Scott Huff highlights the strong showings of the Pennsbury boys’ team and the Central Bucks West girls’ team. To view photos of the PIAA Foundation Meet, please visit the Photo Gallery.
By Scott Huff
Poop-Out Hill
That is the unflattering name of the monstrous hill near the end of the challenging Hershey Parkview course that hosted Saturday’s PIAA Foundation XC Boys’ Gold AAA Meet.
“The hill got its name for two reasons,” said Pennsbury head coach Tim Cass. “One, it is a gigantic hill that comes at the end of the race, and two is that it is right next to a sewage plant.”
Pennsbury Falcon senior Connor Harriman was running in third place when the front pack of runners got to the base of Poop-Out Hill, and after the ascent to the top, Harriman was running second behind Ean DiSilvo of Tyler Alderdice. With 200 yards remaining in the race, Harriman turned on the jets to the finish line.
“I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to catch him,” said Harriman. “But I just went as hard as a I could, and I had enough of a kick to catch him at the end.”
The Harriman sprint to the finish line resulted in a thrilling first place finish with a clocking of 16:23.1 while DiSilvo had to settle for second at 16:24.3.
“Connor just has a phenomenal kick, and he uses that kick to finish every race strong,” said Cass. “This course is one of the hardest cross country courses in the state. It not only has tough hills, but where the hills come up in the race makes it difficult.
“We like to come out here to run in this meet,” added Cass. “The runners love the challenge of running against some of the best runners in the state.”
“This was the fourth time that I have run on this course, and I always seem to run well there,” said Harriman. “The competition is something that I really look forward to.”
Harriman is a seasoned veteran of the big race, and sophomore Sam Webb is slowly getting that desired experience on the big stage.
Webb was clocked in 16:49.5, a time that earned him a distinguished seventh place finish.
“We are blessed that have two runners that can get us the low numbers,” said Cass. “Sam is very driven, focused, smart, and a tactician of the race. He can battle with the best of them.”
“Sam and I are training partners, and we push each other hard in practice,” said Harriman. “We have different personalities. I approach a race a lot more relaxed than Sam, but we still feed off each other.
“Sam has a great deal of talent,” added Harriman. “He is very good now, but he is going to continue to improve a great deal as he gets more experience.”
Pennsbury – though – is surely not a two-man team. The Falcons finished the meet in third place behind Cardinal O’Hara and North Allegheny.
“I was hoping for a top five finish, and a third place finish in this type of race is a great achievement for these runners,” said Cass. “With the mixture of runners we have this year, we can accomplish something special if we stay healthy.”
In addition to Harriman and Webb, there were three other Pennsbury runners in the top 50. Junior Liam O’Connell finished in 38th place with a clocking of 17:46.3; senior Will Johnson took 42nd place with a time of 17:52.2; and sophomore Alek Sauer earned 50th place with a clocking of 18:03.1
In the junior varsity race, Falcon freshman Ari Bortman earned a third place with a clocking of 17:48, while senior Jonathan Molloy finished 98th in the varsity race with a time of 18:40.7.
“That group after Connor and Sam really seems to have each other’s back,” said Cass. “They all know what it takes to run a race as a team.”
“Our goal is to make states as a team,” said Harriman. “We have to finish in the top five in the districts to do that, and other than West Chester Henderson, I don’t think there is a team that can beat us.”
And there wasn’t an individual that could beat Harriman after his trek up Poop-Out Hill.
Other ‘Top 50’ finishers in the meet at Poop-Out Hill from the Suburban One League included an 8th place finish from CB East’s Alec Brand (16:49.6); a 25th place finish from CB East’s Jack Brody (17:27.5); a 30th place finish from Bensalem’s Kyle Francis (17:38.2); and a 32nd place finish from Souderton’s Connor Linse (17:39.4).
The Central Bucks West girls’ cross county team has a wonderful mixture of youth and experience as the Lady Bucks compete this fall.
“We have goal-oriented seniors on this team,” said Central Bucks West head coach Kiki Bell. “And we have some very talented runners that are underclassmen. It all makes for having a strong program from year to year.”
An example of that program was on display as CB West captured first place in the Bulldog Invitational Cross Country Meet.
Freshman Maddie Villaba captured first place in the meet with a clocking of 19:34.40, while senior Gretchen Krause finished a strong third with a clocking of 19:42.30.
“Maddie is a very hard worker, and she wants to compete to win,” said Bell. “She wanted to get a good look at the map of the course before the race because she wanted to run in the front.
“Gretchen is going to be missed when she graduates,” added Bell. “She has a nice kick at the end of the race, and she runs strong throughout the race. She is always motivated to do well.”
The remaining Lady Buck runners who did well at the Bulldog Invitational were junior Megan Iatrola (5th place – 19:44.60); freshman Emory Griffin (6th place – 20:05.00); sophomore Shelby Bingamen (9th place – 20:33.50); senior Keelan McDonald (11th place – 20:43.30); and senior Olivia Detorre (16th place – 21:04.20).
“The whole team has seemed to jell this year,” said Bell. “I have really enjoyed the time with this group this season. We have had a lot of fun.”
And a lot of success.
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