Blazing the Trail: High-Octane Clashes and Photo Finishes Ignite Week 1 XC Cluster Meets
By: Kevin Borrelli | SportzWire | September 11, 2026 | Photo courtesy Kevin Borrelli
Fall has officially arrived, as cross country runners across the area toed the line for their Week 1 cluster meets. After months of summer training, the first official races of the season provided an opportunity to see how teams and individuals stacked up as they began their journey toward the postseason.
On the boys' side, Holy Cross, Scranton Prep and Carbondale took on Valley View, Abington Heights and North Pocono at McDade Park's new-and-improved course.
Scranton Prep senior Nick Michel started the season hot, running 17:47 to take a 16-second victory over Abington Heights' Nickolai Sutton, who finished in 18:03. Elias Stabinski of Holy Cross rounded out the top three in 18:08. In the team race, Abington Heights showed that they could pose a serious threat to finish among the top teams in the league this season. As the Comets placed five runners in the top nine and had just a 43-second spread between their first and fifth runners.
On the girls' side, JH League standout Vella Byrne of Scranton Prep picked up a big win, running 19:46 to defeat longtime standout Marley Gilboy of Abington Heights, who finished in 20:02. Abington's Morgan Kresge placed third, finishing not far behind Gilboy in 20:12. Early in the season, Abington Heights looks like the team to beat. The Comets placed five runners in the top 10 and had a 1:52 spread.
McDade Park saw plenty of action during the week as Riverside, Dunmore and Old Forge took on Susquehanna, Forest City and Mountain View there as well. Junior, Jack Davies of Riverside led the field with a time of 16:44. Susquehanna's Evan Beamer was next across the line in 17:08, while Riverside's No. 2 runner, Marco Nardone, finished third in 17:21. Riverside looks poised to be one of the top teams in the league this season. The Vikings placed five runners in the top six and finished with a 1:53 spread.
The Susquehanna girls put on a dominant performance, sweeping the top three spots. Kirts Buke took the win in 20:26, followed by freshmen Josey Kelly in 20:49 and Briana Burke in 21:26. Unfortunately, Susquehanna did not have a fifth runner to complete a scoring lineup. Otherwise, the Sabers would certainly be a team to watch.
At Scranton High School, West Scranton, Mid Valley and Scranton took on Wallenpaupack, Honesdale and Delaware Valley. Seamus Wallace of West Scranton put up a time to fear, soloing a 15:55 for the victory. Mid Valley's Jacob Borrelli cruised to a second-place finish in 16:52, while Wallenpaupack sophomore Benson Kizer took third in 17:30. On paper, this was one of the biggest team matchups of the opening week. As last year's AAA district champions, Wallenpaupack, faced off against the reigning two time AA district champions, Mid Valley. However, the day belonged to Mid Valley. The Spartans placed six runners in the top nine, showing off some of the best depth in the league. With just a 1:21 spread, Mid Valley will definitely be a team to watch as the season progresses. But don't count out Wallenpaupack just yet. These two teams will see each other again at districts, with the AA championship on the line.
On the girls' side, Wallenpaupack senior June Brown ran away with the victory, winning by more than a minute in 19:34. Honesdale freshman and former JH standout Abby Kilker ran a poised race to take second in 20:39. Scranton's Meg Bartlebaugh took third on her home course in 20:50. Wallenpaupack packed its runners into the front of the field, placing five in the top 10. The Buckhorns finished with a 4:33 spread.
The final cluster meet of the week took place on one of the area's most challenging courses, as Blue Ridge hosted Elk Lake, Montrose and the cluster of Lakeland, Lackawanna Trail and Western Wayne. This meet set the stage for one of the best individual boys' races of the season so far. As Parker Upright of Elk Lake came away with the victory in 16:54, defeating Lakeland's Henry Decker, who finished in 17:16. Trevor Upright of Elk Lake took third in 17:54. Last season's Class A state champions arguably lost more than any other team heading into this season, but that didn't stop Elk Lake from coming out on top in Week 1. The Warriors edged Lakeland by just one point in the team race.
In what was the closest individual race of the week, Western Wayne sophomore Kaitlyn Kloss took the girls' race in 21:00, managing to hold off Elk Lake's Kendyl Weisgold, who was just four seconds back in 21:04. Lakeland's Rylin Wech took third in 21:59. On the team side, the Elk Lake girls look ready to pick up where they left off last season as one of the premier teams in the league. The Warriors started the season on the right foot, placing five runners in the top 11 and finishing with a 3:20 spread.
What to look for during week 2 of the season
On the girls' side, Wallenpaupack will take on Elk Lake at Delaware Valley, where we could potentially see the return of one of the favorites for Regional Runner of the Year, Grace Holderith.
On the boys' side, Lakeland's Henry Decker looks to bounce back at home with a match up aginst Riverside's Jack Davies.
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