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MESHOPPEN — While the Dallas teams were reasserting their dominance over the Wyoming Valley Conference, Jack Zardecki was putting on an individual show Wednesday.

The Dallas junior opened a lead over the first half of the race, then ran away from the field for a 24-second win in the Ed Narkiewicz Wyoming Valley Conference Championship Meet at the Wyoming County Fairgrounds.

Zardecki’s win gave Dallas three of the four varsity titles and helped established him as a top individual contender heading into the District 2 Championships Oct. 26 at Lakeland.

The time of 16:19 was Zardecki’s career-best for a 3.1-mile cross country course.

“I’m very pleased with that time,” Zardecki said.

Running on the what may be the last hot day of the season was tough on some competitors. Zardecki, however, remained strong throughout while testing himself for the stretch run, which includes Dallas trying to defend its state title and Zardecki trying to repeat his state medal-winning performance.

“The weather, the course conditions and all the people around me gave me a great push to run faster,” Zardecki said.

Dallas coach Matt Samuel said there is more potential improvement ahead for his team, but he was impressed by Zardecki’s effort out in front.

“Jack had a really nice race,” Samuel said. “It seemed like he was really determined right off the start.

“He’s starting to step into his own. He’s doing pretty well and he did that after taking PSATs today.”

Zardecki had teammates and Berwick runners chasing, but he established early that it would take a fast pace to keep up with him.

“I wanted get a little gap after the first hill and then see where I was from there off the mile marker,” Zardecki said. “Then, I just kept pushing myself.”

Both Dallas teams won their team titles with the same type of margins that they went undefeated in dual competition in the conference this season.

Berwick, the second-place team in the conference and the seventh-place Class 2A team in the state last season, pushed Dallas at the front of the boys race, but the Mountaineers depth came through.

Dallas beat out Berwick, 32-60, largely because of an advantage in the fifth spot.

The Mountaineers were ahead one point after the first runner, even after two, up two points after three runners and ahead three after four runners. When Josh Jarden, the fifth Dallas runner came in 12th, he was 25 spots ahead of Berwick’s fifth runner.

Josh Wyandt and Jason Culp were fourth and fifth for the Mountaineers behind Berwick’s Mason Kimbell and Ty Fisher in second and third.

Mitchell Rome gave Dallas a fourth runner in the top 10.

Another good sign for the Mountaineers is that all seven runners finished in the top 21, giving the team other options to produce its top five.

While the Dallas boys have excelled all year with so many of the same performers as last year’s state championship lineup, the girls used new faces to repeat their Narkiewicz title.

Freshmen Megan Borton and Madison Baloga occupied two of the top three spots and cross country newcomer Abby Zolner the team’s fourth spot while winning by 36 points.

Borton was third, Baloga seventh and Zolner ninth overall.

Rebecca Balara, last year’s runner-up, was sixth to finish second among the Dallas team. Senior Riley Oremus was 12th to complete the five-runner team score.

That combination allowed Dallas to point a team score of 37, well ahead of Hazleton Area (73) and Pittston Area (77).

“This is kind of new for a lot of our girls,” Samuel said. “They’ve never really been in this situation.

“ … Megan Borton ended up third overall and didn’t feel the greatest. She was a little nervous, but wow, what a great race. For the team overall, it was a great race.”

ED NARKIEWICZ

WVC CHAMPIONSHIP MEET

(at Wyoming County Fairgrounds)

Boys Team Scoring

1. Dallas 32; 2. Berwick 60; 3. Holy Redeemer 70; 4. Hazleton Area 100; 5. Tunkhannock 201; 6. Wyoming Valley West 202; 7. Crestwood 218; 8. Hanover Area 230; 9. Wyoming Seminary 261; 10. Lake-Lehman 264; 11. Pittston Area 284; 12. GAR 292; 13. Northwest 367; 14. Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 397; 15. Coughlin 412; 16. MMI Prep 450; 17. Wyoming Area 474.

Boys Top Individuals

1. DAL, Jack Zardecki, 16:19; 2. BER, Mason Kimbell, 16:43; 3. BER, Ty Fisher, 16:48; 4. DAL, Josh Wyandt, 16:53; 5. DAL, Jason Culp 16:57; 6. HAZ, Franklin Cunningham, 16:58; 7. BER, Mitchell Martin, 16:59; 8, HR, Bryce Zapusek, 17:01; 9. DAL, Aaron Hoda, 17:06; 10. DAL, Mitchell Rome, 17:16; 11. BER, Jerod Waller, 17:22; 12. DAL, Josh Jarden, 17:33; 13. DAL, Adam Borton, 17:36; 14. HR, Lucas Volpetti, 17:40; 15. WVW, Jacob Kobusky, 17:41; 16. CRE, Caly Kimsal, 17:45; 17. HR, Scott Williams, 17:57; 18. TUNK, Ben Tidball, 18:04; 19. HAZ, Mikel Skasko, 18:06; 20. HAZ, Kyle Pecora, 18:07; 21. DAL, Stephen Postupak, 18:10; 22. HR, Dominic Capaci, 18:11; 23. MMI Prep, Jack Malay, 18:16; 24. HAZ, Bobby Earley, 18:20; 25. HAN, Stephen Dule, 18:24.

Girls Team Scoring

1. Dallas 37; 2. Hazleton Area 73; 3. Pittston Area 77; 4. Lake-Lehman 97; 5. Holy Redeemer 125; 6. Crestwood 186; 7. Hanover Area 227; 8. Berwick 237; 9. Wyoming Area 246; 10. Wyoming Seminary 257; 11. Wyoming Valley West 271; 12. Northwest 278; 13. Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 340.

Girls Top Individuals

1. HR, Lyndsey Williams, 20:03; 2. HAZ, Mary Everdale, 20:15; 3. DAL, Megan Borton, 20:28; 4. PIT, Arianna Boccardi, 20:55; 5. BER, Sam Dyer, 21:01; 6. DAL, Rebecca Balara, 21:05; 7. DAL, Madison Baloga, 21:10; 8. HAZ, Ariana Stranko, 21:12; 9. DAL, Abby Zolner, 21:14; 10. HAZ, Stephanie Yanochko, 21:19; 11. PIT, Bailey Loyack, 21:30; 12. DAL, Riley Oremus, 21:32; 13. PIT, Nicole Zambetti, 21:32; 14. LL, Jade Fry, 21:35; 15. HAN, Caitlyn Bly, 21:55; 16, HR, Destiny Andes, 21:58; 17, PIT, Genevieve English, 22:05; 18. DAL, Maxine Derome, 22:15; 19. LL, Jace Garnick, 22:22; 20. LL, Lauryn Pembleton, 22:24; 21, LL, Morgan Patla, 22:34; 22. SEM, Tara Kupsky, 22:38; 23. LL, Krystin Chaga, 22:41; 24. TUN, Madelyn Franko, 22:41; 25. DAL, Sheena Patel, 22:42.

Runners chase leader Jack Zardecki early after starting the boys WVC cross country meet on Wednesday.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_WVC-CrossCountry_4.jpg.optimal.jpgRunners chase leader Jack Zardecki early after starting the boys WVC cross country meet on Wednesday. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

Dallas’ Jack Zardecki lengthens his lead before winning the boys WVC cross country meet at the Wyoming County Fairgrounds in Meshoppen on Wednesday afternoon.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_WVC-CrossCountry_1.jpg.optimal.jpgDallas’ Jack Zardecki lengthens his lead before winning the boys WVC cross country meet at the Wyoming County Fairgrounds in Meshoppen on Wednesday afternoon. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

By Tom Robinson

For Times Leader

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