This post will be updated in the coming days as more meets are raced. I will make sure it is easy to tell the new result posts! And Happy New Years to All!
I was fairly underwhelmed by the girls side of the RJB Indoor
Classic. In recent weeks as a whole we’ve seen some really fast times and I was
hoping the trend would continue at the end of December. Kerry Lawlor ran a solid
time of 2:25 for the win, but we didn’t see the races that were expected from
Wilson, Weston, Wright, and Brosky. Not sure how the splits went, maybe they
went out hard and it ended up hurting the field. I felt similarly about the
mile. Anja Weiler got the win, which is no real surprise as she kicked it home.
Maybe I over estimated Wismer and Stoudt.
In the 3k Emily Schumaker ran away from the field to run a
solid 10:55 for the win. 3/3 GV girls in these open races were very over
seeded, not sure what’s up with that as well.
I was sad to see nobody go sub 2 in the 800, but it was a
really solid win by Connor Holm, it seemed the XC strength is working out for
him early on. O’Connell has always raced better in relays and I bet he splits
1:57 by the end of the year, so he’s on the right track, same with Kerkula.
Tyrell Maddox is running strong for Del Val as well with a 2:02.27, I really
underestimated him. But 9 guys sub 2:05 is impressive.
Jaxson Hoey does it again! Man this kid is a total stud. I knew
he had it in XC, but I was slightly doubtful that it would translate well on
the track, and I will not do that again. Big time win for the young man in
4:26.81, almost two seconds over Billy Caldwell and Austin Cooper. Really glad
all 3 guys got the SQS. Cooper struggled in the 3k last weekend and I wasn’t
overly impressed with Caldwell in XC, but they both brought it this weekend and
this could be their race. They both are probably in sub 2 shape as well. I like
Watson Hanson got the Q as well, but just barely. I think he and Holm can do
big things in that DMR, as they ran 11:08 on the double (anyone know their 800
leg?, since I assumed Holm runs the 1200). Garton isn’t a big surprise as he’s
more of a 800 guy, but I like the 4:32, that’s a solid mark for him. Ryan Tung continues
to impress running 4:32 as well.
As for Colin Abert he has been extremely sick in the past
few weeks which had led to a rough patch of training. I’m not worried about him
at all as I’m sure he’ll get back in the swing of things. Maybe he won’t make a
huge splash indoors, but I have no doubt he’ll still medal in the Mile.
The 3k came out really well as expected! Big win by Brophy
as he ran 8:58. He was 6th at states, so I guess I shouldn’t have
been so surprised, but out kicking Belfatto is impressive. I’m excited to see
how low he can go and I would love to see he and Hoey battle it out in a 3k
later this season (States???). Behind him Casey Comber ran really strong for
9:02. I’d like to see him get some more speed as the season goes on to help him
medal in the 3k at states, but he’ll be a threat for sure. I’ve been a bit
underwhelmed by Belfatto this season as a whole, and maybe that’s a bit too
critical, but I feel as though he’s got a ton of potential as a 1:57 sophomore
split and then running 9:22 in XC for 2 Miles, but since then he hasn’t shown
nearly as much improvement. Hopefully he can find his niche this season.
Behind them Ryan Grace was solid in 9:13 and maybe at a fast
MoC race he could go sub 9, but I think it’s more likely we’ll see him as a DMR
anchor or possibly in the 4x800. Lapsansky was solid as well in 9:19 in
no-mans-land. Poor Billy McDevitt seemed to be a bit over his head early on and
blew up as a result which is tough, but I’m glad he put himself out there.
On the sprint relay side Cheltenham proved they are back in
business as the spring powerhouse of PA taking down Pennsbury in both the 4x2
and the 4x4 which really impressed me. They’ll be blazing up the track all
season!
On the Distance relay side, I would love to find out how
Penncrest did in the DMR as the DQ’d for Jewelry, which really grinds my gears.
I’m not a fan of the strict rules that are enforced indoors, but what can you
do. If anyone has splits please let me know on the site or through e-mail at fk246898@muhlenberg.edu (this goes
for all races/relays). They had a nice go at the 4x8 state time but just fell
short. Malvern Prep boys got a nice double in as well running 8:36. CRS came up
big for the DMR win in 10:56, but nobody got close to the Q which is a shame.
Not sure who ran for GV, Pennsbury, or NP, but we didn’t see Willig in the 3k
which worries me. I see a lot of potential in these teams, and I believe running
~11:00 in December bodes well for any squad. As I said before I really like
Radnor as well.
--ForrestCRN
I was in the same heat as Penncrest for the 4x8 and my coach had them at: 211, 207, 202, 202
ReplyDeletejust a few observations I made at the meet.
ReplyDeleteHoey's mile was sick. He raced very smart, staying in great position in the lead pack until entering the last lap. His last 200 was in 28, pretty impressive for a distance kid. Also, Caldwell and Cooper ran great races, Caldwell lead part of it and closing fast for a solid 4:28 early on.
The 3k race between Belfatto and Brophy was also fun to watch. Belfatto looked strong, leading most of the race but couldn't keep up with Brophy's monster kick. If Belfatto gets a more competitive race and doesn't have to lead as much as he did he'll have no problem hitting the SQS, which he missed by less than a second.
The 800 was a bit disappointing. Malvern's Ferriallo really got pushed around and eventually he dropped out. I was hoping to see a sub 2 effort out of someone, but Holm still ran well for the win (2:01.02) , followed by solid efforts by O'Connell (2:01.96) and Maddox from DVC (2:02.27). I would've liked to see Sullivan in the fast heat, who cruised a 2:04 in the second heat.
