There was a short discussion following the 2012 Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational about how cross country could be scored. The team that took second in the Girl’s Team Sweepstakes, Simi Valley, had a lower team total time and team average than the first place team, Great Oak.

The discussion centered around changing the scoring system to better reward faster runners, like Simi Valley’s Sarah Baxter, for their efforts. No matter how fast you run, the top runner in the race is only going to score one point. If the scoring system was changed to rankings teams by total time or team average, then there would be more emphasis on individual efforts. Running faster up front would lower the team’s overall time.

But that’s not what cross country is about. The fall is about pure competition; whether you are fast, slow, in the top five, or the seventh person on the JV squad, you still matter.

That’s what happened at the 2012 Pennsylvania State Cross Country Championships.

Three races were decided by three points or less. One race even came down to the legendary sixth man tiebreaker.

All six races had their own story lines. If this was a movie, people would be insulted at the cheesy Hollywood plot, demand a refund, and then write a scathing review under some anonymous internet pseudonym. We'll try and bring you some of the magic from Hershey, PA.

“We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” - Jim Rohn

Boys AAA

The boys of US#7 Cardinal O’Hara and US#21 West Chester Henderson fulfilled both of the qualifiers from the quote above. The difference is that the latter lasts a bit longer than the pain involved in distance running. Cardinal O’Hara will have that feeling of regret for yet another year.

West Chester Henderson junior Tony Russell wanted to leave it all out on the course. Around the second mile, Russell made a determined move that broke the field open. He pulled away for a course record setting win in 15:45. Russell told milesplit.com, “I’m not going to take that chance and didn’t want to leave with course with any regrets...”

It’s not only about trusting your training, but trusting your teammates as well. Before the gun goes off, before the team toes the line, each squad will usually meet for a final pre-race talk. Whether the topic of the discussion is team tactics or a bit of last minute inspiration, the general sentiments are the same.

For the next few minutes, you’re going to go through the same pain as everyone else on your team. What’s more important: Letting yourself down or letting your teammates down?

That’s why the beauty of cross country relies in the team competition. The same passion is shown from the guy who walks across the line in first place (and maybe throws up the 1‘s) or the sixth man who dives for the line to try and displace one more runner.


We probably could have highlighted anyone from WCH, like junior Reiny Barchet.
Photo: Don Rich

Runners like West Chester Henderson junior Eric Stratman should be the poster boy for Cross Country, Inc. He’s the epitome of what every coach tries to convey in pre-race speeches: Every runner counts.

After a chip malfunction, the original team scores of 68 points for West Chester Henderson and 70 points for Cardinal O’Hara were under review. The new score had the teams tied at 69 points. Breathes were held and pulse rates rose as it came down to the sixth man tiebreaker.

Stratman's finishing time of 16:50 was good for 29th place and put him 21-seconds ahead of Cardinal O’Hara’s sixth man junior Christian Donnelly.

This was the second year in a row that Cardinal O'Hara has taken second in a sixth place tiebreaker. They'll have to wait another year for redemption. It's equally as important to forget these events as it is to remember them. Just ask University of Colorado sophomore Ammar Moussa.

While the race wasn’t singlehandedly won by Stratman, he deserves the day. He may never win a state title, but he’ll be able to tell this story at West Henderson’s 10th Class Anniversary in 2024.

Below are the stats from Stratman this fall:

Girls AAA

The US#9 Pennsbury girls probably had the same vibe in their pre-race team huddle. They had to be almost perfect if they wanted to win the state title over US#4 Unionville. When pre-race favorite and Unioville junior Courtney Smith surged to the front and guaranteed her team one point, Pennsbury had to respond.

It wasn’t the individual runners that did the talking, but the team as a whole. Pennsbury won the state title with 43 points over second place Unionville who scored 86 points.

When a group of runners has confidence in one another, they’re able to feed off that energy. They’re able to take some pressure off themselves because they have faith in each other. Faith is a funny thing, but more on that as we move to the last part of the cross country season.

The spread for Pennsbury’s #1 to #5 runner was a staggering 27-seconds. Even if something went wrong, the spread to their #6 girl was 33-seconds. Below are the results from the PA state champion Pennsbury girls:

Too Much Drama to Highlight in One Article

Pouring over results, watching race videos, and reading analyses, the stories from the Pennsylvania State Cross Country Championship could fill a series of books that could rival In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust.


4,211 pages and 1.2 million words... in French.

Boys AAA

La Salle College finished 5th in the team scoring after not making it out of their regional meet. How did they get to run at states you may ask? All five of LaSalle’s runners earned the five individual tickets to the state meet. If that’s not enough, their number three runner, Matt Greco, suffered a collapsed lung the day before regionals.

Who’s more clutch: The boys of WCH or the top five from LaSalle College (answer: Both).

Girls AA


It was this or a certain Chumbawamba song

Pre-race favorite junior Regan Rome of Dallas had to stop. Around two miles, she fell to the ground around two miles in the Girls AA race with a side stitch. “The pain was unbearable,” Rome told milesplit.com. “My whole torso was cramping up. At this point I start getting dramatic and I start crying, saying how I need to finish the race."

When she stopped, Rome she was third in the race. She got up, finished first third in 19:14, and lead Dallas High School, who totaled 94 points. The twist ending to this crazy story? Dallas took second and Palmyra High School won with 91 points.

Being “clutch” doesn’t always have to deal with innate skill. Sometimes, average players rise to the occasion by mainly being in the right spot at the right time.

Again, faith is a funny thing. No matter how many times we see it, some simply won’t believe in miracles. Others chock up these events to either dumb luck or practice.

What does remain is the fact that the athletes from West Chester Henderson, Pennsbury, LaSalle College, and Regan Rome were some of the few “clutch” runners in Hershey, PA. There has to be something in the water because these teams always perform well in the postseason.

If this race took place one week earlier, we would have to reconsider Reggie Jackson as the owner of the moniker “Mr. October.” However, another Yankee may have lost his title after this weekend. Derek Jeter, also known as “Mr. November” (among his many nicknames), may have to share the tagline with some runners from Pennsylvania.