Mercury All-Area: Boyertown junior McComb seizes PAC’s top spot and doesn’t let go
To look at Christian McComb, one might not perceive he has a determined nature that borders on unyielding.
But he does … at least where running cross country is concerned.
McComb combines that mindset with a boatload of talent to be one of the area’s top competitors this past fall. It earned the Boyertown junior a number of medals and selection as The Mercury’s 2018 All-Area Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year.
“When I’m in front, I want to hear them breathe hard,” McComb said in describing his mental approach. “I enjoy going straight to the front. I want not just to beat them, but break them.”
Mercury All-Area Boys Cross Country Teams
He had plenty of instances this fall of being able to do that. Christian supplanted graduated Owen J. Roberts standout Liam Conway, a two-time champion, as the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s leading runner. He then made a third-place run in the District 1 Class AAA race at Lehigh University one week later.
McComb started the season by winning the Sept. 1 Northampton Invitational. In other meets outside the PAC and post-season, he finished fifth at the Sept. 8 Penn Track XC 10 at Kutztown, and the Sept. 23 PIAA Foundation Invitational at the Hershey Parkview 5K course — the one used by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) for its championship meet. He also placed sixth in the Brown race of the Paul Short, run Sept. 29 at Lehigh.
“Winning the first invitational was a confidence-booster,” he said.
One of only three underclassmen to score a Top 10 finish in the 2017 PACs, McComb’s ninth-place (16:38) outing was five seconds behind Spring-Ford freshman John Zawislak and almost 20 off the third-place run of Methacton sophomore Matt Varghese.
But in a group of contenders that included Owen J. Roberts senior Linus Blatz and Perkiomen Valley junior Tyler Clifford, McComb was fastest in the class this season. He covered the Heebner Park layout in 16:13, outrunning Blatz (16:26), Clifford (16:29), Zawislak (16:41) and Varghese (16:44).
“I knew Linus and John Zawislak were great runners,” he said. “Each has his way of running … I like to start fast and build a nice gap.
“I learned through technique for the PAC. I knew they’d hang and have good finishes. I wanted to prove myself, to not let it come down to the finish.”
At districts, McComb was part of a tight trio of leading finishers. He clocked a 15;36 matched by Downingtown West senior Payton Seawall, and 1-1/2 seconds behind race-winning junior Cole Walker of Unionville.
“I didn’t go out as fast. I played into my spot,” McComb said. “With 500 meters to go, the Unionville kid was pulling away a bit, but I didn’t pull him in.
“By this point, I knew I was one of the better runners in the district. I had the confidence to go after it.”
The confidence took a hit at states.
On a Hershey Parkview 5K course further softened by rain showers the night before, McComb slipped and fell on a muddy spot of course coming down a hill. He had been running in the top 20 at that point, but the spill consigned him to a 172nd-place run and time of 18:15.
“I couldn’t breathe. I was in a panic,” Christian recalled, remembering how thick the pack was when it went by. “I’m definitely looking for redemption next year.”
McComb laid the foundation for his success as a runner during his time at Boyertown Middle School-West Center.
As a seventh-grader, he was the fastest on his team in the 800. In Grade 8, McComb proved to be fastest in the mile as well as the 800.
“I was the only one to do both,” he recalled. “I had natural ability, and just kept running.”
While playing on the middle-school football team, McComb suffered a broken wrist. That served to move him more in the direction of distance running.
“I enjoyed track, so I tried cross country and liked it so much,” he said. “It gave me a family.”
McComb described the transition to running in high school as “brutal.”
“The first year, I was getting used to the regimen,” he said. “The first summer. I went through the whole training plan.
“As a sophomore, I ran on pure talent. I stayed consistent and kept my body fit. I didn’t dedicate myself until the summer.”
Now, McComb is in position to match Boyertown alumni Jason Weller (2005, 2006) and Brett Kelly (2010, 2011) in being a two-time PAC champion.
“I have goals as an individual and for the team,” he said. “Next year, we’ll see what we can do.”
Ed Baghdasarian looks at McComb as being in position to achieve any goal he sets.
“Christian has the ability and the talent,” Boyertown’s second-year head coach said. “His mindset is in the right place. He knows how to lead from the front, and how to get to the front. He’s focusing more on strategy … that running smart is better than running hard.”
One goal for the 2019 season is firmly in McComb’s plans.
“I want to break the 15-minute mark,” he said. “That’s a great goal.”
