2018 Meet Summaries/Race Results
2018 Season Preview
Punxsy boys cross country seeking district title #25 and a return to states
The Punxsy boys cross country team will shoot for its 25thdistrict 9 title in school history as they begin the 2018 season with a nice mix of veterans and incoming freshman who are new to the sport, at least at the varsity level. A total of 11 athletes comprise the roster, including three seniors who hope to end their final season of high school cross country on a winning note.
“The Punxsy cross country program began in 1969, so this is the 50thyear for boys participation in this sport at our school,” said current head coach George Wehrle. “John Smith coached the squad for the vast majority of those years and was responsible for all the district titles except one. It seems like an interesting opportunity that we could win Punxsy’s 25thdistrict title in the 50thyear of the sport for us. From the mid-1970’s until the late 1990’s, Punxsy dominated District 9 cross country, but starting in 1999, Bradford went on a terrific run, reeling off a dozen titles in a row. They now have 18 district 9 titles during the same span that Punxsy earned 24, with Saint Marys, DuBois and Kane accounting for the other seven combined.”
The Chucks finished second to the Owls in 2017, falling 34-44 at the District 9 Championship in Ridgway. Punxsy placed three runners in the top 10 to make things competitive, and all three return to help lead the squad this fall. “Our entire top seven from 2017’s district meet is back this season, so we should be significantly better than we were a year ago,” said Wehrle. “Bradford has five of their top seven back, so they’ll be formidable as usual. We’ll have DuBois in our classification for the first time since 2011, and Clearfield had a strong squad last year and return almost all their top guys as well. As always, we’ll train to become the best team we can be, and time will tell if that’s good enough to get title number 25.”
Junior Owen Bartlebaugh is Punxsy’s top returner, having earned the runner-up position at districts in cross country the past two years, while also claiming the district 3200 meter title on the track last spring. “Owen was 48that states last fall and returns as the 25th best performer in the AA division,” said Wehrle. “He is training quite well and is a legitimate candidate for a state medal, something we haven’t had since Bo Dinger in 2013.
Fellow junior Corbin Heitzenrater was fourth at the district meet and 121stat the PIAA Championships in 2017. “Corbin is one of our steadiest, most savvy runners, and he put in a solid summer of training to prepare for this fall,” said Wehrle. “I look for him to improve steadily throughout the season and show that he is one of the top handful of runners in District 9, possibly right behind Owen.”
Sophomore Aiden McLaughlin was a strong ninth at districts last season and should make a significant jump in his second year of varsity running. “Aiden had very good results in track last spring, and from what I’ve seen so far he’s going to surprise some people in cross country,” said Wehrle. “He’s got what it takes to be really good.”
Seniors Ethan May and Kevin Ingros placed 11thand 18th, respectively, at districts in 2017 and should move up considerably in their final season. “I’m hoping that, as seniors, both Ethan and Kevin will continue to demonstrate leadership by their work ethic and commitment to the team,” said Wehrle. “They both have the ability to be in our top five on a regular basis, and if they show that kind of positioning in practice throughout the year we should be in good shape as a team.”
Junior Samuel Rodgers and senior Evan States were Punxsy’s final two final varsity runners from the Ridgway district meet a year ago, placing 25thand 27th, respectively. “Sam and Evan are both looking better than ever so far, and I see no reason why they can’t have their finest seasons yet and push for those fourth and fifth spots as well,” said Wehrle. “In general, the better teams have a healthy amount of competition amongst themselves for the top positions on the varsity squad, and that’s something we really need to develop. “I consider Evan and Sam to be leaders because of the maturity they possess, in addition to being pretty solid runners in their own right.”
Punxsy’s four freshman have demonstrated they have what it takes to be successful, with Andrew Barnoff, Tyler Elliott, Jaden Schidlmeier and Eric Surkala all adapting well thus far to the increased mileage typical of a varsity program. “I’m thrilled to have four new runners out for the team, all of whom have both cross country and track and field experience at the middle school level,” said Wehrle. “Ideally, we won’t have to rely on these guys too much because we have the older athletes to shoulder the load, but I expect to see significant contributions from our freshman class as we progress throughout the season. Right now, Eric is challenging for a varsity position, and I predict that Tyler, Jaden and Andrew are all going to knock off minutes from their 5k times as they continue to train and improve. It can be a bit tough for a freshman boy to run with these more mature juniors and seniors, so all they need is time and encouragement.”
The Chucks will begin their dual meet season on Tuesday, September 4thwhen they travel to DuBois. Among the invitationals they will attend in September are the Spiked Shoe at Penn State and the PIAA Foundation Meet at Hershey, while October will see them travel to the Ridgway and Rocky Grove competitions. “I’m excited to see what the guys can accomplish this season, and I’m sure they’re looking forward to putting all their hard work to the test in a meaningful race,” concluded Wehrle.
Punxsy Boys Cross Country team wins over DuBois, DCC; falls short against Elk County Catholic
The Punxsy boys cross country team kicked off its 2018 season by picking up a pair of wins on a hot, muggy afternoon on DuBois’ rugged course, performing well overall under adverse conditions despite coming up a bit short against perennial power Elk County Catholic. Punxsy defeated DuBois 21-34, DuBois Central Catholic 21-40, but fell to the Crusaders by a slim 27-30 margin.
“These were some of the toughest racing conditions I can remember, as far as the heat and humidity, but as always everyone did the best they could and we came away with a good result for the first meet of the season,” said boys coach George Wehrle.
Owen Bartlebaugh dueled with Elk County’s Logan Hoffman for much of the race before Hoffman pulled away in the latter stages to earn a hard-fought 16 second win over the Punxsy junior. “Hoffman’s been one of Elk’s top runners the past couple seasons on a team that was the state runner-up two years in a row, so he’s the real deal,” said Wehrle. “Owen will do some impressive things this season and today was just the first step.”
Corbin Heitzenrater and Aiden McLaughlin turned in strong performances in placing sixth and seventh, respectively. “I feel very confident in Corbin and Aiden and their ability to run with just about anyone, and for them to both be ahead of DuBois’ top runner was a nice positive for us today.”
Ethan May and Sam Rodgers placed 13thand 14thoverall, both ahead of DuBois’ fourth finisher. “With Elk County and DuBois Catholic not being in the same classification as us, I was more interested in how we matched up with DuBois, who we will compete against at districts,” said Wehrle. “For Ethan and Sam to finish where they did was good to see. I’d like to see Ethan up closer to Corbin and Aiden, but we couldn’t have asked for a better race out of Sam today. He might have been the performer of the meet for us.”
Evan States came across the line ahead of DuBois’ sixth finisher, recording a time of 21:06 for 17thoverall. Freshman Eric Surkala performed well in his first varsity meet, placing seventh for the Chucks and 19thoverall in 21:48. “Evan is in shape to run very well for us and hung in there gamely to finish strong. Eric ran a smart, conservative race and will only get better from here with more experience and confidence.”
Kevin Ingros placed 21stin 22:14 as Punxsy’s eighth finisher. “Kevin would be the first to say that he doesn’t love the heat and humidity, but I actually thought he ran pretty well out there,” said Wehrle. “He’ll challenge our top seven for sure.”
