Giving 100 percent

Saegertown’s Sam Hetrick wins district gold

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

TITUSVILLE — Saegertown senior Sam Hetrick had his eyes set on the District 10 cross country meet all season.

Hetrick’s goal of taking home the gold medal was fulfilled Saturday at Titusville’s Ed Myer Recreation Complex. Hetrick won the Class 1A race with a time of 16 minutes and 34 seconds.

“I was speechless. This has been on my bucket list since I was a freshman,” Hetrick said. “I’ve been wanting to come out here, win the race and get the job done so today was honestly just amazing for me.

“I was thinking about first-place at districts all year.”

Hetrick’s coach and father — William Hetrick — oozed with excitement after seeing Sam cross the finish line.

“I do not have the words. I am so proud,” coach Hetrick said. “We knew on a good day he was anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5, but Lakeview and Cochranton has had great runners with him all year long.”

Hetrick’s winning performance qualified him for the PIAA meet next weekend at Hershey. It will be his fourth time competing at the state level.

Next weekend’s course plays to Hetrick’s strengths and ability, according to coach Hetrick.

“This course doesn’t really suit his ability level, it’s next week’s course that does, so I’m very happy for states. That course down there is a golf course, it’s hilly and Sam has had great days there. I’m thrilled.

“He’s qualified four times and medaled twice. I think this year will be his year of redemption and he’ll do what he wants to do. He’s in great shape.”

Six seconds behind Hetrick was Cochranton junior Kyler Woolstrum in second place. Woolstrum was one of three Cardinals to qualify for the PIAA meet. Chase Miller placed sixth and Landon Homa was 12th.

“I’m very happy with that. We’ve been pointing for that all year. From the very beginning we knew we had an opportunity to do that,” Cochranton coach Mark Roche said. “They really ran well today.”

It will be Woolstrum’s third appearance at the state meet. Miller, a senior, has qualified all four years.

“He’s among a few rare guys I’ve had go four times,” Roche said. “It’s a real chore to get a freshman there sometimes. He’s been our team leader so I know it was important to him to go again.”

Also qualifying for the state meet in the 1A race was Maplewood sophomore Lincoln Kier. Kier placed eighth (17:14).

In the 2A boys race, Meadville junior Max Dillaman finished eighth (16:35) to punch his ticket to Hershey. It’s the third time Dillaman will make the trip.

Dillaman performed well despite battling some health issues, according to coach Jenny Zamperini.

“That’s a testament to how hard he works. He had to fight for what he got today. He passed me near our go point at the end of the race and he motioned to me that he couldn’t quite see, so he was getting some double vision,” Zamperini said. “The dude had to fight for what he got today.”

Dillaman will be joined in Hershey by Meadville freshman Megan Puleio. Puleio placed seventh (19:41) in the Class 2A girls race. Junior Camryn Guffey finished 21st (20:39). Guffey just missed the cut off line to make states. The top 17 runners qualified.

Zamperini is excited about her young team and is already looking forward to see how they perform next season.

“I love that we’re a young team. The fact Megan was able to make it shows how naturally gifted she is and that she’s put in the work,” Zamperini said. “I also know we already have our sights set on next year too because of our young team and our junior leader.”

In the Class 1A girls race, Saegertown freshman Camryn Harakal was the highest finisher. Harakal placed 17th (21:02) and was three places from making the state meet.

“She was the highlight of the day. We told her 15 might go and she got 17 and really gave it her all,” coach Hetrick said. “A freshman, she had a phenomenal year so I’m very happy as a coach.”

All in all, seven Crawford County runners will compete at Hershey next week. Helping with fast times at Saturday’s district meet was the weather, which was sunny and warm, especially for late October.

“This is like my 40th season and this is one of the best I can remember,” Roche said. “It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold, the course is perfect, the times are great — you really can’t ask for anything better.

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Saegertown’s Sam Hetrick wins District 10 gold

Saegertown senior Sam Hetrick capped off his cross country career by winning the District 10 Class 1A race on Oct. 29.

