Lots of killer stuff from States yesterday. Congratulations
to everyone who ran. Huge shoutout to Jake Brophy on killing the course record
and props to Kevin James and Andrew Marston who also broke the old course
record. I’m going to do some more individual analysis in a post sometime in the
next few days, but for now here is my team analysis.
Update: I wrote up a short post about A and AA and have added it to the bottom, so be sure to check it out as well.
1.
North Allegheny 72
Congrats to North Allegheny on a
well-deserved win! They not only won, they won handily, by a little under 50
points. The McGoey-Wharrey combo up front went very well as they took 3 and 5
in the team race. Then Seel and Stupak followed it up by coming in well at 15
and 21. Jacob Stupak ran very well and posted a great time for himself. And in
5th Zach Deible did well to take the 28th spot in the
team race. While the team race looked a little weaker this year compared to the
individual side, North Allegheny ran hard, got the job done, and now can enjoy
having another State champion team.
2.
Conestoga 119
I wrote in my preview they had yet to put
it all together for one good day in my opinion. Well they certainly had that
good day. Marston ran great to take 3rd overall, and then Murray,
Nelson and Cruickshank packed it in for 24, 25 and 26 points respectively. That
plus their 5-7 were in within 5 seconds of each other at 17:09 to :14. A top
gun in Marston combined with good pack running powered Conestoga to a runner up
finish.
3.
Cardinal O’Hara 134
The two James’ (Kevin and Ryan) and Rob
Morro combined for 23 points, actually tied with NA’s 1-3. They got hurt in 4
and 5 a little bit though as they had at the District 12 race, with Pastore and
Nolen earning 111 points combined. But overall a solid finish for this squad and
another year for them in the top 3 of the state.
4.
Downingtown West 152
They really managed to turn it around from
Districts to States, beating out three of the teams who they had lost to at
Lehigh last week. Henry Sappey grabbed himself a medal to cap off his breakout
year while the whole squad ran generally well to get 5 guys at 50 points and
under.
5.
Easton Area 201
Oh how a good 1-2 punch can work wonders.
Colin Abert and Kevin Lapansky earning 15 points between the two of them makes
them the third best 1-2 combo in the state (behind McGoey-Wharrey and
James-James). Meanwhile their 5th man placed 96th in the
team scoring, and the next-highest-placed team to have a 5th man earn
more than 96 points was Carlisle in 14th place. However a
front-running 1-2 with a good-but-not-great 3-5 is how this team has been running
successfully all year, and it worked out again since being a top 5 team in the
State is an accomplishment.
Other notes:
Central Bucks West and Cumberland Valley
both had nice races for 6th and 7th respectively. Both
teams lacked true top guns scoring under 10 points, but they made up for it
with solid packs. Cumberland Valley looks like they only lose their #1 Quinn
Wasko next year, so they’ll be a team on the rise to watch for. WC Henderson
took 8th, but that isn’t fair to the good race they ran. Alex Knapp
and Spencer Smucker earned medals (Smucker was the top freshman in the race)
and Swart and Berkman also had good races. Unfortunately Barchet did not run
well, whether that was a fall or sickness, but if you depending where you put
him if he ran with Swart and Smucker as he usually does, Henderson moves up
from 8th to 3rd or 4th.
Here are some quick results and thoughts about the A and AA
races on Saturday.
A
Individuals:
Griffin Molino grabs the win in 15:46 to finish off (not including post-season)
what has been a fine season for him. That time scared the old course record
before it was broken a couple of hours later, and was fourth fastest on the
day, proving Molino is among the best in the state right now and will be in the
discussions around nationals. Sebastian Curtin had a good day to take runner up
in a time of 15:58, which is quite fast for him. In third was sophomore Griffin
Mackey in 16:09 as he was leading the way for Sewickley Academy to a second
place team finish. He’s shown good progress this year and could be a name to
look for in the 3200 come spring time. Rounding out the top 5 were Will Loevner
of Winchester Thurston and Colten Trimble of South Side both in 16:23.
Teams: Winchester
Thurston takes a solid win with 65 points. They had two top guys in Will
Loevner and Ben Littman and packed in 3 through 5, putting together some decent
times. After losing to Sewickley Academy by 20 points at WPIAL champs, they bounced
back well and put all five in front of Sewickley’s #3. Sewickley Academy came
in a respectable second followed by Northeast Bradford in third. Sewickley was
helped along by Griffin Mackey and Pieter Hansen combining for 14 points up
front to Northeast Bradford’s 26 and Sewickley’s fourth guy beat out Northeast
Bradford’s by 10 spots to secure runner up for Sewickley.
AA
Individuals:
Favorite Dominic Hockenbury is AA champion. He won in a time of 16:01, 9
seconds faster than he had run at Foundation, and while it isn’t sub-16 like
the other race winners, it’s still a good time for the course. Last year he
took 21st at Foot Locker regionals (.4 seconds behind Dominic Deluca
and .5 seconds ahead of Andrew Marston for reference) and I think this year he’s
aiming to improve on that mark. After Jack DiCintio lost to Daniel Green by 14
seconds at Hershey for Districts, a bold strategy worked well for him as he got
out well and held off Green at the end for 2nd place while Green
took 3rd in times of 16:14 and :15. Both solid performances to cap
off good years for these guys. Then was Simon Smith in 4th in 16:18
and Kyle Shinn in 5th with a time of 16:26.
