It has been a difficult time for the Penn Hills High School students. Once the details of an audit uncovered school district debt of 167 million, but the findings didn’t distract the focus of Penn Hills boys relay teams.
The Penn Hills Indians are who everyone thought they were and that’s a problem for the relay teams in the WPIAL.
The Indians, the preseason favorite to win states in the 400 and 1,600-meter relays, certainly have ran like the best team in the state through April and May, and continue to look like the best team in Pennsylvania at the WPIAL Championships Thursday May 19, at Baldwin High School.
The 400-meter relay of (Cameron Jeffries, Brennon Hill, Cameron Tarrant, Alex Tower) and the 1,600 relay of (Azeryus Britt, Keith Batiste, Isaiah Bailey, Brennon Hill) took home the gold medal.
Brennon Hill, also won the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.80 seconds.
West Mifflin’s senior Micah Watts was the WPIAL Championships “Peter Pan” because he was flying through the air with the greatest of ease.
Watts won the Long jump with a leap of 22-8 and won the 200-meters dash with a time of 21.86. He also finished second in the 100-meter dash.
Kiski Area’s Jace “Shaft” Roundtree won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.26 seconds.
North Allegheny’s sophomore Ayden Owens is a jack of all trades who is beginning to master a few of them. Owens, who competes in the decathlon during the summer, won the 300-meter hurdles in 38.34 seconds and came in second in the 200-meter dash.
Owens finished third in the decathlon at the USATF Junior Olympics last summer. He also competes in 100, high jump, long jump, javelin and pole vault for North Allegheny.
Owens’ sisters, twins Makena and Melina, are juniors who led the Tigers’400 relay team to a second-place finish.
Even at the WPIAL’s highest level, the shot-putter’s, discus and javelin throwers is populated by some of the most anonymous people in track and field, and their road to the gold medal is typically long and arduous.
Typically when you’re at a track and field meet, you watch the person under the spotlight. You follow them you pay attention to them and most of the time everyone else on that track fades into the background.
Unless the person in the shadow is Knoch’s Jordan Geist, in which case you look at the shadows a little more closely.
Geist is the greatest shot putter in WPIAL history. His toss of 72 feet, 7 inches to break a record set 44 years ago by Ron Semkiw of Baldwin.
Who would’ve thought that such a shadowy figure would bring so much light?
Lamont Wade and Zane Dudek have very little in common.
One is Black and the other is White and they compete in different events and in different classifications.
One thing they can share after Thursday, however, is the satisfying feeling of being WPIAL track champions.
There were whispers—ones that were likely unsubstantiated—that Wade could be headed to Alabama to play his college football.
Wade, a junior at Clairton and one of the nation’s top football recruits, won his first track championship with a leap of 22 feet, 5 inches in the long jump, a new personal best.
“I think it was my athletic ability and me working out in other areas,” said Wade. “Like in the weight room, when I squat, or practicing my 100, that all boosted it up. I think everything added up to my success.”
Zane Dudek, who led the WPIAL in rushing last season, won the first track championship in the history of first-year Armstrong High School when he took Class AAA gold in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.88.
After missing her junior season because of a torn ACL, Central Valley’s Mariah Yankello, a Duquesne recruit, is doing her best to make up for lost time.
Yankello won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 44.40 seconds.
Aliquippa doesn’t have a track for their 400 relay team to practice, but the boys still won and girls finished second.
The team of Antwon Brooks, Draper Gilliam, Avante McKenzie and Kaezon Pugh.
Pugh ran the second leg and made up for the stagger before he handed off.
It allowed the senior to win his third WPIAL gold medal of the year, after winning in football and basketball. The last Quip to do that was Darelle Revis, now an NFL star.
Kurt Adkins will play football this fall at Seton Hill, but the Washington High speedster has been spending his spring excelling in two other sports.
Adkins plays baseball, too. He is a starting outfielder and leadoff hitter for Washington and led the team in batting with a .500 average.
Adkins won the 200-meter dash in 22.37 seconds.
Avonworth / Northgate sister sprinters Hayden Robinson and Hunter Robinson are used to being on the same side, but on Thursday Hayden and Hunter found themselves as 100-meter dash opponents.
Hayden, a freshman, won the 100-meter dash, anchored the winning 1,600-meter relay team and placed third in the 200.
Hunter, a sophomore, won the 400, ran the first leg of the 1,600 relay and placed second in the 100 and 200 events.
In the end, Hayden earned a measure of bragging rights over her older sister Hunter.
Summer Thorpe, a senior at Sewickley Academy and Notre Dame recruit, won gold medals in both the 100 and 300 hurdles and set a WPIAL record in the 300 hurdles at 43.86 seconds at Thursday’s WPIAL Class AA track championships at Baldwin.
“The track program at Notre Dame is phenomenal and, just within my short visit, I truly blended with the girls on the team,” said Thorpe. “I want to leave with success track, academics and my social life.”
