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First Posted: 10/22/2013

Tessa Barrett approached the finish line and looked up and to her right, sneaking a glance at the time.

There was no sense in looking back.

Barrett obliterated the field in the Class AAA girls race at the Oct. 23 District 2 Cross Country Championships, winning by more than two minutes to claim her first title in the event.

Although it only took her 17:48 to complete the 3.1-mile course at Elk Lake High School, this championship for Barrett was a year in the making.

The recent Penn State recruit said she did not spend much time thinking about the disappointment of not winning titles as a freshman or a sophomore. She acknowledged, however, that last year’s race, when she was ahead before taking a misstep on the muddy course and suffering a broken femur, was on her mind up to and throughout this race.

“It was definitely in my mind a lot,” Barrett said. “I wanted to finish in one piece.”

Barrett did so by running the course by herself, taking over less than a half-mile in, opening the lead to 40 seconds after a mile and stretching it out from there.

The Abington Heights senior continued a trend in setting a course record in every race this season while leading the Lady Comets to the team title and setting herself up for the state championships, which will be held Saturday on the Hershey Parkview Course.

The Comets will have plenty of representation in Hershey. The entire girls team will compete for the state championships while Jacob Ross and Kyle Ouellette will compete as individuals in the Class AAA boys race.

Nate Morgan also won an individual title while leading his Lakeland team to a championship in Class A boys.

A total of 220 girls ran in the three district championships that day. Barrett was 1:14 faster than the next-best time turned in by multiple state medalist Regan Rome of Dallas while winning in Class AA for her fourth district cross country title.

Barrett posted that time even while easing up near the end.

“Coach said ‘you’re looking really good, you can back down and save it for states’,” said Barrett, who goes in as one of the serious title contenders after earning a state silver medal in the 3200-meter run in track season. “I realize there are going to be a good solid 10 girls down there vying for that.”

Abington Heights placed four girls in the top seven, five in the top 12 and all seven in the top 18 while beating Hazleton Area, 29-49, for the team title.

Claire Traweek was fourth, Erin Jaeger fifth and Jen Burke seventh to all earn medals, which went to the top 10 in Class AAA.

Freshman Alexandra Scheuermann clinched the team title when she came across in 12th. Sarah Walsh and Carly Danoski were 17th and 18th.

Ross and Ouellette finished second and third, behind North Pocono’s Matt Kravitz, to lead Abington Heights to a second-place finish in Class AAA boys.

Wallenpaupack edged Abington Heights, 47-54, for the team title preventing the Comets from sending both teams to Hershey.

Ryan Gilbert (12th), Brad Eckersley (16th) and Matt Molinaro (21st) contributed to the strong team finish.

Morgan led a 1-2 finish with teammate Mark Arzie in Class A boys.

Lakeland also got medal-winning efforts from Adam Davis and Mike Arzie in seventh and ninth. Joe Wanat was 23rd to complete the team score and give Lakeland the victory over host Elk Lake, 42-74. Both teams qualify for the state meet.

“I was the most pumped before this race that I ever have been in my life,” Morgan said.

It was a successful day for Abington-area runners.

Zoe Haggerty, a sophomore from Clarks Green, finished second while helping Holy Cross to a Class A girls team title.

The Lady Crusaders beat defending state champion Elk Lake, 26-42, in the team standings.

Lakeland did not have enough girls running to compete as a team, but one of its three individuals, freshman Brooke Estadt placed eighth to earn a spot at the state meet.

Lackawanna Trail senior Katie Seigle claimed the final state berth available in the race when she finished 20th while helping her team finish sixth out of 10.

The Lackawanna Trail boys were fifth out of 12 teams in Class A with the help of state qualifier Devon Clarke, who finished sixth.