could have been
pushed to an even faster time. Who knows what we could have seen from Lowry on
a more urgent anchor leg? We have to give major props to Penncrest for
impressing with their silver medal performance. That is one of the more
unlikely DMR rises we have seen in recent years and they put it together
perfectly on race day. Could things have been different if the race was more
crowded out front?
It's not my favorite “what if”, but it’s something I
think about from time to time.
My Personal Best
Running Moment
Yes, I’m doing two moments again. Sorry.
The Quarter Bet
This was my first breakthrough moment in track. I think
there’s a chapter on this in All My Friends are Runners that might sum it up
best, but basically I ran a 56.9 in the 400 the day after a workout when I had
never even broken 60 before that race. It was the race that first made me feel
like I could actually be kinda decent at running.
The Best Race of My
Life
Even now, having run for a decade since this race
happened, I still feel that the 2008 Suburban One Conference Championships slow
heat of the 800 meters is the greatest race I have ever run. It’s not the
fastest, but it’s the best. I got the most out of myself that day that I can
ever remember getting. Maybe it was just the first time that I really pushed myself (I was a young kid who didn’t
know much about racing) and that makes it feel like the best race I’ve had, but
regardless I’m sticking with it.
I didn’t even know if I was going to make it into the
race. To that point, I had only run 2:07 in the 800 (hand time) so I was a
bubble guy just to get into the meet. If I wasn’t running the 800, I was going
to be entered in the 3200 (quite the difference) because my time stacked up
better in that event. So it was hard to prepare. I warmed up with our other 800
guys and checked in to see if I would be accepted. By my count (and I could be
way off on this) I may have been the last guy in. But I got the chance and I didn’t
look back.
The first 400 I went out hard in about 61 seconds (my PR
prior to the quarter bet). That was quick for a 2:07 guy, but back then I used
to do stupid stuff like that all the time. I didn’t learn how to even split for
another 6 years. The difference was, this time I was able to hang on. I pushed
hard the third 200 meters and, when it seemed like I had nothing left, I found
another gear for the last 200. I ended up gradually moving up through the heat,
passing some guys who I knew were faster than me and nearly kicking down the
top guy for the win in the slow heat. My final time was 2:04.82. A year earlier
I ended my season running 2:21.
My legs actually kinda gave out as I crossed the line (I
tried to do a lean for no real reason and fell over) and I just laid down on
the track for a while as one of my friends (shout out Ryan Desch) ran over to the
side of the fence and yelled “Felix-2:04!” to which I responded with a small
wave of appreciation. Later on, I threw up a peanut butter sandwich and a hot
dog in the stands at PW High School. Sophomore year was a simpler time.
PA’s Fastest
Seniors
800m (1:55)
1. Elliot Rhodes, Germantown Academy (E&S) 1:52.43*
2. Tom Troxell, Cedar Crest 1:52.61
3. Brian Fulton, Malvern Prep 1:52.77
4. Nick Crits, Wissahickon 1:53.47
5. Joe Capecci, CR North 1:53.48
T-6. Tyler Golden, Central Dauphin 1:53.55
T-6. Ben Scheetz, Manheim Township 1:53.55
8. Chris Pregler, CB West 1:53.73
9. Dave Farina, Norwin 1:53.82
10. Steve Franks, North Penn 1:53.88*
11. Ben Hatch, Bellwood-Antis 1:54.05
12. Zack Montijo, North Penn 1:54.12
13. Eli Weeks, Owen J Roberts 1:54.25*
14. Trevor VanAckeren, Liberty 1:54.39
15. Max Kaulbach, GFS 1:54.7h
1600m (4:17)
1. Vince McNally, Conestoga Valley 4:07.55c*
2. Nick Crits, Wissahickon 4:11.69
3. Dan Lowry, LaSalle 4:12.02c
4. Greg Kareis, Red Lion 4:12.94
5. Terrence Lee, E&S 4:14.25ic
6. Max Kaulbach, GFS 4:14.32ic
7. Jake McKenzie, GFS 4:15.44c
8. Trevor VanAckeren, Liberty 4:15.91*
9. Chris Aldrich, Henderson 4:16.43*
10. Sean Mallon, Ryan 4:16.59ic
11. Dave Adley, Baldwin 4:16.63
3200m (9:20)
1. Max Kaulbach, GFS 8:58.69e
2. Mark Dennin, Boyertown 9:03.63
3. Chris Bodary, Bishop Shanahan 9:03.83ic
4. Vince McNally, Conestoga Valley 9:05.1
5. Chris Aldrich, Henderson 9:07.53
6. Nick Crits, Wissahickon 9:15.62
7. Greg Kareis, Red Lion 9:15.74*
8. Josh Izewski, CB East 9:16.03ic
9. Chris Cipro, Seneca Valley 9:19.19*
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