CB West’s Villalba on a mission in the 800

CALN >> Three-peats are never easy, especially when you have a runner like Penn Wood’s Agnes Mansaray right on your hip pocket.

“It was very nerve-racking. It kinda felt like my legs were shot,” Central Bucks West’s Maddie Villalba said of her final, winning push down the stretch run of the 800-meter dash Saturday. “So I was just trying to finish as best I could. It was definitely scary, but that’s alright.

“Whenever you have that situation, both of those competitors are going to run fast. The good thing is, no matter who wins, you have two girls working really hard.”

Villalba battled to her third consecutive District One Class AAA title, her time of 2 minutes, 9.65 seconds pushing her past Mansaray by fourth tenths of a second.

Winning year after year after year has many pitfalls along the way: illness, injury, along with the steep level of competition.

Villalba overcame them all.

“I’m definitely gonna keep my head up, with my eyes forward,” said the Bucks’ standout, who is headed to the University of Pennsylvania next year. “(Getting sick) definitely messed me up at a bad time because it was just a week before leagues.

“I had a really good indoor season and I was really expecting to be faster than I am right now. I’m still happy with what I’ve done so far but I feel like I was really expecting to be somewhere else.”

Villalba heads to states next weekend, on a mission. She’s vying for a third straight 800 gold and intent on running her fastest time of the spring.

“I’m nervous but I’m also really excited, just to have another shot at running fast and hopefully PR’ing,” the senior said. “Even if I don’t PR, I think whatever I do there will have to be fast because you have a lot of fast girls there working really hard.

“We definitely come from one of the most competitive leagues and one of the most competitive districts in the state. Racing with (North Penn’s Mikaela Vlasic) at leagues and then districts, it’s cool to be in these big meets with people you know.”

Villalba said she anticipates 2:06 or 2:07 being the time required to win states in the 800 once again. She finished off district weekend by helping the CB West 4×4 earn a seventh-place medal and qualify for states.