Who did you enjoy watching the most? Maybe someone with a big kick or maybe a runner who was particularly gutsy and aggressive by setting a fast pace?
And
the nominees are …
Keion Broadus, Abington
The
Abington mid distance specialist spent most of his time running relay legs in
two of the most exciting events in track and field: the 4x4 and the 4x8. Broadus
ran anchor for both the indoor and outdoor 4x800 squads for the Ghosts and, at
both state championships, he finished in a dead heat with Jake Claricurzio of
CB West for the silver. Broadus flipped the script outdoors, running down the
silver with an anchor split of about 1:51.5 and helped equal their best finish
at an outdoor state championship in school history.
Jake Brophy, CB East
The
king of the kick, Jake Brophy unleashed his trademark finish at the PTFCA
Indoor State Championship 3k this year when he ran down Dominic Hockenbury on
the final lap. This came on the heels of Brophy’s epic sprint battle with DT
West’s Jaxson Hoey for the state title in Cross Country. The CB East senior’s
heroics made him one of the most popular runners in the state in 2015-2016.
Tucker Desko, Pennridge
Pennridge’s
star runner had a phenomenal indoor season that included a 1:53 800m time and a
sub 4:20 mile. He continued to roll during the outdoor season and provided some
monster anchor legs for a strong Pennridge 4x8 squad. He was always dangerous
in a sprint finish but also was not afraid to push the pace and go for a fast
time. Most importantly, Desko was a winner, racking up a variety of wins at
track meets throughout the season against top notch competition.
Rock Fortna CB West
CB
West’s Rock Fortna has been the consistent leader for his team the past two
seasons. He was their #1 runner during the cross country season and a valuable
relay runner on the successful CB West 4x8 teams. He ran a clutch 2nd
leg for West on both the indoor and outdoor state medal squads and also gutted
out a difficult double at indoor states in the DMR, earning yet another medal
for the trophy case.
Liam Galligan, Springfield Delco
Springfield
DELCO’s stand out junior fearlessly pushed the pace in the 2016 AAA 1600m race
at outdoor states and was rewarded with a strong 4:15 PR. He also dropped a
fantastic kick during the indoor states mile to climb way up the medal
standings in that field. His diverse skill set helped Galligan amass three
individual medals across his three seasons in 2015-2016, setting him for a
potentially memorable Senior season.
Dan Kuhn, Harbor Creek
The
AA 800m stand out during track split a couple of 1:52 relay times for Harbor
Creek during the spring at both districts and states. He always kept his team
in the mix, giving them some memorable run ins with future state champs Seneca
and battling their anchor, Donovan Myers, in some thrilling open races. Kuhn
set the tone for the open 800 at outdoor states when he charged to the front
fearlessly against Domenic Perretta.
Alex Milligan, State College
Milligan
became the darling of the track community after he surprised just about
everybody (besides Sean Collins) by upsetting
Josh Hoey and Mike Kolor in the state 1600 final. Milligan put on a powerful
finishing kick on the double from a dominant 4x8 anchor leg to earn a second
straight gold and perhaps set the stage for the SC team title that was to come.
But Milligan worked his magic throughout the season, with memorable kicks and
clutch anchor legs for a phenomenal Little Lions squad including National level
performances at Indoors Nats, Millrose Games and the Penn Relays.
Mike Kolor, Seneca Valley
Mike
Kolor had top tier speed, running 1:51 for 800, but he also was more than
willing to push the pace rather than solely relying on his kick. He finished 2nd
in the state 1600m, battling all the way to the line against Josh Hoey of DT
West and finished 3rd in the loaded indoor 800m state title match
up. He also ran some monster anchor legs on the SV’s indoor DMR and 4x8 relays.
Domenic Perretta, Beaver Falls
The
Beaver Falls Senior expected the most out of himself in every race he ran,
which meant he was going for a record almost every time he stepped on the
track. Perretta picked up 3 more state titles this year and dropped to 1:50 for
800m on three different occasions, including the AA Outdoor State Championships
(breaking the meet record) and New Balance Indoor Nationals (where he finished
2nd to future sub 4 miler Michael Slagowski).
Matt Wisner, Carlisle
Matt
Wisner has one of the best kicks in the state. Reminiscent of Robby Andrews,
Wisner would hang back off the pace early and then really turn things on for a
finishing kick. He put down a terrific last lap at indoor states for the silver
and used his closing speed to grab second outdoors as well. Then, at the PA
Distance Festival, Wisner dropped one of the fastest final 300 meters in recent
history, passing almost the entire field in the home stretch and crossing the
line in a 4:14 full mile (tops from PA in the race).
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