Borrelli Sets Course Record at Lackawanna Trail XC Cluster Meet

Mid-Season Week 4 Cluster Meets

The Mid-Season Week 4 cluster meets are when the stakes are at their highest, as teams square off against the other schools in their cluster for season standings and valuable All-Star points.

Cluster Meet at Lackawanna Trail Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland and Western Wayne vs. Mid Valley, West Scranton and Scranton

The boys race featured three individual favorites for All-Regional. Henry Decker of Lakeland, Seamus Wallace of West Scranton and Mid Valley’s Jacob Borrelli. Borrelli wasted little time setting the tone as he pushed the pace early and established a lead that no one was able to match. He cruised to his biggest win of the season while setting a new course record in 16:39. Lakeland’s Henry Decker tailed Borrelli early but eventually settled for second in 17:20, breaking up another 1-2 finish for Borrelli and West Scranton’s Seamus Wallace. Wallace paced a large pack of runners all battling for the third spot. He eventually pulled away from the chase pack to finish in 18:14. Wallace will be back in action Thursday at the prestigious Paul Short Invitational.

On the team side, the Mid Valley boys took a big step back toward their winning ways, putting five runners in the top nine to take the cluster victory.

In the girls race, two runners separated themselves from the pack early. Western Wayne’s Kaitlyn Kloss led from start to finish, taking the win in 20:36. Scranton’s Meg Bartlebaugh was on the hunt throughout, staying just a few seconds behind Kloss before closing hard to finish second in 20:39, just three seconds back. Lackawanna Trail freshman Angelina Cours took third, stopping the clock at 21:48.

The girls team race was close throughout, with Western Wayne, Lackawanna Trail, Scranton and Lakeland each placing a runner in the top four. However, Scranton had enough depth to edge Lackawanna Trail by five points and take the cluster victory.

Cluster Meet at Wallenpaupack Wallenpaupack, Delaware Valley and Honesdale vs. Abington Heights, Valley View and North Pocono

This cluster meet featured one of the largest starting lines of the week, with some of the biggest teams in the area lining up together. However, the top 10 runners in the boys race looked more like a dual meet, with all of them coming from either Abington Heights or Wallenpaupack.

Only four seconds separated the top three runners in one of the best finishes of the season. Coming out on top was a 1-2 punch from Abington Heights, with Joseph Grad taking the win in 17:56 and teammate Dylan Spatz finishing just two seconds later in 17:58. Two seconds behind Spatz was Wallenpaupack’s top man, Benson Kizer, who finished third in 18:00.

This was a great battle as the first 3 runners were separated by 4 seconds, and runners 3 to 8 were seperated by less than 20. Wallenpaupack put four runners in the top seven, but it wasn't enough to hold off Abington Heights. As the Comets placed six runners in the top 10, extending their undefeated season with another convincing team victory.

In the girls race, we saw an extraordinarily rare occurrence, with all six teams placing their top runner in the top six. Leading the way was yet again Delaware Valley’s Grace Holderith, who covered the course in 19:31, putting more than 20 seconds between herself and second place. Valley View’s Sadie Loftus put together a stellar performance, breaking the 20-minute barrier to finish second in 19:56. Abington Heights’ Marley Gilboy was close behind Sadie and just over the 20-minute mark, taking third in 20:03.

Although every team had a runner in the top six, the Abington Heights girls showed their depth, taking four of the next five spots. That gave the Comets five runners in the top 11 and extended their undefeated streak with a commanding team victory.

Cluster Meet at McDade Park

Riverside, Old Forge, Dunmore vs. Holy Cross, Scranton Prep and Carbondale

The boys race started with a big pack up front, which led to the top 11 runners finishing within one minute of each other and a sprint to the finish, with four runners separated by just one second. Finding their way to the front was a pair of Riverside runners. Andrew Connor got the win in 17:37, while the next three runners all crossed in 17:38. Riverside’s Jack Davies took second, followed by Holy Cross’s Thomas Gavin in third and Scranton Prep’s Nicholas Michel in fourth.

The team race went to the undefeated Riverside boys, who once again managed to put all five of their scoring runners in the top 10 at a cluster meet.

On the girls’ side, another 1-2 punch from Scranton Prep led the way, as Vella Byrne and Aileana Connor finished just five seconds apart in 19:24 and 19:29. Dunmore’s Livvy O’Brien took third in race to the finish, just edging out Old Forge’s Elena Bialkowski, who both in 20:30.

The ladies of Prep looked strong once again, with two runners at the front and a pack of six runners filling the 7th through 12th spots. They are quietly making their claim as one of the top teams in the area and a team to watch in the District 2 AA championship race.

Cluster Meet at Elk Lake Elk Lake, Montrose, Blue Ridge vs. Susquehanna, Mountain View and Forest City

Three boys from three different schools separated themselves from the pack. In his closest meet of the year, Elk Lake’s Parker Upright remained unbeaten, taking the win in 16:58. Not far behind was Blue Ridge’s Paxton Pingarelli in 17:05, as the duo recorded another 1-2 finish. Susquehanna’s Evan Beamer continued his strong season with another top-three finish, just 10 seconds behind Pingarelli in 17:15.

Team-wise, this cluster was the most thrilling of the week, as it came down to a single point between Elk Lake and Montrose.

Both teams placed three runners in the top 10 and traded blows with their fourth and fifth runners. Elk Lake had the advantage at No. 4, while Montrose answered with the better fifth runner. In the end, it was the boys of Elk Lake who came out on top, 27-28.

In the girls race, two runners managed to pull away from the field, as Elk Lake’s Kendyl Weisgold and Susquehanna’s Kiera Burke both finished well under the 21-minute mark. However, it was Weisgold, racing on her home course, who took the win in 20:14, followed by Burke in 20:35. Elk Lake’s Madison Kerr was good enough for third on the day, finishing in 21:22.

Elk Lake used a combination of strong front-running and depth to put all five scoring runners in the top 11 and take a commanding cluster victory.

    What to look for in week 5

Week 5 brings some of the biggest matchups of the season so far, with several of the area’s top runners and teams putting their unbeaten streaks and on the line.

Two All-Regional favorites will go head-to-head as Scranton Prep’s Vella Byrne travels to Delaware Valley to take on the Warriors’ Grace Holderith on Delaware Valley’s notoriously fast course.

On the boys’ side, the undefeated streaks of Abington Heights and Riverside will be put to the test as the two teams square off at McDade Park.

And on the hills of Blue Ridge, Elk Lake’s Parker Upright will take on Mid Valley’s Jacob Borrelli and West Scranton’s Seamus Wallace in a matchup that could have major implications in the race for Runner of the Year.

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