First-year runners Andrew Barnoff, Tyler Elliott and Jaden Schidlmeier placed 37th, 39thand 43rd, respectively in their first varsity 3.1 mile competition. “There is no doubt in my mind that Andrew, Tyler and Jaden will all improve by minutes in the coming weeks,” said Wehrle. “Today was a tough one for their first race, but they got through it and will come out on the other end better for the experience.”
The boys team will travel to State College on Friday for the Spiked Shoe Invitational, with a 4:45 pm race time scheduled.
Complete Results
Hoffman(ECC)18:07; Bartlebaugh(P)18:23; Wortman(ECC)18:50; Carnovale(ECC)18:58; Ritsick(DCC)19:17; Heitzenrater(P)19:18; McLaughlin(P)19:19; Piccarillo(DCC)19:21; Deemer(Dub)19:29; Wolfe(ECC)19:31; Gildersleeve(Dub)20:25; Stevens(Dub)20:42; May(P)20:43; Rodgers(P)20:49; Fenstermacher(Dub)20:52; Scott(Dub)20:53; States(P)21:06; Fatula(Dub)21:44; Surkala(P)21:48; Norman(DCC)21:57; Ingros(P)22:14; Miller(ECC)22:31; Gulvas(Dub)22:36; Dippold(ECC)22:44; Swisher(DCC)22:50; Hook(Dub)22:58; Paisley(DCC)23:03; Mulhollan(Dub)23:13; Dwire(Dub)23:16; Gwizdala(Dub)23:22; Johnson(Dub)23:39; Sturrock(Dub)24:09; N. Knarr(Dub)24:32; Foster(DCC)24:56; Armanini(DCC)24:59; Phillips(ECC)25:26; Barnoff(P)25:37; Wayne(Dub)27:20; Elliott(P)28:03; E. Knarr(Dub)28:19; Kearney(Dub)28:49; Reitz(Dub)29:08; Schidlmeier(P)31:31; McCleary(Dub)32:09
Punxsy Boys Cross Country shows improvement at Spiked Shoe Invitational
Running under favorable conditions on the Penn State Blue and White golf course, the Punxsy boys cross country team scored a perfect 10 as far as seasonal bests were concerned, with all ten local competitors running their fastest time of the still-young season.
“While still humid, the weather was more conducive to running, and the Penn State course, while not easy, is certainly one where the guys could get in a nice rhythm and perform well, and that’s what they did,” said head coach George Wehrle.
As a team, the Chucks placed 11thoverall out of 17 complete teams, scoring 298 points. State College won the title with an impressive total of 71, followed by University High School from West Virginia with 95. “There were several strong teams here today, which in a way forces everyone to step it up a bit or get left behind, and our guys for the most part responded well to the challenge,” said Wehrle.
Owen Bartlebaugh led the charge for Punxsy with a time of 17:12, placing 22ndoverall out of 166 competitors. “Owen didn’t back down against a quality group of runners, and he was rewarded with a pretty nice time for this early in the season,” said Wehrle.
Corbin Heitzenrater placed 67thin 18:33, followed closely by teammate Aiden McLaughlin just four seconds and two places later. “Corbin and Aiden are pretty evenly matched right now, and I always think it helps a bit to have someone you know beside you when it starts to get tough out on the course,” said Wehrle.
Senior Ethan May came through with an excellent race, placing 81stin 18:57. “Ethan did a great job to finish within 20 seconds of Aiden, which is what we need to have a stronger team,” said Wehrle.
Freshman Eric Surkala placed an even 100thwith a time of 19:41, which was over two minutes faster than he ran on Tuesday. “We won’t expect Eric to improve like that every time, but he certainly came though today as our fifth man, which is nice to see in only his second high school race,” said Wehrle.
Kevin Ingros and Evan States both finished within the next 15 places, with Ingros running 20:02 for 106thand States taking the 115thposition in 20:17. “We need to see continued progress from both Kevin and Evan if we hope to fare well within our district,” said Wehrle. “Both of them are capable seniors who know what we need from them going forward, and they showed they are on track with their performances today.”
Tyler Elliott chopped over five minutes from his time from Tuesday, running 22:54 to place 149th. “Tyler really rebounded well from his first race, and I feel confident he can improve quite a bit more from here on out,” said Wehrle. “He is a dedicated runner who wants to get better, and good things happen to those types of people.”
Andrew Barnoff and Jaden Schidlmeier both took another step forward with their times, as Barnoff sliced his seasonal best by 90 seconds in running 24:11, while Schidlmeier cut an astounding seven minutes of his previous best with a clocking of 24:32. “Both Andrew and Jaden beat a handful of runners and looked more capable and confident out there today,” said Wehrle. “Jaden especially looked liked like a completely different runner, and if they both continue to put in the training the sky’s the limit.”
Punxsy is back on the road on Tuesday when they travel to Saint Marys.
Punxsy cross country runs to 17-45 win at Saint Marys
The muddy terrain didn’t stop the Punxsy boys cross country team from taking the first four places on the way to a convincing 17-45 win over Saint Marys Tuesday afternoon on Saint Marys’ newly designed home course. Yesterday’s meet was the first of the season on the revised layout, so race winner Owen Bartlebaugh became the course record holder with his time of 18:33.
Corbin Heitzenrater followed roughly a minute later to claim the runner-up spot, with Aiden McLaughlin third overall with a time of 19:40. Ethan May completed the 1-4 sweep for Punxsy by running 19:47, 15 seconds ahead of Saint Marys’ first runner. “It was nice to see our first four guys finish ahead of Saint Marys’ top runner, as the overall goal for the day was just to get in a decent effort without exerting too much mental and physical energy,” said head coach George Wehrle.
The Dutch had another runner finish just four seconds ahead of Punxsy’s Eric Surkala, who placed seventh overall in 20:40. Evan States was right behind the fast freshman with a time of 20:44, and Sam Rodgers was just nine seconds in back of States to place ninth overall.
“Our first seven finishers were only a bit over two minutes apart, which is the closest they’ve been all year by far,” said Wehrle. “Having a tighter pack of runners is one measure of a solid team, so we’re getting there.”
The host team claimed the next two places before Kevin Ingros took the 12thspot in 21:45. Saint Marys finished the scoring as their fifth runner came in 13th, with Tyler Elliott taking the 14thstick in 23:23. Andrew Barnoff and Jaden Schidlmeier earned places 16 and 17 with times of 24:52 and 25:34, respectively. “While we had no seasonal bests today, I felt as if all the guys ran reasonably well considering the circumstances,” said Wehrle. You only have so many “all-out” races during a short season, so hopefully the guys feel as if they could have gone faster if needed.”
Punxsy is off until next Tuesday when they host Bradford and Brookville in the first home dual meet of the season.
Complete Results: Punxsy 17; Saint Marys 45
Bartlebaugh(P)18:33; Heitzenrater(P)19:39; McLaughlin(P)19:40; May(P)19:47; Belsole(SM)20:02; Bankovic(SM)20:36; Surkala(P)20:40; States(P)20:44; Rodgers(P)20:53; Tettis(SM)21:30; Frey(SM)21:34; Ingros(P)21:45; Henry(SM)21:55; Elliott(P)23:23; J. Schauer(SM)23:33; Luchs(SM)23:42; Barnoff(P)24:54; Schidlmeier(P)25:34; Annis(SM)26:19; R. Schauer(SM)27:57
Chucks come up short against Bradford on home course, defeat Brookville in cross country action
The Punxsy boys cross country team dropped a 24-31 decision on their home course to district rival Bradford, although they did manage to come out victorious against the Brookville Raiders by the score of 26-31. With the split, Punxsy’s dual meet record is now 4-2.
