SPARTAN GIRLS PRANCE HARD AT POTTSTOWN HARRIER 10/2/99
Weather Conditions: Sunny and a perfect 70 degress F.
Course Conditions: Waged at Memorial Park in Pottstown, along the Manatawny
Creek, on an extremely soggy mostly flat course that had been flooded under 4
feet of water two weeks ago during Hurricane Floyd. It was an excellent
course for viewing with the runners in sight almost 90% of the time in two
big figure eight loops of the park (plus one finishing loop).


Boys race: It was a marvelous race between three marvelously talented
runners: Ryan Fennelly of St. Pius X (2nd at the 1998 State AA race), Joel
Moceri of Wyomissing (5th at 1998 AA States) and Tim Carroll of Springfield
(7th at 1998 AA States). It was an all out shootout and a preliminary
opportunity for race fans to get excited about what they can expect to see 5
weeks from now at the PIAA State championships to be waged at Lehigh
University.  Joel fired the first shot as he led the field across the flood
plain to the first turn and over a water jump. By the 1/2 mile mark, state
runner up Fennelly had taken charge. He set a ferocious pace up front for the
next two miles with Carroll stapled on his rear right shoulder. Initially
Moceri was three yards back of the lead duo, then 10 and eventually as much
as 25 yards. With a mile to go, Joel began to inch up to the leaders. At the
1/2 mile mark to go he was within striking distance, but at this point
Fennelly surged. Fennelly broke contact with Carroll and it looked like he
was going to power to a big win, but he faded and the three came together
with 1/4 mile to go. At a left hand 90 degree corner at the bottom of the
last 40 meter short steep hill Joel passed Fennelly on the inside and Carroll
did the same on the outside. At the top of the hill Carroll gave a maximum
effort and got a gap. Down the hill and around the last corner to the sprint
straight Carroll expanded the gap and sprinted across the finish line only to
collapse in the chute. Joel cruised into second place looking the freshest of
the big three with Fennelly a well beaten third. The "big" three finished
over  30 seconds ahead of the 4th place finisher. All in all it was a
tremendous duel, a great test for Joel, and he was satisfied with the result
in a post race interview.  We are all looking forward to see these three
battle again at Lehigh. Who will win that day will depend on "Who ate his
Wheaties that morning".  The rest of the Wyo boys ran a strong race. Jeff
Muir and Joel Goodling ran most of the race within 10 meters of each other
and finished in the top 15. Shawn Goodling and Josh Vanderveen completed the
scoring for the Spartans. My apologies to the boys as I didn't get their
exact placings at the meet and they weren't in the Sunday paper either.
Nevertheless they finished an impressive third in the team race with St. Pius
X 1st and Springfield 2nd.


Girls race: The big story of the day was a first win by a Wyo girls team over
the Governor Mifflin Mustangs in any CC race, ever. The Spartans actually ran
against its top two rivals for this years Berks Co. Championship, Gov.
Mifflin and Twin Valley. They will meet each in separate Berks Co. league
meets again in the next two weeks and finally again in the Berks Co.
Conference run at Kutztown on October 21 to determine the true 1999 Berks Co.
CC girls champion. Today's Harrier race was merely for initial bragging
rights. Bragging rights or not, it was a milestone win for Coach Hetrick's
program over the Mustangs, the long time Berks CC girls juggernaut, and
stamps the favorite tag on the distaff Spartans for the rest of the year.
After the gun went off, the Varsity girls slogged across the mushy flood
plain. At the first turn and over the water jump (which all the racers had to
do three times during the course of the race), it was Freshman Nikki Stoyer
of Mifflin leading the way.  Five meters behind was a wall of blue, Janna
Sallade, Amy and Debbie Huss, and Jess Geissler of Wyo and two Mustangs,
All-Berks runners Alison Stoyko and Melissa Weitzel. Sallade was suffering
from a severe chest cold and couldn't make her usual charge to the front that
she likes to make in big meets. After a short pause, it was Amy Huss who made
the chase after Stoyer with Nikki Angstadt of Fleetwood on her heels and
Debbie Huss shortly after.  The field began to string out. Stoyer kept the
pace high, but couldn't seem to pull away. Just past the halfway mark in the
race and at the second time over the water jump, Amy Huss actually passed
Stoyer and got a gap. She led for about 1/4 mile and then slowed. It was at
this point that Angstadt took charge, but Stoyer was right behind her.
Meanwhile senior Erin Flannery was making a big charge through the field. She
was boxed in at the start and was as far back as 50th at the first water
jump. But by the halfway point she was up to 15th place and right behind the
Mustangs 3rd runner Weitzel. Over the last mile Angstadt and Stoyer dueled,
but the marshy ground seemed to give the edge to the shorter and lighter
Stoyer. Stoyer led out the sprint at the last corner 75 meters from the line.
She pulled away steadily for the win, Angstadt taking a strong  second place.
Amy Huss powered in for 3rd 10 seconds later and her sister Debbie was 1
second behind in 4th. Then came Stoyko who had led Wyo's Geissler by 10-20
meters all the way thru the race. Geissler actually made a big surge to catch
Stoyko with 1/4 mile to go, but Stoyko had more left over the short finishing
hills. Geissler was 6th. Sallade, who never could get it going all day due to
her cold, finished a couragous 11th.  The Stangs' Weitzel was 12th and
Flannery, who actually led Weitzel for a while was 13th. Then came the Twin
Valley top 4 runners for 14th-17th. The Spartans had snared the overall team
crown, with the Mustangs 2nd and Raiders 3rd. Wyo's 6th and 7th runners,
Caitlin Zacherias and Jen Johnson actually beat Mifflin's 4th runner, a bad
omen for GM coach Jack Heim. However, he was missing his usual #3 runner
Katie Grim and the all-time best Berks Co. girls coach is famed for peaking
his team every year at the Berks Co. Conference run. So the final chapter of
the Spartan/Mustang girl rivalry for 1999 remains to be written. However,
Round One goes to the Spartans and it will always remain the all-time first
win over the female Mustangs. Coach Hetrich, how sweet it is!

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