Ferraiolo*
DeleteHoey ran 31 for his last 200. He's more of a speed kid then a distance guy. His Dad was a 1:48 guy for LaSalle and the NYAC. I heard he's going up to Yale to run the Mile with the Henderson guys. Running 4:26 off of 2:16 in his 1st real indoor race at Lehigh is impressive. I can guarantee that he won't run a 3k indoors. He'll run sub 4:18 by States. He's going to be a good one.
ReplyDeleteHoey IS more of a track guy than an XC guy.. It's his brother Josh who is the better XC runner, or at least will be. Trust me on this one
DeletePlease remove most of these comments!
ReplyDeleteWhy?
DeleteWhy indeed. The only offensive comment on this post is the original one that boasts Dads times and makes vague "I Heard" (wink wink) kind of references and arrogant guarantees about a 10th graders times.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard not to hear it when it's mentioned at the family dinner table.
DeleteSo let me get this: a bragging post about some kid and his father's times from decades ago is more offensive than one about defecating? Just checking.
ReplyDeleteFor me it is, only because I defecate every day and pretty much most of the people I know do too. But some old dude living vicariously through his kid and spewing out his times for attention is offensive to me. But that's just me.
DeleteIn Penntrack discussions it looks like another Jaxson "most amazing runner EVER in PA" Hoey promotional posting. Jeez, give it a rest. Don't worry, the college coaches will find him without all of the nauseating hype and spin.
DeleteI saw that and thought the same thing too. It's pretty obvious what is going on here. Maybe they hired a pr firm to promote the kid or something. Poor kid.
DeletePR firm, really?
DeleteMaybe somebody who knows his family pointed out a little something about his genetics. It may have come off as someone boasting about the family, but it was one sentence that was supporting a position on Jaxson's strengths and weaknesses. The whole thing is way overblown; the original comment was about what distances Jaxson would probably be better at based upon his genetics, not a comment on the legacy of Fran Hoey. Relax.
I just read that Penn Track stuff and vomited all over my keyboard. One of the things I love about running is most guys are pretty humble. Now I feel like I'm back in little league when some kid who is either heavier than others or grew tall sooner hit a bunch of home runs and his parents had him tagged for the MLB.
DeleteCute how the parents or PR firm made up a fake user name and added the numbers 96 after it to make it sound like a high schooler born in 1996 writing up all that hype. Then a subsequent post about the 3000 to make it appear unbiased but they still couldn’t hold back another shameless plug.
DeleteOh man, what a neurotic tool. Shame is that little Jackxson will be the one to endure the embarrassment of his old mans nauseating bragging. It kind of diminishes his achievements.
DeleteThat school is for jocks with a big goal of getting college athletic scholarships...though very very few pan out.
DeleteThe Hoeys train with us a bit in the summer and I've known Fran for a long time. The boys are well-mannered, hard working kids. I seriously doubt that his parents would, or need to, hype Jaxson up on HS message boards. His performance speaks for itself.
DeleteCoach Kelly
And he's only a soph-2 1/2 more years of this crap.
DeleteMalvern prep is exactly how you described it. Pricey with mediocre academics.
Guys, I think we need to address the real elephant in the room. Is that RJJL admitting that he really is Henderson's Kevin Kelly? And if so what other things are people willing to come clean about? Will the Cardinal O'Hara boys admit to trading illegal Pokemon cards? Will RTJ start putting his money where his mouth is? Will Don Rich ditch running coverage to analyze competitive curling during the Olympics?
DeleteHaha if I put money where my mouth is... I'd problem win a lot more than I lose #FantasyXcChampion
Delete-RTJ
That Penntrack comment is dumb. Who refers to a track meet as a 'talent showcase' other than someone trying to sell something (or someone)? I hope this sport doesn't turn into "it's all about me" like some of the bigger sports.
DeleteNobody is attacking the kid, his behavior or talent. In fact, I feel sorry for him. I believe Coach K. speaking up for him. What is obnoxious, however, is this onslaught of overly-researched, manipulating, well-placed comments all but declaring him the best thing to hit high school running ever.
DeleteThat kind of aggressive sales job is not really welcome in the running environment especially at the high school level, where many kids are still just figuring it all out. And it seems pretty obvious that the comments on here and Penntrack were written by the same person-someone who has a very keen interest or investment perhaps, in this kids future success. Whatever, it's despicable.
This snow storm must be spreading a bit of cabin fever because a few posters seem slightly agitated. I can see why though, that Penn Track post is a bit over the top. Just my opinion, but it’s not really the type of promotion we’re accustomed to in running circles. The person who wrote that seems like someone who just bought a Penn Track subscription yesterday, did some minimal research and used it to make their point. The fact that James and Ritz were mentioned yet they overlooked Brehm (who only ran a 4:09 as a sophomore) makes it seem like someone with minimal running knowledge who maybe thought this would help get the kid noticed or maybe put his school on the running map. I doubt any other runners will hold it against him other than a good humored joke or two on a starting line.
DeleteI agree with Coach Kelly’s post above, his performance speaks for itself. He’s definitely someone with the potential to be among the best in the state. That video on Penn Track of the finish at the Deuce at Singer Farm shows he’s got the guts and drive in addition to the talent.
- RJJL
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that most of you who are commenting can't say they own a state medal. That's all I have to say.
DeleteAnd im going to go out on a limb and say that you don't own any state medals too. am i right or am i right
DeleteState medals are overrated, it's all about who went 1:48 back in the day.
DeleteI'm gonna go out on a limb, and probably break the limb and fall because it can't support my weight.
DeleteOr Gene will push you off.........anybody get that one?
DeleteOf course I understand my "A Separate Peace" references. What do I look like to you, a simpleton?
DeleteAnd THIS is why I love padontplay.
ReplyDeleteI wish you could like comments on here....hook us up forrest!
ReplyDeleteStill waiting on part 2-3-4?
ReplyDeleteSame here.
Delete