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Foundation Meet sets tone for area harriers

By Eleanor Bailey Sports Editor Ebailey@thealmanac.Net 4 min read
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Savannah Shaw

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Sam Snodgrass runs up the last hill on his way to victory in the Class AAA boys' division at the Red, White & Blue Classic. The South Fayette senior won the race in time.

If the Hershey Foundation Meet is an indication of the cross country competition in the state of Pennsylvania, then the WPIAL and area harriers have every reason to be optimistic for their chances of bringing home hardware during the PIAA championships. The state finals are held on the same course the first weekend of November.

On Sept. 23, local runners flexed their muscles and dominated the Foundation Meet, which is the harbinger of the state finals. Upper St. Clair and South Fayette had the top female and male finishers and Mt. Lebanon had one of the best boys’ cross country squads.

Savannah Shaw of USC captured first place in the Gold Division at the meet while Sam Snodgrass from SF secured second in the boys’ Blue Division. Lebo took third as a team.

“It was exciting to see such an impressive showing from the WPIAL teams at the meet,” USC coach Maureen Chermak said.

“It was a positive step,” SF coach Joe Winans said. “I was pleased with the collective efforts of our teams but we still have a fair amount of work ahead of us to get to where we want to be at the district level.”

Snodgrass is right where he wants to be; at or near the top.

After winning the Red, White and Blue Classic to start the cross country season and finishing as the top harrier in all his league meets, Snodgrass finished second overall at the Foundation Meet, posting a 16:38 time. Isaac Davis from Jersey Shore won the race in 16:01.

“Sam went out with a conservative race plan in mind,” Winans said. “He was able to gather some important information regarding his competition from around the state and the WPIAL. The race confirmed much of the planning and approach that we will take into the coming weeks and post-season.”

Ditto for Shaw. She, too, had set the tone at the RWB and has dominated her league competition. She won the Foundation Meet in 18:36, 21 and 26 seconds ahead of her nearest competition, the Macini sisters, Elizabeth and Eleanor, from Cardinal O’Hara.

“Savannah added to her accolades this season and seized an opportunity to race against some new competition,” Chermak said. “She looked and felt strong throughout the race and it should serve as a great confidence boost moving into the championship portion of the season.”

The championship portion of the season includes the WPIAL finals set for Oct. 26 at Cooper’s Lake.

Mt. Lebanon, like Snodgrass and Shaw, learned where they stand against the competition when the Blue Devils took third as a boys’ team in the Gold Division at the Foundation Meet. Seneca Valley won the title with 103 points. After Boyertown, Lebo managed 148 points. Rival North Allegheny finished fifth with a 205 score.

Bryce Brandenstein led Lebo. The senior placed 18th overall with a 17:02 time. Patrick Anderson and Peter Cosentino followed with times of 17:06 and 17:34 for 21st and 25th positions. Alex Brokaw (17:34), Thomas Cosentino (17:40) and Jack Cameron (17:44) all finished in the Top 50. Camerson Potts (18:12) completed Lebo’s scoring.

As a team, South Fayette secured sixth in the boys’ division and sixth in the girls’ competition. York Suburban won the boys’ Blue division with 96 points while Villa Maria won the girls’ division with 92 points.

After Snodgrass, SF’s top finishers included: Silas Mays, Colin Dunn, Ryan Hayes, Trevor Kulenick, Harmon Rozycki and Sam Grant.

For the Lady Lions, Maria DeCello medaled with an 11th-place showing. Hailey Poe, Delaney Parisi, Katy Allen, Stef Kozak, Emma Fleck and Lexi Palmer also contributed to SF’s performance.

“Our girls team has shown the ability to move runners around in our Top 5 to account for someone who may be having a rough day, and that will be a valuable tool as we move toward the end of October,” Winans said.

Meanwhile, the Lebo girls finished in the Top 20. Allison Small, Aoife-Ruby Dunne, Rory Vigrass, Moira Anderson, Amanda Cetorelli and Rachel Walters ran well for the Blue Devils.

For the USC boys, Ethan Mann and Alex Shaw finished 56th and 86th overall. Kasey Turner, Michael Gallagher, Nick Atland and Owen Mann also contributed.

“Ethan and Alex finished respectably in a competitive field of runners,” Chermak said. “Our other guys gained valuable racing experience by attending the meet.”

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