Wildcat Boys And Girls Each Claim District Nine Class A Cross Country Titles, Next Stop – States
Above photo courtesy of Christie Datko – Boys and Girls Teams gathered together
The Central Clarion Wildcat harriers had a super showing in the District Nine Class A Cross Country Championships at Ridgway, on Saturday, October 25th, as both the Boys and Girls teams came away with Gold. With the wins both squads will head to Hershey for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) State Championship this coming Saturday, November 1st in Hershey.
Coach Nicole Oakes shares this fine summary:
It was a cooler day than the last trip to Ridgway a few weeks ago, but learning from that experience, Central Clarion showed up for business. It was the first time in either Clarion Area or Clarion-Limestone history that, in the same year, both the boys and girls teams captured that District Championship title. Next week Central Clarion will venture to Hershey, together!
The girls kicked off the day with a strong, disciplined performance led by senior Adisen Jackson. The Lady Wildcats claimed the title with an impressive 29 points, well ahead of second-place Cranberry’s 66. Even more remarkable was their tight 1:34 spread, which goes to show the teamwork and focus on pack running that they have been working on at practices has paid off. All five scorers finished inside the top 15: Adisen Jackson (20:24) finished 2nd, followed closely by Hannah Love (20:08) in 3rd, Eliza Datko (20:28) in 5th, Julianna Schwabenbauer (21:25) in 11th and Reise Jackson (21:39) in 14th. The girls are eager for the “adventure” that awaits them in Hershey next week.
As the day progressed the pressure was on for the boys to deliver. Having claimed the district title last year, they certainly had the desire for the win, but inconsistencies throughout the season made the ending uncertain. Hard work prevailed with — one athlete even joking afterward, “Must have been all those mile repeats.” Central Clarion captured first place with 50 points, ahead of Elk County Catholic’s 77, securing back-to-back district championships.
The Wildcats were led by senior Hayden Weber (17:27) in 4th place, followed by Jackson Baker (17:30) in 6th, Drake Edmonds (17:34) in 10th, Josh Turner (18:01) in 14th, and Jonas Wilshire (18:07) in 16th. Their 40-second spread showed the team’s commitment to pack running once again. Jackson surged from 12th at the two-mile mark to 6th at the finish, while Edmonds also moved up four places in the final mile — both examples of the team’s determination to finish strong.
All of Central Clarion’s runners came ready to compete, and with two championships in hand, the Wildcats are heading to Hershey with confidence and momentum.
Eighty-four runners completed the Boys Race. The Top 5 Teams were: 1) Central Clarion, 2) Elk County Catholic, 3) North Clarion, 4) Cranberry and 5) Ridgway.
The Top 5 Individuals were: 1) Jackson Nicewonger – North Clarion, 2) Blace Easlon – North Clarion, 3) Ian Ginther – Ridgway, 4) Hayden Weber – Central Clarion and 5) Deacon Hendrickson – Elk County Catholic
Seventy-eight runners completed the Girls Race. The Top 5 Teams include: 1) Central Clarion, 2) Cranberry, 3) Brockway, 4) Elk County Catholic and 5) Moniteau.
The Top 5 Individuals were: 1) Beatrice Kolesar – Cranberry, 2) Adisen Jackson – Central Clarion, 3) Hannah Love – Central Clarion, 4) Abby Hastings – Central Clarion and 5) Eliza Datko – Central Clarion.
(Congratulations Wildcats on your double win and to all those heading to States!!!! Thanks to Coach Oakes for this article and to Jack Pappas, YDL Sports Network, Christie Datko and Diane Lutz for their photos!!)
LINK FOR PENN TRACK XC MILESPLIT PA RESULTS