Big shout out to Jiminy Cricket, one of our most loyal readers and best commenters who decided to put together a version of the top 50 list for track. This is a tricky proposition given the fact that track has so many different races involved (unlike XC), but the guy (or girl, I technically have no idea) put together a pretty strong set of names. Let him (or her) (and all of us) know what you think!
As promised, here's my top 50 rankings as of right now. I tried to use a mix of guys off to good starts and guys with big PR's, but really it ended up being very close to the indoor state meet results. My plan is to update this every week. Please let me know who I misranked and who I left off altogether. Let's get some more hype going for this season!
1. Josh Hoey (Bishop Shanahan/Senior)
2. Rusty Kujdych (Neshaminy/Senior)
3. Liam Conway (Owen J. Roberts/Senior)
4. Noah Beveridge (Butler/Senior)
5. Evan Addison (LaSalle/Senior)
6. Tristan Forsythe (Winchester Thurston/Senior)
7. Joe Cullen (Wyomissing/Senior)
8. Tyler Wirth (Wallenpaupack/Junior)
9. Tyler Shue (Ephrata/Sophomore)
10. Kamil Jihad (Neumann Goretti/Senior)
11. Jonah Hoey (Bishop Shanahan/Sophomore)
12. Morgan Cupp (Mechanicsburg/Senior)
13. Mitchell Etter (State College/Senior)
14. Brian Baker (CB West/Senior)
15. Matt Eissler (Pennridge/Junior)
16. Colin Ebling (Pottsville/Senior)
17. Brett Zatlin (Great Valley/Senior)
18. Seth Ketler (Seneca Valley/Junior)
19. Tyler Rollins (DT West/Senior)
20. Aidan Sauer (Pennsbury/Senior)
21. Ian Miller (Manheim Township/Junior)
22. Spencer Smucker (WC Henderson/Senior)
23. Sam Owori (Seneca Valley/Junior)
24. Jake Claricurzio (CB West/Senior)
25. Brenden Miller (Upper Dauphin/Senior)
26. Hudson Delisle (Quakertown/Senior)
27. Garrett Baublitz (Juniata/Sophomore)
28. David Endres (CB East/Junior)
29. Jed Scratchard (Pennsbury/Senior)
30. Zack Forney (Ridley/Senior)
31. Isaac Davis (Jersey Shore/Senior)
32. Cameron Binda (Greensburg Salem/Junior)
33. Sam Earley (CR North/Senior)
34. Jarnail Dhillon (Upper Darby/Senior)
35. Aiden Tomov (Haverford Township/Junior)
36. Jacob McKenna (Spring Ford/Senior)
37. Jack Zardecki (Dallas/Senior)
38. Will Merhige (Haverford School/Senior)
39. Sam Snodgrass (South Fayette/Senior)
40. Matt Busche (Franklin Regional/Senior)
41. Jack Wisner (Carlisle/Junior)
42. Ethan Zeh (Radnor/Junior)
43. Avery Lederer (Penncrest/Senior)
44. Dan McGoey (North Allegheny/Sophomore)
45. Jonah Powell (Grove City/Junior)
46. Whoever split 1:56 on Abington’s 4x8 (probably Coleman or Mitchell)
47. Collin Ochs (CR South/Junior)
48. Chayce Macknair (Mifflin County/Junior)
49. Patrick Theveny (Penncrest/Sophomore)
50. Brett Brady (Butler/Senior)
Honorable Mention: Matt Maiale, Elias Lindgren, Connor Shields, Lamaj Curry
Left off for Injury Concerns: Ryan Campbell, Tyler Leeser
-Jiminy Cricket
Penn Relays Individual Acceptances
PA Mile Entries:
Josh Hoey, Shanhan
Liam Conway, Owen J. Roberts
Evan Addison, LaSalle
It wasn’t that long ago that Josh Hoey was crossing the
line first in the Penn Relays mile. As a sophomore, Josh Hoey clocked a 4:11.90
mile to jump past a star studded field that included future PA stand out Noah
Affolder (second in 4:12.19). A year later, Hoey was back in the line up again,
but this time he had to settle for 4th place as Dalton Hengst was
crowned champion. Will the third time be the charm for Josh? He comes in as the
favorite with an indoor best 4:07 and a Millrose Championship. All that was
before he clocked a 1:47 to smash the indoor national record in the half. He’s
got the speed and the experience to win a title, but nothing is ever guaranteed
at the Penn Relays as Josh proved only two years ago.
Liam Conway, the now two-time state champion, from Owen J
Roberts is also in the field. He clocked a 4:15 and 1:53 at PSU to take the
golds at indoor states a month ago. Conway has some very fast season bests, but
he’s also proven he is a strong tactician. This has been Conway’s best year to
date and he’s poised for a fast run at the Penn Relays if things click.
Evan Addison of LaSalle will round out the PA entries in
the mile. After competing as a part of the LaSalle DMR last spring, it appears Addison
may get a shot at the individual mile (although the relay entries aren’t final
yet). Addison has placed in the top 4 at indoor states each of the past two
years. He’s run 4:17.08 this year during the indoor campaign and has 1:54 800
speed dating back to last year. Addison has the tools to hang in a strength race
or a speedy one.
PA 3,000m Entries:
Rusty Kujdych, Neshaminy
Mitchell Etter, State College
Tyler Rollins, DT West
Brenden Miller, Upper Dauphin
The top four finishers from the PTFCA State Championships
will all contest the Penn Relays later this month. Neshaminy’s Rusty Kujdych
will lead the field after a dominant indoor campaign that included an 8:30.88
time in the 3k with a near 12 second margin of victory. That time has put Rusty
in a good spot in the rankings – it appears he is the #2 seed.
Etter had a strong indoor campaign, but the State College
senior really caught fire when the lights were brightest. Etter stormed to
second place overall in the 3k final, running a career best 8:42.70. State
College is no stranger to the 3k, but they’ve typically been here for the 4x800
relay.
DT West has put together an impressive stretch of
distance running and now they finally have a chance to represent in the 3k.
Tyler Rollins, who dropped PR type runs in back to back weeks, has punched a
ticket to the Penn Relays to represent the D1 XC champs. Rollins is in thanks
to an 8:45 run at states that was 10 seconds below his seed. He’ll look to
duplicate that magic after a strong 1600 win at his home invite.
Brendan Miller of Upper Dauphin will represent the small
schools in the Penn Relays. Dominic Hockenbury and Ben Bumgarner, future AA
state champions in the 3200, have both competed in Philly in the past and
Miller will be looking to have similar success. Brenden ran an 8:47 season best
at the 3k and is coming off a monster XC campaign. This is a pretty big stage
for a guy from as small as a program as Upper Dauphin, but Miller has never
backed down from a challenge when the lights are bright. He will try to be the Cinderella
in this field.
PA has had their fair share of 3k champions at the Penn
Relays, but we are in a bit of a drought. PA took the wheel in 2008 (Dennin),
2009 (Micikas), and 2013 (Norris). Nate Henderson was PA’s top dog in 2017 (4th)
and 2016 (3rd) and none of our four entrants have prior individual
Penn Relays experience.
But seriously, when is it going to be spring ...
Kiwanis
Good news for Pennsbury fans-after missing the end of the
indoor season, it appears that Jed Scratchard is back in action. He and state
medal winning teammate Aidan Sauer rolled to a 1-2 finish in the 800 with times
of 1:58.34 and 1:57.50 respectively. Pennsbury seems like the most logical
challenger to CB West for the outdoor state title (although Pennridge and
Ephrata will have things to say about that). Speaking of 4x8 contenders, the
boys from CB East made a big statement on this front. The quartet knocked off
indoor state medal winners Abington and sub 8 squad CR South and dropped a very
quick 8:01.44. That time may be good enough to punch a ticket to Penn Relays. East
has a star in David Endres, but is also getting back Marc Motter for the
spring. These guys have the chance to be well under 8 minutes when all is said
and done. I’m a big fan of this group’s potential.
For the record, Pennridge won both the DMR and the 4x4,
staking their own climb for middle distance prowess.
Rusty Kujdych began his quest for the triple crown with a
runaway victory at 1500. He dropped a 4:06 for the win (roughly a mid 4:20s
type mark) to take gold by almost 9 seconds. Kevin Ehrgott of CR North was
second. The CRN boys were victorious in the 400 (Mike Welde), 3k (Sam Earley)
and 5k (Ethan Koza). It looks like the team’s #1 XC runner Ryan Campbell did
not compete. I believe he also missed the indoor state championships so he may
have an injury. Although Campbell’s been missing, CRN’s DMR team is still
monstrous on paper. They ran 10:32 indoors and could potentially cut some more
time off that mark in the right conditions. Their 12-4 punch out front sets
them up to be similar to O’Hara from a few years ago, but the pressure will be
on the back end to bring it home. I think low 10:20s is possible should they
make it to Penn.