Hetrick crossed the finish line in 16 minutes and 34 seconds at Titusville’s Ed Myer Recreation Complex. His performance accomplished something that’s been on his mind since he entered high school.

“I was speechless. This has been on my bucket list since I was a freshman,” Hetrick said. “I’ve been wanting to come out here, win the race and get the job done so today was honestly just amazing for me.

“I was thinking about first-place at districts all year.”

Hetrick’s excitement was mirrored by Saegertown head coach William Hetrick, Sam’s father.

“I do not have the words. I am so proud,” coach Hetrick said. “We knew on a good day he was anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5, but Lakeview and Cochranton has had great runners with him all year long.”

Hetrick qualified for the PIAA meet. It was his fourth time competing at the state level.

This year, Hetrick placed 19th (17:54) to earn a medal in his last high school cross country race.

“He had higher hopes. He was aiming for the top 10. The weather, which it effects everyone, but it was about 73 degrees and it was hot down there,” coach Hetrick said. “I think it got him a little bit. He went out fast, which was the plan, but I think the heat combined with the hill on the first mile slowed him down a little bit. He persevered though and showed resiliency to get that 19th place.”

It was Hetrick’s best finish at the state competition. In 2019 he placed 22nd and in 2020 he finished 25th. Hetrick was 110th in 2021.

Hetrick, Miller earn medals in last high school cross country race

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

HERSHEY — Saegertown’s Sam Hetrick and Cochranton’s Chase Miller made the most of their last high school cross country race.

The seniors each placed in the top-25 of the Class 1A boys race to earn a medal at Saturday’s PIAA cross country championship. The boys overcame an usually warm November day at Hershey’s Parkview Cross Country Course.

Hetrick, who won the District 10 race, placed 19th with a time of 17 minutes and 54 seconds.

“He had higher hopes. He was aiming for the top 10. The weather, which it effects everyone, but it was about 73 degrees and it was hot down there,” Saegertown head coach William Hetrick said. “I think it got him a little bit. He went out fast, which was the plan, but I think the heat combined with the hill on the first mile slowed him down a little bit. He persevered though and showed resiliency to get that 19th place.”

Miller finished 23rd (17:59) to cap off his career.

“That was fantastic. He had a solid race. He really came on over the last part of it to get his medal,” Cochranton head coach Mark Roche said. “It was a really nice way to end his career.”

Fellow Cardinals’ runner Kyler Woolstrum placed 96th (19:11). Roche said he was in about the 20s before the heat bogged him down.

“Kyler was is a really solid position going into the last mile, but the weather really played a factor for him,” Roche said. “He broke down over the last 600 meters or so and lost a lot of positions. He ran his guts outs, literally.

“The weather really got a lot of people down there between the lack of hydration and it being more than 70 degrees and a warm day. We had full sun in our race too so the weather was definitely a factor.”

A third Cochranton runner, Landon Homa, placed 121st (19:28). It was the senior’s first time at the state race.

“Landon had a solid race, especially for his first time down there as an individual,” Roche said.

Also in the 1A race was Maplewood sophomore Lincoln Kier. Kier finished 117th (19:26).

Meadville had two runners at the PIAA meet as well. In the boys 2A race, junior Max Dillaman placed 30th (17:35). In the girls 2A race, freshman Megan Puleio finished 100th (22:21) in her first state appearance.

District 10 was represented in the team races. The Cathedral Prep girls team won the Class 2A race and had Crawford County runners Rosaria Burkett, Clare DiGiacomo, Grace Barrett and Colby Lester on the team.

Grove City won the Class 2A boys race.

Local runners to compete at state meet today

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

Several Crawford County cross country runners will take on Hershey’s 3.1 mile course today for the PIAA championship meet.

A handful of runners will make the trip for the third or fourth time in their career. Saegertown senior Sam Hetrick has been to the state championship race all four years of his high school career.

