Springfield’s Galligan makes good on prediction

SHIPPENSBURG >> Springfield’s Liam Galligan made a bold prediction as he left Coatesville Stadium after the District One Track and Field Championships.
“You’ll see me on the podium in Shippensburg,” Galligan said.
Galligan was true to his word.
The junior used a fast start to take home a fourth-place medal in the boys Class AAA 1,600-meter run at the PIAA Championships Saturday.
Galligan led for the first three laps before he was passed by eventual winner Alex Milligan of State College, runner-up Mike Kolor from Seneca Valley and Downingtown West’s Josh Hoey, the third-place finisher.
“That was my strategy,” Galligan said. “I wanted to make them chase me.”
Galligan even knew where his time had to be to have a chance at earning a state medal.
“I wanted to run between 2:05 and 2:08 (for each leg) and I was at 2:07 or 2:08. That’s right where I wanted to be. And I felt good on my last lap. I ran about 64 or 65 (seconds).”
While that was enough to earn Galligan a spot on the podium, it was not enough to put him in the top spot.
“They had a little bit more than me,” he said.
Galligan, who turned in the best time of his career (4:15.03) by more than a second, was fine with that.
“Miller and Kolor are both seniors,” Galligan said. “They’ve been through these races. Milligan ran (his leg in) the 4 x 800 in something like 1:54 so he has speed. I saw Kolor race indoors so I knew he was good and what can you say about (Downingtown West’s Josh) Hoey? He’s been working hard ever since he started so it’s amazing what he did as a sophomore.”
Galligan’s time in the 1,600 has dropped steadily over the year. He ran 4:16.24 at the Warrior Invitational and 4:17.93 to finish second, behind Hoey, at the District One Championships.
“It all started last June,” Galligan said. “I’ve put in a lot of work to get to this point.”
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■ Keon Rantin of Glen Mills came to Shippensburg with a chance to win three medals. He earned two. Hey, there’s a lot of people who will take two out of three.
Rantin was third in the 200-meter dash (21.78 seconds) and teamed with Marshawn Peters, Denarii Springs and Ryan Gillis for sixth in the 4 x 100 (42.61).
■ Glen Mills’ Tyrique Lyons just missed earning a medal. He was ninth in the high jump with a leap of 6-4. The Bulls (Jhaunnel Burnside, Gillis, Springs, Rantin) finished just out of medal contention in the 4 x 400 relay. They were ninth overall.
■ Because Friday’s session was cut short before the 4 x 400-meter trials in girls Class AAA, and boys Class AA and AAA, the heats were reseeded and the final event of the day was run as timed trials. Upper Darby’s boys (Amir Gordon, Gianni Lawrence, Temidayo Kamson, Jared Carter) finished in 3:19.90 to earn an eighth-place medal.