Bruce Dallas
Mechanicsburg’s Morgan Cupp left Bruce Dallas with
perhaps the best performance of the day. He rolled to a meet record in the
3200, dropping a 9:31.55 to outlast indoor state medalist Ian Miller (who
impressed himself with a 9:38.20). I’ve already mentioned Cupp’s name a couple
times this spring and he’s on pace for what would be a huge breakthrough on the
track. I think he’s setting himself up for a huge year. Miller (just a junior
on the rise) should be a name to remember as well.
I was very impressed with the results from Schuylkill
Valley in the middle distance relays. They dropped an 8:15 to defeat a strong
field that included two of last year’s D3 state qualifiers, Manheim Township
and Lower Dauphin, before uncorking a quick 3:26 in the 4x4. Ben Reisenweaver
also won the open 800 in 2:00.42. I believe Schuylkill Valley is AA for track
and, historically, does a great job in this relay. I could see them factoring
in near the top of the state standings when all is said and done. With Seneca
graduating their big three, the AA 4x8 is still up for grabs at this stage.
Cumberland Valley’s Andrew Brown had a strong showing in the
middle distances. He rolled to the win in the 1600, holding a 6.5 second
cushion on second place with a 4:33. Brown followed that with a 2nd
place run in the 800. As a team, CV took 3 of the top 8 spots, including
section 2 winner John Williams (a frosh) who ran 2:05.94.
Haverford
As mentioned by one of our commenters, Zack Forney of
Ridley has somehow caught fire despite the cold conditions. After a couple big
victories in his first meet of the season, Forney doubled down on his success
by blasting times of 4:24.16 and 9:42.06 in the 16 and 32. Those are great
marks and back up his wins against loaded fields last time out. I’m excited to
see this momentum carry forward throughout the season. He still may just be
scratching the surface which could be a scary sign for this competition.
Haverford Township had a nice day at their home meet.
Aiden Tomov won the 800 with a mark of 1:59.37. He was 7th at indoor
states in the mile so he’s got a nice combination of strength and speed. His
teammate Erik McCallion also dipped under two minutes at 1:59.87. Combine these
two with Brendan Campbell and Josh Fingerhut (2nd and 3rd
in the 1600) and you’ve got yourselves the beginnings of a very good 4x8.
Haverford didn’t attack the relays indoors, but we may seem them give the 4x8 a
real go in the spring. By the way, all four of these kids are back next year
with three juniors and a soph (Fingerhut) on the roster. I believe they also
return Donnelly who was a force during XC and has great strength.
WC East shined as well in this meet. A pair of sophomores,
Josh Lewin and Domenic Moser, were excellent behind Forney in the 3200. They
clocked times of 9:45 and 9:48 and put their names near the top of the state
leaderboard thus far. We’ve seen Lewin do big things already in XC and track
(which is crazy as he’s only a sophomore), but Moser is coming along nicely to
push him. This 1-2 punch could be scary good in a couple years. East also took 5th
in the 1600 (Matt Clarke) and 4-5 in the 800 (Brennan and Daley).
Pirate
Invitational
CB West hasn’t lost much momentum from the indoor season.
The defending 4x8 state champions indoors and out took the top 3 spots in the
open 800 (without their best guy from the winter). Jake Claricurzio is hitting
his stride at the right time, dropping a 1:57.95 after a banged up couple
months. The consistently reliable Luke Fehrman was 2nd in 1:58.83
and Owen Shields, the breakout star on the 4x8, rounded out the top 3 at 2:02,
just ahead of Burton Carbino’s 2:03 (Carbino ended up breaking 2 minutes at
Kiwanis later in the weekend). CB West also took 2-5-6-7 in the 1600 and won
the 4x4 and 4x8 relays.
Hudson Delisle flashed some serious range here as well.
The Quakertown senior won both the 1600 and the 400. His times were 4:36 and 52
seconds. Delisle holds a best of 1:52 for 800 and may be the man to beat in
that event if he’s healthy and in form.
Golden Ram
After an impressive DMR run during indoors, Spring Ford hit
the track at West Chester ready to showcase their depth. Zach Smith and Milan
Sharma took 2-3 in the open 800 and were closely followed by JT Clark and
Calvin Thomas (6th and 7th). That right there is the
pieces for a solid 4x8 if they choose to pursue it (they’ve also got McKenna,
but I suspect he will be all in on the 3200). Freshman John Zawislak was 5th
in the 1600 and the aforementioned McKenna teamed with Shane Ainscoe for a 1-2
finish in the 3200. McKenna’s winning time was 9:48.
Great Valley’s Brett Zatlin, a 1:54 800 man, was second
in the 1600. He clocked a time of 4:30 and was 6 seconds ahead of mile state
qualifier Jack Miller of Jenkintown (3rd place, solid run for the AA
stand out). Zatlin’s Great Valley teammates were spread across the top of
various fields with Roman Silen taking 3rd in the 3200 and Seth
Hoffritz leading the GV 800 charge at 2:03.97 (5th). This Great
Valley 4x8 squad will be interesting. They’ve shown flashes and they have a
great piece in Zatlin, but the 4x8 in District One is always loaded. We will
see if the young guys can step up. Great Valley won the 4x4 over Spring Ford at
this meet 3:33 to 3:35.
Whippet
Invitational
Owen J. Roberts was one of the most pleasant surprises in
an XC season filled with pleasant surprises. So that’s saying something. Liam
Conway shined during the indoor season (two gold medals are pretty shiny), but
I thought we might see some relay action start to develop during the winter.
Looks like I may have been a couple months early. The OJR boys depth is
starting to show up again as they went toe to toe with indoor state qualifiers
Twin Valley and DT West (who medaled indoors) in the 4x8 and came away with the
win 8:07.98 to 8:13.82 (TV). OJR’s Kyle Malmstrom was also victorious in the
individual 800 with a mark of 2:02.49. He knocked off Spencer Smucker of
Henderson by less than 3 tenths of a second. OJR took 1-7-8-10 in the open 8
and 6-11 in the 1600 (and 6-9-10-11 in the 400). None of those guys were Liam
Conway.
Of course, DT West still has one of the deepest squads in
the state. The D1 XC Champs took 1 through 4 in the 1600, led by indoor state
medalist Tyler Rollins at 4:31. Tyler Valderrabano was 3rd in the 800
(2:04) and, as mentioned, West’s 4x8 was 3rd in 8:17.
College Freshman 2010-2011 (Part I)
Defining Runners
Hong Cho,
Wissahickon
At Upper Dublin, our biggest rival was Wissahickon. The
Wissahickon dual meet always felt different than the other ones (honestly, it
was the only one that felt like it mattered, even when we were facing great
teams like Cheltenham). So naturally, I was picking out guys on this squad as
my own personal rivals. I’d go online and look at their times, comparing them
to my own, and try to find a suitable guy to chase.
From an early age, I was chasing Hong. He was a year
younger than me with more raw 400 speed, but our 800 times were comparable.
Briefly. Hong and I were both trying to become sub 2 minute guys during the
indoor season in 2010. At the Burdette Invite, Hong beat me by one spot and we
both medaled, qualifying for Meet of Champs with about 2:03. But that was the
last time I was even within sniffing distance of Hong.
From then on, Hong started to make big improvements. He
and his Wissahickon teammates went on to grab a set of 4x8 medals at indoor
states that year (his junior season). He suddenly became a consistent sub 2
minute guy and, at the outdoor state championships, he dropped all the way down
to 1:53 and beat Sam Ellison (who, if you’ve been keeping with my posts, was a
beast that season). But Hong still wasn’t at his peak just yet.
As a senior, Hong had his best ever XC season, qualifying
for the state championships individually after spending his first few years
coasting through the fall. The indoors, he medaled at 800 meters and ran the
lead off leg for Wissahickon’s state championship winning DMR. But for the
second straight year, when things got the spring, Hong turned it up to a whole
other level.
Cho rolled through his races from 400 through 1600. He
beat Dustin Wilson in the 1600 at the PTFCA Carnival and clocked a 47 split on
the 4x400. However, his best event remained the 800 meters. Hong dropped a 1:50.92
at the District One Championships to set the meet record before winning states
against a stacked field in windy conditions a year later. In a field at
Henderson, with ideal conditions and competition, Hong lowered his personal
best to 1:50.41. At the time, the mark was PA #6 all-time.