Hetrick won the Class 1A race at last week’s District 10 championship in Titusville to qualify for states. Saegertown head coach William Hetrick said Sam is better suited for the hilly terrain in Hershey compared to the flat course at districts.

Last year, Hetrick finished 110th. In 2020 he was 25th and in 2019 he was 22nd.

Another fourth-time qualifier is Cochranton senior Chase Miller. Miller finished sixth at districts last week. At last year’s state meet, he was 38th. In 2020 he was 30th and in 2019 he was 60th.

Also representing Cochranton will be junior Kyler Woolstrum. Woolstrum finished second at districts to punch his ticket to Hershey. It’s Woolstrum’s second year at the state race. He finished 30th as a sophomore.

The Cardinals will have a third representative in senior Landon Homa. Homa placed 12th last week to advance to his first state championship race.

Also in the Class 1A race is Maplewood sophomore Lincoln Kier. Kier was eighth at districts. He also made the state meet as a freshman, when he placed 102nd.

The Class 1A boys race starts at 1:15 p.m. with the Class 2A boys race to follow at 2 p.m.

Representing Meadville in the Class 2A race is junior Max Dillaman. Dillaman was eighth in Titusville to make his third consecutive PIAA meet.

Dillaman was 72nd last year and finished 50th as a freshman in 2020.

Also representing Meadville will be freshman Megan Puleio in the Class 2A girls race at 11:45 a.m. Puleio was seventh last week at districts.

Area runners aim for medal stand at district meet

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

Titusville’s Ed Myer-Complex will host today’s District 10 cross country championship meet.

Hundreds of runners will run the 3.1 mile race with hopes of advancing to the PIAA championship on Nov. 5. The top two teams and top 10 individuals not on those teams in the Class 1A and Class 2A races will advance to the state meet.

After Class 3A subregional races at 9:45 a.m. and 10:30, the Class 1A girls are set to start at 10:55. Following will be Class 2A girls at 11:30, Class 1A boys at 12:05 p.m. and Class 2A boys at 12:40. The Class 1A and Class 2A awards ceremony is set for 1:15.

In last year’s Class 1A girls race, Saegertown finished fourth as a team and Paige Fuller placed seventh. Fuller would go on to become the school’s first medal winner at the state meet, but Fuller graduated as well as three other participants from last year’s race.

The Lady Panthers only district returnee is Skyler Bland. The junior finished 38th last year in 23 minutes and 44 seconds.

Maplewood returns three top-50 finishers from last year’s district race. Junior Sylvianne Wright led the trio a year ago with a 29th place finish. Sophomores Laura Slagle and Rhinn Post were 37th and 50th, respectively.

Cambridge Springs junior Audrey Bullock is the team’s top runner. Bullock placed 52nd a season ago and the dual-sport athlete is coming off a productive volleyball season.

In the Class 2A girls race, Meadville returns no runners from last year’s meet but junior Camryn Guffey and freshman Megan Puleio could compete for a medal.

For Conneaut, Keaira Smeltzer placed 35th a season ago and has performed well at various invitationals this season.

In the Class 1A boys race, a handful of local runners could land themselves a trip to the state meet.

Kyler Woolstrum and Chase Miller, both from Cochranton, turned in top-10 finishes a season ago. Woolstrum, a junior, finished fifth last year while Miller, a senior, was eighth.

Saegertown’s Sam Hetrick made the state meet with an 11th place finish at last year’s district race. Hetrick and Miller both made the state meet in each of their three seasons in high school and could make it four.

Maplewood sophomore Lincoln Kier turned in a ninth-place finish last year and could make a run at the top spot.

In the Class 2A boys race, Meadville junior Max Dillaman could advance to his third state championship

race. Dillaman placed 11th at last year’s district race and with four graduated seniors ahead of him he could leap into the top-five.

Woolstrum paces Cochranton at invitational

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

COCHRANTON — The Cochranton cross country team hosted the 2022 Cardinal Invitational on Saturday and placed three boys in the top 10.

