Knoch girls cross country team ‘ready to run’ at WPIAL championship meet

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 27, 2021 | 8:09 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

The WPIAL cross country championships return to Cal (Pa.) on Thursday after a one-year covid hiatus, and the Knoch girls team hopes to be a major factor in the team and individual standings.

Five of six runners from last year’s Class AA fifth-place team are back, and coach Wess Brahler said his team can make an impact if team members all run their best.

“We’re definitely a top-10 team, and if we run well on Thursday, anything can happen,” Brahler said. “We’re going to need everything to click for each runner. We have to close our gap as tight as we can, and I think our girls are capable of that. They have worked so hard all year and are ready to run.”

Montour, the 2020 runner-up, Beaver Area, Ringgold and Greensburg Salem are among the favorites to capture one of three automatic team spots to states in Hershey.

Knoch won its third straight Section 4-AA championship two weeks ago and added a strong performance at the Tri-State Coaches Championships at Cal last Thursday.

Brahler said he likes the chances of two, possibly three, individuals qualifying for states. Sophomore Emma Haugh finished 10th at WPIALs last year at White Oak Park, and senior Yumiko Kuo was 22nd. Fellow senior Jocelyn Holko placed 51st.

The top three teams and top 15 individuals not on one of the qualifying teams earn trips to states from the Class AA and Class AAA boys and girls races. In Class A, it is the top four teams and top 20 individuals who advance.

The qualification process returns to normal this year after PIAA-mandated covid restrictions limited state berths in 2020 to district champions and a select few individuals.

“We’ve put in a lot of work to get to where we are and have really bonded through practices and meets,” Holko said. “It’s really been a good experience again this year. We are really prepared for WPIALs. We’ve been on the Cal U course a couple of times this year. That one hill is really tricky, but having that experience there really helps.”

Kiski Area sophomore Eliza Miller will run a WPIAL championship race at Cal for the first time, but last year’s Class AAA fifth-place finisher and state qualifier is no stranger to the course.

She finished second to North Allegheny freshman Wren Kucler in the Class AAA girls race at last week’s Tri-State meet. She ran the course in 19 minutes, 13.47 seconds.

Miller also was the top girls finisher at the Division I, Section 4 championship meet Oct. 6 at Northmoreland Park. Her 18:57.4 was more than a minute faster than her closest competitor, Oakland Catholic junior Bridget Shaver (20:05.3).

The Riverview boys hope to climb to the top of the Class A mountain and unseat five-time defending WPIAL champion Winchester Thurston. The Raiders have finished second to the Bears each of the past five years.

Seniors Parker Steele. Lucas Wilton and Ty Laughlin, along with junior Amberson Bauer, power the Raiders into the WPIAL meet.

Deer Lakes senior Carson McCoy, 12th in the Class AA boys race at WPIALs last year, is hoping for big things. He placed fourth last week in the boys Class AA race at Tri-States with a time of 17:33.30.

Fox Chapel senior Jack Lorence, 28th in the Class AAA boys race at WPIALs last year, will challenge the top runners Thursday. Last week at Tri-States, Lorence, also the Section 4 meet winner (17:02.3), took seventh in the Class AAA boys race in 17:00.01.

Fox Chapel sophomore Laura Carter is hoping for a return trip to states after taking sixth in girls Class AAA at WPIALs last year. Sophomore teammate Clara Kelley just missed a trip to states after taking 13th.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Knoch