Franklin Regional’s Busche again qualifies for PIAA meet

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, October 30, 2017 | 5:48 PM

Franklin Regional's cross country season has come to an end after another solid season.

Last Thursday, the boys and girls competed in the WPIAL championships, with the boys finishing 22nd out of 32 teams and the girls finishing 18th out of 34.

“Both the boys and girls teams showed improvement in their times from last race as they have done all season,” coach Jim Passarelli said. “It was a tougher course, but they battled through it.”

Even though the teams are done, senior Matt Busche is not. Out of the 224 runners in WPIAL Class AAA, Busche finished in 14th place with a time of 16 minutes, 50 seconds to qualify for the PIAA championships.

“I was happy with my time, but always feel like I could have done better,” Busche said. “I feel like I have had a successful season so far, so I just wanted to stick with what I have been doing.”

Last year, Busche finished 53rd at the PIAA meet. His goal for his senior year is to get into the top 25.

“I don't think the experience will play a major part in what I want to accomplish this year, but it does help that I have a better understanding of the course and what to expect,” Busche said. “It's always fun to be able to run with your teammates, but it won't change the way I compete.”

“Matt ran well last year at states, and we were happy with how he ran, but as a senior he will have high expectations,” Passarelli said. “If he can get top 30 we would be happy, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets to that top-25 position and medals.”

Busche is prepared and looking forward to his last high school race. He will be attending Duquesne in the fall, running for the cross country team on scholarship.

“I'm very excited to compete at states,” Busche said. “It's awesome to see how you rank amongst the best in the state. I am satisfied on how I did last year, but I am shooting for a medal this year.”

Said Passarelli: “Getting that offer from Duquesne earlier in the week was huge for Matt. It took the pressure off and gave him the ability to run for himself and not have to worry about impressing anyone. It was well deserved.”

The Panthers had a slow start to the season but were able to bounce back and turn their season around.

“I am very proud of the way that both the boys and girls competed this year,” Passarelli said. “They didn't let that slow start get to them and kept going and improving every race. That is all I can ask for.”

The PIAA cross country championships were Saturday at the Parkview Cross Country Course in Hershey. They ended too late for this edition.

Cody Scott is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional