Best Coaching Performance
This award highlights the coaches who help each team and athlete hit their potential. Feel free to list a school or program even if you don’t know the coach who is operating behind the scenes.
And
the nominees are ….
CB East
When
you think of CB East, your mind certainly jumps to the team’s super star leader
Jake Brophy who won two state titles during the 2015-2016 year. However, CB
East’s depth was what really put their coaching staff on the map. With a mix of
young runners and established seniors, CB East put together a truly memorable
XC campaign that included a trip to the
state championships in Hershey as well as a top 10 finish in the state meet as
a team. On the track, East qualified for both the 4x8 and the DMR at indoor
states and also punched their ticket for Penn Relays in the 4x8. Outdoors,
their 4x8 qualified for the state final and finished 9th overall.
CR North
CR
North has proven to be one of the most consistent XC programs in the state.
After losing their only returning state medalist and some other key pieces, it
was unclear how competitive North would be in the loaded district one. But, as
per usual, CRN rounded a young squad into shape at the perfect time. Without a
true “star” (they had no one in the top 40 overall at states), CRN rode a tight
pack to a 5th place overall finish at states. But they weren’t
finished. On the track, they surprised by grabbing 8th place at the
indoor state meet. Then, during the spring, the team continued to show
incredible depth across the distance events with multiple sub 2 runners, sub
4:30 guys and sub 10 minute runners. Ultimately, that depth culminated in a
state medal in the 4x800 and a sub 7:50 mark.
DT West
It
was a wild year for DT West as the arrival of the Hoeys made them the big
favorites for the 2015 XC State Title. Despite a ton of pressure and expectation,
DT West delivered on the big stage. They won the Manhattan Invitational, States
and the Nike Northeast Regional meet. They cruised during the regular season
despite the fact that they rested at least one key member of their varsity
squad at every meet, including rest their three seniors in a winning effort at
Ches-monts. During indoor and outdoor track, the team continued to thrive. West
won the indoor state championship as a team and just missed another title
during the spring.
It
wasn’t just about talent for West, it was also about depth. Runners across a
variety of disciplines like Chase Seymanyk and Ben Ryherd pulled through in big
moments and, without arguably their three best milers, DT West’s DMR competed
extremely well at the indoor state meet, nearly leaving with a top finish.
Germantown Friends
GFS
competes in the Independent League, so they don’t get quite as many chances to
race the big name runners in the PIAA. But when they had their opportunities,
GFS more than held their own. They ran brilliant marks in the 4x800 and the DMR
at indoor states, placing in the top 4 at both events. In addition, GFS was one
of the top PA schools in the Penn Relays and earned all American honors at
Nationals, running 10:03. What was really impressive about the GFS team was the
transition they made into the shorter distances. Their 800 team saw big
improvements across the board as their top three runners ran 1:54-1:55-1:57 in
the opens. Their signature long distance prowess didn’t evaporate either. The
Tigers won the Independent League XC title and Junior Nick Dahl won the
Henderson Invite 3200m over 5 time state champ Dominic Hockenbury.The boys from LaSalle’s depth is, by now, well documented. They put 7 runners under 17 minutes on the difficult Hershey course and used a tight pack to finish 4th in the state and first in the always competitive PCL. On the track, their distance core flexed some serious muscle throughout the season, highlighted by their outdoor state medal in the 4x800m and the emergence of long distance stud Frank Livolsi.
North Allegheny
The North Allegheny Tigers graduated their top 3 XC runners from their state championship team in 2014 and arguably got even better in 2015. Although they had to go up against a juggernaut in DT West, North Allegheny held their own and put 3 runners in the top 26 for the second straight season, finishing 2nd overall. On the track, they graduated a 1:56 open 800m runner and an 8:56 3200 runner (who were both key pieces of the team’s 4x8) and improved again at the state championship. The Tigers had a 3rd place finish from Marc Migliozzi (who dropped almost a minute of his PR) and medaled in the 4x8 for the first time this decade with a team of 3 juniors and 1 sophomore. When you add in the team’s 1600 medalist Joe Stupak and their sprinter/hurdler Ayden Owens, NA was one of the top teams in the overall team standings at outdoor states.
Seneca Valley
The
WPIAL is loaded with talented teams and coaches, but Seneca Valley held their
own in the 2015-2016 year. First, SV finished 2nd at the WPIAL XC
Championships, defeating some fantastic programs in the process. Then they
added a 4th place finish in the state championship DMR during
indoors and qualified for the outdoor 4x8 state championship without their
super star Mike Kolor. Kolor himself added three individual state medals to his
resume during his senior season under the SV staff and won both the 16 and the
8 at the WPIAL championships.
Sewickley Academy
The
small school from A may not be at the top of everyone’s radar, but Sewickley
Academy has quietly finished 1st in the WPIAL and 2nd at
states the past two seasons in single A. This season, they finished 2nd
despite an injury to their #2 overall runner, Ben Clouse (who made impressive
strides in 2015) and still finished with two runners in the medals, including a
freshman, Henry Meakem and state champion Griffin Mackey. Sewickley’s finish
also came with a team made up entirely of underclassmen who will be back in
2016 to take another shot at gold.Spring Ford’s boys squad finished just 17th at districts in 2014 and were returning a core made up mostly of sophomores. However, the Rams seamlessly integrated John Conner and raced with brilliant pack tactics en route to a 2nd place finish at Paul Short and a 6th place finish at Districts, despite their relative youth and inexperience. The Spring Ford distance squad was one of the deepest in the PAC 10 on the track and it allowed them to win yet another PAC title this outdoor season.
State College
At this point,
there’s not much to say about the Little Lions that hasn’t already been said.
State College had a monster finish to their outdoor season, including a runaway
victory in the 4x800m, a surprise upset in the 1600, two 800 medalists and the
coveted team title over a phenomenal DT West team. Despite the talent of their
top runners, it’s worth noting that SC showed incredible depth, especially in
their signature event the 800. It gave them some nice flexibility for districts
and states that helped rest key legs for important races later in the weekend.
Every second counted on race day, so all the contributions from this deep team
were critical.
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