Ryan Gil, North
Allegheny
North Allegheny had been a team on the rise throughout my
high school years. They had some amazing runners during their WPIAL streak
including Max Brown, Matt Jacob and Justin Taylor, but, ultimately, Gil was
their first transcendent super star. As a freshman, Gil was a scorer on NA’s
state squad, which finished 3rd. The next year, he was a state
medalist as a sophomore and was the #1 guy on a national qualifying team. When
4 of the top 6 guys from that time graduated, Ryan helped carry NA to 2nd
in the state (even better than their national squad) with a 3rd
place finish at states. He went on to qualify for the Footlocker National
Championships to cap off his junior XC season.
That right there was enough to make the kid a hall of
famer, but he still had some magic left. As a senior, Gil and his North
Allegheny team emerged as an early favorite for the state title in a relatively
wide open team competition. However, a foot injury sidelined Gil and the once
invincible front-runner was pushed down the state rankings. In fact, when he
finally returned to action, three guys from the same team (the North Hills
monster) defeated him. The Tigers were also pushed as a team. Baldwin emerged
as a legit WPIAL contender (winning Tri States) and, if it wasn’t for Gil’s 4th
place return at districts, their streak may have been over before it really got
going. As things stood, with Gil in the line-up, they held off Baldwin at
Coopers by just 6 points.
At states the defending state champions from Henderson
were waiting for them, as were talented squads from the PCL and D6. And of
course a rematch with Baldwin was in store.
As the state race started, it was unclear what Gil had in
the tank. He raced off to a relatively conservative start, going through the
mile in just 17th place. His team followed his lead as they were 4th
at the mile. But Ryan stayed patient. Barely back running after his stress
fracture, Gil moved to 7th at the two mile and timed his move perfectly
to escape an absolutely stacked group and win the state title in 15:52. The
three guys immediately behind him would all go on to qualify for national
championships at the end of the month, but Gil was savvy enough to defeat them
all in the big moment. And, oh by the way, North Allegheny won the state
championship as a team, charging home on the final mile to win by 22 points.
By the way, Gil’s track achievements were pretty
spectacular as well. He won a state title at 3k as a senior and was state runner
up in the 3200 as a junior (with a time of 9:03). Gil clocked a 4:12 1600
equivalent at Baldwin and also picked up an indoor mile state medal as a
junior. In 2011, he helped NA qualify for indoor states as a team in the DMR
(they placed 10th).
As a senior, Gil looked poised for an outdoor title in
the 3200, but surprisingly pulled out of the field after falling ill at
districts.
Wade Endress,
Altoona
Wade is one of my favorite PA runners of all time-and I’m
not just saying that because he was the first person to ever ask for a picture
with me. The Altoona grad was always a factor in big races and was never afraid
to race the best or try a crazy double. As a senior in XC, Endress trekked
across the state to race all the biggest names. He went to Coatesville to race
Chris Campbell. He went to Coopers to race the WPIAL names. He went to Carlisle
to take on the mid-state guys. Endress didn’t take the gold at any of those
meets, losing to Chris Campbell and the North Hills monster, but when he got to
the state championships, he had learned from those races. Wade sprinted his way
to a silver medal, only topped by Gil.
In track, Endress was known for doubling or tripling in
every meet that mattered. Altoona was usually in the mix for a team title or
top finish and Wade wanted to help them get there. As a junior at outdoor
states, Wade ran the 1600 and 800, medaling in both events with times of 4:15
and 1:53. This came after he doubled mile-DMR indoors and picked up major
points in both events. But by his senior season, Wade was stronger than ever.
He entered the indoor state meet as the favorite in the mile and, despite a
great race from Nate McClafferty, dropped a 4:13 full mile to win the event.
After that heroic, near record setting performance, Endress entered an 800
field that was stacked with defending state champ Luke Lefebure, relay stand
out Kyle Moran and future state champ Hong Cho. All three of those guys were
fresh, but Wade didn’t care. He hung tough to the pace and unleashed his
signature kick to storm across the line in first place. In the process, he set
a new meet and state record at 1:51.73 – beating what had, at the time, seemed
like an improbable record from Tom Mallon two years earlier.
Unfortunately, Endress had injury trouble during his
senior year outdoors. However, even though he was going to have to face some
monstrous talents at less than full strength, Wade showed up at Shippensburg
and delivered some awesome runs. He took 4th in the 1600, running
4:13.77 and helping push the early stages of the race (which played a role in
the state meet record) and then doubled back for 3rd in the outdoor
800. Those were career best finishes on the outdoor oval for Wade.
All this traveling and doubling may make it sound like
Wade was out to show off and look like a star. That couldn’t be farther from
the truth. Wade took every chance he had to not just elevate himself, but his team.
Over his years at Altoona, the program grew from off the radar to a massive
power. They had two top 5 finishes in the state in XC, took 2nd in
the DMR, ran well under 8 minutes for the 4x8, and won multiple team titles.
Wade was willing to sacrifice himself to go for the team wins and set an
example of how to race every time he hit the track. He was a winner in all
senses of the word.
Defining Teams
Abington & CB
West
During this two year stretch, you couldn’t talk about one
of these two schools without talking about the other.
For Abington, I think the story really starts in 2008
with Kyle Moran. From the time he was a freshman, Kyle was a revelation on
Abington’s team. My sophomore year (Kyle was a freshman), we raced against
Abington in the TFCAofGP frosh/soph 4x8. This was our one chance to win the
event before moving on to varsity races. We got out to a good start before Kyle
absolutely took over on the second leg of the race. It was the first time I saw
him race and it was the start of something big. Kyle exploded over the course
of the season and the Abington middle-distance dynasty began to emerge.
The Ghosts entered the 2008 indoor state meet as the #3
seed, but couldn’t hold that position and fell out of the medals. In 2009, they
came in as the #1 seed, the only squad to break the 8 minute barrier with a
7:57 season best. They were also the #1 seed in the 4x400, led by Chris
Morales. However, they had to settle for 4th place in both relays.
Jump to spring 2009. Abington is once again a factor in both relays and their
4x8 drops a monster time of 7:47 but somehow that wasn’t enough to medal in the
stacked field. Seemingly, the mid distance squad had that long awaited
breakthrough when they shocked Altoona on the anchor of the 4x4 relay, knocking
off the highly touted Brady Gehret. However, an unexpected DQ call knocked them
off the medal stand completely.
In 2010, Abington entered the state meet as true
favorites in the 4x8. The only team within striking distance was CB West, but
Abington had the deeper squad and the faster seed. Still, there were doubters
about Abington’s ability to perform under pressure (like me). After Kyle Moran
finished 10th in the open 800 (in a wacky final), it seemed maybe
these guys were just cursed. But it turns
out there was nothing to fear. Moran and teammate Charles Ross absolutely
dominated the closing stages of the 4x8 and won the state gold 7:50.86 to
West’s 7:53.23. They added a silver behind a legendary Cheltenham 4x4 and all
seemed right for the Ghosts.
Unfortunately, Kyle had injury trouble in the spring of
his junior year. Abington fought valiantly to hold on without him, but they
ended up 2nd at the district finals behind that same squad from CB
West. Of course, CB West had their own troubles. Although they had raced well
indoors, their team had been largely buoyed by the efforts of Nick Scarpello.
The senior was a breakout star, medaling in the mile at states before doubling
back to hand his squad the silver on the 4x8. But now, he too was hobbled, struggling
home on his 4x8 anchor carry to keep West ahead. Would he have anything left to
anchor the team at the state final?
A week later, both Abington and CB West came to play.
West needed someone to step up and they got it-junior Matt Bee clocked a massive
1:53 leg to position his team alongside Cedar Crest on the anchor leg. Then
Charles Ross of Abington went to work to bring his team back into the mix on
the last lap. Seemingly every team was still in contention for the win before
Cedar Crest pulled away, leaving CB West with silver and Abington with bronze.
But are protagonists were set for 2011.
Here we are. Kyle Moran, ending his legacy as a senior in
2011, looked to carry his Abington team on one last ride. Things got off to a
fast start as Abington smoked a state record-without Moran. The team’s 4x400
relay blasted a 3:16.78 to set the 4x400 state record, led by anchor Will
Taylor. Then, a day later, Abington doubled down with a 7:45.93 in the 4x8 to
grab another record. Moran brought things home with his a blazing anchor carry
of 1:52.8.
All this meant that Abington would toe the line at states
as heavy favorites in both events. They were also the front runners for the
team title. However, that team title would require some doubling. Moran was entered
in the open 800 while his 4x8 teammates Will Taylor, Macey Watson and Tevin
Smith all had 400 duties. That all went successfully (2-3 in the 400 for Taylor
and Watson, 2nd in the 800 for Moran) leaving just the relays to
close things out.
The 4x8 was first and, seemingly, the easiest victory.
