Scott Huff features the Bensalem boys’ team and highlights runners from Pennridge and Cheltenham.
By Scott Huff
Bensalem head coach Mary Ellen Malloy has had a dream season this year coaching the Owls boys’ cross country team – and it has nothing at all to do with wins and losses.
“Coaching this group of young men has been a wonderful thing,” said Malloy. “Every kid on the team is a likeable kid – every kid likes the other kid – and there is never any drama. If I knew what I did to get a team like this, I would use that knowledge and sell it to other coaches.
“Any good thing you could say about one kid, you could say the same thing about many others,” added Malloy. “We would love to put it all together and run that perfect race to make it to states as a team.”
Bensalem and coach Malloy have had great runners in the recent past in Brad Rivera (sophomore @ Penn State) and Kyle Francis (freshman @ Duke University). And a trio of current Owl runners hopes to share in that legacy. Senior Tyji Mays, senior Alex Ramirez, and junior Rahi Shah all have great shots at making states if the Owl team would falter.
“Both Tyji and Alex know all about what it takes to be successful learning from such great runners as Brad Rivera and Kyle Francis,” said Malloy. “They are both strong as an ox – and have decent speed. They both share a great work ethic.
“But what I love most about them is that they are great captains – I have no worries at practice,” added Malloy. “If I’m not right there – those two will take care of the details.
“Rahi is very capable of getting to states,” continued Malloy of her extremely strong # 3 runner. “On his good days he is just behind both Tyji and Alex.”
Bensalem also has strong # 4 and # 5 runners in sophomore Aquell Bacchus and freshman Kyle Steele.
“Aquell never ran cross country before and has really gotten his act together,” said Malloy. “And Kyle thought of himself as a 100/200 meter guy and has really come into his own at cross country.
“And we have nine other underclassmen who are going to make a strong contribution in years to come,” added Malloy.
That list includes freshman Zak Bacchus, sophomore Will Claudio, sophomore Rob Corso, junior Hemel Sindhval, sophomore Dylan Caputo, sophomore Tom Oliver, junior Mike Liotta, freshman Elijah Rizzo, and freshman Kevin Rodriguez.
“Like I said, our goal is to run that perfect race and qualify for states,” said Malloy. “It would be a great way to end the season with a great group of kids.”
Indeed.
SOL-XC Spotlight
Julia Foster – Pennridge
Pennridge junior Julia Foster is running in the shadow of Ram senior Marissa Sheva – and loving every minute of it.
“Marissa helps me quite a lot with technique and what to do during a race,” said Foster in reference to the state-ranked PHS standout. “She has had a great deal of experience, and she is trying to pass on that knowledge to me.
“Marissa has experience running in all the big races,” added Foster – a first time runner in XC this season. “But hearing about how to do something is quite different than actually doing it. I’m looking forward to what is coming the next few weeks.”
Foster is new to cross-country after playing soccer the past few fall seasons.
“Julia ran track last spring and decided over the summer that she was going to concentrate on running in the fall,” said Pennridge cross-country coach Bill Smith. “We always felt that she had the potential to be a good runner, and now she has shown the maturity it takes to be a good runner.
“Marissa Sheva has been a great mentor for her this year in cross country,” added Smith. “And having her for a mentor is pretty hard to beat.
“I feel that Julia has the ability to be in the top 10 in the league this year,” continued Smith. “She has a shot at states – she knows she can do a lot better than she has to this point.”
“I really don’t know what to expect for the rest of the year,” said Foster. “All I know is that I want to concentrate on what it takes to improve. And I want to take advantage of the help that Marissa can give me.
“I would love to run in college,” added Foster. “But right now all I can think about is what I have to do to prepare for the next few weeks.”
And the closer to Sheva’s shadow – the better.
SOL-XC Spotlight
Will Griffen – Cheltenham
Cheltenham sophomore Will Griffen came out for cross-country this season for the first time as a means to prepare himself physically for the upcoming basketball season.
“That was the plan going into the season,” said Griffen. “But it might have turned into something else.”
Griffen has been very successful in his new environment and is already the # 1 runner on a very good Panther cross-country team that has only one SOL American Conference loss.
“Will has natural speed and is very competitive – and you can’t coach that,” said Cheltenham head coach Tom Sexton. “The kids all like him, and his friends were the ones who helped him decide during the summer to come out for the team in the fall.
“We held a voluntary workout to see who would qualify to go to our summer camp in the Poconos,” added Sexton. “Will couldn’t make the workout because he was on a family vacation. I told him to time himself in the 2-mile – he did – and it was the best time that anyone had.”
“I ran an 11:27 on vacation in Michigan,” said Griffen. “And I loved going to the summer camp. It was great team bonding, and I got to run a lot of miles.”
Right now Griffen is competing in cross country – but takes time after practice to lace up his sneakers and get some time on the basketball court in open gyms.
“I get home pretty late and tired, and I still have to do homework,” said Griffen – a Cheltenham honor student. “But I wouldn’t want to miss the running or the basketball.
“I’m looking forward to the end of cross country and the beginning of basketball,” added Griffen. “And I’m going our for track this spring for the first time since seventh grade. I will run distance.”
Only time will tell if Griffen remains a basketball player that runs – or evolves into a runner that plays basketball.
National Silver Standard Performances
Paul Short Invitational
Lehigh University
Marissa Sheva (Pennridge) 17:34
Olivia Sargent (Pennsbury) 17:52
Hannah Molloy (Pennsbury) 18:30
Merideth Twomey (Pennsbury) 18:35
Maddie Villalba (Central Bucks West) 18:45
Bailey Balmer (Pennsbury) 19:02
Rachel Estey (Pennsbury) 19:13
Erin O’Connell (Pennsbury) 19:20
Maddie Sauer (Pennsbury) 19:25
Julia Foster (Pennridge) 19:36
Brynn Mulloy (Central Bucks South) 19:40
Matt Scarpill (Central Bucks South) 16:18
Tyji Mays (Bensalem) 16:20
Rahi Shah (Bensalem) 16:30
41st Annual Salesianum Invitational
Wilmington Delaware
Casey Comber (Hatboro-Horsham) 16:28.37
On Deck In the SOL
William Tennent Invitational: Teams Attending – Central Bucks South, Central Bucks West, Hatboro-Horsham, Pennridge, Upper Moreland
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