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Week Two Brings Plenty of Action in the Lackawanna League

Week Two Brings Plenty of Action in the Lackawanna League

By: Kevin Borrelli | SportzWire | September 17, 2026 | Photo courtesy Kevin Borelli

Week Two Brings Plenty of Action in the Lackawanna League
We saw plenty of action in Week Two of Lackawanna League cluster meets, with several exciting individual races and some early-season statements made on the team side.
Mid Valley Cluster
Mid Valley hosted Scranton, West Scranton, and the cluster of Scranton Prep, Holy Cross, and Carbondale.
West Scranton's Seamus Wallace and Mid Valley's Jacob Borrelli both crossed the finish line in 17:38, with Wallace taking the win and Borrelli settling for second. The race was the closest of the week and was ultimately decided down the home stretch as the two friends played a game of rock, paper, scissors to decide who will get the win. The two will meet again this weekend when they compete at the Ben Blouser Invitational at Big Spring High School. Scranton Prep's Nick Michel finished third in 18:07. Michel hung with the chase pack for the first two miles before pulling away to secure the bronze.

On the team side, Mid Valley looks to be among a select few teams capable of challenging for a league title. The Spartans once again put six runners in the top 10, showing impressive depth early in the season.
In the girls' race, Scranton Prep's freshmen went 1-2 as both look to make some noise this season. Vella Byrne nearly broke the 20-minute barrier while wearing trainers, staying in control throughout the race before finishing in 20:11. Her teammate, Aileana Connor, wasn't far behind, taking second in 20:45. Scranton's Meg Bartlebaugh finished third in 21:13, nearly a minute ahead of the next runner.

The top 10 featured runners from nearly every team, but Scranton Prep's depth proved to be too much for the competition. The Classics not only went 1-2, but also took places 7-8 and 10 through 13.
Lakeland Cluster
Lakeland hosted Lackawanna Trail, Western Wayne, and the cluster of Riverside, Dunmore, and Abington.
Henry Decker of Lakeland defended his home course, picking up his first win of the season in 16:43. Riverside's Jack Davies, who finished in 17:04, put up a fight but was handed his first loss of the season. Riverside's Andrew Conner, the team's No. 2 runner, finished third in 17:45. Henry is looking good early in the season and is also competing at the Ben Blouser Invite this weekend.
The boys of Riverside looked strong coming off their weekend victory at the Commissioner Invitational and will be favored in every cluster meet they compete in this season.
In the girls' race, Western Wayne's Kaitlyn Kloss literally ran away from the competition on her way to her second win of the season, finishing in 20:34.
Lakeland's Rylin Wech finished second in 21:39 and managed to hold off Dunmore freshman Livvy O'Brien, who took third in 21:53.
On the team side, Lakeland rose to the occasion, holding off Old Forge by just one point.
Mountain View Cluster
Mountain View hosted Susquehanna, Forest City, and the cluster of Abington Heights, Valley View, and North Pocono.
The boys' race featured a great battle at the front, with Susquehanna's Evan Beamer and Abington Heights' Joseph Grad both dipping under the 17-minute barrier. Beamer took the win in 16:46, edging Grad, who finished in 16:57. Abington's Dylan Spatz finished third in 17:18, managing to hold off Susquehanna's second runner to secure the final spot on the podium.
Abington Heights continues to show just how strong its pack is. The Comets placed all five scoring runners under 18 minutes and inside the top eight of the race.
In the girls' race, Valley View's Sadie Loftus broke the tape in 19:04, earning her first cluster victory of the season. Abington Heights' Marley Gilboy wasn't far behind, finishing second in 19:18. Last week's cluster winner, Kiera Burke of Susquehanna, took third in 19:44.
Abington Heights once again showed its depth, placing all five runners throughout the top 11 to keep its undefeated cluster streak alive.
Delaware Valley Cluster
Delaware Valley hosted Honesdale, Wallenpaupack, and the cluster of Elk Lake, Blue Ridge, and Montrose.
Elk Lake's Parker Upright got a chance to come down off the hills and took full advantage of the course. Upright ran a solo 15:44, the fastest cluster-meet time of the season so far. Blue Ridge's Paxton Pingarelli appears to be finding his stride, taking second in 17:00. And just one second behind him was Elk Lake's No. 2 runner, Trevor Upright, who finished in 17:01.
Wallenpaupack didn't have a runner in the top four, but that didn't stop the Buckhorns from handing Elk Lake its first cluster-meet loss in years. Wallenpaupack put five runners in the top 10, taking places 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 to secure a convincing victory.
On the girls' side, we were happy to see Delaware Valley's Grace Holderith back in action, and the junior did not disappoint. Holderith, a favorite for Regional Runner of the Year, dominated the race, defeating a pair of potential All-Regional runners by more than a minute while posting a time of 17:58. Elk Lake's Kendyl Weisgold finished second in 19:28, while last week's cluster winner, Wallenpaupack's June Brown, took third in 19:40.
On the team side, Elk Lake's young girls' squad continued to impress, placing its top five runners in the first 14 finishers and walking away with a convincing victory over Wallenpaupack.
Onto Week Three
Week Three brings us one of the biggest team matchups of the season at McDade Park, where the boys of Mid Valley will see if they have what it takes to get past powerhouse Riverside.
On the girls' side, Western Wayne's Kaitlyn Kloss will attempt to stay unbeaten at home when she takes on Scranton Prep freshman Vella Byrne. This should be a good one, as both runners enter the matchup 2-for-2 with early-season victories.
And in the team battle, if there is a squad capable of challenging Abington Heights, it may be Elk Lake. The two teams will meet at North Pocono next week.