Abington’s seed time of 7:45.93 was nearly 15 seconds ahead of anybody else in
the field-CB West was next closest at 7:59.46. But CB West had gone all in on
the 4x8 relay. They were completely fresh for the event and knew they had the
potential to do something big. The team of Mike May, Matt McGarvey, Matt Bee
and Connor Manley ran a consistent race and kept their team out front. The
first three splits were 1:57-1:57-1:56 which put Manley in a position to close it
out. To date, Manley didn’t have any flashy times and McGarvey and Bee had
arguably been bigger stars, but Connor had his coming out party with a 1:54
anchor to not only hold off Kyle Moran but also run a new state record of
7:45.06. That record, despite an onslaught of attempts from great teams, still
holds up today.
Abington ended up with the team title, but CB West left
with the record. Shortly thereafter, Abington chased that 7:45.06 mark at
Nationals. They came close (7:45.21), but couldn’t quite there. Despite winning a
national title behind another flawless Kyle Moran performance (with big help from Macey Watson on leg 2), the Ghosts came
up just short of the ghost of CB West.
Heading into outdoors, the rivalry was better than ever.
At the Penn Relays we got to see another CB West vs. Abington match-up. This
time both squads had the same amount of fresh legs and the times did not
disappoint. The squads pushed one another to what was then the #3 and #6 best
4x8s in state history 7:37.79 and 7:38.97. Macey Watson got things started for
Abington with a 1:56.23 and then the squad’s secret weapon emerged. Will Taylor
found his legs in the 800 after being more of a sprint specialist and rolled to
a 1:53.01 carry. Despite a herculean anchor of by Manley at 1:51.51, CB West
couldn’t catch up to Abington. Surprisingly, Moran could “only” clock a 1:53.26
as some injury concerns started to bubble up for the senior.
The next time the two schools saw each other was at
Districts, however both squads weren’t the same as what they had been indoors.
Mike May was out for CB West, replaced by junior Nico Metzler. Abington had
decided to throw in a relative “B” squad for the 4x8 at districts. Metzler held
his ground well as West rolled easily to a 7:46.07 victory. Meanwhile, Abington
raced mid pack and left with just 5th overall. Abington tried to
spread out their talent to get more points but, perhaps ironically, it was CB
West who left the meet with the district title.
If you’re looking for the juicy part of the story, look
no further than this. Abington initially entered Taylor and Watson in the 400
and Moran in the 800 for states. However, by the time they toed the line in
Shippensburg they had a change of heart. Watson and Taylor both false started
in the 400 and then Moran picked up a similar penalty in the open 8. Suddenly,
the team was all in on the 4x4 and 4x8 relays and CB West was actually the one
putting more on their plate as Connor Manley was in the 800 state final.
For whatever reason, Abington had already been a team
that had been the center of fans animosity. So add in some sketchy false starts
and a problematic viral internet video and things were really heating up as the
4x8 started on Saturday morning.
The Abington race strategy seemed to be get out fast and
put the race away. Their legs shot off like rockets the first 400 meters, but
on the second half of the race, they tied up slightly, allowing their opponents
to sneak back into the picture. The Ghosts also made a surprise strategy
change. They moved up the banged up Moran to 2nd, out of his usual
anchor role. He came through with his best race of the year, seemingly blowing
the race open with a low 1:52 carry. But Matt Bee chipped away on leg #3 and
then it came down to Will Taylor of Abington against Connor Manley of CB West
with about 4 second of daylight between the two.
As had become the norm, Taylor shot off like a rocket and
Manley did his best to keep pace. The lead just seemed too big to be overcome
but slowly over the final 200, the fans could see Taylor tying up. In a
stunning turn, Manley sprinted up alongside the struggling opposition and took
a dive at the line. Both runners were neck and neck but the video replay showed
that CB West had overtaken Abington with a time of 7:41.51 vs. 7:41.57. All the
other schools were over six seconds off the pace.
An epic rivalry between the two programs ended fittingly
with a dive at the line.
Fans from back in the day may also remember the 4x4
results at the end of the meet. A year after O’Hara had hawked down Charles
Ross of Abington with a blister 46.1 anchor from Corey “Philly” Brown (yes,
that Philly Brown), O’Hara once again ran down Abington in the final race as
Taylor had to settle for silver again. It was a rough finish to the Abington
team from that season, but what a heck of a run they had. They were truly an
elite 4-8 school, with some of the most disciplined and hardworking sprinters
willing to push themselves that extra bit to run the two lap distance.
CB West has the titles and the record, but for whatever
reason, I find the Abington run from 2008 to 2011 much more intriguing. Of
course, CB West may be in the middle of yet another run this year after
wrapping up an indoor state title. They will be trying to defending their
outdoor golds in the spring.
The North Hills
Monster
In the same year where Ryan Gil jumped out of the pool
and into the history books for North Allegheny, he’s somehow the second best
story in the WPIAL. Nothing in my history quite compares to the North Hills
Monster of 2010-2011. Yes, there have been equal or better trios (most notably
the DT West trio of Hoey-Hoey-Sappey), but nothing was quite the same as
watching the Monster at work. Allow me to explain. It could take a while.
In the fall of 2007 (like I said, it could take a while),
Juris Silenieks (sorry Juris, but I will never spell your name right, no matter
how hard I try) and Joe Kush of North Hills become stars. As a pair of
freshman, the two runners took 46th and 47th at states,
making them the #1 and #2 9th graders in the field (#3, taking 52nd
place, was Ryan Gil). That heaped a good amount of expectation on this duo
before they were even half way through their first year of high school. In
2008, those flashes looked like they may have been misguided as the boys
struggled a bit, but by 2009 they were back and better than ever. With Kush
leading the way at 15:48, Juris and Joe took 3rd and 4th
in the WPIAL as juniors and 5th and 13th in the state.
Outdoors, they clocked times of 9:12 and 9:15 for 3200 and established
themselves as two of the best in their class once again.
But something was a little different in 2009-2010. It
wasn’t simply a 1-2 punch any more. Zach Hebda had emerged from out of the
boy’s shadow. He was 5th at WPIALs, 27th at States and
had dropped a 9:17 3200 PR to end the year. That meant North Hills entered the
2010 XC season with 3 sub 9:20 guys, all of whom had been top 30 in the state.
And keep in mind that North Hills was a power within the WPIAL for the last
decade plus.
So Kush and Juris are going to be stars and Hebda is
going to be a nice piece to round things out. That was the story line over the
summer. But Zach had other ideas. At the always fast Red, White and Blue
Invitaitonal, Hebda knocked off his two teammates-and everybody else-with a
blazing 15:16. Kush dropped a 15:23 and Juris added a 15:41. As a team, they
finished 13th in the standings-three freshman and a sophomore
rounded out the top 5.
With Hebda hitting another level, the North Hills trio
looked down right invincible. They continued to improve steadily until October
when the trio swept the top 3 spots at the Tri State Invitational at Coopers
with times of 15:39-15:39-15:50 (Juris-Hebda-Kush). They defeated Wade Endress,
one of the early favorites for state gold and PA’s top guy from Carlisle, and
everybody else. Could this team actually take all 3 of the top spots at states?
It was absurd enough to imagine a 1-2 finish from a single team (at the AAA
level, it’s almost impossible), but what about a 1-2-3?
The frenzy was only amplified at WPIALs when North Hills
did it again: a 1-2-3 finish, this time over Ryan Gil of North Allegheny. Hebda
led the way with a 15:29 on the Coopers Lake course and Silenieks and Kush were
also under 15:40. How many programs have had three guys under 15:40 on that
course in its history? Let alone in the same race.
With the pressure on, North Hills jumped into the state
final. Hebda, who had never even grabbed a state medal before, led the charge
through the mile with Juris right alongside him. The two paced it through at
1-2 with Kush hanging back in 19th. Although they had been dominate
to date, at 2 miles, their pack was shaken up a bit. Hebda was back to 5th,
Kush was at 14th and Juris was the one leading the way in 4th.
Reece Ayers led the charge with a hard surge and a familiar face in Wade
Endress was 3rd. They gave it everything they had over the final
mile, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. Hebda fought valiantly and took 3rd,
Kush jumped up to 10th and Juris slipped to 11th. Three
guys in the top 11 at states. It was historic, but it also somehow felt like a
disappointment.
Apparently the North Hills guys felt that way as well.
Juris and Kush convinced Hebda to extend his season through the extra month to
the Footlocker Northeast Regional and the trio trained together for the
extended time. After weeks of waiting for the chance at redemption, the North
Hills boys came through. Hebda led the way with a top 10 finish a Footlocker
qualifying spot, Juris was 11th, barely being edged for a spot at
Nationals and Kush was 13th. Three guys from the same team were top
13 in all of the Northeast Regional. Now this lived up to the hype.
Shoveling Out Some Recaps
Guys, it’s snowing today. It’s April and it’s snowing.