Teams: Entering
the race York Suburban and Grove City had both just come off dominating wins in
their respective district races. 1-3 both teams were close with scores of 35-37
York Suburban, but York Suburban came away with the win thanks to stronger 4-5
guys, winning the title by 31 points. A senior-heavy Scranton Prep ran well for
third, using the familiar formula of two top guys (Ben Evans and Kyle Perry)
followed by a tight 3-5 pack.
-Cummings
Chris, you picked WCH 4th and they finished 8th. You can’t use if’s to justify a pick after the fact. That’s like saying if LaSalle ran better they’d have been 2nd, or if Stoga ran worse they’d have been 5th or if my aunt had nuts she’d be my uncle. WCH lacked depth and couldn’t cover a bad day from one of their top 4. All 4 came through at Chestmonts and Districts so odds were at least one would have a rough day on the state course after that tough three meet stretch.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, great job by Barchet to finish, we’ve all been there and it sucks but if you can get across the line, you do it.
It actually looks like the Henderson guys did have a good day, except for Barchet. I think #2,3,4 outperformed their expectations and 5& 6 really hung in there. But hey, it's the way the of the sport-not everyone is going to be at their best all the time.
DeleteI think if WCH's top 5 all ran well, a 1st or 2nd place finish for Henderson was out, and 3rd was possible but very unlikely.
DeleteIt all hinged on their top 5 running great at the same time. 6 of the 7 all PR'd for the Hershey course, even Knapp. If Barchet ran as he had all year, 4th was a lock. But once Barchet had his troubles, 8th is very respectable since 6 of the 7 had never run Hershey before.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda. That's why they run the race on grass rather than on paper.
6/7 ran Hershey for the first time. So of course they ran their best time on Hershey. If knapp did his best too, how did you get 6/7?
DeleteAgree you can't play the if game. Because if OH's 4/5 were 25 seconds behind Morro like most of the year then OH gets 72 and N/A would have had 74.
DeleteKind of funny how the original poster (DWest) slights Henderson as a team but then gives an "atta boy" to Barchet fully knowing that if Barchet doesn't "quit" Henderson beats DWest.
Delete^He finished, right? I heard he fell then I heard he didn't. So what's the story there?
DeleteHe did not fall, but he did finish in last place. I have no idea what could have happened to him.
Delete^ He had a bad day, it happens. And it takes balls to finish last when a DNF is an option.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Delete^ I heard he saved Brophy from a mountain lion thereby ensuring one of the best performances in PA history.
Delete^Maybe, but it sure didn't do anything for his own performance.
DeleteTHIS OR THAT ,school size or coaching the same schools year after year show up at states (n/a,ohara,cv,and so on)
ReplyDeleteAnalysis of my predictions and thoughts of the race.
ReplyDelete1. Brophy- Although I picked Abert to win in 15:46 it did not surprise me that Brophy won given the fact that he pulled off a 15:08 and 15:11the past 2 meets. In fact had James or Marston won, it would have not surprise me. What was a SHOCKER was the winning time. I didn’t think anyone in the next decade could go under 15:35 but he totally destructed it. This is the best performance I’ve seen ever in PA XC.
2. James: I had him #2 in 15:51. As usual a clutch performance. It took an pa XC all time best ever performance to keep him from winning a gold. No reason to be disappointed. He should advance in NXN
3. Marston: I had him #3 at 15:54. I thought he would peak well and proved it. I hope he competes in FL or NXN.
4. Abert: He ran 15:47 and he was probably slightly off. I’m sure he is disappointed but hey to run 1 sec off the previous record is a feat. I think he will bounce back. I honestly think he is still the top PA runner. He will do well in FL and I believe he can medal at nationals.
5. McGoey: I had him #5 at 16:01. He needed to race wisely to keep his team in contention and he did just that. Kudos to him.
6. Comber: Had him at #6 in 16:02. I had him a few seconds behind Brophy. Boy I was wrong. Still a nice way to cap off the season.
7. Webb: Had him at #9 in 16:07. I stated that he might be slightly outside of top 5. Gutsy runner and didn’t surprise me with a strong finish.
8. Wharrey: I had him slightly outside top 10 about 10 sec behind McGoey. I saw him working with McGoey to help the team out. Clutch performance.
9. Brehm: I had him at #8 at 16:05. I didn’t know where to put him but I thought he had to be in top 10. This guy is really a track guy and it’s scary what this guy can do indoors/outdoors.
10. Sappey: I had him in top 15 (next to Knapp). The top ten surprised me but cracking 16:10 was even more of a surprise.
Team Prediction;
1. NA: I had them winning. They performed much better than expected
2. Conestoga: I had them #2. Then experience really helped this team. I hope they compete in NXN
3. COH: Had them at # 3. Played out as expected. I was hoping Pastore would come back but but it’s tough to get back from being injured.
4. DW: I had them #7. Did not see this coming. I thought they were a year away, but they Stepped up big time. Should be title contender next year.
5. Easton: Didn’t see this coming but kudos to them.
CBW: I thought they could be a sleeper. I wonder if going out fast may have hurt them. But hey, they tried and you never know unless you try. #6 is a Great way to cap off the season.
Congrats to all runners/teams who made it this far. Good well done.
Abert tweeted "time for a break" after the state meet. So, unfortunately we may not see him do anymore on the grass this year.
ReplyDeleteHe meant as in a short break. Like a couple days off. He's been running hard all season, so it's a good thing that he's taking off to rejuvenate his legs.
ReplyDeleteWhose running FL?
