Pennridge races to dual-meet win over Souderton
FRANCONIA >> Freshman Ashley Gordon set a winning pace in both the 1,600- and 800-meter-run, Pennridge’s triple jumpers persevered into the early evening, and the Rams battled their way to a snow-flurried 80.5-69.5 victory over rival Souderton in a Suburban One League Continental Conference meet Tuesday afternoon.
“They showed a lot of guts and determination in what may be the worst meet we’ve had this spring weather-wise,” said Rams coach Bill Smith. “We sprinted much better today and we had some kids that really stepped up.”
Pennridge won two of the three relays, took first in seven of the 11 track events overall, and went charging along when Gordon pulled away to victories in both the mile and half mile.
“I liked what Ashley did. She just competed,” Smith said. “She wasn’t worried about the time, just person-to-person, battling.”
Said Gordon: “I just had to finish it out. You just gotta stick to it mentally.”
Facing the Elements
A stiff, freezing wind met the runners at every turn.
“It was just a tough, tough day. And that’s what we talked about (Monday). We said it wasn’t gonna be pretty (Tuesday), but it was gonna come down to who was going to be the most determined and the toughest,” Smith said.
“And I thought we did a pretty good job there. And Souderton did too. It was battling to the end there in the triple jump so I give them credit.”
Sophomore Meghan Kriney anchored home the 4×1 for the Rams, who closed things out on the track with a victory in the 4×4.
Souderton’s Lael Flores ran into the teeth of the blustery cold, eight times around, to outlast everyone in the two mile for Big Red.
“My arms are so cold,” she said with a laugh moments after crossing. “Just had to push through.”
Moving Forward
Both Pennridge and Souderton, two primarily young squads, are coming along nicely.
“Coach Smith and I both have a really young team and the weather didn’t cooperate. And we told our teams the same thing before the meet, that the times and marks weren’t gonna be amazing, that it was about competing to the girl in the lane next to you,” Big Red coach Mike Feliciani said. “Pennridge came out on top. They had some girls in the spots where we needed some help. It really came down to two or three events.”
“Bella Taylor in the 400, I was really proud of her. She ran so tough. She ran a 1:02 (to get first) in horrible weather, which is awesome to see. She’s really coming along there. Our girls did a great job in the throwing events and that was huge for us.”