Brookville’s Ethan Brentham placed first overall with a solid time of 17:49, with Bradford’s Tyler Craft taking the runner-up spot in 18:25. Punxsy’s Owen Bartlebaugh had been running with Brentham for much of the race before a recent touch of sickness forced him to the sideline just past the two mile mark. “Knowing Owen, he pushed himself as hard as he could for as long as he could, but his body just wasn’t cooperating today,” said coach George Wehrle. “With a little rest and recovery he’ll hopefully be ready to go by this weekend’s big invitational in Hershey.”
Bradford’s Hunter Fox placed third in 18:59, followed by the Punxsy trio of Aiden McLaughlin, Ethan May and Corbin Heitzenrater in the next three positions, all within 19 seconds of one another. “For these three guys to finish ahead of Bradford’s third runner like they did today was pretty impressive, but I’ve come to expect consistently good results from all of them and they always seem to deliver,” said Wehrle.
Punxsy’s chances to pull out the win over Bradford ended when the Owls took the next four places against the Chucks, with Sam Rodgers breaking up the Bradford run by placing 14thoverall in 20:24. Eric Surkala placed sixteenth in 20:41, just one second behind Bradford’s seventh finisher. “I feel pretty good about Eric and Sam being able to break up that Bradford pack the next time we race them, but it didn’t happen today despite their best efforts,” said Wehrle. “Sam was only 21 seconds in back of Bradford’s fourth man, and Eric would normally be up with Sam, so there are many positives to take away from this meet that aren’t reflected in the score.”
Evan States was only five seconds behind Surkala in 17thplace, while Kevin Ingros placed 18thwith a time of 20:55. “Evan and Kevin both ran well, as they were comfortably ahead of Brookville’s fifth man, helping to inflate their score and give us a bit of a cushion against the Raiders,” said Wehrle.
Andrew Barnoff placed 26thoverall with a time of 22:42, his best of the season by 90 seconds. “Andrew really stepped it up a notch in this race, and I fully expect he will continue slicing fairly big chunks off his times as we head into the second half of the season.”
Tyler Elliott finished 27thin 23:48, with Jaden Schidlmeier less than a minute back in 28thplace. “Tyler and Jaden continue to impress me in practice with their attitude and effort, so it won’t be long before they have that breakout race, similar to what Andrew had today,” said Wehrle.
Punxsy will travel to Hershey this Saturday to take part in the PIAA Foundation Invitational, held on the exact course that will host the state championships in November. “Going down to Hershey for what is essentially a “pre-state” meet should benefit the guys if we can be fortunate enough to win districts and earn a return trip, but it should also be a nice opportunity to spend some time together and eventually compete against some of the best teams and individuals from throughout the state,” said Wehrle.
Complete Results:
Brentham(BRK)17:49; T. Kraft(BRD)18:25; Fox(BRD)18:59; McLaughlin(P)19:04; May(P)19:10; Heitzenrater(P)19:23; Mitchell(BRD)19:36; Baughman(BRK)19:49; Olson(BRK)19:56; Cottillion(BRD)20:03; C. Doolittle(BRK)20:12; Minard(BRD)20:19; Allen(BRD)20:21; Rodgers(P)20:24; Wright(BRD)20:40; Surkala(P)20:41; States(P)20:46; Ingros(P)20:55; Paterniti(BRD)20:58; Benson(BRD)21:10; Hollamby(BRD)21:32; L. Doolittle(BRK)21:53; O. Rupp(BRK)22:10; Liners(BRD)22:16; Sekeres(BRK)22:28; Barnoff(P)22:42; Elliott(P)23:48; Schidlmeier(P)24:39; C. Rupp(BRK)26:56
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Boys Cross Country competes at PIAA Foundation Invitational
The Punxsy boys cross country squad traveled to Hershey on Saturday to compete in the PIAA Foundation Invitational, held annually for the past dozen years on the state championship course. Schools competed in the same divisions as they will at the state meet in November, with Punxsy being a “AA” school in the three classification system for cross country.
In the varsity race, a total of 36 complete teams and 235 runners participated in the race, with Punxsy earning 15thplace with 467 points. Grove City nipped Greensburg Salem 96-99 to win the team title. “There’s no doubt a lot of the best teams in Pennsylvania come to this invitational because it’s held on the state meet course, so this ends up being a good opportunity to test yourself against top competition,” said head coach George Wehrle.
Owen Bartlebaugh, though still not 100% healthy, finished in front for Punxsy with his 66thplace finish in 18:33. “Owen did well to get through this race and perform well enough to lead our team, but this result isn’t indicative of what he’s capable of when fully recovered,” said Wehrle. “He’ll bounce back and easily be at full strength for our next invitational.”
Corbin Heitzenrater and Aiden McLaughlin again matched each other stride for stride, finishing in 81stand 82ndplace, respectively, with the same time of 18:42. “Both Corbin and Aiden moved up nicely in the second half of the race, as they were not in the top 100 at the midpoint of the race,” said Wehrle.
Senior Ethan May had another strong performance, placing 90thin 18:49. “Ethan is right on the heels of Corbin and Aiden, and that can only make our team better,” said Wehrle. “He caught a slew of runners in the latter stages of the hilly 3.1 course.”
Fellow senior Evan States had his best race of the season to finish 148thin 19:56, with Sam Rodgers close behind in 155thplace, four seconds after his teammate. “Both Evan and Sam ran seasonal bests today, which is no easy feat on this challenging course,” said Wehrle.
Kevin Ingros rounded out the varsity roster with a solid race of his own, running 20:11 to place 162nd. “Kevin was just nine seconds off his fastest time of the season, so I consider this his best effort by quite a bit,” said Wehrle. “Our 1-7 split was the second tightest it’s been all season, another good sign for our team.”
In the Junior Varsity division, a total of 279 runners toed the line, with Punxsy’s Eric Surkala leading the charge by placing 62ndin 19:30. “Eric is a varsity-caliber runner for us and would have been our fifth man today, but this was a good opportunity for him to race against runners closer to his age and ability and he came through with a fine result and a seasonal best,” said Wehrle.
Freshman Andrew Barnoff continued his hot streak with another seasonal best performance, this time running 21:24 to place 180th. “Andrew has now chopped almost three minutes off his fastest time in the last two meets, and I feel he has quite a bit more improvement left in him yet this season.” said Wehrle.
Tyler Elliott ran a time 22:53, also his best time of the season. He placed 225 overall. “Tyler ran very well, holding his position throughout the race and earning a seasonal best on a pretty tough course,” said Wehrle.
Jaden Schildlmeier took 32 seconds off his previous best time as he placed 242ndin 24 minutes flat. “Jaden is steadily improving, and hopefully he will continue to test his limits just a bit more with every race,” said Wehrle.
Punxsy is back on the road Tuesday when they travel to Brockway to compete against the Rovers and the Kane Wolves. “This weekend was a nice opportunity for the team, and I would like to thank the Booster Club for providing money to help offset the cost of the trip for the athletes,” concluded Wehrle.