Kyler Woolstrum was the Cards’ top runner. Woolstrum finished third with a time of 16 minutes and 54 seconds. Chase Miller was seventh (17:32) and Landon Homa was eighth (17:47).

The top local runner was Saegertown senior Sam Hetrick. Hetrick finished second (16:47) and was 23 seconds behind the winner, Colson Jenkins of Lakeview.

Also for Saegertown was Brennen McWright in 22nd (18:43) and Eddie Hazelet in 29th (19:00).

Meadville’s Charlie Minor placed 10th (17:59) and was the top runner for the Bulldogs. Tate Walker came in 13th (18:04).

Lincoln Kier, of Maplewood, finished 15th (18:14). Conneaut’s top runner was Daniel Hunter in 19th (18:42) and Cambridge Springs’ top finisher was Nick Finck in 17th (18:33).

In the girls race, Meadville’s Megan Puleio placed fourth (20:49) while Camryn Guffey finished 10th (21:30).

Keaira Smeltzer placed 12th (21:50) for Conneaut. Fellow Eagles runners Kaylee Montes was 19th (23:04) and Chloe Fields was 32nd (24:20).

Maplewood’s top runner was Shauna Pillar in 13th (22:25). Sylvi Wright placed 31st (24:25).

Saegertown’s Camryn Harakal was 14th (22:28) and Margaret Hughes was 24th (23:22).

The top finisher for Cambridge Springs was Abbey Laskey in 48th (27:18) and the top runne for Cochranton was Hannah Lyons in 53rd (28:28).

Panthers sweep Tigers

RANDOLPH TOWNSHIP — The Saegertown boys and girls cross country teams beat Maplewood on Wednesday in a dual meet.

Saegertown won the girls race 15-50. Camryn Harakal won the race in 23 minutes and 23 seconds. Skyler Bland and Margaret Hughes placed fourth (24:26) and fifth (25:32).

For Maplewood, Shawna Pillar was second (23:55) and Sylvi Wright was third (24:25).

In the boys race, Saegertown won 15-50. The Panthers took the top nine spots.

Sam Hetrrick won the race (18:09). Rounding out the top five was Eddie Hazlet (20:11), Jace Digiacomo (20:52), Quincy Zook (21:06) and Nathan Samuels (21:43).

Saegertown cross country splits at Rocky Grove

SUGARCREEK — The Saegertown boys and girls cross country teams split against Rocky Grove during Tuesday’s dual meet.

The Saegertown girls won 25-33. Camryn Harakal was the top finisher in second at 22 minutes and 25 seconds. The Panthers also took placed fourth, fifth and sixth. Margaret Hughes was fourth (23:21), Skyler Bland was fifth (23:22) and Emma Spencer was sixth (24:41).

The girls team is 3-0 in dual meets this season.

The boys team lost 20-39 and are 2-1 this year.

Saegertown’s Sam Hetrick won the race (16:55). Michael DeJohn finished seventh (18:43) and Eddie Hazlet was eighth (18:53).

Saegertown cross country will compete again on Sept. 28 at Maplewood.

Saegertown places sixth at Commodore Perry invite

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

PERRY TOWNSHIP — Six local high school cross country teams competed at the Commodore Perry Invitational on Saturday. The top finisher was the Saegertown boys team, which placed sixth at the meet.

Senior Sam Hetrick was the Panthers’ top finisher in sixth place with a time of 17 minutes and 41 seconds. Also for Saegertown was Michael DeJohn at 19:07 (34th) and Eddie Hazelet at 19:14 (36th).

Cochranton placed eighth at the invitational and had three runners in the top 32. Kyler Woolstrum placed fourth overall (17:38) while Chase Miller was 15th (18:17) and Landon Homa was 32nd (19:05).