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to Lasalle?
ReplyDeleteUhh they were never that great in the first place. They were overrated. They lost to WCH, DWest, and York Suburban at Carlisle, and if I remember correctly, neither WCH or DWest ran very well at that race.
DeleteThey had a tough day, but honestly they were only 30 some points out of 5th place. With the pack style running they do just moving the pack up 5 or 6 places would result in about a bigger change in team score. But overall they didn't have any front runners to get a low score at states. A few good young runners should be able to lead a top 5-7 team next season
DeleteLaSalle will be back next year, another year older and wiser. Keep an eye on them, Dwest isn't a sure thing. - JEB
DeleteNothing is a sure thing, but you can usually count on a DWest collapse. They can't handle the big leagues...never have, even with great runners.
DeleteI forget, how many State championships has DWest won now?
Delete2015 & 2016
Delete^ I won't hold my breath.
DeleteFourth place at States isn't the big leagues? But the past is the past and the future is not yet written. And that writing will be done on the hills next year...
ReplyDeleteFourth place anywhere is 3rd loser.
Delete^ Then 8th place is more than double the loser of 4th.
DeleteThat's right! Since you're obviously such a math wiz, how many XC State Championships does DWest have again?
DeleteTwo, 2015 & 2016.
DeleteHaha. Dream on. Your math is better than your reading skills. The question was obviously present tense not wannabe tense. Octorara will be a state champion before DWest is. They will blow it...again.
DeleteIf 4th place is 3rd loser, than 8th place is 7th. 7 is more than double that of 3rd. The mathematics department at Dwest is excellent, too bad some nearby schools need improvement.
DeleteUm, it would be 7th loser. And your point, genius?
DeleteIs Dwest or Stoga going to regionals?
DeleteWith all due respect, 4th place at states is just that-4th place. Most people have no recollection of who was 4th any year, let alone who was 2nd. It is not "big leagues". What, are you going to show up to regionals ready to take down CBA? I doubt it, because those guys, are big leagues.
DeleteIf they have the kind of day NA had at states, where everyone PR's, then Dwest would have a shot at regionals, there's alot of potential on that team. Their DMR indoors will be sick.
DeleteAs if.
DeleteDWest and WCH are so evenly matched I don't think either team can declare superiority over the other. The results PROVE this.
ReplyDelete* Carlisle - they tied but Dwest beats WCH on tie break
* Dual meet - WCH wins (I guess WCH is better straight head to head)
*ChesMonts - Dwest wins by 2 pts.
*Districts - WCH ahead of DWest by 67 pts.
*States - Dwest ahead of WCH by 56 its.
*Regionals - TBD but it looks like it WCH's turn to be on the upside of the see-saw.
It looks like Dwest peaked better for states and they're on a roll. It may be a few years before WCH rebuilds enough to challenge.
DeleteDWest guys fight like 7th grade girls. This Is tiresome. Can we move on now?
DeleteWCH is not used to being beneath DWest.(Is anybody?). This years State meet was a blip and everyone knows had Barchet not had his issues-he uncharacteristically finished dead last-the story would be very different and Dwest would probably finish 5th overall. But I get it, that's not what happened and that's XC. Just keep a lid on your cockiness boys. It aint over.
ReplyDeleteIf not for an injury to one of Rustin's top 5 Dwest wouldn't even have made it to states.
DeleteNoone cares both got smoked by North Allegheny
ReplyDeleteN/A only won because it's a rebuilding year for those programs, next year NA will be a memory, Dwest may put 5 in before their 1st.
Delete^This. You look like fools bragging about 4th or 8th place at States. Shut up and when you actually win something like States or Regionals, then I'll listen.
DeleteNorth Allegheny had the fastest team average ever on the states course. Even if it was a rebuilding year for some schools North Allegheny was just a really good team. North Allegheny's 4-5 were better than Dwest's 3 and North Allegheny's six would have been fourth on Dwest. There is no way Dwest puts 5 in front of North Allegheny's first next year.
DeleteIf NA had to compete in Chesmonts and D1 things may have been different. This is the best league and toughest district in PA. The competition and road to states is more demanding and Dwest is right in the think of that. Next year though they should be able to cruise through chesmonts and rest up for D1 and States like WCH did the last two years.
DeleteDoes this circle jerk ever stop?
DeleteDon't ever recall so much hype for a 4th place finisher at States.
The 2011 WCH team finished 5th but got a lot of hype because they were young and had so much potential. It turned out to be justified as they won the next two. We could see a similar scenario except a little more dominating.
DeleteMid Penn is a better conference than Chesmonts, and NA has won 10 straight D7 titles they dont rebuild they reload and im sure they will be in state title contention next year. Dwest will likely choke
Delete^^Not really about WCH. They finished 5th and the expectations were realistically that they would likely improve with such a young team. Not excessive like this DW level of chatter is. They should likely improve as well as a few other "young" teams. Where the reshuffling of the deck places them or anyone else next year, who knows? There will be more than a few teams to give them a serious run.
Delete^ Most teams don't return the talent and depth that Dwest will. Maybe NA pieces something together, but Stoga is done, OH is done, WCH is rebuilding. Only CV has something that could challenge them but chances are they're a distant 2nd.
DeleteCB west?
DeleteOhara and henderson are never done
Delete^so true.
DeleteBy the way, WCH is in full recruiting mode right now. If any quality 8th graders would lime to relocate to HAnderson, please see coach Kelly. He has some free t shirts that may influence your decision.