Punxsy boys cross country runs to soggy sweep over Brockway and Kane
The Punxsy boys cross country team ran its dual meet record to 6-2 with a pair of convincing wins over Brockway and Kane Tuesday afternoon on the Rovers quick home course. The Chucks swept the top five places against both teams, winning 15-49 against Kane and 15-48 against Brockway.
“Needless to say, the course was saturated, but it’s flat and fast, and despite slipping and sliding at times the guys all ran rather well,” said head coach George Wehrle. “I wasn’t expecting to sweep both these teams by any means, so I guess that’s a good sign for us.”
Punxsy took the first five places against Brockway, with Owen Bartlebaugh, Corbin Heitzenrater, Aiden McLaughlin, Eric Surkala and Ethan May all getting across the line before Brockway’s Linkin Nichols in sixth. “All our top five ran well, seemingly well within their capabilities, although Eric Surkala did record his best time of the season by a solid 27 seconds,” said Wehrle. “A 1-5 sweep doesn’t happen everyday, especially with Kane and Brockway both having some pretty decent runners.”
Kevin Ingros placed seventh overall with a seasonal best time of 19:26, followed by Kane’s John Wolfe in eighth and Evan States from Punxsy in ninth, also in a seasonal best. “Kevin and Evan were together quite a bit during the race, and it’s good to see all our seniors running well as we head into October,” said Wehrle.
Sam Rodgers ran a time of 20:11 to place 12th, followed by a slew of Kane and Brockway runners before Tyler Elliott came in 20thwith a time of 21:28, which was a seasonal best by well over a minute. “Sam is constantly knocking on the door of sub-20, and I know he’ll get it before long,” said Wehrle. “Tyler knocked it out of the park with his performance today, which he deserves for sure.”
Andrew Barnoff came through with a nice result, placing 22ndin 21:39, with fellow freshman Jaden Schidlmeier taking 26thoverall with another seasonal best time of 23:15. “Our freshman have the most room to improve, and they are doing just that,” said Wehrle. “Considering the conditions, we have to be happy with how things went today,”
Punxsy is not scheduled to compete again until next Tuesday when they return the favor and host Brockway, along with DuBois, on senior night. The seniors will be recognized starting at 4:00 pm, with the middle school race scheduled for 4:15 pm and the varsity to follow.
Complete Results:
Bartlebaugh(P)18:23; Heitzenrater(P)18:48; McLaughlin(P)18:49; Surkala(P)19:03; May(P)19:06; Nichols(B)19:07; Ingros(P)19:26; John Wolfe(K)19:32; States(P)19:37; Williamson(B)19:45; Barr(K)20:01; Rodgers(P)20:11; Bash(B)20:13; Schmader(B)20:18; Marchiori(B)20:34; Pearce(B)20:47; Glasi(B)20:49; Bernecky(K)20:58; Smith(K)21:19; Elliott(P)21:28; Jordan Wolfe(K)21:30; Barnoff(P)21:39; Ostender(K)21:59; Buttery(B)22:20; Kochler(B)22:21; Schidlmeier(P)23:15; Duckett(B)23:32; Hrin(B)23:43; Bennett(B)25:01; Shifter(B)25:06; Jenson(K)25:14; Munoz(B)25:27; Scolese(B)27:34; T. Curcio(K)34:59; Pierotti(K)35:30; R. Curcio(K)35:42
Punxsy boys cross country defends home course with win over DuBois
The Punxsy boys cross country team placed eight runners in the top 12 to earn a convincing 22-36 win over visiting DuBois in their final home meet of the season. With the win, Punxsy is now 7-2 on the season, with only one dual meet remaining when they travel to Kane next Tuesday.
“It was fortunate DuBois was able to come back over after the inclement weather forced a postponement from yesterday,” said head coach George Wehrle. “Our seniors deserved to run a race for their last home event, and today was certainly a great meet weather-wise.”
DuBois’ McKellen Jaramillo ran the 3.1 mile course in 18:14 to take the win over Punxsy’s Owen Bartlebaugh, who ran 18:52. Corbin Heitzenrater and Aiden McLaughlin were close behind their teammate with times of 18:59 and 19:00, respectively. “Owen is still trying to get over some recent sickness, and he’s not quite back to form just yet,” said Wehrle. “Corbin and Aiden were their usual consistent selves, as they’ve been all season for us.”
DuBois’ AC Deemer placed fifth in 19:10, followed by Punxsy’s Ethan May 13 seconds later in sixth. Freshman Eric Surkala was just behind May with a time of 19:29. “Ethan was right where we expect him to be, and Eric’s now had three very good races in a row,” said Wehrle. “We have a pretty capable top five right now, which bodes well for our chances heading towards districts.”
Kaleb Stevens from DuBois placed eighth, just one second ahead of Punxsy’s Kevin Ingros, who ran 19:50. “Kevin is starting to come on of late, as he ran over a minute faster than he did on this same course just two weeks ago,” said Wehrle.
Ryan White from DuBois ran 20 minutes flat to place 10th, with Evan States and Sam Rodgers picking up the next two spots with times of 20:16 and 20:27, respectively. “Evan ran 30 seconds better than last time on this course, and Sam ran another consistent effort, moving up in the latter stages to finish ahead of a rather large group of DuBois athletes.”
DuBois took places 13-18 before Punxsy’s Andrew Barnoff came through in 21:22 to earn the 19thstick. Tyler Elliott secured the 21stspot with a time of 22:37, while fellow freshman Jaden Schidlmeier was 30thin 25:55. “Andrew and Tyler both improved by well over a minute on this course, and Jaden survived a tough day at the office and would normally have finished a few places higher,” said Wehrle. “Overall we ran well as a team and just need to get everyone healthy and feeling confident for the last four upcoming races before districts.”
Punxsy is back in action on Saturday when they travel to Ridgway for the annual invitational on the District 9 Championship course.
Complete Results:
Jaramillo(D)18:14; Bartlebaugh(P)18:52; Heitzenrater(P)18:59; McLaughlin(P)19:00; Deemer(D)19:10; May(P)19:23; Surkala(P)19:29; Stevens(D)19:49; Ingros(P)19:50; White(D)20:00; States(P)20:16; Rodgers(P)20:27; Gulvas(D)20:32; Gildersleeve(D)20:41; Fatula(D)20:49; Scott(D)20:56; Fenstermacher(D)21:11; Johnson(D)21:19; Barnoff(P)21:22; Gwizdala(D)22:19; Elliott(P)22:37; Hook(D)22:43; Mulhollan(D)22:54; Dwire(D)22:58; N. Knarr(D)23:05; Struck(D)23:29; Wayne(D)25:01; E. Knarr(D)25:07; Kearney(D)25:27; Schidlmier(P)25:55; McCleary(D)27:41; Reitz(D)28:46
Boys cross country places ninth at Ridgway Invitational
Despite missing its top runner, the Punxsy boys cross country team ran to a ninth place finish at the Ridgway Invitational on Saturday. Conditions could only be described as extremely muddy due to the recent rains.
“The person who takes care of the course told me it was the worst he’s ever seen it for this meet, so you can imagine how tough it was for the runners,” said head coach George Wehrle. “Hopefully, somehow it will dry out a bit in the next three weeks and be better for districts on the 27th.”