Cambridge Springs was twelfth. The team’s best racer was Nick Finck in 48th (19:25). Meadville placed thirteenth with Max Dillaman finishing third overall (17:21). Conneaut was 21st and Maplewood was 23rd. The top finishers for the Eagles and Tigers was Daniel Hunter (66th) and Lincoln Kier (30th), respectively.

In the girls race, Meadville finished eighth with two top-10 placeholders. Freshman Megan Puleio was third (21:06) and Camryn Guffey was 10th (22:09).

Conneaut finished twelfth as sophomore Keira Smeltzer was the Eagles’ top placer in 19th (22:47). Saegertown was 13th and Camryn Harakal finished 17th (23:33). Cambridge Springs placed 17th and its top racer was Audrey Bullock in 58th (24:57).

Cochranton and Maplewood competed with incomplete teams. The top finisher for the Cardinals was Abby Knapka in 94th (26:26) and the top runner for the Tigers was Shauna Pillar in 42th (23:47).

Saegertown sweeps Cambridge Springs

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — The Saegertown boys and girls cross country teams beat Cambridge Springs in a dual meet on Tuesday.

The Panthers beat the Blue Devils 24-31 in the boys race. Saegertown’s Sam Hetrick was the fastest runner of the day with a time of 18 minutes and 28 seconds. Hetrick’s teammate Michael DeJohn was second (19:18).

Saegertown also had runners place fifth (Eddie Hazlet, 19:46), seventh (Brennen McWright, 20:03) and ninth (Jace Digiacomo, 20:51).

Nick Finck (19:25) and Quinn Simmerman (19:41) finished third and fourth for Cambridge Springs. Devin Laniewicz was sixth (19:59), Joshua Simpson was eighth (20:30) and Tysin Findlay was 10th (21:05).

In the girls race, Saegertown won 15-50. The Lady Panthers claimed the top four spots.

Camryn Harakal crossed the line first (24:17) with Margaret Hughes (24:50), Skyler Bland (26:16) and Emma Spencer (27:28) following. Also for Saegertown, Jazmyn Pisarchick was sixth (29:38), Kaylee Reynolds was seventh (29:38) and Katlynn Betruso was eighth (32:30).

For Cambridge, Abbey Laskey was the top finisher in fifth place (28:55). Also in the top 10 was Katlynn Baer (34:01) and Maddy Lehner (34:08).

Panthers win cross country dual

SAEGERTOWN — The Saegertown cross country teams hosted Cochranton for a dual meet on Tuesday. The Panthers won the boys and girls races.

In the boys race, Cochranton’s Kyler Woolstrum and Chase Miller finished first and second at 17 minutes and 8 second and 17:30, respectively. It wasn’t enough to win, as Saegertown won 28-31. Sam Hetrick was the top finisher for the Panthers at third (17:47). Michael DeJohn was fourth (18:44), Eddie Hazelet sixth (19:07) and Brennen McWright seventh (20:05).

Cochranton’s Landon Homa was fifth (18:56).

In the girls race, Saegertown won 15-50. Camryn Harakal claimed first (23:24), Margaret Hughes second (24:16) and Skyler Bland third (25:38).

Abby Knapka was Cochranton’s top finisher in fourth place (26:09).

Both teams will compete next at the Big Red Invitational Saturday at West Middlesex.

CASH, Maplewood, Saegertown compete at Rocket Invite

TITUSVILLE — The Conneaut, Maplewood and Saegertown cross country teams competed at the Rocket Invitational hosted by Titusville High School on Saturday with several top-100 finishes.

Conneaut’s Keaira Smeltzer was the top finisher on the girls side. The sophomore completed the course in 21 minutes and 43 seconds for a 24th place finish. Kaylee Montes was 56th (24:05), Chloe Fields was 61st (24:33) and Jessica Pelc was 91st (26:06).

Top finishing boys for Conneaut were Mitchell Lasko in 78th (20:00) and Daniel Hunter in 83rd (20:10).

Maplewood was led by sophomore Lincoln Kier. Kier was the lone boy to post a top-100 finish. He finished 27th with a time of 18:04.

