Peters Township duo sweeps county meet
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Peters Township's Meagan McKenna leads the pack on the first hill of the girls race of the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet at Mingo Park. McKenna maintained her lead throughout the race, winning with a time of 19:45.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Peters Township’s Zach Byers closes in on the finish line with a commanding lead, winning the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet with a time of 16:48 at Mingo Park.
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Zach Byers from Peters Township works to extend his lead through the middle of the course in the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet held Monday at Mingo Park.
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Mark Marietta
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
McGuffey’s Ben Piatt (484) sprints to an early lead as the pack takes the first hill in the boys race of the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet at Mingo Park.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Boys from across Washington County storm from the start Monday at Mingo Park.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Peters Township's Zach Byers finishes first with a time of 16:48 in the boys race of the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Meagan McKenna from Peters Township wins the girls race in the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet with a time of 19:45.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
It was crowded at the start of the girls race Monday in the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Peters Township's Meagan McKenna strides to a commanding lead in the girls race.
Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter
Peters Township's Meagan McKenna eyes the finish line as she completes the cross country course at Mingo Park.
MONONGAHELA – Peters Township senior Zach Byers doesn’t believe he can duplicate the success of former teammate Brett Kroboth, but he hopes what he learned from the current Penn State cross country runner comes in handy.
Byers took what he learned from Kroboth and used it to breeze to his first victory in the Washington County Coaches Cross Country Meet Monday afternoon at Mingo Park.
“It has been a fun experience to be counted on to lead the team, but I can’t compare to him, running-wise, because he is unbelievable,” Byers said. “We’ve always been really good friends, and it has been fun to take over his spot and try to do the best I can.”
Byers took the early lead and crossed the finish line in 16:47.94. Trinity freshman Devin Junko was second in 17:30.94 and Canon-McMillan’s Dane Hanley was third in 17:37.83.
“I think I took the lead about 400 meters in, and it felt like the guys behind me fell back a little bit, so I wasn’t trying to go crazy-fast in the beginning and keep it conservative,” Byers said. “I went out in about a 5:17 (in the first mile), which is pretty consistent with what I normally run here to start, and just anticipating the big hill in the middle. It was a big confidence boost (in having the early lead) because I know that I have a little more in me when I run with people by me.”
Junko’s performance, coupled with top-20 performances from Andrew Ciampa (4th – 17:39.88), Ben Papson (5th – 17:45.53), Tyler Morgan (13th – 18:15.22) and John Garcia (19th – 18:25.71) led the Hillers to the boys team title with 33 points. The Big Macs were second with 35 points.
“Everybody is running well, but we have a nice top-seven,” Trinity coach Donald Zimak said. “We have a 1-2-3 that are running well, but my 4-5-6-7 guys are right behind them. We lost to some of the big schools this yea, like Mt. Lebanon, but it has been a good year for us. We put five in the top-20, which makes them All-County, and had several personal records broken.”
The Hillers’ last county team championship came in 2006.
“I have been here since 2004, and we have had multiple runner-up finishes, so it is nice to win another team title,” Zimak said. “We will get ready for Tri-States and then the WPIALs.”
One notable absence in the boys race was Ringgold’s Ryan Pajak, who is competing on a limited schedule this year to save himself for the postseason races. Pajak ran last Thursday at the Mingo Classic and won in 14:40.51. Pajak, who has committed to run at Notre Dame, is one of the favorites to win WPIAL and state championships this year.
Peters Township senior Meagan McKenna followed the race plan of her male counterpart in jumping out to an early lead and cruising to the finish line in a time of 19:44.92 to finish in first place. Teammates Reagan Fisher (20:24.68) and Grace Senneway (20:38.69) came in second and third.
“My goal was to win from the start,” McKenna said. “This is the first time I ever won this race. Usually, when you are ahead of the pack, times can be a little slower, but I was happy to get the win. That was really what I wanted to do.”
McKenna didn’t break her personal record of 19:20 but hopes she can carry the momentum from the county meet into the Tri-State Invitational on Thursday and the WPIAL Championships Oct. 26 at White Oak Park in McKeesport.
McKenna is seeking her second straight trip to the state meet.
“The course at White Oak is my favorite, so I am looking forward to Tri-States and WPIALs,” McKenna said. “This course is a bit shorter than most, but it has more hills so it’s pretty tough. I thought we ran well as a team, and it is exciting to win the team title.”
Alexis Conway finished seventh in 21:03.68 and Alaina Abbato was ninth in 21:13.97 to help Peters Township to the team title with 17 points. Canon-McMillan was second with 47 points.
Ringgold won the boys Class AA-A team championship with 30 points and McGuffey was second with 59 points.
The Rams also won the girls Class AA-A team title with 25 points and Fort Cherry was second with 49 points.