Cross-country season full of improvement for Paupack boys and girls
HAWLEY – Winning is a great thing, but by and large, when you query runners, they will tell you that improving matters more. Both the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams at Wallenpaupack Area did just that this past autumn.
Last fall, the boys closed their campaign with an 11-12 tally while the girls logged a 14-9 showing. This year, the boys went 12-11 while the girls climbed to 18-5 and took fifth overall in the Lackawanna League.
The Buckhorns squared off with some tough teams this fall. The boys from Abington Heights swept the league with a 23-0 tally. Among the dozen wins that Paupack posted were against Susquehanna, Mountain View, Forest City, Montrose, Blue Ridge, Carbondale, West Scranton, Mid-Valley, Lackawanna Trail, Western Wayne, Dunmore, and Old Forge. Losses to Lakeland and Riverside were both three-point heartbreakers.
The Lady Buckhorns claimed victories versus Valley View, North Pocono, Susquehanna, Forest City, Elk Lake, Blue Ridge, Delaware Valley, Scranton Prep, Holy Cross, Carbondale, West Scranton, Mid-Valley, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Western Wayne, Dunmore, Old Forge, and Riverside. Although a number of these were decisive wins for the Paupack girls, there were a few squeakers and their loss to Honesdale was by a mere one point.
“I’m really pleased with how the season went,” coach Steve Brown said. “Both our boys’ and girls’ teams improved, and Aiden Janowicz had a good experience as a freshman competing at the state finals.”
Lauded leaders
Janowicz made it up to 77th position, out of 246 runners in the PIAA Class AA boys’ state meet at Hershey on Nov.5. The tough hilly section in the final leg of the 5K gave him some difficulty and he was forced to settle for coming in 150th. He finished the course in 19:08.4.
Runners such as Janowicz might be the future for the Buckhorns’ thinclads, but a core group of seniors also helped spur the program on this season. Most of which have been steady contributors to the teams’ growth through some tough times as well.
Malik Lawal has spent three years with the boys’ team and three years with the track and field team as well. He’s a member of the National Honor Society and the Culinary arts program. He hopes to attend culinary school following graduation.
Stephan Bryan is a four-year veteran on the cross country and track and field teams. He is a high honor roll student, and member of the Aviation Club, and will be enlisting in the US Navy Nuclear Program after he graduates.
This was Jacob Bonagura’s first year on cross-country. He is an honor roll student, a member of the Aviation Club, WAHS Players, and plans to enlist as a US Navy Corpsman once he graduates.
Michael Kelly has been with cross-country for four years and track and field for three. He has participated in Future Business Leaders of America. Currently he’s undecided on his future plans.
Adam Basile has been involved in cross-country for four years, track and field for four years, National Honor Society, marching band and Science Olympiad. He plans to enroll in a Pre-Med program at a four-year university and eventually become an Oncologist.
Andrew Bromburger played golf for three years before joining cross-country this season. He has also been with the track and field team since freshman year. He’s a member of the National Honor Society, marching band, and Science Olympiad. He plans to study Aerospace Engineering in college.
Paulina Schmidt has been a member of the cross-country team for four years, basketball team for four years, she has played soccer for two seasons and has been a member of the Unified Track team as well. She is an active member of the student council and the marching band. Paulina plans on attending college and majoring in Engineering.
Lizzie Higgins has been on the cross-country and track and field teams since freshman year and the swim team for three seasons. She’s a member of the National Honor Society, marching band, show choir, and the executive board of the Student Council. She plans to continue running at Slippery Rock University where she will major in Physical Therapy.
Morgan Anderson has four years with the cross-country and track and field teams. She is a member of the National Honor Society and Students Against Destructive Decisions. She plans to run at the collegiate level and pursue a degree in the medical field.
Up ahead
Anderson had Paupack’s best showing at the PIAA District 2 AA girls meet. She took 19th with a time of 21:29.60, but hot on her heels less than four seconds behind her in 20th was sophomore Darby Brennan. While Schmidt and Higgins too were district qualifiers, so were junior Sydnie Day, sophomore Samantha Treppeda, and freshman Bethany Day.
Kelly, Lawal, and Bromburger were district qualifiers, but Janowicz and JP Yeo, both freshmen, were the Buckhorns top finishers. Juniors Derek Burckes and Michael Soskil also qualified. Although Wallenpaupack is losing some solid runners, both the boys’ and girls’ teams do have athletes ready to take the torch. Additionally, more could be in store with next year’s incoming crop of plebes.
“Our younger runners like to push each other,” said Coach Brown, “There’s healthy competition among the team. Our junior high boys went 23-0 this year and the junior high girls were 21-2. That bodes well for our future and I’m excited with the direction the team seems to be going.”
This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Cross-country season full of improvement for Paupack boys and girls
