Heard Around the Track

November 2, 2001
 

By Ira Josephs
INQUIRER SUBURBAN STAFF

A united Council Rock seeks one more state championship

Subplots surround Council Rock heading into tomorrow's PIAA Class AAA boys' cross-country championship meet in Hershey.

Can the Indians win their 10th state title before the high school splits next school year?

Can the Indians somehow make up 51 points against District 3 champion Cedar Cliff?

Wouldn't it be fun to imagine what Rock's junior varsity - that's right, junior varsity - could do against state competition?

At the Steel City Invitational at Coatesville on Oct. 6, Cedar Cliff coasted to the title with 68 points. Rock (119) was third. One month later, however, the Indians are a different team.

"We are a much better team than a month ago," Rock coach Dave Marrington said. "I think it should be a good race."

Rock will rely on Mike DiDio, Rob Hampson, John Palumbo, Pete Hewins, Buddy Davis, Chris Hoerger and Alex Heitman. The top five placed among the first 29 in the 329-man district field, and the top seven were in the first 81.

The Indians took the top five spots in the unseeded race at the district meet with Joe Haughey, John Mahoney, Jon Gaul, Mike Terzyk and Brian Donohue. Mike Muldowney, last year's varsity No. 3 man who suffered from a muscle strain in his right quadriceps this year, Dan Parzych and John Onsa finished eighth through 10th.

"What a phenomenal group the JV has been," Marrington said.

It will be up to the varsity to win another state title. Coach Bill Preston's teams won eight of nine crowns from 1987 to 1995. Marrington, Preston's assistant for all but the first title, guided Rock to another title in 1999.

This is the final year for Council Rock High in its current form; it splits next year into Council Rock North and Council Rock South.

"This could be the last year we run together," Marrington said. "We want to go out with a strong positive memory. There will be two very good teams next year, but neither would be as good if we stayed whole."

Along with Cedar Cliff and Council Rock, District 3 runner-up Cumberland Valley and District 7 winner North Allegheny will be among the leaders.

District 1 has a particularly strong group of teams with runner-up West Chester Henderson, defending state champion Coatesville, and traditional powers Great Valley and Hatboro-Horsham also advancing.

"Henderson is really coming on," Marrington said. "They made a big jump. They're definitely a team to watch. Coatesville is the defending champs and Great Valley and Hatboro-Horsham are always good."

In the race for the individual title, District 1 champion and Steel City champion Rob Robertson, a senior at Coatesville, must face defending state champion Shawn Cavanaugh of Mount Lebanon. At the District 7 meet, Cavanaugh placed third behind Baldwin's Dan Mazzacco and Shaler's Sam Bair.

"[Mazzacco] is probably the favorite," Robertson said. "Winning the title is the main goal. It's one of the toughest courses we'll see. It's definitely on the Steel City level. They don't have a hill the size of Steel City, but there's a few more hills."

Robertson placed seventh last year in helping the Red Raiders win the state title. He returns this year with an almost entirely different crew.

Great Valley, which placed third at the state meet in 1998, returns after missing the cutoff by one spot in 1999 and last year.

"Probably the favorite is Cedar Cliff, but anything can happen," Patriots coach Paul Gring said.

In Class AA, Andy Weilacher of Eisenhower in District 10 is the favorite to win his second straight state title. District 2 champion Scranton Prep, District 3 champion Eastern York, and District 3 runner-up Wyomissing should challenge for the team title.

Devon Prep enters as the District 1 champion, but coach Paul Sanborn is trying to be realistic about his team's chances.

"If you run what you can and a little better, you can't ask for more," he said. "I told them to try and run their best time by 10 seconds."

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Ira Josephs' e-mail address is ijosephs@phillynews.com.

 

Ira Josephs' e-mail address is ijosephs@phillynews.com.