DeleteAlso if any parents with quality CC backgrounds would like to move to West Chester and sire cc offspring please forward your running resume and a DNA sample to the Henderson AD. We will return to you a free t shirt.
Thankful.
It's more than t-shirts and don't think people aren't aware of what's going on over there, the connections and the strings being pulled.
DeleteBu*!@S*#t. How does this story keep getting generated? Obviously by envious, sorry clowns who had the misfortune to live just outside the boundary for Henderson. You are the same conspiracy theory, scandal-sucking nitwits who were convinced the world was going to end 2 years ago too, weren't you?
DeleteSuckas, you'll believe anything.
O'Hara recruits because they can. So does Malvern and I heard the Hoey boys run with Kelly's team sometimes but actually live in DWest area?
Delete^^^ You're right. Rumor has it they got socks this year also!
DeleteSeriously you would have to be a knucklehead to think a public school recruits. Most of the kids that have run for Henderson were born and grew up in the school district. Its actually a great compliment to coach Kelly to make these baseless accusations.
^^if ohara can recruit than why are they allowed to compete in the piaa, seems unfair doesnt it?
DeleteI typically don't let things on these blogs bother me but this is something that does... At Ohara we aren't aloud to recruit at all coach Kennedy has never recruited an athlete and never will he actually thinks it's stupid to recruit high school kids... Just had to get that off of my chest
Delete-Kevin James
Ohara can't recruit technically. However, what's to stop a kid from saying "hey, this private school has a much better team than my public school, and they compete against the same schools, I should go there." That's why I don't think private schools should compete in the PIAA
Delete^ Is that what Smart did?
DeleteNo Smart, no national champion DMR.
Delete^^^word.
DeleteOhara is doing nothing wrong, but should be an independent league team, as should every private school because of the reason made clear by the poster r comments above.
DeleteChange "r" to four in the comment above.
DeleteWith all due respect Kevin James, I have been to the cyo meets where your esteemed Coach Kennedy is indeed, recruiting. I know this personally because I am a parent of a runner who he attempted to recruit. But also my sons friend was successfully recruited to O'Hara where he currently runs. I see no harm in this as kids are now able to choose for the most part, which school they attend within the archdiocese. You don't really need to defend this practice as it is commonly accepted.
DeletePublic Schools recruit too. It happens all the time in basketball and in cross country look at Coatsville and NA. And lets get serious, people aren't choosing to go to a school because they heard they have a good xc program when they're are in 8th grade!! That's not a major factor at that point. The only way someone is recruited is if they get a scholarship which is not happening anywhere at the high school level
Delete-Joel Embiid
Joel, parents make the decisions for an 8th grader and any parent who has a kid break 5:00 in 8th grade thinks they're raising an Olympian who will get a full college ride. They'll do crazy things to see junior be the best.
DeleteYou're right, they do. But I honestly never heard of any runner in Chesmonts who was recruited to a public school. I've been around a while and seen a lot. I know coaches sometimes attempt to recruit a kid from another sport but it's all in house. I know Russell moved because of his mother's position at West Chester University. People make life changes all the time. It's not as sinister as you would have it be. You could likely build a case for anything - the so called evidence posted on here is flimsy at best.
DeleteI didn't say it was sinister. But some parents do go overboard. But if I got a job in West Chester and had a kid who had running potential I'd consider moving into WCH territory. If I had a hockey kid I'd consider Rustin territory. Who wouldn't want to give a kid their best chance for success. But recruiting? it's an annual controversy on the blogs that seems to keep people occupied between seasons, along with the earlier PEDs discussion. Clearly if WCH and O'Hara recruited, they'd have been a little deeper this year.
DeleteYou guys do realize that Joel Embiid is an nba player right?
DeleteRecruiting definitely happens at private and Catholic schools. I know of two cases specifically. It's not hard to discern. When a freshman stud from a public school shows up at a private school as sophomore, or when a stud 8th grader from public school shows up at McDonogh as a freshman, you don't have to be a genius to figure out what happened. It was the original reason for the "independent league". It was supposed to isolate schools that recruited from public schools.
DeleteBut public schools recruiting from other public schools is pure myth. They have nothing to dangle to lure students.
You're right its got to be so easy to recruit kids to private school in these economic times with the absurd prices of catholic schools. I'm sure parents are dying to pay over 10 grand a year to send their kids to school to run cross country. Also there is nothing wrong with coaches saying at an open house or event hey if you'd like we'd love to have you on our team. THATS NOT RECRUITING. Recruiting is when you get offered money to play and incentives/ grants to come run for their program and no catholic school is dishing out bills for high school cross country. Also no kid or parent really thinks "oh im gonna go pay a ton of money to go and run cross country at that school and one day make the Olympics because they have a good program" nobody thinks that way for cross country since there is no money in the sport and at best you will get a scholarship for college if you are lucky. You're just angry that your school has a bad coach and there are better coaches somewhere else. Its cross country no one cares about going to a school based on their xc programs in 8th grade. Also its a crapshoot at the time since kids are still growing and you never know exactly if a kids going to be good or not based off 8th grade so its not even worth recruiting since you never know whats going to happen to them.The good kids are also typically good athletes who are looking to play other sports and end up falling back to xc and track because they do not want to be on the bench or even get cut. Im not saying that it doesn't happen for sports like Football, Lacrosse, and Basketball but its not happening for xc. All you have to do is look at the development of all their runners from freshman year to senior year to understand that it is not in fact recruiting but more in fact coaching that has caused the runners to make the strides they make.
