Waynesburg boys in spotlight, gain berth in WPIAL finals
Waynesburg's Caleb Shriver, left, leans at the finish line to edge Southmoreland's Ronnie Robinson in the 100-meter dash Tuesday in the WPIAL Class AA team semifinals at Waynesburg. Shriver's winning time was 11.59 seconds, .02 seconds ahead of Robinson.
Jim Downey/For the Observer-Reporter/newsroom@observer-reporter.com
Waynebsurg’s Daniel Layton powers over a hurdle on his way to a first-place finish in the 110 high hurdles in the WPIAL Class AA team semifinals at Waynesburg.
Chartiers-Houston's Evan Simpson leads Southmoreland's Anthony Stewart as the two approach the final lap of the 3,200 relay Tuesday in the WPIAL Class AA team semifinals at Waynesburg. Simpson held off Stewart for a winning relay time of 8:54.19.
WAYNESBURG — The lights at Waynesburg Stadium were turned on as Tuesday’s WPIAL Class AA team semifinals wound down to a conclusion, allowing the host Raiders to bask in the spotlight after earning a berth into the district final.
Waynesburg defeated Chartiers-Houston, 94-55, Southmoreland, 86-64, and South Side Area, 120½-29½, to earn a spot into Monday’s Class AA team championship at Peters Twp.
The Bucs defeated South Side, 98-48, and the Scotties, 77-72, and Southmoreland avoided the shutout with a 116-34 win over South Side.
In the girls competition, Fort Cherry advanced to the WPIAL finals by winning three times. The Rangers defeated Beaver 84-66, South Side Beaver 114-36 and Waynesburg 99-51.
One of the keys to the Raiders’ win was a sweep of the top three places in the javelin with Scott Benco winning with a throw of 168-2, Avery McConville second (141-5), and Josh Galbreath third (134-10).
Waynesburg’s Caleb Shriver had an eventful, and busy, meet. Shriver won the 100 (11.59) and 200 (23.94), was second in the long jump (18-5) and triple jump (40-4½).
Shriver out-leaned Southmoreland’s Ronnie Robinson to win the 100.
“It was a good race. I knew coming in it would be tight,” said Shriver.
He finished second to Benco in the triple jump, but that was okay with Shriver.
“(Finishing second) to the same color uniform. I did not have a problem with that,” said Shriver.
Shriver said coach Rick Layton laid out a game plan for the Raiders.
“Coach Layton laid it out for us. He put us in the best position to win. Obviously, you want to beat your personal record, but you want to get what coach wants you to have,” said Shriver.
Daniel Layton (110 high hurdles, 16.42; 300 intermediate hurdles, 43.94), Caleb Blair (400, 53.27), Benco (triple jump, 40-4½), and Avery McConville (discus, 110-11) all had overall first-place finishes for the Raiders.
Coach Layton was obviously proud of his squad as they carried out his plan.
“This is the first (team final) in my tenure. We talked about it. Everyone had to go run their race and do their job. And, they did,” explained Layton. “And, some went above and beyond.
“Tyler McIe in the high jump was a nice surprise. We moved Gabe McConville into the 3,200 and he really stepped up (with a second-place finish),” added Layton.
The Bucs’ Evan Simpson had a solid performance, anchoring the winning 3,200 and 400 relays, and taking first in the 800 with a winning time of 2:11.93.
“The time in the 3,200 relay was not our best. We were just trying to get first,” said Simpson. “Namely, it was about placement. We all want to get our best time.”
Mat Clark also had overall first-place finishes in the 1,600 (4:51.41) and the 3,200 (10:44.25) for Chartiers-Houston.
No track, no problem
The Fort Cherry girls were too deep for the other three teams in the WPIAL Class AA team semifinal at Waynesburg, and that depth paid off Tuesday with a berth into the district team championship.
Mara Whalen led the charge for the Rangers, who do not have a home track, with wins in the 100 (17.10), 400 (1:00.17), and 800 (2:25.50). She also ran a leg on the victorious 3,200 relay.
“I usually don’t run the 100, but I did pretty good, I think. The 400 was a pretty good time. I’m proud of it,” said Whalen. “The 800 was okay.
“Today was more of getting PRs (personal bests), in my opinion.”
McKenzie Faure (100 high hurdles), Jadyn Hartner (200), 400 relay, and Haley Felton (javelin) also had overall first-place finishes for the Rangers.
Waynesburg’s Juliana Fowler had an eventful day, winning the triple jump (32-7½) and long jump (15-7¾), and finishing third in the 100 (13.46).