Cross-town split
Mustangs regain ‘Town Cup’ while Lady Red Raiders keep prize
CONNELLSVILLE — The cross country version of the crosstown rivalry has been the meet that veteran coaches Bob Costello and Joe Everhart circle on their calendars every year when the season begins, and Tuesday’s Division I, Section 2 contest at Connellsville Area Middle School provided a split, as the boys from Laurel Highlands edged Uniontown, 27-28, while the Lady Red Raiders topped the Fillies, 27-29.
The rivalry between Laurel Highlands and Uniontown dates back to when the schools South Union and North Union Townships merged to form LH, which began in the fall of 1967.
Costello, who coaches the Mustangs, and Everhart, who guides the Red Raiders, worked together to create the “Town Cup,” in the fall of 2000, as the winner of the boys and girls meets would keep the trophy until the one squad defeated the other.
Uniontown had a good start on the boys side with senior Ezra Batovsky and junior Matthew Page coming in first and second in the meet with Laurel Highlands. The duo was second and sixth overall, as the contest also featured the Falcons, Albert Gallatin and Ringgold.
Noah Hudock got the Mustangs going in finishing ninth overall (three against the Red Raiders). The junior covered the 5K (3.1 miles) course that heads around the middle school football field and into the woods in 18:15.
Hudock was pleased with his run, but even more happy that he and his teammates were responsible for bringing the “Town Cup” back to Laurel Highlands for the first time in many years.
“It’s been a long while,” said Hudock in reference to Uniontown’s recent run of success in the meet against LH. “I am very happy with my team and how we ran today. I wanted to get out and stick with Uniontown’s top runners. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really succeed in that, but it did lead me to PR (personal record) by two seconds, which is all right.
“I like the wooded section of this course. I think the hills are quite nice. It was pretty slick coming out there today, and I fell pretty hard, but other than that, it was good.”
Ryan Filcheck was the Mustangs’ second runner (fourth overall) to finish against the Red Raiders in a time of 18:28. The senior was 14th in the overall race.
Wil Skowronski (18:33.23) and Mason Mahoney (18:43.32) put Laurel Highlands in a good spot as the fifth and sixth finishers.
Mahoney edged Uniontown’s Bridger Hug (18:43.96) as the finish line. The Red Raiders’ Patrick Foster was eighth against LH in 18:45.47.
The Mustangs’ Carter Flinn (18:49) was the difference maker in his ninth-place finish over Uniontown’s Zach Fisher (18:51).
Connellsville’s Ellic Pritts and Batovsky overtook Ringgold’s Caden Lobur and Lawson Martik to finish first and second overall, as Pritts covered his home course in 17:18 for the victory. Batovsky finished in 17:23. Lobur came in at 17:24 and Martik finished in 17:26.
“Ringgold had three guys take the lead, but Ellic (Pritts) and I stayed behind them,” Batovsky said. “We ran in a pack the whole race. We were all together until the final 400 (meters), and Ellic just out kicked us all.
“I wasn’t feeling terrible, but I get scared that I will kick too early and completely run out of gas and have to crawl across the finish line.”
The Rams’ Rider Kuch was fifth overall in 17:48 before Page came in sixth at 17:52. Ringgold’s Tanner Baldauff was seventh in 17:55 prior to the Falcons’ Sawyer Pritts in eighth at 17:56.
Following Hudock to round out the top 10 was the Rams’ Lucian DelSandro (18:22).
Ellic Pritts was content with the overall victory, and he looks forward to competing in the Fayette County Coaches Association (FCCA) championships on Oct. 15 at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. Pritts was second in the FCCA meet last year as a freshman to Uniontown’s Ethan Syner. The event was hosted by Connellsville, and Syner set the course record in 16:39.20. Pritts also broke the course record that was held by the Falcons’ Zach Bigam (16:48) in running a time of 16:43.10.
“I think I am running a little bit better this year, but I still think I need to get faster at sprinting to have a better kick,” Pritts said. “I did a lot of training with my brothers, Jake and Sawyer, over the summer. They both play soccer, but I stopped doing that after eighth grade. It is neat to compete with them in cross country. We are looking forward to seeing how we can do the rest of the season. I hope I can win the FCCA title this year, but I know it’s going to be tough.”
Ringgold won the team event for the section championship in defeating Uniontown, 22-36, Connellsville, 21-41, Laurel Highlands, 16-43, and Albert Gallatin, 15-50.
The Falcons topped the Red Raiders, 28-29, Albert Gallatin, 15-50, and the Mustangs, 22-31.
LH and Uniontown defeated the Colonials by scores of 15-50, as Albert Gallatin didn’t have five runners to field a full team.
Brock Mace paced the Colonials in 19:38.
The girls race between Laurel Highlands and Uniontown had the Mustangs’ Taylor Schwertfeger coming in first in a time of 21:24. Schwertfeger, a senior who is looking forward to the WPIAL individual championships in Class 2A, was fourth overall behind the Ringgold duo of Claire Brenneman and Samantha Greene, and Connellsville’s Addie Lane.
“I wish I would have ran a little faster today, but it was OK,” Schwertfeger said. “One Connellsville girl beat me, and those two Ringgold girls did really well. We have a little bit of a break because our next meet is Oct. 15.
“I am looking forward to the WPIAL championships, too, because I want to qualify for the state meet for the third time. The course at White Oak Park has a nice finish in the final 200 meters, so I hope I can pick it up at the end there and have a good time.”
Brenneman won the overall race in 19:54. Greene was second in 20:56 and Lane third in 21:10.
Lane and teammate Abby Zavatchan, who was fifth overall in 21:45, have been training together this year, and the sophomore hopes they can carry the momentum from Tuesday’s race into the FCCA championships and the WPIAL individual meet.
“Abby and I do our workouts together, so we can really push each other,” Lane said. “I hit my PR last year, and I haven’t hit it since, but I am more satisfied this year. I hope I can progress and break my PR in the postseason competitions.”
Red Raider senior Sadie Hostetler was second in the race against LH with a time of 22:18. Teammate Aurora Payton was third in 22:33.
The Mustangs’ Mariah Maciejczak finished two seconds ahead of Uniontown’s Maddie DeCarlo for fourth place in 22:47.
Laurel Highlands’ Vanesa Rosano (22:57) and Hannah Hertlein (23:18) came in sixth and seventh before the Red Raiders’ Addison Caruso (23:29) in eighth place.
Sorcha Best (24:02) and Gracie Thompson (25:10) were key in Uniontown’s victory over the Mustangs, as the duo came in ninth and 10th.
Laurel Highlands’ Clara Cully was 11th in 27:15.
Hostetler was pleased to help her squad hold onto the “Town Cup,” as she finished her final section meet against the Mustangs.
“I tried to stay with Taylor Schwertfeger for the majority of the race,” Hostetler said. “I was pleased with my race today, especially my finish. I have run cross country all four years of high school, so it is great to defeat LH this year. We are all really excited about winning the race against them.”
The Rams defeated Albert Gallatin, 15-50, Connellsville, 22-33, Laurel Highlands, 24-33, and Uniontown, 23-32, to earn the section championship.
The Red Raiders also topped the Colonials, 15-50, and Falcons, 25-32.
The Mustangs defeated Albert Gallatin, 15-50, and edged Connellsville, 27-28.
The Colonials didn’t have a full team of five runners. Ashley Comaty led Albert Gallatin in 23rd place overall with a time of 26:38.