Denny Dyroff highlights the top SOL performances at the Penn Relays Friday. Check back Monday night when Dyroff will feature some of the SOL’s performers who excelled.
By DENNY DYROFF
PHILADELPHIA -- When elite high school track programs -- domestic and international -- head to Franklin Fields every April to compete in the Penn Relays, their major goal is to qualify for and run well in the Championship of America events -- especially the high school 4x800-meter relay.
The task is not easy and only the best of the best are able to succeed.
This year, Pennsbury accomplished that feat -- with both its boys’ and girls’ teams. The only other team able to make the same claim is Holmwood Tech from Christiana, Jamaica -- a perennial powerhouse from the island nation that gave reggae music to the world.
In Friday’s High School Girls Championship of America 4x800, the Suburban One League accounted for two of the 12 teams in the race -- an impressive accomplishment considering the field included the best two teams from Jamaica along with a number of the premier teams from New York, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
North Penn finished eighth when Ali Valenti (2:21.43), Stephanie Bresadola (2:20.39), Mikaela Vlasic (2:20.74), Phoebe Clowser (2:19.01) combined for a time of 9:21.55.
Pennsbury took 10thplace with a time of 9:28.88. The Falcons’ foursome included Erin OConnell (2:24.53), Maddie Sauer (2:22.33), Olivia Sargent (2:18.48) and Hannah Molloy (2:23.56).
Holmwood Tech from Christiana, Jamaica won the race at 9:01.31 followed by Western Branch (Chesapeake, VA) at 9:07.7, Vere Tech from Clarendon, Jamaica at 9:13.06 and Great Valley at 9:14.81. Cornwall High from New Windsor, New York placed fifth at 9:17.87 and Unionville claimed sixth place with a clocking of 9:17.87.
The other six finishers were Ridge (Basking Ridge, NJ) at 9:19.82, North Penn at 9:21.55, McDonogh School (Owings Mills, MD) at 9:26.05, Pennsbury at 9:28.88, Glass (Lynchburg, VA) at 9:29.44, and Wilson (West Lawn, PA) at 9:30.00.
“It was a fast race,” said Pennsbury coach Tim Cass. “Going to the Championship of America for the second year in a row is hard to do -- and we did it.”
On the boys’ side, the 4x800 competition featured two small school heats and two large school heats with the 12 fastest teams qualifying for Saturday’s Championship of America race.
Pennsbury placed first in its heat of the Large Schools race with a time of 7:54.98. The Falcons’ quartet featured Eric Kersten (2:00.44), Alek Sauer (1:54.17), Matt Mulvaney (2:03.47) and Sam Webb (1:56.93).
The Falcons’ time gave them third seed for Saturday’s Championship of America race. The top two seeds belong to Nordhoff High from Ojai, California, which won its Small Schools heat with a time of 7:52.12 and Arlington High from LaGrangeville, New York which won the other Large Schools heat with a clocking of 7:54.33.
“Our time was very good considering the weather conditions,” said Cass, referring to the cool temperatures and heavy winds. “Eric led off and ran really well. He ran two-flat and put us in the front pack. Alek ran a great second leg. It was the third-fastest split in the race and that put us in first place. Matt had a 2:02 split and he held the lead. Then, Sam anchored with a 1:56. Our time could have been better but it was really windy. The main thing was to qualify for Saturday’s race.”
The other nine qualifiers (in seeded order) were River Dell Regional (Oradell, NJ), Kingston College (East Kingston, Jamaica), Central Bucks East, St. Elizabeth Tech (Santa Cruz, Jamaica), South Brunswick (Monmouth Junction, NJ), Central Bucks West, Holmwood Tech and Calabar (Kingston, Jamaica).
On Friday, Central Bucks East finished third in its Large Schools heat behind Pennsbury and Kingston College (7:56.36). The Patriots clocked a 7:56.52 with the team of Ata Shahideh (1:58.68), Jake Brophy (1:57.38), Louis Kettelberger (2:02.63) and Oliver Boucher (1:57.84).
