Nov 5, 2018 By Eleanor Bailey almanac Sports Editor ebailey@thealmanac.Net 5 min read

Patrick Anderson rules the roost in his Mt. Lebanon home and in the state of Pennsylvania.

For he became a PIAA champion – a feat even his mother could not achieve – when he out-legged his North Allegheny rivals by mere seconds during the cross country championships held Nov. 3 in Hershey.

Noting his mom, Meghan, won a WPIAL title in track for the 400-meter run, Anderson admitted he missed out on that on Oct. 25 when he finished runner-up to Daniel McGoey at the District 7 championships.

“I’m not too mad about that,” the 17-year-old said. “I much rather be a PIAA champion. It’s better to win a state title.”

With a week’s hard work, Anderson turned his WPIAL disappointment – he lost that title by 19 seconds – into PIAA jubilation when he edged his rivals for the state gold medal, crossing the finish line first in 16:03.

“There was a lot of excitement and energy at the finish line,” Anderson said, “but I was shocked.”

Only a week earlier Anderson was stunned when Daniel McGoey outdid him at the WPIAL championships. McGoey won in 16:01 and Anderson followed in second place with a lackluster 16:20 time. After that disappointment, Anderson vowed he would “come back stronger” at states and if he put in “a lot of work, both mentally and physically” then he could challenge for the PIAA title.

“That was the plan,” he said.

To start the week, he and his teammates completed two hard workouts before beginning their taper. Plus, Anderson cultivated his mental strategy. In the end, both paid off.

After a day’s rain and after five other races, the course was in “terrible” condition. “Torn up and muddy,” Anderson said. However, because he is a strong runner, the sloppy surface favored Anderson.

“Really the race strategy was to hang with them and go from there,” Anderson said. “I didn’t know when I would make my move but once I did pass them I just wanted to hold them off to the end. We all knew where we were. Really all of us wanted the title. But it came down to who wanted it more and who would fight harder at the end. At that point, all I wanted to do was get to the line and it wasn’t until I got there that I was sure that I had won.”

Anderson did not impose his might until the final half mile of the race. He and McGoey still trailed Zachary Kinne. However, on the final rise, Anderson made his move and then sprinted the final 400 meters, a flat straightaway, to victory.

“I actually was in a lot of shock because the whole race I had been behind. When I realized what I had done all I wanted to do was find my teammates and my coach.”

With his victory, Anderson becomes only the fifth runner from Mt. Lebanon to win a PIAA boys’ cross country title. The others are Bob Lyle (1953), John Stoble (1960), Tom Giordano (1962) and Shawn Cavanaugh (2000).

“I didn’t find that out until later that there were only four before me and that Coach A has had only one other in like 53 years of coaching so it’s definitely a good feeling knowing that I’m on that exclusive list,” he said.

Anderson said that the idea of getting a state title did not come into his mind until the last two weeks when he realized he could compete with the NA duo.

Cross country was not always doable for Anderson. As a youth growing up in Mt. Lebanon, he participated in multiple sports, including soccer. Because his sister, Moira, ran track, he started running in the seventh grade. In addition to cross country, he participates in track. In fact, he finished sixth in the PIAA last spring in the 1,600-meter run. In 2019, he has set his sights on state titles in the mile for both indoor and outdoor track.

Just a junior, Anderson has room for more successes down the road. An honors student, with a 4.7 GPA, he hopes to gain a scholarship and participate in cross country and track in college. Plus, he’d love to repeat as PIAA champion in cross country next fall.

“I know there will be a lot of pressure regarding repeating and there will be a target on my back, but yes, I definitely would like to do that,” he said. “So, I’m going to stick to the training that I know and work hard and take care of the things I can control.”

Anderson said that training and work ethic are the biggest keys to success. In addition to doing his core running workouts-which have him covering at least 40 miles per week-he cross trains and lifts weights. He also benefits from advice and support from his family, especially his mother.

“They are always encouraging my running,” he said. “My mom will tell me to do my best and focus on yourself and what you have to do. Having my family, my teammates and my friends around me, especially having them there with me at the finish line, was something that a lot of people do not experience. Having everybody behind me made the victory all the more special.”