Delete-Joel
Also Myth for public school transfers? Look at the Dawsons of 06 and Steiner of 2010 in NA that's not a myth those were legit transfers to other public school for xc
Delete-Joel
Remember the Wellington Zaza saga-3 public high schools in as many years. that's a lot for any 20 year old to hamdle(and yes, he admitted to being that old in high school). How the hell did that happen, btw?
DeleteOr I think this year there were a lot of transfers to the Philly charter school, Robeson, to follow the coach.
But I am certain Russell falling into the XC program at Henderson was a happy accident. Kid had never even run XC before so you tell me, who would even know to recruit him? Kevin Kelly is good at sniffing out talent but not that good. His parents persuaded him from participating in high school football because they feared his size would keep him injured and/or on the bench all the time.
The Dawsons were living with one of their parents in Dtown and going to Cville. Got busted by the school district and were forced to go to DTW for a 1/4. Fixed the living arrangements and went back to Cville. They actually wanted to go back to Cville in the middle of the season, but the coach said that he wouldn't let them run if they came mid-season.
DeleteJoel, I was not referring only to XC in my post ^^^^^ above. Yes in XC recruiting is unlikely as runners don't really shine until they are sophomores usually. But in sports that kids play since they were 7, like wrestling, soccer, lacrosse, football, baseball; private schools definitely recruit. And it is done by reduced tuition, just like colleges do. Again this was the entire reasoning behind the "Independent School League". Both in PA and Ohio and I'm sure other states as well. Everyone knows which schools recruit, so they isolate these schools in their own league so that public schools that get whatever gene pool just happens to flow their way don't have to compete with the schools that do recruit.
DeleteAnything happening a the public school level is not done with cash or tuition since there is none. Maybe rarely done for coaching, but not for compensation. XC and track are probably the only sports that are not recruited as they generate little revenue and are difficult to identify talent at the Middle School level.
Ok here is how it is, Ohara and any other school like that do not recruit in terms of the actual definition of giving money to compete, however they offer a much better program and maybe a better school. So a kid would be much more inclined to go there, which means they have a unique selling point that the majority of public school programs do not. Exceptions being programs like NA, Henderson and CRN.
DeleteSo, here is what it boils down to, is the unique selling point a school like Ohara has enough to be considered an advantage like recruiting, even though they do not recruit? And if yes, should they be put in to the independent league? or is that advangage too small and they remain in the PCL?
So in really simple terms it is,
1. Does an advantage exist at schools like Ohara?
2. If that advantage exists, is it big enough to push them into the independent league?
I think that they do have an advantage with what they can offer, especially considering there are no school boundaries either, not anyone can go to henderson or NA, they would have to move. But I still really dont know if that should push them into the independent league.
There are other ways to compensate recruits without compensating recruits. Connections, favors, secret handshakes, influence. If done properly it's not even against the rules if done. Colleges have been doing it for years, and many high schools too.
Delete^Yeah, like that whopping 10% discount Coach Kelly offers at his store?
DeleteO'Hara maybe offers an advantage because they have a solid running program in place. Looking at their academic profile, they are not really even as good as say, Henderson and they don't offer as much in the way of AP classes either, so I do not think that would be a major factor. Although some parents probably prefer that homogeneous, catholic school environment where religion is emphasized.
The archdioceses does offer tuition assistance to families so I guess that could be tortured in a way to recruit, but there is no proof of that. Schools like Malvern and GF can wave money in front of kids but I doubt it with Catholic schools.
all west chester high school kids get 10% off at kevin kelly's store.
Delete^ we know. think it was intended as a joke.
DeleteYou may have more of a point if NA were from like District 8 or 9 or something. D1 may be the toughest in PA but D7 is no joke
ReplyDeletethat was supposed to be in the above threat
Deletewow guys 1am? smh
DeleteIt's the offseason, fuck it
DeleteAfter about 10 minutes of research I have found proof that there is an extremely good chance that Tony Russell lives in exton station, which is a development of townhouses that sends 100% of its students to west chester east. The only way this could be untrue is if he was living with a relative that lives inside the west chester henderson zone. If this is the case then there is no argument. However if the latter is untrue, lets look at the facts:
ReplyDelete1. On his penn state sports bio, he lists that he is the son of Tammy Russell and Anthony Russell.
2. There is a Tammy Russell and Anthony Russell that are listed at the same address on whitepages.
3.This address is 140 weedon court, which is in exton station.
Seems kind of fishy doesnt it? If you do not believe me, my sources are listed below. I am trying to put some truth to the henderson recruiting/string pulling argument, I hope that
this turns out to be nothing because coach kelly and the henderson program are very respectible and bring a great name to pa distance running.
http://www.gopsusports.com/sports/c-
track/mtt/anthony_russell_909919.html
http://www.whitepages.com/name/Anthony-R-Russell/West-Chester-PA/42yac3i
http://www.whitepages.com/name/Tammy-A-Russell/State-College-PA/42yac6w
So let me get this straight. So your gripe is that Tony Russell finished his senior year at the high school that developed his talent rather than attending WCE? And this is your conspiracy? What about all the other guys at WCH the past 10 years? WCH developed all other them.
DeleteNo, my gripe is that he moved in to the school district before high school, or already lived in exton station and then went to henderson instead of west chester east. If he already went to henderson than he should have stayed there if he moved. Without russell, henderson is definitley not 2012 and maybe not 2013 state champs.
