Derry track team focuses on WPIAL individual championships

By: Paul Schofield
Thursday, April 3, 2025 | 9:03 PM

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Derry track and field coach Mark Curcio was excited for his girls squad coming into the season.

But that joy turned to disappointment after the PIAA released the 2025-26 enrollment perimeters, which moved Derry from Class 2A to Class 3A.

“Four girls and 10 boys moved us up,” Curcio said. “I really thought the girls had a shot at winning the WPIAL team championship. Now we’re competing against teams two and three times our size.”

He felt bad for the girls squad, which had won three consecutive section titles, and for seniors Sophia Mazzoni, Jane Huss, Julia Omler and Regan Repak, who were the scoring leaders the past three seasons.

The Derry boys and girls are now in a section with Norwin, Hempfield, Latrobe, Penn-Trafford, Greensburg Salem and Indiana.

“We’ve switched our thinking,” Curcio said. “Our goal is to qualify as many individuals as possible — and relays — to the WPIALs.”

Mazzoni, the returning PIAA and WPIAL Class 2A javelin champion, is back. Her throw of 161 feet, 10 inches was the best throw in the state.

After winning the state, Mazzoni placed third (152) at JavFest and then won Nationals (156) and East Coast (146) titles. Her best throw this season is 145-10, which places 10th in the country and third in the state.

“Sophia would like to have better throws, but the weather has not been good,” Curcio said. “She’s not concerned. She’s progressed forward the past three seasons, and I expect her to do the same this year.”

Mazzoni said she is looking forward to competing against different throwers and tougher competition.

“I lifted more this past year and worked on my technique,” Mazzoni said. “I’m a lot stronger.”

Mazzoni has signed a letter of intent to attend Auburn.

“I picked Auburn because I like the coach, liked my teammates, liked the program they had and it just felt like home,” Mazzoni said.

Huss, who will run at Saint Vincent, is a three-time PIAA qualifier.

Two underclassmen have bright futures. Sophomore Melody Marsh is a distance runner, and freshman Maizy Mikeska has cleared 4-11 in the high jump.

On the boys side, Curcio is excited by how senior Gabe Gess (sprints) is running and how junior Jeremiah Gess, not related, is competing in the pole vault.

Gess recently broke the school record in the pole vault with a jump of 13-7. The previous record was 13 feet by Larry Stauffer set in 1971.

Others competing well are Timothy Miller in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and sophomore Stanley Rajkovich in the triple jump. His best jump is 44-5, which is No. 3 all-time in school history.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Derry Area