Jason Weller trails Thomas, Capecci,
Dawson and McNally after the mile.
Jake Walker led his Ellwood City team to the 9/27 Midwestern Athletic Conference title at Brush Creek Park with a solo 16:01. In the girls race, Moon's Lexa Gass led here team to a 15 point win over Ellwood City.
Katherine Ward is no longer an emerging star in PA. She proved the point with a big win over a talented field at the Steel City Invitational. A field that included defending champ Sarah Morrison of Chambersburg. Ward went 19:20, Morris 19:25, and Kate Ross 19:37, Chambersburg won the girls team, with 67, O;Hara 94, Council Rock North 174. Boyertown's Jason Weller ran 15:49, with Conestoga Valley Vince McNally at 15:56, and Greg Thomas, O'Hara 16:10. Coatesville won for the 2nd week in a row. getting78, with O'Hara at 122 and Parkland at 166.
Northeast #10 Bay Shore scored an eight-point win over Colts Neck NJ behind the 8-9 finishes of Lauren Schmidt and Callie Hogan. Defending Foot Locker champ Aislinn Ryan of Warwick Valley absolutely smoked the course, going 17:03, with Briana Jackucewicz, the Colts Neck NJ freshman 2n din 17:45, teammate Ashley Higginson 4th in 18:05, and Conestoga PA's Liz Costello 3rd in 17:59. Pre-Season NE#10 Allentown Central Catholic was 4th behind Warwick Valley NY.
Kate Ross and Katherine Ward
nearing 3/4 mile at Steel City.
(Photo by Karen Ward)
Northeast #9 West Chester East suffered a 2-point upset loss to Cumberland Valley, 131-133 at the Paul Short Run. The race was won by junior Craig Forys of Colts Neck NJ in 15:14. East's Duriel Hardy was 2nd just two seconds back, following at 15:22 by Cumberland Valley #1 Curtis Bixler.
In a college open race, Nicole Blood ran 21:22 for 6K, finishing 2nd, while homeschooled Neely Spence was 5th in the race at 22:02.1.
Scott Van Kooten won the Varsity A Race, but North Allegheny, behind Pat Morgan's 5th place, beat Pittsburgh Central Catholic. Natalie Bower is rocking western PA cross country this season, and she has company. Two teammates joined her in the top five at the Pittsburgh Central Catholic Invitational to lead Latrobe to a 41-72 win over North Allegheny. In the Varsity B Race, Punxsutawney held off Greensburg Central Catholic by two points. And in the boys' Varsity B race, it was Canon MacMillan by 46 over Greensburg Central Catholic.
Chelsea Sumney, a Trinity freshman, did her part, starting her team off with one point at the Grove City Invitational... but Villa Maria won. McDowell's boys won with Avondale's Lucas Zarzeczny first.
Northeast ranked Coatesville win Steel City.
(Photo by Karen Ward)
Lara Crofford continues her strong season, capturing the Cumberland County Individual title. Red Land took the team title. For the boys, Justin Keller and Corey Creek lead Cedar Cliff to the team title.
Dallas swept both Varsity races at the Endless Mountains Invitational at Wyoming County Fairgrounds... with the girls winning by a lot, and the boys by 15. Dallas girls went 1-2-3.
Gettysburg went to Smithburg MD High School for the Don Stoner Invitational, and came away with two individual titles in the Large School races.
Liz Coestello (R) with NJ runner at Paul Short.
(Photo by Ryan Comstock)
The Owen J. Roberts guys continued their strong season, winning the Harrier Invitational at Pottstown by 12, while the Oley Valley girls won the team title behind the individual win by Rachel Suydan.
Wellsboro is one of the best AA girls teams in the state, and they gave Danville all they could handle, losing by just two points. Central Cambria sophomore Carly Seymour won again. And Sean Craig led Honesdale to a relatively easy win with his first place.
Wissahickon's Boys and Girls teams each captured 2nd place awards in the Varsity A Races on the difficult Brandywine Creek State Park course at the annual Salesianum Invitational.
Souderton made the trip to Williamsburg, Virginia and came away with a first place finish in the Boys B Race...
Cumberland Valley wins Paul Short Inv.
(Photo by Bill Bixler)
At the McQuaid New York Invitational, which is 3 miles for Varsity, Fairview's Lane King won the Small Schools Unseeded Varsity race... as several other guys, and a few PA girls also raced well. PA teams won two junior high races.
Weekend Preview:
It'll be a showdown of top Northeast teams in Steel Town... while up the Northeast Extension, the Paul Short Run will be long on talent in what is the biggest weekend of the season to date.
FR Chelsey Sumney, Trinity, wins Grove City.
(Photo by Carl Strub)
At Steel City there will be 46 boys teams, and 42 girls. Coatesville will defend home turf a week after knocking off NE#4 Manheim Township at Carlisle. Not unexpected, as Coatesville started the season at NE#5. Cardinal O'Hara will be in the mix wiith their NE#9 team two weeks after earning that ranking by beating a ranked Ridgewood NJ squad at the Briarwood Invitational. But the team depth doesnt't stop there. Also sporting top teams will be Council Rock North, Parkland and Malvern Prep, which took 2nd at the Great American XC Festival in the Seeded race. Just off beating NE#7 West Chester East in a dual meet, Henderson will be running their B team. Leading individuals for the guys include Vince McNally, Conestoga Valley, who went 15:02 three weeks ago at Gettysburg. The sophomore pushed Craig Miller to his sub-15 that day. O'Hara's Greg Thomas has been running incredibly fast, going 15:57 at Briarwood, and then getting the 3rd best Rose Tree Park time ever with a 15:36 last week. Don't overlook Keith Capecci, who was 2nd at Briarwood, Unionville junior Paul Springer, Boyertown's Jason Weller, and Coatesville's own Kyle Dawson.
The girls team race will pit Carlisle champ Chambersburg against Briarwood winner Cardinal O'Hara, defending AAA state champ Unionville, former state champ Parkland, and a strong Lancaster Mennonite squad. IIndividually, it will be interesting to see the match-up between Carlisle state champ Sarah Morrison of Chambersburg and Spiked Shoe champ Katherine Ward of State College. But there are a few more who should be right there most of the race, including Katie and Beth Kelly of O'Hara, Kate Ross of Central Bucks East, and Natalie Finnerty of Marple-Newtown.
At the Paul Short Run, NE#10 Bay Shore NY will toe the line against a slew of this year's best challengers from the Northeast, incluidng Allentown Central Catholic (pre-season #10), Colts Neck NJ and their two front-runners, Cumberland Valley, Easton (winner of Allentown Central Catholic 9/3, and other former state champions 9/10 at DeSales), Governor Miffllin, Gwynedd Mercy, Saint Basil Academy, and three currenly ranked teams, NE#7 Suffern NY, NE# 10 Bay Shore, and SE#8 Northwest of Germantown MD.
Individually, Chanelle Price of Easton will try to remain undefeated, with strong challengers Marcie Sobrinski of Allentown Central Catholic, Briana Jackucewicz and Ashley Higginson of Colts Neck NJ, among others. Those others include defending Foot Locker and 2005 Great American champ Aislinn Ryan of Warwick Valley... so the challenge will be off the charts. In the College Women's race, you'll see former Saratoga Springs stars Nicole Blood and Caitlin Lane, along with Neely Spence of Shippensburg.
Top Boys teams include NTN-ranked West Chester East, Cumberland Valley and Strath Haven. And it should be a war between Cumberland Valley's Curtis Bixler, Colts Neck's Craig Forys and West Chester's East's Duriel Hardy.