WINNERS:
WPIAL Boys Class AAA Championship
100 meters Zane Dudek, Armstrong, 10.88
200 meters Micah Watts, West Mifflin, 21.86
400 meters Brennon Hill, Penn Hills, 49.80
800 meters Mike Kolor, Seneca Valley, 1:54.12
1,600 meters Mike Kolor, Seneca Valley, 4:13.23
3,200 meters Nick Wolk, Peters Township, 9:13.68
110 hurdles Jace “Shaft” Roundtree, Kiski Area, 14.28
300 hurdles Ayden Owens, North Allegheny, 38.34
Javelin Andrew Manz, North Allegheny, 208-7
Shot put Jordan Geist, Knoch, 72-7
Discus Jordan Geist, Knoch, 192-11
High jump Cam Turner, Kiski Area, 6-3
Long jump Micah Watts, West Mifflin, 22-8
Triple jump Bricen Garner, Central Catholic, 47-3
Pole vault Hayden Fox, Hempfield, 15-6
400 relay Penn Hills (Cameron Jeffries, Brennon Hill, Cameron Tarrant, Alex Tower) 42.57
1,600 relay Penn Hills (Azeryus Britt, Keith Batiste, Isaiah Bailey, Brennon Hill) 3:22.56
3200 relay North Allegheny (Christian Parreaguirre, Zach Ehing, Bobby Lutz, Marc Migliozzi) 7:59.73
WPIAL Boys Class AA champs
100 meters Andrey Bolton, Monessen, 11.10
200 meters Kurt Adkins, Washingon, 22.37
400 meters Kenny Baurie, Avonworth / Northgate 49.57
800 meters Dom Perreta, Beaver Falls, 1:53.20
1,600 meters Dom Perretta, Beaver Falls, 4:20.08
3,200 meters Will Loevner, Winchester Thurston, 9:19.97
110 hurdles Raymond Sitton, Monessen, 14.49
300 hurdles Dylan Hochbein, Freeport, 38.93
Javelin Madison Jake Wilson, Laurel, 177-10
Shot put Trevor Adams, Freedom, 51-7 1/2
Discus Bobby Jendrejewski, Freeport, 149-2
High jump James Thomas, Union, 6-5
Long jump Lamont Wade, Clairton, 22-5
Triple jump Anthony Milliner, New Brighton, 46-4
Pole vault Kyle Grimm, Beaver, 13-3
400 relay Aliquippa (Antwan Brooks, Draper Gilliam, Jaeden Gordon, Avante Mckenize), 43.11
1,600 relay Freeport (Brandon Hochbein, Dylan Hochbein, Kevin Lynch, Robert Reichenbaugh), 3:25.14
3200 relay Avonworth / Northgate (Kenny Azzarello, Kenny Baurte, Danny Bonnet, Jonas Jason), 8:03.68
WPIAL Girls Class AA championships
100 meters Hayden Robinson, Avonworth / Northgate, 11.97
200 meters Nikki Scherer, Burrell, 24.54
400 meters Hunter Robinson, Avonworth / Northgate, 56.54
800 meters Hannah Babiak, Quaker Valley, 2:14.34
1,600 meters Hannah Babiak, Quaker Valley, 5:03.99
3,200 meters Lauren Gronbeck, Eden Christian Academy, 10:57.88
100 hurdles Summer Thorpe, Sewickley Academy, 14.58
300 hurdles Summer Thorpe, Sewickley Academy, 43.86
Javelin Katie Demi, McGuffrey, 133
Shot put Elizabeth Weimer, Burrell, 42-1
Discus Elizabeth Weimer, Burrell, 128-7
High jump Maria Seto, Brownsville, 5-3
Long jump Miranda Schry, Shenango, 18-0
Triple jump Koryn Jozwiakowski, Fort Cherry, 37-7
Pole vault Michelle Karabin, Greensburg Central Catholic, 12-0
400 relay Burrell (Anika Ignozzi, Kikki Scherer, Toni Slomka, Nicole Krisof), 50.14
1,600 relay Avonworth / Northgate (Hunter Robinson, Megan Wisniewki, Kayley Wisniewski, Hayden Robinson), 4:01.21
3200 relay Quaker Valley (Hannah Babiak, Audrey Durbin, Lucie Kubinski, Bearett Tarris), 9:27.63
WPIAL Girls Class AAA champions
100 meters Emily Horstman, Butler, 12.03
200 meters Emily Horstman, Butler, 25.03
400 meters Rachel Heibling, South Fayette, 56.54
800 meters Claire Dougherty, Mt. Lebanon, 2:13.48
1,600 meters Lauren Finkiotis, Oakland Catholic, 5:01
3,200 meters Clara Savchik, North Allegheny, 10:50.73
100 hurdles Jayla Ellis, Penn Hills, 14.46
300 hurdles Maiah Yankello, Central Valley, 44.40
Javelin Madison Wiltrout, Connellsville, 144-8
Shot put Julia Bernesser, Shalar, 41 1/2
Discus Rachel Hutchinson, Hempfield, 119-5
High jump Jessica Stever, Indiana, 5-6
Long jump Julia Howard, Greensburg Salem, 18-11
Triple jump Julia Howard, Greensburg Salem, 38-10
Pole vault Cassandra Phelan, Laurel Highlands, 12-6
400 relay Pine-Richland (Jodie Berezo, Megan Briski, Gabby Krieger, Karly Krisby), 48.94
1,600 relay Butler (Emily Horstman, Shana Hoy, Liz Simms, Alexis Leech), 3:54.00
3200 relay Mt. Lebanon (Sadie Saxton, Leah Graf, Aoife-Ruby Dunne, Claire Dougherty), 9:23.44
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