King, Crable qualify for Class AAA state meet
SLIPPERY ROCK – Connellsville’s Kenny King was among the seemingly endless line of runners in the WPIAL Class AAA Boys Cross Country Championships at Slippery Rock Thursday so it wasn’t easy to tell if he made the cut for the state meet. On the other hand, the Southmoreland trio of Larry Earnesty, Steve Imel and Nick Barron along with Waynesburg Central’s Frank Bryan left nothing to chance in the Class AA race by taking one of the automatic top 20 berths.
Brownsville’s Josh Crable, however, was in the same boat as King after the Falcon senior finished the race.
The anxious moments King and Crable were worth the wait because both runners slipped under the cut to advance to the PIAA Boys Cross Country Championships in Hershey on Saturday, Nov. 2.
The temperature at race time was around 43 degrees with a slight breeze across the course on an open field. Runners’ muscles and lungs were taken to task.
Shaler’s Sam Bair shook off a bad performance in last week’s Tri-State Coaches Invitational held on the same course to win his first Class AAA title after finishing second last year. The senior sprinted past North Hills’ Ian Fitzgerald for a two-second edge in a time of 16:10.
Brentwood’s Dan Erny won the Class AA title by one second over Greensburg Central Catholic’s Steve New in a time of 16:41.
Earnesty placed highest among the local racers by finishing 12th overall with a time of 17:51. As with many other runners, the ultimate goal of the senior was to qualify for the state meet though he admitted he was a bit nervous.
“I wanted to go to states. That was my goal,” Earnesty said. “I knew if I kept pushing I’d make it. I had butterflies, but they were gone as soon as the gun shot.”
Steve Imel was 14 seconds behind to finish 14th overall. The junior was pleased with his performance, especially given the fact he is recovering from a sprained big toe.
“I wanted to make it into the top 20. This is something I’ve wanted since last year. During the race, I heard people talking to me,” said Imel of his race updates. “It was a hard finish. I stayed outside the bus to get used to the cold.
Barron earned the third spot for Southmoreland runners by finishing 19th in a time of 18:15. The freshman wasn’t nervous in his first WPIAL meet.
“I figured what did I have to lose. I’m somewhat surprised,” Barron said. “It was cold. It was hard to breathe. It burned.
“I took off in the last straightaway. I’m just glad (to be going to states).”
King is arguably the most relaxed runner of the bunch, going as far as playing “all-time quarterback” with a bunch of friends in a sandlot football game Wednesday after school. However, the current county champion was surprised with his time.
“I didn’t think I’d run that fast,” King said of his 17:17 race. “I went out hard. I felt good in the first mile. I went out in 5:04, but I slowed down in the second loop. I hit a wall. It hurt me because I couldn’t sprint as hard at the end.”
Crable was in the same boat as King as he awaited word long after the boys Class AA race was overall. Though Crable didn’t medal, he benefited greatly from the addition state berths extended to WPIAL Class AA this year with four teams and 20 non-team qualifiers advancing so he managed to qualify by finishing 23rd overall in a time of 18:25.
Bryan had a bit of “senioritis” as he approached the race, but on his way to finishing 18th overall in a time of 18:13 a bit of reality came up to take the nerves away.
“After the first lap I looked over and saw (Brentwood’s) Dan Erny and told myself ‘I’m going too fast,'” Bryan said of his early race with the eventual Class AA winner.
“I wanted to be in the low 18s and I finished in 18:13. I wasn’t expecting it. In the third mile, I decided to just go for it. This is my last year. I might as well do the best I can.”
While King and Crable heard favorable news, Frazier freshman Kenny Miller just missed the grade. Miller was 37th overall with his time of 18:47 only two seconds from the final state berth.
Andy Gleason was the first Uniontown runner to finish in 118th with a time of 18:34. Albert Gallatin’s Chris Moore finished 203rd overall in a time of 19:33 while Geibel Catholic’s Sam Brooks capped his career by placing 104th with a time of 20:05. Belle Vernon senior Ryan Moravec was 150th in Class AAA with a time of 18:50.
Mt. Lebanon won the Class AAA title with 100 points. North Hills, Hampton and North Allegheny also qualified. Quaker Valley easily won the Class AA crown with 63 points, 20 points ahead of Ellwood City. Greensburg Central Catholic was third and Brentwood finished fourth.
Southmoreland just missed a Class AA berth by finishing fifth with 168. Waynesburg Central was 15th, Brownsville 19th and Frazier finished 29th in Class AA. Connellsville was 21st, Uniontown 31st and Laurel Highlands finished 32nd in Class AAA.