On the Lady Tigers’ side, Shawna Pillar was 47th (23:28) while Sylvia Wright placed 53rd (23:55). Rhinn Post finished 89th (25:58).

For Saegertown, five boys placed in the top-100.

Eddie Hazlet led the way in 47th place (18:48) and Sam Hetrick was close behind in 54th (18:52). Brennen McWright (19:52) and Jace Digiacomo (20:02) were 70th and 79th, respectively. Xander Brauen (20:35) was 92nd.

On the girls side, Camryn Harakal paced the Panthers with a 34th place finish (22:42). Margaret Hughes (24:00) and Skyler Bland (24:56) were 55th and 72nd, respectively.

Panthers look for more leadership amid changes

By Alex McGinley

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

For more reasons than one, this year will look a lot different for the Saegertown cross country team.

One of the major changes is that the Panthers will now compete in the new Region 3 that’s only comprised of four other teams: Cambridge Springs, Cochranton, Maplewood and Rocky Grove. Last season, Region 3 had nine teams for cross country.

“We only have four teams in our region now, instead of nine before with the break between A and AA, so I’d think we’d be competitive in the old Region 3 with our varsity boys,” said Saegertown head coach Bill Hetrick. “We’re looking at maybe we can have anywhere from 10-15 kids for us. I’ve never had more than maybe 10 total, so that would be remarkable to have that many kids. We’re gonna have 10 or 11 of them be seniors, so we have a lot of experience there.”

Another major change is that the Panthers will have to run without state medalist Paige Fuller this season. Fuller finished 21st in the 1A state championship with a time of 20 minutes, 45 seconds during her senior campaign last year. Fuller was the first girl to medal in Saegertown school history. Fuller is currently on the cross country team at Division II Cedarville University

in Ohio.

Aside from Fuller, Hetrick said the girls team will also miss the leadership of Emma MacAdam, Makayla Stevens and Rachel White. Like Fuller, MacAdam, Stevens and White all graduated last year.

“It’s impossible to replace a person that is a state medalist when they graduate,” Hetrick said. “Paige had been waiting her whole life for that race. She had the race of her life on her last race. She’s racing at Cedarville in Ohio. She’s continuing her cross country talent over there. It’s hard to replace just her leadership for the girls.”

Entering this season, Hetrick expects junior Skyler Bland to be one of the leaders of the girls team. Last year, Bland qualified for the District 10 championship meet and finished in 31st with a time of 23 minutes, 44 seconds. Besides Bland, Hetrick hopes to see some of his freshmen girls break through this season.

“I want to see the girls grow a leader,” Hetrick said. “I’m interested to see what Skyler can do for me in that respect.”

While the girls’ leadership will need to develop, things are much clearer on the boys side. The most experienced runner for the boys is Sam Hetrick, who’s entering his senior year. Like Fuller, Hetrick also ran at the state meet last year. Hetrick finished 110th with a time of 18 minutes, 45 seconds.

Hetrick expects Quincy Zook, Brennan McWright and Eddie Hazlet to round the Panthers’ senior leadership.

“I think Sam will probably be the emotional leader, the vocal leader and certainly the fastest of the crew, but there’s been a lot of kids running,” Hetrick said. “We have some new talent coming in we hadn’t seen before, so I expect Sam to lead the boys team

and we’ll see how it goes after that. We have a ton of kids that are gonna be seniors and I’m very excited to see them as leaders.”

With all the runners that are returning to the team this year, Hetrick sees experience as one of the team’s main strengths.

“Last year was the largest team I’ve ever had and they’re all back except for those four senior girls that have left us, so I expect a fully experienced team that gets along well,” Hetrick said. “One of the mottos I’ve had my whole career has been family business. We kind of treat teams and practices like were a family. We’re all in this together. We start together. We finish together. We cry together. We hug together. It’s all in there and I fully expect our team to bond and have that stuff grow.”