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South Fayette third in WPIAL cross country

By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read
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Sam Snodgrass is the front runner early in the Class AA boys’ cross country race during the WPIAL championships. He finished fifth while his teammate, Aaron Pfeil (back) placed third behind Quaker Valley’s (left) and Waynesburg Central’s Ben Baumgarner (behind).

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Maria DeCello

South Fayette did not take home a trophy during the WPIAL cross country championships but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. The Lions took third overall in the Class AA boys’ team standings. They and New Castle scored 120 points while Greensburg Salem won the title with a 67 score and Quaker Valley finished as runner-up with 81 points.

“The WPIAL is really deep,” said SF coach Joe Winans. “We knew if anything would prevent us from being one or two it was going to be a team that stepped up. It wasn’t due to lack of performance. We were ready. We knew all along Greensburg was strong and we tip our hats to Quaker Valley. They ran a heck of a race today.”

Indeed, Zach Skolnekovich did. The QV senior defended his title but not without a fight. He clocked a 16:15 and finished three seconds ahead of Waynesburg Central’s Ben Bumgarner (16:18). Right behind the tandem were Aaron Pfeil and Sam Snodgrass. A senior, Pfeil took third in 16:49 and Snodgrass, a junior, finished fifth in 17 flat. Early in the race, the duo set the pace and ran toe-to-toe with Skolnekovich and Bumgarner.

“Aaron and Sam ran really well,” said Winans. “We expected them to come out and contend. We knew Ben and Zach would be strong runners. So for them to come out and be frontrunners was exactly what they expected.”

Winans expects the same thing Nov. 5 when the Lions travel to Hershey to compete in the PIAA championships. “Bumgarner and Skolnekovich will contend for a state title along with Issac Davis from Jersey Shore,” Winans predicted. “He is the only one from out East that will give them some trouble. It will be a tight race. After that it is going to be a tight group. It’s going to be Aaron. It’s going to be Sam. Greensburg Salem is going to be in that mix too. So we are real excited about states.”

Joining Pfeil and Snodgrass at states will be teammates Silas Mays, Michael Cusick, Colin Dunn, Joey Cavanaugh and Ryan Hayes.

Maria DeCello will also join her male teammates at states. She is the lone South Fayette female qualifier. The junior finished 18th overall, four seconds ahead of Ringgold’s Sarah Lucas, who also qualified for states with a time of 21:19.

“Maria has been a very consistent runner for us,” Winans said. “Not matter what the conditions are, she’s a gamer. She’s going to perform. She will go out and do her thing. She is someone that you can rely on.”

As a team, the Lady Lions finished ninth overall. Quaker Valley won the AA title with 53 points followed by Beaver (145) and Ambridge (151). In addition to DeCello, Hailey Poe, Stef Kozak, Ally Lerda, Jenne Harasin, Maria Persichetti and Emily Harasin also fueled the Lady Lions’ performance.

Hay helps W-T

Shaun Hay of McMurray helped Winchester Thurston capture the Class A boys’ title with 20 points. (The best score in a cross-country meet is 15.) Hay finished third over with a 17:11 time. Hay’s teammates, Ben Littmann and Tristan Forsythe, grabbed first and second places. Littmann won in 16:45. Forsythe clocked 17:10.

Class AAA boys

Seneca Valley ended North Allegheny’s dominance in boys’ cross-country. The Tigers had won 11 straight team titles but the Raiders won this year’s crown with 55 points. NA racked up a 62 score. Butler took third.

After Central Catholic, Canon-McMillan edged out Mt. Lebanon, 209-211, for fifth place. While the Big Macs did not qualify a runner for states, the Blue Devils advanced two boys to the PIAA championships: Patrick Anderson and Peter Cosentino.

Chartiers Valley’s Czar Tarr placed ninth overall in 16:51 and gained a berth in the PIAA championships.

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