That’s not exactly what I want to be dealing with while trying to write up a
Spring Track Meet recap post. I’m going to try to avoid crying in the middle of
this post, but if you see some wet spots on the computer than you’ll know I
failed.
That is, of course, a joke. If you see some wet spots on
your computer that is definitely not my fault. You might want to look into that
people.
Keep in mind that, because it’s basically still winter,
the track results aren’t necessarily going to be fearlessly fast. However,
there’s always value in knowing who knows how to win a race against top
competition. And toughness is on full display under these circumstances as
well.
PTFCA Carnival
The race of the day featured a pair of state medalists.
Tyler Wirth of Wallenpaupack went head to head with Neumann Goretti 800 stand
out Kamil Jihad. Wirth, a sub 4:20 guy, got the win with a strong opening mark
of 4:26, but Jihad really gave him a run for his money with a 4:28 performance
of his own. That was a nice showing of speed from the 800 specialist. Both guys
are all-stars so it’s great to see them head to head in the early season.
Chester’s Lamaj Curry picked up the 800 victory in this
meet, producing a solid time of 1:58.48. Curry was one of the breakout stars of
the indoor season and it’s nice to see that momentum carrying into the “spring”.
His freshman teammate Abdul Griggs was also a winner, winning the first section
of the 800 in 2:09. Talus Gaymore, the runner up in the 800 from Penn Wood, likely
played a role in the team’s 8:25 victory in the 4x8. Lakeland of District 2 AA
was second in that event.
Penncrest made a little noise at this meet. Although
Lederer and Theveny weren’t in open action, the Central League Champs had a
sophomore take 7th in the 1600 (Luke Narbus) and added 4-5 in the
800 (Billy Angelina and another soph in Andrew Woolery).
Jim Kelly
Invitational
CR South, one of the best 4x8s in the state so far,
jumped up to the DMR this weekend and pulled out an impressive result. They
rolled to a 10:50.67 runaway victory. Unsurprisingly, the middle distance squad
impressed most in the middle stages with a 49.28 and 2:01.92 split to break
things open. These guys will be one of our best hopes at sneaking into the Penn
Relays Championship of America later this month. They ran well there a year ago
and now have a little extra experience and confidence in big meet situations.
In the other relay was a typical relay power in Abington.
They dropped an 8:08.98 to win this event. They still have strong potential to
drop a big time-looks like they are a piece away. A 1:56 lead off leg is no
joke for this time of year. Bensalem gave them a nice fight with a 1:58 lead of
their own and an 8:19 mark.
This meet, too, featured a stacked 1600. Matt Eissler, a
proven 800 star, dropped a 4:25.29 to defeat the Wissahickon 1-2 punch of Matt
Maiale and Ben Hoyer. Pennridge also had the 8th finisher overall in
Ethan Saville, who won heat 2 of 3. I really like Eissler’s potential this
spring. His indoors was really strong and I think he can be a sub 1:53 guy this
year if things break right. He’s also consistently improved in the 1600, making
it an interesting consideration looking forward.
Jarnail Dhillon of Upper Darby picked up the 800 victory in
1:58.26, knocking off Michael Clark of Methacton (1:59.03) who is a proven
state qualifying talent from a year ago. Dhillon ended his indoor season on a
hot streak and that momentum is carrying through to the big oval. Methacton
didn’t just have Clark in this one as Myles Hoven took 3rd overall
with a 2:00.46. They’ve also got the talented youngster Varghese on the roster
(9th in that strong 1600 field). Could be a sleeper team in the 4x8.
CB South also posted two sub 2:03 guys in the 800 with Jared Fenessy and Owen
Moelter. Both are sophomores.
Keystone Cup
Lower Dauphin picked up a runaway victory in the 4x8
(8:25) plus they took 3-4 in the 1600, 1st in the 400 and 1-3 in the
open 8. These guys were super deep a year ago and when things clicked in the
state prelims, they were one of the best teams in the state. Steven
Schankweiler is legit and Jared Giannascoli is a versatile weapon to pair with
him.
Also picking up strong wins at this meet were D3 stand
outs Alex Ermold (1st in the 3200) and Christian Groff (1st
in the 1600).
Breslin Invitational
It was a big day for Southern Columbia’s Ethan Knoebel.
The District 4 XC champ won the 1600 in 4:37.16 before adding the 800 gold to
his trophy case (2:02.46). He was also likely a factor in a tight 4x4 event
where Southern Columbia narrowly edged XC team champs Mount Caramel 3:38.20 to
3:38.43. Knoebel, a state finalist in the loaded AA 1600 last year, looks
poised for another big outdoor season in 2018.
Rustin
Invitational
One of the first stars of the outdoor season has been
Ridley’s Zack Forney. After a monster XC campaign, Forney entered his track
debut as a relative underdog in a loaded 1600 field but left with gold in the event.
His time of 4:30 was enough to best a strong field that included multiple indoor
state qualifiers including medalist Tyler Rollins of DT West. For good measure,
Forney picked up a victory in the 800 as well, pulling away with a time of
2:03. It should be interesting to see if he can carry this winning mentality
into the faster stretch of the season and leave with some fast times. Throw
Forney into the already complicated district one state qualifying picture.
Noah Dusseau produced arguably the best 3200 rest we’ve
seen so far this spring. He dropped a 9:49.86 (coming within 0.03 seconds of
his seed time which is pretty wild) and picked up a 10 second victory over
strong runners in Jack Bell and James Conway. Dusseau is a proven XC stand out
already and could add a state qualifying performance on the track to his strong
trail resume.
What will we see out of Great Valley this spring? They
picked up a nice win in the 4x8, clocking an 8:19 to beat DT West’s 8:20. They
have Brett Zatlin, a 1:54 guy who is now a state medalist, and a young
promising core, but will they give this event a sincere focus during the spring?
If they do, I think they could challenge the 8 minute barrier. DT West will
obviously be in that ball park as well. They have such a long list of pieces
(as proven by their 2-3 finish in this one) that they could have two teams down near 8 minutes before all
is said and done.
Believe It or Not, It's Spring
This is it folks, we are in the home stretch of my
blogging career with only one season to go! Let’s take a brief look at what
could be in store for my final spring with you all.
AA 3200m
Returning State Medalists:
Brendan Miller, Upper Dauphin (3rd)
Andrew Stanley, Southern Huntington (4th)
Quinn Serfass, Loyalsock (6th)
After a strong indoor campaign and a 2nd place
finish in A during XC, I’d say Upper Dauphin’s Brendan Miller comes into this
one as the favorite. As mentioned above, he was 3rd at states a year
ago behind a couple of all-time seniors. He is coming off a season that
included an 8:47 3k and 15:24 5k indoors (in his first serious indoor
campaign). A year ago, he ran 4:25-9:28 for the long stuff outdoors (without
that indoor season to really get him going). I think this kid will be a force
to reckon with and should get under 9:20 for 3200.
Andrew Stanley and Quinn Serfass are the other top
returning medalists. Stanley had a heck of a run at last year’s state
championship, fearlessly going after an aggressive start and being rewarded with
a 4th place finish and a 9:29. After a career best finish in XC he
will hope to continue that streak. Serfass seems like a legit title contender
here. His Loyalsock team gives him the best training group as this squad was 6th
at states in XC behind a trio of medal contenders. Serfass himself was 4th
overall with a blazing time of 16:23. That’s the #2 time of anybody competing
in AA this spring.
The #1 time belongs to the biggest wildcard in this
discussion-Tristan Forsythe. The Winchester Thurston senior is the reigning XC
state champ and the defending AA 1600 winner. He ran a career best indoors of
9:15.19 for 3200 and then added a state medal in the event at PSU. If he sticks
with a 3200-1600 schedule, he may be the favorite for gold in both events. However,
I’m thinking Forsythe will put his energy into defending the 3200 state title.
Some other names I like as contenders? I’d watch for Jack
Miller of Jenkintown. He was sub 9 indoors for 3k and sub 16 in XC. Wyomissing’s
1-2 punch of Matt Driben and Ben Kuhn could contend, especially if Wyomissing
needs team points for the title. The 4x8 will be the complicating factor there.
I’d also watch for Josh Lewis of North East, the D10 champ during XC.
However, the two biggest names to keep an eye on are
sophomores. Andrew Healey of Holy Cross and Ben Hoffman of Elk County Catholic
were 9th and 11th respectively at last year’s
championships, but I think one of these guys will crack the top 2 at states in
this event in 2018. These are huge talents that were 4th and 8th
at XC states as sophomores. They may be young, but that won’t stop them from
chasing the top spot.