Central Bucks West clocked a 7:59.31 and finished third in its Large Schools heat behind Arlington and South Brunswick (7:58.93). The Bucks’ runners were Andrew Baker (2:00.81), Jake Claricurzio (2:01.14), Carter Zerweck (2:00.50) and Rock Fortna (1:56.87).
Other SOL teams that competed in the 4x800 races Friday were Abington which was fourth in its heat at 8:03.44 with Jordan Neely (1:58.74), Cameron Mitchell (2:01.08), Jake Good (2:02.92) and Keion Broadhus (2:00.72); Pennridge, which was 10thin its heat at 8:10.35 with Justin Musco (2:04.31), Alex Masgai (2:01.45), Jeff Espinal (2:06.48), Danny Williams (1:58.12) and Wissahickon which was 14thin its heat at 8:18.08 with Cameron Christopher (2:03.31), Kyuande Johnson (1:58.65), Lukas Marcelis (2:05.93) and Mike Hong (2:10.21).
Runners from the Suburban One League claimed two of the top four places in the High School Boys’ 3000-meter Championship.
Central Bucks East’s Jake Brophy was third at 8:29.12 and Hatboro-Horsham’s Casey Comber was fourth with a time of 8:34.68. Alex Ostberg from Darien High (Darien, CT) won the race at 8:23.95 and Aidan Tooker from Saratoga Springs (NY) was runner-up at 8:27.34.
The only SOL team to qualify for a Saturday race in the 4x100 was Cheltenham. The Panthers’ foursome of Kyle Davis, Saahir Bethea, Oliver Liburd and Christian Brissett took first in their heat at 42.47 to earn the top seed in Saturday’s Large Schools 4x100 finals.
Other top finishers from the league in the Large Schools heats were Wissahickon (Ethan Dolberry-Wescott, Darien Williams, Josh Smith, Darren James) which was third in its heat and 25thoverall at 43.73 and Council Rock North (Chris Welde, Ty Loc, Sean Mazlin, David Gumino) which was first in its heat and 30thoverall at 43.78.
In the girls’ 4x100 Large Schools final Friday, Cheltenham (Ciara Leonard, Janiel Slowly, Alexis Crosby, Chanel Brissett) ran a 47.21 to place second behind Jamaica’s St. Catherine, which posted a winning time of 46.89.
“I got out pretty well,” said Leonard. “The race had a re-start and I had a better start the second time. And, our handoff was excellent.”
Slowly said, “I got a good start after the handoff. One of the girls from the other lane actually hit my hand, but it was the hand without the baton.”
Crosby said, “Our handoff was good too. Everyone was still there. Then, I was able to open it up a bit.”
Brissett said, “We had a pretty good handoff too. We were in third when I got it. I was passed the Manchester girl (Aryyanna Bolton) on the curve.”
Manchester from Mandeville, Jamaica finished third at 47.77. Baltimore’s Milford Mill was fourth at 47.86 followed by Pennsbury (Husniyyah Rogers, Uchechi Onouha, Niasia Boone , Dasia Boone) at 48.06 and Norristown (Jonae Cook, Jayana Webb, Dymon Lee, Kanitra Hill-Stewart) at 48.22.
“I don’t usually use blocks, but this time I did because everyone else was using them,” said Cook, the Eagles’ leadoff runner. “I would have been better without because with blocks, I stand right up.”
Webb said, “Our handoff was smooth and I got out good. I was out in front of everybody and tried to hold on. Then, we had a bad stick on the handoff.”
In the Girls’ 4x400 Championship of America, the North Penn quartet of Uche Nwogwugwu (56.7), Leiana Dean (57.9), Mikaela Vlasic (59.77) and Allison King (57.66) combined to give the Maidens’ a seventh-place finish with a time of 3:52.06.
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