DeleteThis has The Mighty Ducks written all over it
DeleteYour links are inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteThe Russells moved to Exton station summer before Tony's senior year(they no longer reside there, btw). Prior to that they lived within the Henderson boundary. It is not at all unusual for any student in the West Chester area school district to be given permission to complete their senior year at the school they attended for the past 3 years. In fact, it happens all the time is various school districts-yes, even Downingtown as I have a family member who moved from East territory to West and was given permission to stay at East.
And for the record, Tony was not the only senior in his graduating class to be given the same consideration.
Now get a life.
Alright first of all they are not inapropriate, they are websites anyone can go to. And It was really easy to find that information, like I said, it took me about 10 mins.
DeleteThank you for the information, I was only pointing something out that didn't seem right. If what you said is true than that is great that Russell and henderson are legit. However, IF Henderson did pull something (which I think they are not) I and everyone else would like to know about it.
I also have a criticism of your argument. I do not know if what you said is true, but whitepages does not list a past address for the parents in the henderson zone. This does not mean what you said is not true. Unless you show you are connected with Russell and not some person defending him, how can anyone take your word for it when you have no sources, while I have reliable sources. Personally I believe what you said, it is entirely reasonable, but how does I or anyone else know you aren't the henderson AD or anyone else on this planet.
What about the job?
DeleteThis is so stupid. Henderson is a public school and is treated like any other public school.
Delete^How would you know?
DeleteTony still reads these blogs. Let's just ask him.
DeleteTony how many free t shirts did the Henderson AD send James R. Scanlon to get this deal done?
Was it limited to just T shirts or were socks and pehaps water bottles also involved?
I can see the headlines in the back pages of the Daily Local now. Waterbottlegate!
It was pure coincidence that a top 8th grade talent moved into the boundaries of a top public school program right before high school started. The odds were only about 50,000/1.
DeleteAre those really the odds?
DeleteHave you done the statistical analysis to support that?
^ yes. I actually came up with 51,755 to 1 but decided to round down.
Delete^^ To what top 8th grade talent are you referring to?
Delete^^^^ Hey don't sell this guys idea short. I personally saw the quality of the T-Shirts and water bottles given to the Russell family. It was very compelling.
DeleteWATERBOTTLEGATE!
^^ Relax Mr. S., they're talking about Russell and how his family moved from central PA to WCH.
DeleteSo post your personal information on here then. You hide behind anonymous and yet feel emboldened to post personal date such as addresses on here?
ReplyDeleteI personally know the Russells and I have been to their home when they lived in Indian King(look that up genius) as well as the Exton Station address. Indian King is 100% WCH territory and is about 2 miles from Exton Station. Your are making salacious accusations.
If someone chooses to move into an area for whatever reason, that is their prerogative. Give it up and do your homework, Matlock.
1. I dont have to give out any personal information because I have facts that support what I am saying, your whole argument is based off the fact that you know tony russell, so therefore you would have to state your info and prove that you know him to be credible, I would not.
Delete2. Information is not personal if anyone can find it in 10 minutes on the internet.
3. I stated that I personally do not think that anything shady went down and that what you say is true.
However, you have no facts to back it up and there is a very plausible argument against you.
4. You dont seem to want to give out your name, so do not criticize me for not giving out my name when you are not giving out yours, on which your entire argument depends.
5. You can't seem to find any information about what you are saying is true, if you are going to make accusations at least back them up.
What are those facts you have?
DeleteSounds like there are many holes in your fact sheet.
Those facts are that tony russell's parent lived or currently live in wce territory, above there are links posted to all of the information.
DeleteIt would be so cool if you could rig that tone from Law and Order to accompany your posts. So cool.
DeleteYou people need to get a life instead of finding excuses of why such and such a team recruited cheated or what not. Henderson and o Hara are traditional state powers and will continue to be. The past is the past get over it and move on. There is no evidence what so ever to support your claim
ReplyDelete^ the smoking gun is there, people just need to piece it together.
DeleteNo one cares your just trying to stir the pot get a life
DeleteThe rumor started a couple of years ago from some kid at North Penn when Hough went to WCH. He claimed parents were given jobs through connections.in order to relocate their family to WCH. This was the year after NA got Steiner somehow and won states so WCH was supposedly playing their game or something. Whatever the story, it was ridiculous then and it's ridiculous now.
DeleteOP, there actually is, his parents are listed at an address in exton station, look above for links to the information.
DeleteThe Haugh family had a connection from GOD himself! Smoking Gun
Deletelink attached.
https://www.epaumc.org/southeast/welcome-greetings-southeast-district-superintendent-thomas-c-haugh
Follow the money
DeleteNitwits. The Russells lived in Exton station for 1 year, while Tony finished his senior year and they were waiting for their new home to be finished. Before that it was in Indian King for 3 years. Wow, so controversial. Yawn.
DeleteAnd below this character has stated he does not at all implicate the Russells in any wrongdoing, it's the mighty evil Henderson. But if this whole conspiracy theory you created isn't a backhanded indictment of them, I don't know what is. Dude, you're calling them out for being complaisant in conspiring to cheat the system in some way. That's a serious accusation my man. Word of advice: think this stuff through before you hit "publish".
The point is, there is evidence against him and no one has been able to produce anything disproving it.
DeleteDisproving what? First of all, I'm pretty sure no one except you gives a flying f@*k. Secondly, how long has it been since you stopped taking your medication?