Smethport won the team title in a close race against Elk County Catholic, 91-95, with Cranberry third with a total of 110. District 9 AA rival Bradford was fifth with 150 points, while Brookville was seventh at 228. DuBois scored 232, one ahead of Punxsy, with Clearfield ninth just two points back. The final AA team in the district, Saint Marys, placed 14thwith a score of 338. “We just didn’t run all that well as a team, and even though we were without our top runner, Owen Bartlebaugh, we still should have been closer to Bradford,” said Wehrle. “Owen didn’t figure in the scoring against them in our dual meet either, but we were much more competitive in that meet as compared to today.”
With Bartlebaugh still in recovery mode, Corbin Heitzenrater led the way for the Chucks with a 22ndplace finish in 19:15. Aiden McLaughlin was close behind in 26thplace, running 19:21. “Corbin and Aiden were consistent again today, but I suspect we still haven’t seen their best running,” said Wehrle. “Both guys are capable of doing even better, in my opinion, but to be in the top 30 out of 166 runners is still pretty good.”
Junior Sam Rodgers had a strong result by placing 55thoverall in 20:24. “Sam is not typically our number three finisher, so he had a very good race today while some of our guys struggled a bit,” said Wehrle. “The tough conditions didn’t affect Sam much at all, which should be a good lesson for everyone.”
Ethan May placed 65thwith a time of 20:42, with freshman Eric Surkala running 21:11 to place 74th. “Ethan and Eric are normally quite a bit closer to Corbin and Aiden, and I am confident they will return to form in our next race,” said Wehrle. “They’ve been two of our best runners of late for sure.”
Evan States placed 83 in 21:22, with fellow senior Kevin Ingros close behind in 21:36 to place 89th. “Evan and Kevin weren’t quite as sharp today as they’ve been recently, possibly due to the conditions or maybe a bit of fatigue,” said Wehrle. “Again, it’s not a fitness thing because they’ve both run rather well within the past couple weeks. We’ll look for a rebound race from these two veteran runners on Tuesday.”
Andrew Barnoff claimed the 108thplace with a time of 22:27, with Tyler Elliott 35 seconds back in 121stplace. “Andrew and Tyler both ran good races, and there’s no doubt they’ve been showing they belong up in the pack in practice as well,” said Wehrle. “They both have improved a lot since the start of practice in mid-August.”
Freshman Jaden Schidlmeier rounded out the Punxsy results as he placed 148thoverall with a time of 25:07. “Jaden ran much better today than he did on Wednesday, so again, it’s just a matter of some of these guys becoming more consistent and being mentally and physically prepared to race every time,” said Wehrle. “I feel we’re better than our result today, but we have to show it at some point. There aren’t too many more chances left in the season.”
Punxsy will be back on the starting line on Tuesday when they travel to Kane for their final dual meet of the season. “Kane was 11thas a team today, 44 points behind us, so if we don’t run a bit better than we did here it will be a fairly close meet,” concluded Wehrle. “I expect the guys to bounce back in a big way.”
Punxsy boys cross country defeats Brookville, Kane; fall to Smethport
On a gorgeous day for running in Kane, the Punxsy boys cross country team defeated the host Wolves 22-38 and the Brookville Raiders 26-30, but fell to a quality Smethport Hubbers squad 23-32. “After Saturday’s mudfest in Ridgway, it was a pleasure to run today on Kane’s outstanding layout, with former Punxsy cross country alum Adam Smelko at the helm,” said head coach George Wehrle. “It was a bit warm, but with good competition the guys responded and produced six seasonal bests out of 10 finishers.”
Smethport took the top two places, followed by Brookville’s Ethan Brentham in third and Kane’s John Wolfe in fourth. Corbin Heitzenrater placed fifth overall out of 38 runners with a seasonal best time of 18:11. “The first three runners finished under 17 minutes, which is outstanding,” said Wehrle. “Corbin is rounding into form at just the right time and I look for his excellent running to continue.”
Aiden McLaughlin was one place and 12 seconds behind his teammate, also with his fastest time of the year. “Aiden has been extremely dependable all season, so it was nice to see him slice 14 seconds off his previous best time,” said Wehrle.
Ethan May placed ninth overall with a solid effort, running 18:43 on the 3.1 mile course. “Ethan rebounded nicely from Saturday, and I expect him to continue to push our top guys like he did today,” said Wehrle.
After a pair of Brookville and Smethport runners finished, along with Kane’s number two man, Punxsy senior Kevin Ingros finished his best race of the season to place 15thoverall in 19:20. “Kevin looked like a different runner out there today as compared to Saturday, so he just needs to continue that going forward,” said Wehrle. “It’s nice to have seniors performing well into October, when it really starts to count.”
Sam Rodgers finally broke 20 minutes for the first time ever as he placed 16thin 19:27. “I am happy for Sam, as he’s been close to 20 minutes in several meets this season,” said Wehrle. “He’s been one of our most reliable runners every meet but has really stepped it up a notch the last couple races.”
Eric Surkala grabbed the next place with a time of 19:42, another significant improvement from his most recent race. “We need Eric to be right in there with our older guys, and he was up for the challenge today,” said Wehrle. “I feel he has the ability to be one of the top freshmen in our district by the end of the season, if not the best.”
Evan States came up just four seconds short of the 20 minute mark himself as he placed 19thoverall. “Evan actually ran pretty well, although he might dispute that as he always wants to do better,” said Wehrle. “I look to him for leadership and feel that’s one of his best assets, along with being a dependable runner.”
Andrew Barnoff and Tyler Elliott both notched personal bests with times of 21:07 and 21:18, respectively. Barnoff was 26thand Elliott was one place behind. “Andrew and Tyler are running very well and becoming more consistent with every race,” said Wehrle. I think they’ve figured out their capabilities a bit more and are starting to push harder for longer each time out.”
Jaden Schidlmeier placed 31stwith a time of 23:58. “Jaden looks to me like he can still push the envelope more than he does, but he had his best race in a couple weeks, so that’s always a positive result, said Wehrle.
Punxsy finished the season with a 9-3 dual meet record and will travel to the Rocky Grove Invitational on Saturday before hosting the Punxsy XC Relays next Wednesday in their final regular season contest. The district championship is scheduled for October 27thin Ridgway.
Complete Results:
Tanner(S)16:39; Gregory(S)16:46; Brentham(B)16:50; John Wolfe(K)18:04; Heitzenrater(P)18:11; McLaughlin(P)18:23; Baughman(B)18:25; Pavlock(S)18:33; May(P)18:43; Scarovicz(S)18:58; Mannen(S)19:00; C. Doolittle(B)19:04; Olson(B)19:06; Bernecky(K)19:11; Ingros(P)19:20; Rodgers(P)19:27; Surkala(P)19:42; Smith(K)19:46; States(P)20:04; Kramer(B)20:08; Auxis(S)20:11; Jordan Wolfe(K)20:02; Barr(K)20:25; L. Doolittle(B)20:51; Rupp(B)21:00; Barnoff(P)21:07; Elliott(P)21:18; McUrnan(S)22:03; Segeress(B)22:10; Helsey(S)22:51; Schidlmeier(P)23:58; Price(S)24:35; Jenson(K)25:08; Roeder(S)27:35; King(S)27:54; T. Curcio(K)31:40; R. Curcio(K)31:57; Pierotti(K)38:13
Punxsy Boys Cross Country place fifth at Rocky Grove Invitational
Benefitting from cooler temperatures but still having to battle a muddy course, the Punxsy boys cross country team placed fifth out of 24 complete teams at the Rocky Grove Invitational, held at the appropriately named Two Mile Run County Park in Franklin. “This was our first time attending this meet, and I think most of the athletes enjoyed the experience,” said head coach George Wehrle. “The course was almost all wooded trail, which made it pretty congested, but despite the times being slowed a bit due to the hills and mud it was a positive experience for our team to finish high up in the standings and earn five individual awards.”
