Balanced Downingtown West wins district XC title; Shanahan’s Hoey, Coatesville’s Hutton win silver

BETHLEHEM >> Downingtown West did not place a runner among the top 10 finishers at the District 1 Class 3A Boys Cross Country Championships at Lehigh University’s Goodman Campus Friday afternoon.

That didn’t concern coach Scott Burns.

“We only had a 40-second split before our No. 1 and No. 5 runners,” Burns said. “We talked about having the fastest No. 5 runner in the district, and we knew what that would mean.”

With their solid pack of five runners leading the way, the Whippets earned their second district team title in three seasons, compiling 135 points to runner-up Council Rock North’s 169 and the 193 posted by Owen J. Roberts, which placed third.

Junior Payton Sewell was the first West finisher, crossing the line in 15 minutes and 54 seconds for 11th place. Behind him came senior Tyler Rollins (12th), Evan Kaiser (20th), Isaac Valderrabano (32nd) and Joseph Chamoun (60th). Ben Datte and Kevin Wagner were the other team members.

Rusty Kujdych of Neshaminy was the individual winner in 15:11, one second faster than Bishop Shanahan senior Josh Hoey. Among the other local runners who qualified for the PIAA Championships Nov. 4 in Hershey were Calvin Cash of West Chester Henderson, Noah Dusseau of Avon Grove, Cole Walker and Cole Driver of Unionville, and Conestoga’s Jake Robinson.

“Consistency, that’s been the thing since they started getting ready for this season in the summer,” Burns said of his runners. “The mileage and all those things are important, but what’s most important is consistency.”

Rollins is the one West runner who has been to the state meet.

“We have a new lineup since we went in 2015,” Burns said.

Sewell talked about maintaining a good pace throughout the race.

“You know you might not have all that much left in the third mile,” he said. “But you want to make use of all the energy you have left.”

Rollins used a similar strategy.

“You try to save something for the end, and then you just keep on going,” he said.

Hoey’s second-place finish helped Shanahan qualify for states as a team by placing fifth. He will be joined in Hershey by Jonah Hoey (10th place), Jonathan McGrory, Ryan Doherty, Jack Ettien, Joseph Gaffney, and Sean Murphy.

“I’m happy to have qualified for states,” Josh Hoey said. “What makes it better is that we qualified as a team. I went to states as a sophomore and finished third, but I was sick and didn’t go last year.”

Like most of the runners, Hoey was delighted with the conditions at Lehigh.

“We had perfect weather,” he said. “I was a little off the lead for the first mile and a half, then I picked up the pace and took the lead. (Kujdych) got it back about a half-mile later, and I tried to come back at him but he just got there before me.”

In the Class 3A girls competition, Brooke Hutton of Coatesville placed second behind Ariana Gardizy of North Penn. Sophomore Allyson Clarke of West Chester East took fifth place, and Conestoga’s Dominque Shultz finished eighth. Clarke’s teammate, Hanna Kelly, qualified for the state meet with a 20th-place finish.

Other local runners headed to Hershey include Sofia Piccone of West Chester Rustin (30th place), Shannon Cody of Bishop Shanahan (31st), Reagan Flannery of Downingtown West (32nd) and Great Valley’s Amy Willig (38th).

Unionville, with a fourth-place finish, and West Chester Henderson, which was fifth, qualified for the PIAA Championships as teams. Representing Unionville will be Madison McGovern, who placed 19th, Marcella Krautzel, Hallie Weaver, Meghan Smith, Josie Cicchino, Katelyn McGovern, and Gemma Krautzel.

West Chester Henderson’s runners included Courtney Alexander (21st), Emma Teneza, Lucy Merrill, Katie Bixler, Alicia Stratman, Megan Baker, and Allie Lister.

“I had a PR (18:48),” West Chester East’s Clarke said. “We went out fast, and that made the second mile tougher. That’s when you hope you have some kind of kick and your legs can carry you.”

Henderson coach Bill Lott was delighted that his team improved from a 17th-place finish in 2016 to fifth Friday.

“They really wanted to do this,” Lott said. “We said we could be ninth, but there wasn’t much more of a difference to get to fifth, and they got it.

“We talk a lot about interchangeable parts, and that’s the way this team has been.”

Alexander overcame problems at the start of her race to help lead her team to another week of practice and another race next weekend.

“I think I went out too fast,” she said. “But when people started dropping back, I moved up. It’s great to be able to say that we’ll have the chance to go to states.”

In the Class 2A girls race, Villa Maria (42) fell one point short of Villa Joseph Marie (41) in its effort to be the team that qualified for the state meet.

Sarah Raubenheimer who placed fourth, and Hope Brown, who was fifth, will go the Hershey to compete as individuals. Both will be at the state championships for the first time.

Katie Regan (9th), Julia Ayres (11th), and Kira Buchler (13th) were the Hurricanes’ other top runners Friday.

“I think a lot of the speed training we’ve been doing really helped us today,” Brown said.