Ella Novelli and Katie Kozich led Crestwood to victory Wednesday, completing an unbeaten season. Julianna Sobocinski is in pursuit for Dallas. All three finished in less than 20 minutes.
Tom Robinson | For Times Leader
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Madison Hedglin remained perfect In WVC meets this season, but Crestwood won the conference girls title by handing Dallas its first loss.
Tom Robinson | For Times Leader
LEHMAN TWP. — Crestwood withstood significant challenges – one long-anticipated, the other the result of a recent development – on the final day of the regular season to finish as unbeaten Wyoming Valley Conference champion in boys and girls cross country.
Both Comets teams swept three opponents in a cluster meet hosted by Lake-Lehman Wednesday.
Crestwood got past Dallas, 28-31, in a meeting of unbeaten girls teams so loaded with established talent that this first-place showdown was easily projected before the first race of the season was run.
The Crestwood boys had already beaten the second- and third-place teams before arriving at the finale against the strongest three-team cluster without their No. 1 runner, Mason Staude, who the Comets hope to have back for the postseason. Crestwood defeated Dallas, 25-30, while also getting past Lake-Lehman, 22-34, and Tunkhannock, 20-39.
In both cases, Crestwood’s impressive depth was the deciding factor while Dallas individuals were standing out, finishing first out of six girls teams and five boys teams.
Madison Hedglin won the girls race by 47 seconds in 18:47 after Bryce Phillips won by eight seconds when he completed the 3.1-mile course in 16:28. Both are undefeated in WVC clusters with one postponement that will be made up as part of Tuesday’s Ed Narkiewicz WVC Coaches Championship Meet.
The Crestwood girls had two distinct keys to victory and a 16-0 finish.
With Sarah Williams from Dallas running a strong second, Crestwood could not allow a 1-2-3 finish that would have clinched a victory for the Mountaineers.
“Head-to-head, that’s a concern,” Crestwood coach Rob Moulton said.
Four more runners – three from Crestwood — broke 20 minutes with Katie Kozich and Ella Novelli beating Dallas’ Julianna Sobocinski to the finish line.
The Comets still had points to make up, which they accomplished by taking five of the next six spots and five in a row in their head-to-head scoring with the Mountaineers.
Ellie Kozich was the sixth runner in before 20 minutes.
Following Hazleton Area’s Milana Daiute, Crestwood rounded out the top 10 with Kaelyn Barter, Mollie Kozich and Maggie Kozich. Mollie Kozich completed the team score, but it was Maggie Kozich displacing Dallas which actually clinched the victory and the season title.
“We have a lot of depth, fortunately,” Moulton said. “We just tried to get as many in as we could.
“It was definitely an exciting race.”
Crestwood’s other two wins were by the maximum, 15-50 scores over Lake-Lehman and Tunkhannock as the result of taking the first seven places in those matchups.
Dallas posted two wins, beating Hazleton Area, 17-42, and MMI Prep, 15-48.
Hazleton Area also had a 2-1 day, beating Lake-Lehman, 25-31, and Tunkhannock, 15-46.
Lake-Lehman beat MMI Prep, 21-36.
MMI Prep also beat Tunkhannock, 15-46.
Hazleton Area, which was scored against Crestwood earlier in the season, placed Franklin Ritz and Owen Pollock second and third in the boys race.
Aidan Jennings from Dallas was fourth and Tunkhannock’s Brendan Yatsko was fifth.
That’s when Crestwood’s balance showed.
The Comets (15-0) brought five runners in between sixth and 14th, with their scoring runners taking every other place in that stretch while separated by less than a minute.
“I knew it was going to be a really close race without Mason,” Moulton said. “He’s usually way up there. Our 3-4-5 really stepped up today.
“Dallas’ middle runners are really good, too and they battled all day. We barely came out ahead. I knew they had to step up and they were ready to do that for Mason.”
Ryan Kozich led the win. Nate Higgins was eighth, Jacob Lettieri 10th, Gavin Rindock 12th and Brooks Martinelli 14th.
Spencer Smith led Lake-Lehman, taking seventh.
Joe Mazaika was ninth, helping Hazleton Area also go 3-0 on the day while finishing 14-1.
The Mountaineers defeated Dallas, 26-29; Lake-Lehman, 22-35, and Tunkhannock, 18-42.
MMI Prep does not have a boys team, so Dallas, Lake-Lehman and Tunkhannock were each 0-2 on the day.