Competing in a field of 272 runners, Corbin Heitzenrater earned a medal by placing 22ndoverall with a time of 18:45. Owen Bartlebaugh and Aiden McLaughlin earned ribbons by placing 26thand 27thwith times of 18:52 and 18:54, respectively. “We had a pretty nice result from our top three today, with Owen finally showing some of his old form,” said Wehrle. “Corbin and Aiden were back quite a bit early on but moved up nicely throughout the 3.1 mile course.”
Ethan May ran another quality race to earn a ribbon with his 43rdplace time of 19:28. Freshman Eric Surkala picked up the last ribbon for the Chucks by placing 66thin 20:08. “Ethan ran very well, finishing within 45 seconds of our first finisher,” said Wehrle. “When I saw Eric about a half mile into the race he was buried in a sea of runners, but he managed to get going enough to earn a ribbon for his efforts on the day.”
Kevin Ingros ran 20:36 to place 83rd, followed by Sam Rodgers just four seconds later in 89thplace. Evan States was the last runner before the century mark with his time of 20:47. “These are veteran runners who worked their way up through the masses to finish well,” said Wehrle. “I probably should have stressed to the entire team the importance of getting out a bit harder on a course that narrows like this one does.”
Freshman Tyler Elliott placed 189thin 23:13, followed by Andrew Barnoff in 200thwith a time of 23:45. Jaden Schidlmeier ran 24:37 to finish 218th. “Our freshmen have had better days, but they all beat a significant amount of runners and had the opportunity to race in congestion, which will come in handy down the road,” said Wehrle.
Punxsy is back in action on Wednesday when they play host to the Punxsy XC Relays at the local golf course. “We’re looking forward to the relay format as a nice change of pace, and hosting a meet is always a nice way to generate some interest in the program,” concluded Wehrle. “We have DuBois, Saint Marys, DuBois Central Catholic and Mercyhurst Prep from Erie coming over to run, so it should be a small but competitive event.”
Boys Cross Country wins team title at Punxsy Relays; earn eight individual medals
The Punxsy boys cross country team had a successful day hosting the Punxsy Relays Invitational at the local golf course, winning the team title and having four different relay teams earn medals for top 10 finishes.
“Despite some threatening weather, it actually turned out to be a pretty nice day for the runners, and the course was pretty firm despite all the recent rains,” said head coach George Wehrle. “I think everyone was happy to run on a nicely groomed surface with no mud.”
A total of five teams participated in the meet, including Punxsy, DuBois, DuBois Central Catholic and Mercyhurst Prep. The relay format was such that the runners competed in two -person teams, with each athlete running 1.55 miles for a combined five kilometer time. “At this time of the year, a shorter race distance with a unique format like this was probably a nice change of pace for the athletes,” said Wehrle. “I think the runners had fun doing something different.”
Every team entered had at least three pairs of runners, so the team title was decided using cross country scoring through three places only, instead of the usual five. The host team had the low score with 13 points, while DuBois and Mercyhurst Prep tied for second with 20. Mercyhurst Prep, however, had the winning duo as Felix Bush and Jeffrey Giannelli teamed up to run 16:36, just 15 seconds ahead of Punxsy’s Owen Bartlebaugh and Corbin Heitzenrater. DuBois had their top team place third, followed by DuBois Central Catholic’s number one pairing in fourth. Aiden McLaughlin and Ethan May placed fifth with a total time of 17:09, and the partnership of Eric Surkala and Kevin Ingros took sixth in 17:16. “We had three of the first six teams, which is hopefully going to give the guys a nice boost of confidence heading into next Saturday’s district meet,” said Wehrle. “The guys making up these three teams for us also had six of the top 11 individual splits, so they definitely deserved to win the team title with their efforts today.”
Evan States and Sam Rodgers claimed the final medalist position as they placed 10thoverall in 18:08. Andrew Barnoff and Tyler Elliott teamed up to place 16thoverall in 20:16, while Jaden Schidlmeier and Saint Marys’ Ryan Schauer placed 20thin 21:24. “Both Saint Marys and Punxsy had an odd number of runners, so it worked out well for Jaden and Ryan to team up and get to take part in the relay format instead of just running alone,” said Wehrle.
Punxsy will now turn its attention to the District 9 Championship meet, which will be held Saturday, October 27that Ridgway. “It sure would be nice to run districts on a surface like we had today, but odds are Ridgway will be muddy and difficult,” said Wehrle. “Either way I think the team will be ready to race and possibly come home with another district title. This was a nice way to finish the regular season, and I would like to thank the country club for allowing us to use their course for this event.”
Complete Results:
Bush/Giannelli(MP)16:36; Bartlebaugh/Heitzenrater(P)16:51; Deemer/Jaramillo(D)16:59; Piccirillo/Ritsick(DCC)17:09; McLaughlin/May(P)17:09; Surkala/Ingros(P)17:16; Gildersleeve/Stevens(D)17:38; Wieslogel/Zimmerman(MP)17:52; Bankovic/Tettis(SM)18:07; States/Rodgers(P)18:08; Fatula/Fenstermacher(D)18:24; Kunco/Habursky(MP)18:24; White/Gulvas(D)18:26; Foster/Swisher(DCC)19:09; Henry/Frey(SM)19:33; Barnoff/Elliott(P)20:16; Armanini/Pailsey(DCC)20:37; Luchs/Jakob Schauer(SM)20:41; Justik/Snavely(MP)21:19; Ryan Schauer/Schidlmeier(SM/P)21:24
District 9 XC champs preview article
The Punxsy boys cross country team will travel to Ridgway on Saturday to compete for the District 9 team championship against four other schools in the AA classification, namely Bradford, Clearfield, DuBois and Saint Marys. The Chucks did not have a favorable result on this same course three weeks ago at the Ridgway Invitational, getting bested handily by Bradford while narrowly defeating Clearfield and DuBois. “We were without our number one runner, Owen Bartlebaugh, for that meet, but we still ran rather poorly as a team in the muddy conditions,” said coach George Wehrle. “The course will probably be in similar shape on Saturday, but I expect us to be more competitive regardless of the weather and the footing.”
The winning team from District 9 will earn one of the 19 AA qualifying spots at the PIAA State Championship meet on November 3rdin Hershey. The first five runners who are not members of the winning team will also claim one of the 95 individual berths to the state meet as well. “We’re hoping to win the program’s 25thdistrict title, but if that doesn’t happen I expect Owen, Corbin Heitzenrater and Aiden McLaughlin to all have legitimate shots at making it on their own,” said Wehrle. “Assuming Bradford wins if we don’t, Clearfield’s Jeremiah Vezza and Isaac Swanson and DuBois’ McKellen Jaramillo and AC Deemer seem to be the most likely competitors to vie for those five individual berths. That’s seven runners right there, plus maybe one or two dark horses, so some pretty fair runners are going to get left out.”