DeleteThe point is they are also listed in a directory in State College, PA. at some point. If you are not willing to check this out with people who could easily disprove your accusations, then shut up. Have you confronted any of them? The Russells? The West Chester School district? Kevin Kelly? If not, then shut up. You are not doing your due diligence. You're just hiding behind anonymous whining about some make-believe. And I'm serious about the medication thing.
The address listed in state college is a past address and is for his parents not tony, obviuosly he is residing at psu main campus right now.
DeleteNo I have not confronted any of those listed.
No one can disprove the fact that Russell's parents are listed under a current address in exton station, with no past addresses in indian king. And no one can prove that they know russell because, they like me, and you and the other 99% of this blog are anonymous. If you scroll up there are links posted to the information if you do not believe me.
If Henderson would go to all the hassle of arranging for Tony Russell to go to their school, wouldn't it be really stupid for them to have a house in WCE territory. If you're gonna cheat the system ya gotta go all out.
Delete^maybe they already moved.
DeleteI possess directories from Henderson for the past 6 years. Russells address did indeed change in 12th grade. But it appears it was the same address 9,10, 11 grades and I know that address because I have friends on the same street. Sorry to tell you it is in the Henderson boundary.
DeleteGreat, if you could post a picture of that on photobucket or something, it would maybe clear up the doubt, however, if henderson knew they were covering this up, why would they publish something that directly (pun intended) uncovered it up.
DeleteI'm going to leave them near the grassy knoll......Dun-Dun.(to the sound of Law & Order 2 tone)
DeleteNew to this thread so ho easy on me please. I know Tammy and Anthony Russell. They do not deserve to be scrutinized like this, especially since they did nothing wrong.
ReplyDeleteYou must have a lot of time on your hands to make such an issue out of nothing. You agreed that a previous dissenting voice was probably correct yet to continue to beat this dead horse.
I am not at liberty to divulge personal information about friends but be assured, you are way off. The person who explained their status moving from their home most definitely in Henderson's boundary to Exton Square was correct. Since you are so curious and resourceful, reach out to the Russells yourself. Or request an inquiry from the west chester school district or hire a private investigator. You will be proven wrong 3x over.
I am not scrutinizing Russell's parents or him, rather the actions of henderson. If I were offered such a deal, I think I would take it. Once again I state that I think there was no foul play, but facts are facts and if him and his parents live at this address in exton station, it is wrong for him to go to henderson.
DeleteFYI, I spent about 10 minutes of perusing to find this information, it was very easy to find.
I hope I do not offend the parents but I think Henderson is in the wrong here.
And if you are the other person arguing with me, this is ridiculous, if not thenk you for your concern.
And as for hiring an investigator, I am not doing that.
Delete1. I am not wasting money on something like this.
2. I have a life.
3. The goal of this is so that someone may notice and possibly take action if they look into it and there is some truth.
And just another point, in everything I am saying I use the word "if" a lot, I never said that what I claimed was definite, rather it is speculation. However it is speculation with information, not the jibber jabber that has been thrown around in the past.
What about the jobs?
DeleteHere is the sad reality that proves your accusations false. Nobody gives a damn about XC. XC is a terrible spectator sport that does not even charge money to watch. At Henderson, the school and students barely care about XC or track for that mater. Morning announcements of state qualifiers and placers is met with yawns and indifference. Just what type of financial motives do you think are involved here. Why would an AD spend time or money on a sport that makes no money?:
DeleteFace it. Henderson's coach continues year in and year out to train kids to get the most out of them, period. It's just that simple.
What jobs? Dr. Russell doesn't need any help in that department-she is a highly sought education professional.
DeleteWhoever you are, you are irresponsible and ill-informed. You drop a couple of irrelevant facts and half truths on here trying to stir up some controversy. Henderson is one of 3 high school in West Chester school district. They have no more influence over the school board than the other two and yes, they have to answer to a school board and district administration. I am sorry you were not fortunate to live within the Henderson boundary and that the only way you can reconcile yourself with your geographic misfortune is to point fingers at runners you are clearly jealous of.
This isn't TMZ and you really should take people's advice on here and stop with your slanderous accusations and get a life.
I, the poster of the original idea, did not post any such thing about jobs, nor do I have any evidence to prove a job was part of it, that is why i never claimed anything.
Delete^^This Russell thing is nonsense. However, Henderson has far more influence has far more influence over the school board than either Rustin or East. Henderson has by far the nicest athletic facilities out of the 3 schools.
DeleteYou haven't been to Rustin I'm guessing.
DeleteRustin is 2nd nicest. Henderson is nicer because they have 2 turf fields and everythings closer together. It takes like a week to get from the school building to the football stadium at Rustin.
DeleteHenderson's bathroom even has a "flush the toilet, no excuses!" sign, it doesnt matter if your field goal posts are made of gold, they win.
Delete^ With regards to those bathrooms signs, this was a post someone put up after last years WCH Invite that was worth digging up and copy/paste:
Delete"The 2-mile didn’t live up to the hype but the men’s room added some intrigue. Best sign of the evening, in the men’s restroom:
“Please flush the urinal after use – No excuses.”
The immediate interpretation with the excuse reference being plural was that it seems those folks up at Henderson must hear it all when it comes to non-flushing. Which suggests they must monitor and inquire about that sort of thing. I was so worried that I’d forget to flush and be interrogated that I got stage fright. That held up the process and extended the line and wait for others. After that experience I used the porta-potties since no flushing was required.