AAA 3200m
Returning State Medalists:
Rusty Kujdych, Neshaminy (3rd)
Noah Beveridge, Butler (5th)
Ryan Campbell, CR North (8th)
I think we can all agree – let’s see a Rusty vs. Noah
rematch and see if they can push each other to sub 9. To date, Rusty has had
the upper hand on Beveridge. After Noah took 5th at XC states as a
junior (tops in his class), Rusty was 2nd, 3rd, 1st,
1st at his last four state championships. Kujdych’s 9:04 time is
tops among returners and his XC performance was nothing short of remarkable.
Indoors, he dropped a career best in the mile and, with Hoey likely out of the event,
could potentially try the 3200-1600 double this year and contend for gold in
both (something to keep an eye on for both guys honestly).
However, Rusty will have his hands full. Beveridge too
had a big indoor campaign that included a nice mile PR and some good speed
work. He clocked an early season 8:44 in the 3k (super fast) while not focusing
much on the event as his team shot up the standings in the DMR. Beveridge
started last outdoor season with a modest 3200 best, got to 9:20 by districts
and then all the way to 9:07 at states. He’s way ahead of that schedule in
2018. Plus, Rusty is up against history. The XC-3k-3200 titles have not been
swept since Jason Weller did it all the way back in 2006-2007. In between, we’ve
seen near triple crown victories, but the third leg has taken out Ryan Gill
(2010-2011) and Jake Brophy (2015-2016).
Contrary to everything I just said, this will not be a
two horse race. Ryan Campbell and CR North have proven time and time again that
they show up for the big meets. Campbell ran 9:14 to claim a medal in a loaded
field last spring and will back with a vengeance this year. Mitchell Etter of
State College was the state silver medalist indoors and has strong outdoor experience
from his 15th place finish a year ago. My real sleeper pick is
Morgan Cupp of Mechanicsburg. The senior was an absolute force during XC and
qualified for states in this event a year ago. He’s been looking for that track
breakthrough and I think it comes this year. Cupp and Mechancisburg rolled to a
DMR victory to start their spring track season at the Upper Darby relays.
Other names include Dan Mcgoey, Spencer Smucker (will he
run this event or the 16?), Patrick Anderson (really like this sleeper pick),
the Penncrest boys, Carlos Shultz (how will he transition to Shanahan?), Tyler
Rollins, Josh Lewin, Jacob McKenna and basically everybody. I can’t
realistically name everybody if I want this post to be reasonable (and not
sound like a Magic Johnson tweet). This event has the potential to be loaded.
AA 1600m
Returning Medalists:
Tristan Forsythe, Winchester Thurston (1st)
Joe Cullen, Wyomissing (2nd)
Tyler Leeser, Milton (4th)
Garrett Baublitz, Juniata (6th)
This event has the chance to be stacked. A
Forsythe-Cullen match-up is plenty to get excited about by itself. The top two
returners from last year have a chance to push down toward the 4:10 barrier in
the right race. Forsythe is coming off a season where his strength has hit
another level, while Cullen was faster indoors at the mile than he was a year
ago, adding a blazing DMR and another 1:55 800 to his resume. Plus, his training
partners are at another level after their XC state victory, especially to help
with the longer distances.
I’ve always been a Leeser guy. He was absolutely amazing
last year and almost capped off his season with two different state titles. He’s
one of the most underrated dudes around. We didn’t see much from him in XC, but
he missed a good chunk of time midseason. After all that time off, he still
came back and helped his team get to states (where he then pulled a 43rd
place finish out of seemingly nowhere). The guy is a huge talent and I want to
see him atop the podium. However, he may focus on the 800 considering how
stacked this event is.
Garrett Baublitz is the wildcard in all of this. The
sophomore is young and perhaps a year away from contending for the title;
however, he’s been racing above his age for years now. He would have been a
state medal contender in the mile this year indoors had he entered. Instead he’s
looking to build off the 4:19 time he ran as a frosh last year. He’s in a sub
4:20 club for freshman that is very small. Off the top of my head, Josh Hoey
and Craig Miller (look him up young guys) were the only ones I remember doing
that. They ended up pretty good.
This was a fairly senior laden even if you look further down
the depth chart, but there will be surprises how emerge from the crop. I don’t
have a long list of sleepers at this point (Gordon Pollock, Ethan Knoebel
should contend), but this is an event where a star will emerge early in the
season that I didn’t see coming.
AAA 1600m
Returning Medalists:
Liam Conway, Owen J Roberts (3rd)
A year ago this race was madness. It’s still one of my
favorite state races ever because there were so many guys that (a) ran massive
PRs and (b) had a chance to win with 300 to go. The top 7 guys all ran under
4:15 and we saw a blanket finish for the medals. Isaac Kole was your state
champion after being an afterthought on a national championship DMR. What a
turn of events!
This year, it seems like Conway vs. the field. Assuming
Hoey continues his trend of skipping state championships, Conway is the top
returner by time and place (comfortably). He’s also the reigning indoor state
champ at both the mile and the 800. He’s on a roll this year with an XC state
medal and a national qualifying performance. Plus, some of his closest
competitors (Kujdych, Beveridge) seem to be leaning toward the 3200. Others
(Baker, Addison, Ketler & Owori, Eissler) have potential 4x8 duties.
All that being said, whenever something begins to feel
like an obvious pick in the track and field world, an upset is lurking. Maybe
it’s Tyler Wirth who ran sub 4:20 last year and put together his first ever XC
and indoor campaigns this year. He was just off the medal stand last year. Maybe
one of the 4x8 guy’s teams dissolves or has an off race and the door is open
for them in the 16 instead (like Kole last year or Kellar in 2010).
Heck, there’s plenty of guys that don’t really do indoors
that could emerge as contenders by the time we hit the end of the spring.
Nobody was talking about Jesse Cruise this time last year and the kid nearly
stole the state title. I like Connor Shields and Alex Ermold of District 3 to
maybe sneak up into the mix by the end of May. Don’t be surprised if smaller
district guys like Burke or Jonah Powell are factors. Which WPIAL guy will
emerge? They didn’t have a state finalist last year which was shocking to me
but they return guys with experience like Brown, Binda, Huff and Sam Snodgrass.
AA 800m
Returning Medalists:
Tyler Leeser, Milton (2nd)
Kamil Jihad, Neumann Goretti (3rd)
Griffin Sites, Towanda (8th)
On paper, this looks like a Jihad vs. Leeser battle. Of
course, entering the state finals last year it seemed like a battle between
those two as well. Then Robert Reichenbaugh flipped the script on everyone with
a 1:55.12 for the victory. I’d say Jihad is the favorite to this point. Leeser
has to prove he’s healthy and ready to roll (plus he may need to be all in on
the 800) while Jihad is already really fit. He was awesome during indoors and
he’s got a 1:52 PR (with a 1:53 to boast last year). Jihad also is fresh off
his best career finishes in XC and indoors at states.
Who can hope to disrupt this top two? My initial answer
is, I’ve got no idea. The AA 800 is looking for stars. Griffin Sites backed his
way into the final with one of the last times in last year before popping a big
PR and stealing a medal. He comes from a great program and maybe can continue
last year’s magic. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Joe Cullen mix it up in this
event and the 800 if he wants to (depends on the 4x4 situation at Wyomissing,
usually they have a good one). Sam Cunkleman of Homer Center is a sub 2 guy.
Can Seneca produce another contender after their brilliant 4x8 runs from year’s
past? What about Trinity?
As of now, I’ve got more questions than answers for this
event.
AAA 800m
Returning Medalists:
Josh Hoey, Bishop Shanahan (1st)
Hudson Delisle, Quakertown (3rd)
The two returning medalists have their share of questions
heading into the spring season. Josh Hoey is the state record holder these
days, but, as previously discussed, may choose not to defend his title this
spring. That would, in theory, open the door for Delisle of Quakertown.
However, the 1:52 man has missed a fair amount of time this winter himself.
Will he return to form in time to contend for an outdoor title? Then there is
reigning indoor champ Liam Conway. Does he want to try the double this year
after his wins on the 200 meter oval? He didn’t try it last year (which
surprised me a tiny bit) and so I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he skips the 8
this spring.
If these guys are all out, the door is open for a new
name. Tyler Shue, a sophomore who clocked a 1:53 indoors, is the logical name
to mention. He dropped jaws at PSU with two amazing performances and could
contend for a state gold. That would make him the first sophomore state champ
at 800 since Zach Brehm (in AAA) and Dom Perretta (in AA). Before them, it was
Tom Mallon. I don’t think I need to tell you this, but those are three of our
most successful state runners of all-time.
The 1:54-1:55 crop is deep. We’ve got Brett Zatlin and
Aidan Sauer who rolled to PRs during the indoor season, but we also have Matt
Eissler of Pennridge (a state finalist last year). Then you have the fast heat
guys from indoor states in David Endres (huge 1:54.9 breakthrough indoors),
Collin Ebling (1:55 best) and Jonah Hoey (1:56.01 best). It wouldn’t surprise
me to see Ethan Zeh of Radnor in the medal mix either. Radnor has a nice
history of producing medal winners. Also don’t sleep on Collin Ochs of CR South
who had one of the fastest 4x8 splits in the state during indoors.