The seven varsity athletes for Punxsy will be Bartlebaugh, Heitzenrater, McLaughlin, Ethan May, Eric Surkala, Samuel Rodgers and Kevin Ingros. The varsity extra race roster will consist of Evan States, Tyler Elliott, Andrew Barnoff and Jaden Schidlmeier. “Unlike many districts, ours does a nice job of allowing everyone to run, although only seven are able to start the championship race,” said Wehrle. “It was a close call as to who got our seventh spot, but all 11 of our guys will get to show what they can do on Saturday, which is great for the athletes who’ve worked hard all season.”
If they hope to take down Bradford, Punxsy will benefit greatly if they get their top three finishers, typically Bartlebaugh, Heitzenrater and McLaughlin, in ahead of the Owls number two runner. From there, May, Surkala, Rodgers and Ingros will strive to break up a strong Bradford pack that had six runners in before Punxsy’s fourth man at the Ridgway Invitational. “Bradford has a pretty strong number one man in Tyler Kraft, but after him their strength is a close grouping among their next six finishers,” said Wehrle. “Their pack buried us at the invitational, so to have any chance our fourth and fifth finishers have to get in roughly even with theirs. Two years ago we were slight underdogs heading into districts and swept the top three places on the way to the title, so anything can happen if the runners are confident and focused on the task at hand.”
The boys race is scheduled to get underway at 1:15, with the varsity extra race to follow. The race course is located at Grandinetti Elementary School in Ridgway.
Punxsy Harriers come up big at District 9 Championship; earn trip to states!
On one of the nastiest days for a district meet in recent memory, the Punxsy boys cross country team made a statement early and held on for a convincing 29-62 victory over Bradford to claim the 25thdistrict title in the program’s storied 50 year history. Clearfield placed third with 68 points, while DuBois had 75 and Saint Marys totaled 130. With the win, the Chucks will send a squad of eight athletes to the PIAA State Championships, held on November 3rdin Hershey.
“The weather was brutal, with cold rain pelting the athletes throughout the day, and the course was a combination of standing water and mud, especially for the later races,” said boys coach George Wehrle. “All the athletes deserve credit for making the best of difficult conditions, which unfortunately is nothing new this season. The weather has not been especially kind all fall, but this took it to a whole new level for sure.”
Bradford entered the meet as the slight favorite, but it didn’t take long for Punxsy to put the pressure on the Owls as Owen Bartlebaugh jumped out to the early lead, with teammates Corbin Heitzenrater and Aiden McLaughlin not far behind. “I wasn’t expecting to see Owen leading right from the gun, but when he feels good he tends to go for it,” said Wehrle. “He’s had some setbacks this season, but seeing Owen out in front of the pack was certainly an early sign that things were going to be different today than they were three weeks ago when we were soundly defeated by Bradford on this very same course under similarly muddy conditions.”
Although Bartlebaugh gradually came back to the pack and eventually finished seventh, Heitzenrater, McLaughlin and senior Ethan May were able to pick up the slack and then some as they placed second, fourth and fifth overall. “Corbin is a master tactician who never has a bad race, and Aiden has been side by side with Corbin all season,” said Wehrle. “Both guys were in the lead at one point, and either one of them could have won it today. “Aiden was throwing up with less than a half mile to go, so that obviously slowed him down some. DuBois’ McKellen Jaramillo ran a great race, hanging back a bit off the lead before catching and pulling away to win by 10 seconds over Corbin.”
Isaac Swanson of Clearfield was able to reel in McLaughlin to take third place, while Ethan May, who was only 20thamong the AA field at the invitational here in early October, rounded out the top five with an inspired performance. “For Ethan to get fifth overall was a huge boost to our team’s chances, and while I expected him to run well I don’t think anyone saw his result coming,” said Wehrle.
Bradford’s Ryan Cottillion finished just eight seconds ahead of Bartlebaugh to claim sixth place, with Clearfield’s Jeremiah Vezza and Cottillion’s teammate Tyler Kraft finishing eighth and ninth, respectively. Freshman AC Deemer from DuBois just missed out on the final individual berth to states by placing 10thoverall, before the Punxsy duo of Kevin Ingros and Eric Surkala clinched the title by placing 11thand 12thoverall. “Kevin was 30thamong the AA runners at the Ridgway Invitational, while Eric was only 23rd,” said Wehrle. “They both exceeded expectations today by finishing ahead of Bradford’s third and fourth finishers. This was a great way for Kevin to wrap up his senior year of cross country, and Eric was right with him at the end as the second freshman to cross the line, just 11 seconds behind Deemer.”
Sam Rodgers placed 21stoverall to complete the varsity roster for Punxsy. “Sam had another solid race and was just off where he placed as our third runner at the invitational,” said Wehrle. “He has been one of our most consistent athletes all season long, and I think Sam will close the gap to his teammates next week at states.”
Senior Evan States won the Varsity Extra race over a field of 24 runners, winning by 15 seconds over Bradford’s Devin Benson. “Evan was the class of the field in this race, and his time probably would have been significantly faster if he didn’t have to run virtually the whole way out in front by himself,” said Wehrle. “Finishing first is always nice, and he’ll make the trip to Hershey next week as well.”
Freshman Andrew Barnoff placed fifth overall, with classmates Jaden Schidlmeier and Tyler Elliott in ninth and 17th, respectively. “Andrew Barnoff looked great out there and has the potential to develop into a pretty good distance runner if he keeps working,” said Wehrle. “Jaden ran his second-fastest finish of the year, which is especially impressive considering how bad the course was by the time he ran. Tyler is normally up around where Andrew finished, but he has a great attitude and work ethic and is very coachable, so he’ll do nothing but improve if he keeps those traits, and I’m confident he will.”
Punxsy now has a week to prepare to square off against 19 of the best AA teams in the state on Saturday at the Parkview Cross Country Course. “Hopefully the guys can enjoy this win for a couple days before turning their attention to the state meet,” concluded Wehrle. “We’ll be ranked near the bottom of the field based on the district times, but I think if they run a similar effort to today they could knock off a handful of teams. I’m thrilled for the guys that they made it, but there’s still work to be done if we hope to properly represent District 9.”
2018 State Cross Country meet preview
The 2018 District 9 boys Cross Country Team Champion Punxsy Chucks will compete in Saturday’s PIAA state meet with hopes of improving their pre-meet ranking and ending the season on a high note. A total of 19 teams earned a starting position in the AA classification, along with 95 other individual qualifiers from last week’s district meets, bringing the total number of athletes in the race to 228. Cross Country has used a three classification system since 2012, with 2018 being the fifth time Punxsy has qualified a boys team since the third division was added. No Punxsy boys squad has finished higher than 17thon the previous four attempts, an indication of the caliber of competition they will face.
“Using every athlete’s best performance from throughout the season, our team is currently ranked 17thout of the 19 that have qualified,” said head coach George Wehrle. “I would consider it a successful meet if we could move up a spot or two in the standings and have the best finish ever by a Punxsy boys team at states since it went to three classes. It will take an exceptional effort from the guys to make that happen, so hopefully they’re up for the challenge.”
Competing for Punxsy on Saturday will be Owen Bartlebaugh, Corbin Heitzenrater, Kevin Ingros, Ethan May, Aiden McLaughlin, Samuel Rodgers and Eric Surkala. Evan States will also make the trip as an alternate. “Owen, Corbin and Ethan have competed in this meet before, so they can help mentor the other guys a bit,” said Wehrle. “The biggest difference at the state meet is that almost every athlete is good, so you have to be ready right from the start or you’ll end up swallowed by the pack with not a lot of hope of moving up.”