I did PR in my race so overall it was a great day."
^That was a classic.
I always refuse to flush the toilet at Henderson because of that sign. Also, any meet where I can't sneak into the school to poop sucks.
DeleteAll the people saying this are just jealous that they're programs aren't as good as hendersons NA's or oharas nor coached as well so they just start throwing these allegations of recurring out there all the time just because of straight jealousy.... Get over it their teams are just better than yours
ReplyDeleteYes they are the best teams in the state, and yes people are jealous, but facts are facts and IF tony russell was illegitimately attending henderson than I am sure Ohara wouldnt be very happy, considering they lost on a tiebreaker at states.
DeleteMom Rules: Russell grew up in State College, home of Penn State, playing middle school football and running track, clocking a 4:52 mile. His family moved to West Chester when he was about to enter high school. Russell decided to give up football but he had no interest in cross country. His mother insisted he join the Henderson team so he’d meet other students as he began classes. After running a 16:34 5K at the district meet as the Warriors’ seventh man, he decided to stick with it. ***from a Runner's World article after Tony won Manhattan Invite.
Delete^Yes but the question is if he moved into wce territory and went to wch.
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DeleteThis blog isn't even about running anymore everyone on here has lost all chill
ReplyDelete^word.
DeleteSpeaking of running and Henderson, anyone here running at the Henderson meet this Tuesday night?
Henderson folk have probably manufactured this controversy in an attempt to get ESPN and the world press to descend upon the campus in time to cover tomorrows big 3200 showdown.
DeleteNow that is rich; ignorant but rich.
Delete^Pretty sure it was a joke, and a pretty funny one
Deletehttp://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3rz5jw
ReplyDelete^ nailed it.
DeleteThere already is one happening haha, a little late with that one. Still pretty good.
DeleteDoes the pope shit in the woods?
DeleteSo how many times has the phrase, "get a life" been used? Sounds like the same person commenting and posing as different people haha.
ReplyDeleteAnd what is "get a life" backwards? I'm just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteefil a teg?
Delete^ Exactly! Mystery solved.
DeleteI think Tony Russell is the OP and the person(s) arguing against this rad conspiracy theory. He misses all the love he got from the blogs last few years.
ReplyDeleteEnough already! Russell is last years news. The real question is how many t-shirts are the Brophy's being offered to move They should hold out for leftover tech shirts.
ReplyDeleteOh we are way beyond t-shirts now. I'm thinking it would take a half a dozen water bottles with both internal straws and those little bag thingies inside.
DeleteNah bruhs, it's if Henderson offers a free hat
DeleteTough to get through all the protestors and TV crews covering the recruiting scandal, but I made it in and the races are going off without a hitch.
ReplyDeleteYeah, really.
Deleteturning the attention away from all this stupidity anyone have the Henderson 3200 results?
ReplyDeletehttp://runccrs.com/results/wxch42014/
DeleteRitz - 9:10
XC states complete – check
ReplyDeleteCreate PEDs controversy – check
Discuss usual WCH/OH recruiting rumors – check
Next up – how about a shoe company illegal compensation rumor, that would be original.
^dude,you're my hero.
DeleteActually I hear Brophy's getting Nike money
DeleteI just chucked my worn Russell flats, now I'll wear whatever Brophy races in.
DeleteForrest what were your opinions on The Meet of Champions today?
ReplyDeletehttp://therealtrain.blogspot.com/2014/11/1st-pa-meet-of-champs-sponsored-by.html#comment-form
Last year the DMR had O'Hara and Henderson but nobody has a lights out DMR this year. Malvern would have if not for injury.
ReplyDeleteDwest will have a very good DMR
Delete^Henderson will be better
DeleteDon't see either one being a threat. They may be able to scrounge up a decent 1600 leg, but not much more than that.
DeleteHenderson not only lost their XC team but they lost their mid-distance strength too-Thompson, Moy, Stratman, etc...
Delete^ So true. And Dwest is developing those areas with so much depth. They'll easily go sub 10:30 indoors.
DeleteDwest's guys are xc oriented, not track. So they will not go sub 10:30, 10:40's seems more realistic. I also think we will see some slower times across the board this winter because of the rough winter we are supposed to get and the amount of quality training a team can get in.
DeleteHoey will be back for indoors giving malvern a lights our dmr. Wills leadoff im sure they can find a solid 400 leg mcdevitt on the 8 and hoey closing with that 4:12
Delete^ Are you nuts? Last year was a rough as winters go and OH went 10:00 and then WCH wasn't far behind. Good teams get it done and Dwest, 4th in the state in XC I might add, has a lot of pieces to put together a top notch DMR.
DeleteMaybe about DWest but DMR's tend to be dominated by mid-distance runners. Look at Henderson's State championship team which I think was the same for their Penn Relays win-Stratman, Thompson, Moy, Russell. I have even heard Russell say he feels mid-distance is his strength, not XC
DeleteWhile this is not an indictment of the coaching at either WCH or DWest, they are much more oriented towards the XC side of running, hence that is where their teams usually excel. Henderson had that perfect storm last year as did O'Hara. Even O'Hara needs to reload for Smart and Belfatto.
^ Very true. And look at how it came so together for OHara. First Smart transfers to O'hara and then Belfatto runs the best race of his life at the pefect time. Between Smart was at least 5 seconds faster on the 800 than anyone they had and Belfatto ran out of his mind, at least 5 seconds faster than he's run a mile before or since.
Delete