Greensburg Salem boys cross country headed to PIAAs

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, October 26, 2017 | 7:18 PM

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Greensburg Salem cross country coach Nathan Snider was both happy and sad Thursday at the WPIAL cross country championships at Cooper's Lake Campground.

Glad the boys advanced to the PIAA championships Nov. 4 in Hershey with a third-place finish but disappointed that the girls missed advancing by three points.

The boys, the defending Class AA champions, finished 101 points behind Indiana (82) and New Castle (87).

“I'd like to say it was a successful day,” Snider said. “But when half your team doesn't get to go and half does, that kind of stings a little bit.

“The girls ran great and missed out by a couple points. We hadn't beat Brownsville or South Fayette all season, and I thought we could but weren't able to. They gave a great effort. Hopefully we come back next year with a little more fire.”

The overall AA champion was South Fayette senior Sam Snodgrass (16 minutes, 33 seconds). As Snodgrass crossed the finish line he let out a yell. Indiana sophomore Kendall Brown finished second (16:47), outkicking Greensburg Salem junior Mark Brown (16:48).

“I'm happy how I ran,” Brown said. “I took it out from the middle of the race. The kid from Indiana had a better kick at the end. I wasn't worried about times; I was worried about what place I got. I finished fourth last year.”

New Castle senior Le'shawn Huff edged Greensburg Salem junior Cameron Binda for fourth. Greensburg Salem junior Dylan Binda finished eighth. The Golden Lions' other runners who scored were sophomore Noah Calisti and freshman Quinton Gatons.

“I kind of thought Indiana and New Castle would be tough to beat, and they were,” Snider said. “Our top three ran great, and we were able to play ahead of Uniontown.”

Uniontown finished fourth with 106 points.

The Class AA girls winner was Quaker Valley sophomore Annie Wicker (19:15), who pulled away from Brownsville sophomore Gionna Quarzo (19:41) during the second mile.

Others from the area to qualify for states were Belle Vernon freshman Grace Henderson (fourth), Greensburg Salem senior Emma Andrasko (sixth), Southmoreland senior Kaylee Farino (seventh), Derry junior Mary Trinclisti (13th) and Greensburg Salem sophomore Jamie Tanto (20th).

South Fayette won the team title with 116 points. Brownsville was next at 129, and Quaker Valley was third with 132. Greensburg Salem just missed qualifying for the state meet; it finished fourth with 135 points.

“I'm so excited and happy to finally qualify,” Andrasko said. “I was feeling it for the first mile, and I told myself I had to go.

“I've been trying to get to states for four years, and I finally did it. It shows that all my hard work paid off, and I am so happy.”

Farino qualified for the state meet for the fourth time.

“I want to be able to medal my senior year,” Farino said. “I felt good (Thursday), and I hope to carry the momentum to next week.”

The surprise winner in Class AAA girls was Oakland Catholic junior Hannah Schupansky (17:58), who edged Upper St. Clair senior Savannah Shaw (18:10) and 2017 champion North Allegheny senior Clara Savchik (18:20).

“I didn't expect to win because Savannah and Sara are amazing,” Schupansky said. “My goal was to stay with them and work off them and do the best I could. I felt good going into the second mile, so I went after it.”

Three girls from the county advanced to Hershey on Nov. 4. They were Latrobe senior Maria Cawoski (10th) and sophomore Rachel Harter (19th) and Kiski Area junior Kierra Shreffler (20th).

The Class A girls winner was Our Lady of the Sacred Heart sophomore Haley Hamilton (19:03). The four teams to advance were Vincentian Academy (78), Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (87), Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (170) and Mohawk (176).

The AAA boys winner was Butler senior Noah Beveridge (15:47). Franklin Regional senior Matt Busche (14th) was the only county runner to qualify for states in Class AAA. Seneca Valley was the team winner.

In Class A, Winchester-Thurston senior Tristan Forsythe (16:21) took top honors and helped his team to the title. Greensburg Central Catholic senior Aiden Brewer placed 16th and earned a trip to the state meet.

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Greensburg Salem, Indiana, Oakland Catholic, Quaker Valley, Seneca Valley, South Fayette, Vincentian Academy, Winchester Thurston