Looking past district one (which is going to be an
absolute bloodbath just to make the district final, let alone states), the top
returner is Matt Busche of Franklin Regional. Last year, Busche led Franklin
Regional to the state finals in the 4x8 and finished one spot off the medal
stand in the 800. Nick Gabrielli of Kiski was a state qualifier last year and
is fresh off a career year on the indoor track. Nate Everhardt of Mount Lebanon
is also a returning state qualifier who captains a loaded 4x8 squad out west.
We’ve also got Seth Phillips of Mifflin County and Jack Wisner of Carlisle
(could be a big sleeper). I also think Rob Dupell of St. Joe’s Prep has the
chance to put together a monster performance. He ran 1:56.41 and 49.28 indoors
and just needs the right race to pop a 1:53ish kind of time.
Senior Year: 2009-2010 (Part II)
Best “The 11”
Story
GFS XC
The Independent League doesn’t usually get much love, but
2009 was perhaps the most significant moment in the past 12 years where this
league didn’t get its due. Part of the problem was that the AAA state
championship race was unbelievably close between five awesome teams, but the
other piece was that GFS just didn’t have much flash that year. What they did
have was a strong pack of successful runners that group rolled through the
independent league with five guys in the top 10 overall. Then, when the lights
were brightest, they shocked the entire region with a second place finish at
NXN Northeast. Gus McKenzie led the squad with a 16:20 and the team packed in
behind to narrowly claim second with 156 points. They knocked out CBA,
Henderson and the Rosa twins on their way to the silvers and qualified for NXN.
Behind Gus on the scoring roster were Dave Waterman (the real key to their big
day at regionals), Tom Waterman, Evan Caldwell and Ross Wistar.
Cedar Crest 4x8
After a dominant performance in 2009, District One was
poised to continue their 4x8 excellence in 2010. Abington and CB West led the
way during the indoor season, with the Ghosts pulling out the gold over the
Yellow Jackets (again, I know this isn’t their actual name, but I like it
better than whatever it actually is). But injuries added up for those two teams
as Kyle Moran of Abington and Nick Scarpello of CB West both had issues.
Scarpello made it back in time for states, but Moran was out of the lineup for
the indoor gold medalists by the time things got to Shippensburg.
Meanwhile, other districts were trying to work their way
into the mix. Cedar Crest, a relative non-factor in the 4x8 during 2009, ran an
early season 8:08 for second at the Pan-Ram Invitational behind Central
Dauphin’s 8:02. Then the relay broke 8 minutes for the first time at the
Lebanon Lancaster League Championships with a 7:59. It was a solid mark, but
wasn’t even the best in the district as Central Dauphin had them beat. But at
the D3 championships, the Falcons stormed to a huge season best of 7:49.03 and
won the title while 5 teams cracked 8 minutes.
It seemed like a fluke result as the tide shifted to the
state champions in Shippensburg, but Cedar Crest didn’t back down from the
challenge. They dropped a 7:50 in the prelims before unleashing a 7:43.64 in
the finals to stun the field and take gold. Darren Dobroski led off with a 1:56
and Shaun Ditzler kept it close on leg 2 before Jon Jackson unleashed a 1:54
split to help break the race open. That set up junior Alex Galli on the anchor,
being chased by a stacked field. With the pressure on, Galli held off a loaded
herd to leave with gold. It’s perhaps the most surprising 4x8 victory we’ve
seen in the past 12 years.
Sam Ellison
The guy’s my old teammate so it’s hard to not brag about
him. Ellison joined the track team initially to do high jump and, although a
big talent, didn’t seem all that interested in the running events during his
first season. In fact, our sophomore year, I actually defeated him during my
magic 56.9 400 meter time trial before Sam probably had even run a step. As a
junior, Sam started putting in the work and it paid off. He anchored our 4x8 to
a state medal and a school record, splitting in the low 48 second range. Then,
as a senior, he decided he was going to take it up another notch.
Ellison had never run an 800 before his first indoor meet
at Haverford. Here, Sam clocked a 2 flat for the state lead. In his second ever
800, he ran a 1:56 split on the 4x8 to pull us from way back to second and get
us a state qualifying time. This happened at Glenn Mills. In his third ever
800, he became the TFCAofGP champion in 1:57.02.
Outdoors, he carried us to Penn Relays by running a 1:53
split on an 8:04 4x8 (you can do the math on what the other legs would have
been), split a 1:52 at Penn Relays and then set our school record with a
1:52.38, leading wire to wire. This all happened in the span of about 8
half-mile races and 4 months. Sam was even getting some talk for competing with
reigning state champ and eventual state record holder Tom Mallon.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. Sam gave everything
he had to the team which included quadrupling almost every dual meet and
running the 4x8 and 4x4 at districts (we ran the SQS in both events but in
District One that didn’t mean much). By the time he got to states, I’m not sure
how much he had left in the tank (he ran 1:53 and took 8th in the
state finals).
Thankfully, we didn’t burn Sam out from running. He went
to Villanova and got some really good teammates right away. They won a Penn
Relays wheel in his first trip back after carrying us in two races there in
high school. Just this past winter, Sam clocked a 1:46 for 800 which was under
the world indoor A standard. He placed 4th at USAs and was in the
top 20 or so in the world this year for the event.
AAA 3200m
Most years, the state 3200 is hot and humid and the times
just aren’t going to cooperate. Every once in a while, we get a year where
things break just right and the times are blazing fast. In 2010, we had just
that. The outdoor AAA 3200 featured an incredibly 13 guys under 9:20 with a top
5 all under 9:10. Coming into the state meet, there were only three guys who
had dipped under 9:20 at districts. Matt Fischer dropped a massive PR, going
from 9:22 at districts to 9:03 at states and stunning a loaded field in his
first year in the event. Junior Ryan Gil dropped what was then perhaps the
fastest time a PA junior had ever clocked-sporting a 9:03.87 for second
overall. North Hills had three juniors all under 9:20! Glenn Burkhardt, the
District One Champ, ran faster than he did at districts and still placed just
15th! It was unreal race from a depth perspective and it would not
be matched for quite some time.
Best Race
AAA 1600m
There’s a lot of good things I can say about Tom Kehl.
The Father Judge senior had incredible range-he split a reported 1:50 in the
800 while also having the ability to place 11th at states in XC. In
his best event, the mile, he went toe to toe with Tom Mallon indoors, just
barely losing the fight for state gold. He then clocked a 4:11.0 full mile at
the Penn Relays to take the strangle hold on the event outdoors. Once sophomore
Drew Magaha of Upper Moreland emerged as the main opponent standing in his way
of his first state gold by winning districts, it seemed likely that Kehl would
be the gold medalist.
But we all know that’s never the way it goes. Kehl put
down a kick at the perfect moment and surged for a home in a loaded race. But
Will Kellar of Henderson, who had barely even qualified for the event at
districts, rolled by him in an epic dive to the line. Kellar dropped a big PR
of 4:12.00 to nip Kehl by 0.02 seconds. Behind these two, 8 other guys broke
4:17 (!) and it took 4:15.41 to get a state medal.
AAA 4x800m
I’ve said a lot about this race and I’ll say even more
about it later, so I feel obligated to keep this brief. But here’s the basic
idea. It took 7:52.58 just to make it to the finals. Then in the finals there
were 8 teams under 7:50 and 7 under 7:47. Cedar Crest pulled off the upset win
in 7:43.64 and 7th place was close behind in 7:46.16. It was a near
blanket finish for the medal positions filled with PRs and school records.
PTFCA DMR
Before Kellar nipped Tom Kehl at the line, he was nearly
outleaned himself. Altoona was gunning for a team title and decided to throw
their hat in the ring for the DMR. However, with questionable pieces at 1200
and 800 they seemed like a longshot. Meanwhile, CB South (with Tom Mallon),
Henderson (the reigning XC state champs), Baldwin (state leaders) and GFS
(national XC qualifiers) all seemed like better picks. It was sure to come down
to the wire in this event and Henderson kept their key pieces, including anchor
Will Kellar, completely fresh to focus on winning this event.
However, Altoona hung tough in the race, using a big 400
league from all-star state champion Brady Gehret to set the tone in the middle
of the race. As things turned to the anchor, it was a four team battle between
Kellar, Wade Endress of Altoona, Gus McKenzie of GFS and Bobby Bishop of
Baldwin. On the last lap, it looked like Kellar had sprinted away from the pack
and taken the gold. He raised his hand in celebration just as Endress, spurred
on by the home crowd, dived to try and steal the victory. In the end, Henderson
was the state champion-but it was tight enough to scare Kellar to always run
through the line. He may owe that state gold outdoors to Wade.