Individually, Bartlebaugh has had the most success at the state meet, placing 48tha year ago, while Heitzenrater took 121st as a sophomore in 2017 after having placed 182ndas a freshman. May competed as a sophomore in 2016, finishing in 203rdplace overall. “Obviously, you would hope that the guys who’ve run in this meet before will improve their results, but it’s not always that easy for various reasons,” said Wehrle. “Owen continues to work his way back into top form and has run well here before, so I feel he’ll have one of his better races this season. I will be surprised if Corbin and Ethan don’t have their best state meet finish ever on Saturday. As for Aiden, Eric, Kevin and Sam, it’s their first time racing in the state meet, so improving their time on this course from earlier in the season is something they can hope to achieve. Otherwise, enjoy the experience, do your best, and be happy with the result.”
One advantage the Punxsy contingent has will be the fact that in late September they traveled to the PIAA Foundation Invitational, which is held on the exact same course as the Saturday’s championships. “About six weeks ago we competed on this layout and I thought the guys ran pretty well, so I’m expecting that they will be able to run quite a bit faster because they’re more rested and in better shape than they were then,” said Wehrle. “If the weather cooperates and the ground isn’t too wet, the times should be some of our best of the season, despite this being a pretty hilly course.”
Punxsy’s top five finishers averaged 18:42 at the Foundation Invitational six weeks ago, so another team goal will be to lower that average as much as possible, assuming the footing is reasonable. Pointwise, the best finish at states by a Punxsy team since the classification change in 2012 was a total of 372 that same year. “A great race for us would be a team average around 18:20, which could get us pretty close to the top 15 with a point total somewhere around 350,” said Wehrle. “It’s hard to predict places based on times because of the new layout, and a lot depends on the weather and the course conditions, but the guys ran their best race of the season just a week ago and there’s no reason they can’t do it one more time.”
District 9 individual qualifiers who will also be competing in the AA race include Dubois’ McKellen Jaramillo, who won the district title, Clearfield’s Isaac Swanson and Jeremiah Vezza, and Bradford’s Ryan Cottillion and Tyler Kraft. “I hope all the district runners get to display their fitness this weekend, because I think there were a lot of good performances at Ridgway, but you’d never know it by the times in the cold, rain and mud,” said Wehrle. “Cross Country is more about place than time, but it still feels good when you can post one of your fastest times in the biggest meet of the year.”
The AA boys race is scheduled for a 12:15 pm start.
Boys Cross Country Team Finishes 13thin PIAA State Championships
Running under mostly favorable conditions for the first time in recent memory, the Punxsy boys cross country team placed 13thout of 19 squads in the AA classification at the PIAA State Meet in Hershey on Saturday. The Chucks scored 309 points, which tied with Abington Heights, but Punxsy received the higher place because their sixth runner finished ahead of Abington’s.
“Overall, the team did an outstanding job, moving up several places from where they were ranked coming into the meet,” said boys head coach George Wehrle. “The defeated some quality teams, including the champions from district 1, 11 and 12, and they almost beat the district 6 and 4 winners as well.”
It was a good day for Western Pennsylvania in the team competition, as Greensburg Salem won the title with 63 points, with Indiana second at 100 points and Grove City taking the bronze with a score of 119. “It’s nice to see some public schools roughly our size from our part of the state do so well,” said Wehrle. “It shows that success can happen anywhere with the right amount of talent and dedication.”
Punxsy started off conservatively on the hilly 3.1 mile Parkview layout, which was muddy in places but provided a reasonably fair test for the runners. “I would guess that times were slowed by 20-30 seconds because of the course conditions, as we were in the fifth race of the day and it got chewed up from the roughly 1000 runners competing before us,” said Wehrle. “The individual times and team averages don’t seem all that impressive, but I chalk that up to the kind of fall we’ve had with all the rain. Fast times seemed hard to come by in the last month of the season due to the sloppy conditions teams have had to compete in.”
Junior Corbin Heitzenrater placed 85thoverall out of 228 runners, finishing with a time of 18:15. “Corbin was 121stlast year, so he moved up rather well,” said Wehrle. “He was in 148thplace at the mile and 114that the two mile, moving up steadily throughout the race in his third consecutive state meet. Corbin was also the first finisher from district nine, finishing well ahead of McKellen Jaramillo from DuBois, who won the district title last week.”
Owen Bartlebaugh ran 18:33 to finish 115thas the second finisher from district 9 after having placed seventh last week in Ridgway. Bartlebaugh moved up 29 places from the one mile mark to the finish. “I thought Owen did a very nice job today, knocking off five of the guys who beat him last week and moving up considerably in the latter stages of this tough course,” said Wehrle. “He’s had a challenging season, but he handled himself with class and helped lead the team to a district title and our best state meet finish in years despite knowing he wasn’t yet able to run at the level to which he’s accustomed. I look for him to recover his form and be back up where he belongs in no time.”
Aiden McLaughlin shrugged off a touch of illness over the past couple days to place 126thoverall with a time of 18:42 in his first-ever state meet. “There were only 32 freshmen and sophomores combined ahead of Aiden, so that’s an encouraging statistic for his next two seasons if he can keep improving,” said Wehrle. “Aiden did a great job all fall and was about as close to winning the district title as a sophomore as you can get.”
Freshman Eric Surkala easily had his best race of the season, placing 146thoverall with a time of 18:52, his fastest of the year. Surkala was the ninth freshman to finish. “Eric is one of the most talented runners on our team, and today he really put together an outstanding race,” said Wehrle. “He went from 194that the mile to 166that the two mile before kicking past 19 more runners in the final mile. His potential is right up there with some of the best guys we’ve had in the past few years for sure.”
Senior Ethan May capped off his cross country career with a solid race, placing 169thin 19:08. May was 205that the mile before rallying over the last two-thirds of the course. “Ethan might have been a bit too far back in the first few minutes of the race, but he hung with it and turned in a good performance for his last race,” said Wehrle. “He was a big part of our success this season, especially with his race at districts.”
Kevin Ingros finished off his senior year with his best result of the season, running 19:32 to place 190th. “This was Kevin’s second-fastest time of the year on a much tougher course than his previous best, and he chopped 39 seconds from his time on this same layout at the invitational we attended in late September,” said Wehrle. “Kevin got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but he ended with a flourish for sure.”
Junior Samuel Rogers ran 20:10 to place 211thoverall in his first trip to the state meet. “Sam worked hard to become a dependable varsity runner for us this season, and he was rewarded with an opportunity to run in this great meet,” said Wehrle. “I’m sure he wanted to be up there a bit farther in the standings and to break 20 minutes, but like all our guys he managed to pick off runners throughout the race and didn’t let up until the finish.”
After a season that saw the team win the 25thdistrict title in program history and conclude with the best state meet finish by a Punxsy boys team since the three classification system began in 2012, thanks are in order for those who helped make everything go smoothly in Hershey. “I would like to thank the Booster Club, the athletic department, all the parents, and anyone else who contributed to the team not only for this trip but for the entire season,” said Wehrle. “This was a great way to finish up, and without this type of support it wouldn’t have been possible.”