Hampton runners start fast at Red, White and Blue Invitational

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 14, 2018 | 12:15 AM

A handful of seniors and one freshman have the Hampton cross country squads looking competitive.

Seniors Matt Gust and Joey Cafaro will get one last shot at qualifying for the PIAA championship meet after finishing 27th and 35th, respectively, at the WPIAL meet last year.

The two got a good start at the Red, White and Blue Invitational at Schenley Park Sept. 8. Gust finished 18th and Cafaro was 25th out of more than 200 runners.

Other major contributors include juniors Joseph Fish and Josh Holmes, who finished within a second of each other at the invitational, and senior Connor Weiss.

“You have Matt and Joey in the 16’s and the rest in the 18’s,” coach Heather Dietz said. “So there’s distance between them. Matt and Joey are going to hopefully qualify for the state meet.”

The intrigue of the WPIAL meet moving from Cooper’s Lake near Slippery Rock to Cal (Pa.) looms for potential state qualifiers on the fringe like Gust and Cafaro. The team will get its first look at the new course at the Tri-State Invitational Oct. 18.

Gust cited the bond himself and Cafaro have developed over the years, and the ability to push each other as runners with similar skill sets, as a major positive.

“The biggest thing is to keep pushing each other and keep healthy. We have four races in 10 days, and it’s easy to start taking days off. I think we have to have that mindset because we’re on the cusp. If we take that one day off, someone else might not be.”

Seniors Megan Gallagher (21:41.75) and Liz Dolan (21:42.15) led the Talbots on the girls’ side, finishing 64th and 65th, respectively, out of more than 200 participants, and within one second of each other. Dietz is happy to see Dolan, who has battled injuries in the past, healthy.

“Liz has been pretty healthy this year; she hasn’t had any of her arch issues,” Dietz said. “It’s nice to see her being able to contribute.”

Meanwhile, Gallagher worked hard in the offseason to improve on her strength.

“I definitely wanted to get stronger,” she said. “A lot of that came from running every day over the summer and putting more miles in. … A lot of it was just senior year motivation. It’s probably the last time I’m running for a team.”

However, the invitational keeps freshmen separate from the rest of the pack with its own race. If Bella Henzler’s performance is any indicator of her potential, her presence will pay immediate dividends.

“She’s probably going to quickly establish herself as our top runner,” Dietz said.

Henzler’s time of 21:37.51 led all Hampton runners, and she placed in ninth out of 116 freshmen for a stellar debut.

“I think all of us are excited to have newcomers coming in,” Gallagher said. “(Bella) definitely has a good work ethic. … I think a lot of it is we push each other, and we have to, to reach our full potential.”

“It’s such a big invitational and we want them to transition well,” said Dietz, of separating the freshmen. “We have spent so much time training together, and have a close one, two and three. That packs a good punch.’

The rest of the group included sophomore Ciara Evans (22:18.94), junior Ansley Haught (22:23.61), senior Peyton Wheeler (22:33.62) and senior Alli Boretsky (24:32.65).

“Our pack finished within 50 seconds of each other,” said Dietz of her top five. “Our goal is to condense that differential. If we can do that and improve upon our times, I think we can be competitive.”

Dietz also noted how much of a pleasure it has been to work with the group.

“I’m really going to miss the seniors that are graduating this year,” Dietz said. “They’re just cohesive, fun, hardworking, they’re just good people.”

Devon Moore is a freelance writer.

Tags: Hampton