Lederer’s Centrals gold helps Penncrest keep streak alive
UPPER PROVIDENCE >> Avery Lederer has put in a pair of tough weekends and come away with plenty of success at Rose Tree Park.
The Penncrest senior won the Delaware County Cross Country Championships individual title on Rose Tree’s 5K course last weekend, then returned and ran to victory in the Central League Championships Saturday afternoon.
Lederer helped the Lions, who had an 11-0 record during the regular season, complete their championship run by outscoring Haverford, 56-78, in the team competition Saturday. Lower Merion placed third with 85 points.
“Our season is half over now,” Penncrest coach George Munro said, thinking of the District 1 Championships at Lehigh University Oct. 27 and the PIAA Championships in Hershey Nov. 4.
“We have time to look ahead to districts, and then — hopefully — to states. Avery has been unbelievable all season, and (sophomore) Patrick Theveny ran great today. We had a sophomore (Jalen Chin) we moved up to varsity today and he was our No. 5 runner.”
Lederer (16:13) beat Ridley’s Zack Forney (16:25) and sophomore Mike Donnelly of Haverford (16:31) in the battle for the individual title. Theveny was fourth, less than one second behind Donnelly.
Justin Senackerib (sixth), Andrew Woolery (22nd), and Chin (23rd) were Penncrest’s other top finishers.
Senior Peter Armour, who placed 10th, was the No. 1 runner for Strath Haven, which took fourth place in the team standings. Justin Malley was 19th and Cole Wirth took 20th place for the Panthers.
“I never relaxed,” Lederer said of his race strategy. “After the two-mile hill, I kept up a hard effort to the finish. We have time to prepare (for districts), and we want to make sure we’re rested but still tuned up.”
Theveny, who was fourth at Delcos in 16:57, knocked 25 seconds off that time Saturday.
“Our goal has been to keep winning each week,” Theveny said. “Now we can get ready to make sure we go to states as a team.”
Penncrest’s Senackerib, who was a state meet qualifier with Lederer last fall, was happy with his team’s success despite his physical struggles in getting through the course.
“Winning the Central League and getting to states has been the goal pushing us all season,” said Senackerib, who prefers the cooler temperatures of Vermont, where he hopes to attend college.
Ridley’s Forney was second to Lederer by 20 seconds at Delcos.
“The weather was a lot better and I felt better today,” Forney said. “I like this time of year for running. I wanted to stay with the (lead) pack then make my push for the finish.
“It’s good to have a week off before we go to Lehigh. That’s a good course. I believe I can see myself running at states.”
Haverford’s Donnelly struggled to a 10th-place finish at Delcos in 17:28. He was timed in 16:31 for his third-place finish Saturday.
“I felt a lot better running out there today,” Donnelly said. “I did a lot more running this summer and was ready when the season began. Now I want to have a good race when we go up to Lehigh.”