Biggest “What If”
What if Henderson
never got DQed?
This is perhaps the biggest “What if” in the entire
history of the state. OK, that may be an over exaggeration, but this moment was
huge. Let me set the stage. Henderson is at the peak of their powers. They’ve
won the DMR indoors, they have the individual 800 state champ from indoors, they’ve
won the XC state title and they return all four members of a relay that ran
7:42 a year ago. Before we even hit May, they have the PRs to run
1:52-1:53-1:55-1:57 and maybe challenge CB South’s absurd record from a year
earlier.
But to get to states, you have to qualify. In the
preliminary round of the 4x8 at districts, the action was tight. There were
three heats, each stacked with talent, and only the top 3 in each heat were
going to advance automatically. In Heat One, Henderson was the favorite with
other squads like Strath Haven, Souderton and Penncrest vying for a spot. After
three legs, things were still tight as all the legs jockeyed for position in
the home straightaway. Simple math said that only three of these four teams
were guaranteed a spot. And, although we didn’t know it at the time, the times
from this heat were so slow that only the top three would get in the finals.
As the legs panicked to find position, there was tangle
between Henderson and Penncrest and Tres Moore hit the deck for his team. The
team in 5th (my team, Upper Dublin) scooted past Penncrest as they
were seemingly knocked out. However, upon review, Henderson received a DQ,
Penncrest was advanced to the finals automatically and Upper Dublin, now
somehow in 3rd place, was advanced on place. Otherwise, we wouldn’t
have made it in (7:56 was the fastest non-automatic qualifier for the district 4x8).
So right away there are ripple effects. First of all, we
made the finals in the 4x8 and Sam Ellison had to run an extra race to further
tire himself out. Plus, I got to run in a district final. Those are probably
the least important facts of the equation. It’s also worth noting that
Haverford, who took 8th in the final, got to advance to states in
Henderson’s spot.
Henderson is now out of the 4x8 so they have to scramble
to figure out what individual events they will contest. Kellar jumped quickly
into the 1600 prelims and managed to advance. He finished 3rd in the
finals with a time of 4:18 and punched a ticket to states. He may have never
even run the 1600 if the 4x8 had made it through and, therefore, he never would
have been state champion in the event. Luke Lefebure had the 800 and he
qualified for the finals without much trouble. In the finals, he used his fresh
legs to run a 1:52.92, a time approximately equal to the then district record.
That was good enough for the silver and within 0.21 seconds of knocking off Tom
Mallon. At states, Lefebure dropped a 1:51 and took another silver. That was a
huge result for Lefebure that may not have been possible if he was doubling off
the 4x8. It solidified him as a legit middle-distance runner and perhaps played
a role in his recruitment at Stanford. Stanford benefited from the Lefebure
edition as he helped the team win an NCAA crown. The ripple effects go all the
way to the NCAA!
My Personal Best
Running Moment
Alright, we’re in to everyone’s favorite section of these
posts – when I talk about my unimpressive running career! But the jokes on you,
because apparently this post I have been doing that the whole time. I think this
is the most name drops I’ve ever had which is impressive considering I’m one of
the kings of name dropping.
10th at
Districts in XC
I ran at one state championship in my career and that was
indoor states in the 4x4 (I was a newbie to the 4x4 and standing waiting for
the baton on the second leg of the fast heat when our lead off leg fell coming
off the last turn, it’s a whole other story for another time), but I feel like the
greatest team accomplishment I was a part of was a performance in which we came
nowhere near qualifying for states. Those in District One know that the league
is stacked with great teams so our Upper Dublin squad just wanted to keep our
head above water. The week before districts, we had lost a heartbreaker to
Wissahickon in our league championships. That broke a championship streak for
our school that the class of seniors a grade above us had pioneered and it felt
like crap. We went into districts with a little extra chip on our shoulder, but
I wouldn’t say expectations were high.
I remember the first 200 meters I sprinted out to get
good position all of a sudden found myself running near guys like Tom Mallon
and Brad Miles. Whoops. It was a pretty terrible idea, but I backed off and
found a good pace after that. The good news is, it pulled my teammates out a
little more aggressively than usual and, unlike me, they actually had some room
to back up a more aggressive start.
The first mile was so muddy that year and I remember expecting
to be in the low 5 minute range through the mile-then I went through in like
5:20. It was absurd. It would have been easy for us to panic or get discouraged
about that slow opening time, but we kept our heads up and fought through the
next stretch. It was clear I wasn’t going to PR down the stretch of the race,
missing it by a couple seconds, but I put on the best kick I could and tried to
get to the line. I remember my coach was yelling at me that the guys were
running really well and that I had to push. But after the race, when I talked
to everybody, nobody seemed to have had a PR. So what happened?
Well, the race was super slow overall. We all ran within
spitting distance of our best race and that turned out to be pretty good. As a
team, we beat Wissahickon to get our revenge. And it turns out we did it by 16
spots in the team race. Our #1 guy Pete Schartel had a monster race and nearly
cracked state qualifying while our #5 guy Ryan Desch delivered a great run
despite having a broken nose (again, another story for another time). In the
final standings, we were 10th overall and the top placing team who
didn’t have a single guy qualify for states.
No, it doesn’t sound like much, but to us it was a big
result. We ended our season on the right note after being crushed emotionally a
week before. And to our gang, that meant everything.
Trojan 4x800m
I’ll try and keep this brief. The Trojan Track Classic is
a magic meet. When the lights are on and the sun is setting, times just seem to
get magically fast. I can’t prove it with science or anything, but I can prove
it with what I witnessed on race day. For me, I got one final sprinkle of the magic
dust before graduating. I’d be trying to get under 2 minutes for the 800 since
I was a sophomore and ran 2:04. On the lead off leg of the 4x8, I finally got
there. I can still remember getting to 200 meters and my friend Tom Lorenzi
yelling at me that I was at 1:28 and that I was going to do it. The final split
was 1:59.8.
At the time, I counted it as much first sub 2. Now that I’ve
done it in the open 800, I count the open 800 as my first sub 2, but this is
still a memorable moment that I will always look back on fondly.
By the way, the Wissahickon boys got my picture in the
meet program to promote the “etrain” brand. That was pretty cool of them. As
much as it sounds like we hated them from a paragraph earlier, we did. But we
also liked them a lot. It doesn’t sound like it should make sense, but if you
were there with us, then I think you’d understand.
PA’s Fastest
Seniors
800m (1:55)
1. Tom Mallon, CB South 1:49.01
2. Sam Ellison, Upper Dublin 1:52.38
3. Jaquil Hargrove, Norristown 1:53.14
4. Charles Ross, Abington 1:53.36
5. Sam Negley, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1:53.39
6. Victor Costello, North Pocono 1:53.61
7. Dan Muelners, Souderton 1:53.6h
8. Kevin DiFlorio, Horsham 1:54.15
9. Tom O’Kane, LaSalle 1:54.32
10. Dennis Logan, Baldwin 1:54.70
11. Charles Anderson, Penn Hills 1:54.92
1600m (4:17)
1. Tom Kehl, Father Judge 4:09.61c
2. Will Kellar, Henderson 4:12.00
3. Vince Perozze, Perkiomen Valley 4:12.52c
4. Rad Gunzenhuaser, Mount Lebanon 4:13.96c
5. Ed Donnelly, Haverford 4:14.13c
6. Nick Gibson, Canon MacMillan 4:14.37c
7. Tom Mallon, CB South 4:14.72ic
8. Chris O’Sullivan, St. Joe’s Prep 4:15.41
9. Nick Scarpello, CB West 4:15.4h
10. Kevin DiFlorio, Horsham 4:15.6h
11. Kevin Day, Lansdale Catholic 4:16.22
3200m (9:20)
1. Matt Fischer, Unionville 9:03.01
2. Alex Monroe, Indian Valley 9:07.24
3. Rad Gunzenhauser, Mount Lebanon 9:07.33
4. Vince Perozze, Perkiomen Valley 9:11.87
5. Seth Robbins, Cumberland Valley 9:14.11
6. Charles Lockwood, Dallastown 9:14.91
7. Sam Bernitt, North Penn 9:14.97
8. Brad Miles, North Penn 9:15.25
9. Scott Armstrong, Perkiomen Valley 9:19.15
4x800m (7:47)
1. Cedar Crest 7:43.64
2. CB West 7:44.13
3. Abington 7:44.65
4. CR South 7:45.46
5. LaSalle 7:45.54
6. Penn Hills 7:45.99
7. CR North 7:46.16
8. Quaker Valley 7:46.46
9. Baldwin 7:46.99
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