Indians, Huskies can build on Big Valley performances
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By BRIAN CARSON
Sports correspondent
REEDSVILLE - Juniata freshman Sylvia Brubaker made her debut at the Big Valley Invitational a memorable one with a second-place finish in the girls' 2A cross country race on Saturday.
The Indian boys, the defending 2A team champions at BVI last year, had three finish in the top five, good enough for second in the team standings with 59 points. Bellefonte won the team title with 45 points.
Brubaker, who won the junior high race in 2022, crossed the line at 19:26. Bedford's Chloe May, also a ninth grader, won with a time of 18:44. Brubaker ran the course at an impressive 6:16 pace. She finished fourth overall when combining the times of all classes.
"I thought she ran great. I knew there were some girls she wasn't ready to run against. She went out a little too hard but settled down and ran a great race. She went for it," Juniata coach Jeff Miller said. "For a freshman who hasn't been training that hard yet, the rest of the season looks good. She already broke our school record by a lot in her first invite. She's put in so much work, and she's so dedicated, and it's paying off. She has to be on a high right now."
Wyatt Stroup (16:30) took second, Joey Bomberger (16:52) was fourth, and Wesley Ehrisman (17:39) came in fifth to lead the Juniata boys. The trio all ran under a six-minute pace. East Pennsboro's Andrew Namatka won with a time of 16:12. Stroup had the sixth-best time on the day regardless of class.
"It came down to the guys who did the work in the summer shined today, and those who didn't were the difference. We have eight weeks to get them together," Miller said. "Eight weeks is enough time to make up for that as long as they stay healthy and put their head in the game. We're still trying to produce that fifth runner with Logan (Strawser) gone. We can still get it together."
Ricardo Guante (19:38) placed 22nd, and Levi Zeiders (19:47) came in 26th to round out Juniata's scoring. Also competing were Coy Kerstetter (19:56-31st) and Charles Telfer (23:06-51st).
The Indian girls had enough runners to field a team, something they couldn't do a year ago. After Brubaker, there was Jessica Bomberger (23:57-21st), Hannah Book (25:41-28th), Haley Mummah (25:41-29th), Izabella Sanders (28:39-40th), and Jordana Steffen (32:28-46th).
"I'm very fortunate to have a bunch of young girls who can only get better. They seem to enjoy the sport. I have three freshmen on the team with no experience, so they are trying to figure out pacing and everything else," Miller said. "They will keep getting better. The girls' team, in some ways, looks more promising than the boys' team in the future. Overall, both teams had a solid day."
Class 3A
Reese Cubbison cracked the top ten to lead the Mifflin County boys to third in the team standings with 90 points. State College won the team race with 19 points.
The Husky sophomore crossed in 17:29 to place tenth, running at a 5:38 pace. Cubbison was 23rd last year.
"Reese had a breakout effort and took home a medal. It was a very competitive field, but our kids were on a mission." Mifflin County boys coach Greg Loht said. "This team is very close, and they realize that the greater the team's success, the greater their success will be. They all ran hard, and I'm very proud of their efforts."
Caden Bell (17:59) was 17th, Wyatt Kauffman (18:08) finished 18th), Cody Fultz (18:10) came in 19th, and Koy Aurand (18:52) took 26th to round out the scorers. Also competing were Styers and Hart Oden, who placed 27th and 28th, respectively, with a time of 18:56.
"I am extremely happy with today's results. The boys followed our race plan and ran to a third-place finish. We have two freshmen and two sophomores in the varsity lineup, but they ran like upperclassmen today," Loht said. "We had a 57-second gap between our 2-7 men. We will work on improving that in the upcoming weeks. This was a good way to start the racing season. The kids got a hint of what is possible if they continue to work together. They are excited about where their potential may lead them."
Amelia Coffey came in 20th with a time of 22:06 to lead the Husky girls. The Mifflin County sophomore improved from 26th a year ago.
"Amelia Coffey led the pack with a great start to the season coming in at 22:06. I expect her to continue to lead the team throughout the season and am pleased with where she is," Mifflin County girls coach Neil Breneman said. "She has her goal for the season in focus; now, we just need to work toward it in small increments and put in the hard work."
Ava Kratzer (24:08-30th), Alexis Anderson (25:00-32nd), Mary Kanagy (25:38-34th), Caroline Palopoli (26:01-35th), Irelynn Milligan (27:13-39th), and Cameran Shuey (29:24-41st) round out the Husky contingent.
"Ava Kratzer and Alexis Anderson filled the second and third-place positions for the team and have been working hard throughout the summer to prepare for this season. They are starting ahead of where they were last year at this time, and I have no reason to believe they won't progress again. That progression will move them closer to Amilia and make a strong "front 3" on the course," Breneman said. "But we can't discount the rest of the girls. Many of them showed the capability of moving up to the top spots. I was pleased with how close many of our girls crossed the finish line with each other. Now, we need to move each of them toward faster times that produce results for our team score."
BVI Results
Girls-AAA
Team Standings
1. State College 33
2. Hollidaysburg 62
3. DuBois 76
4. Altoona 77
5. Shikellamy 122
6. Mifflin County 151
Mifflin County Results
20. Amelia Coffey, 22:06
30. Ava Kratzer, 24:08
32. Alexis Anderson, 25:00
34. Mary Kanagy, 25:38
35. Caroline Palopoli, 26:01
39. Irelynn Milligan, 27:13
41. Cameran Shuey, 29:24
Winner: Morgan Roemer, DuBois, 18:47
Boys-AAA
Team Standings
1. State College 19
2. Altoona 62
3. Mifflin County 90
4. Shikellamy 99
5. Hollidaysburg 115
Mifflin County Results
10. Reese Cubbison, 17:29
17. Caden Bell, 17:59
18. Wyatt Kauffman, 18:08
19. Cody Fultz, 18:10
26. Koy Aurand, 18:52
27. Styers Oden, 18:56
28. Hart Oden, 18:56
Winner: Sam Endres, State College, 16:08
Girls-AA
Team Standings
1. Central Cambria 35
2. Bedford 65
3. Bellefonte 81
4. East Pennsboro 110
5. Juniata 120
6. Forest Hills 147
7. P-O 150
Juniata Results
2. Sylvia Brubaker, 19:26
21. Jessica Bomberger, 23:57
28. Hannah Book. 25:41
29. Haley Mummah, 25:41
40. Izabella Sanders, 28:39
46. Jordana Steffen, 32:28
Winner: Chloe May, Bedford, 18:44
Boys-AA
Team Standings
1. Bellefonte 45
2. Juniata 59
3. Bedford 90
4. DuBois 107
5. East Pennsboro 109
6. Tyrone 172
7. Central 183
8. P-O 186
9. Penn Cambria 198
Juniata Results
2. Wyatt Stroup, 16:30
4. Joey Bomberger, 16:52
5. Wesley Ehrisman, 17:39
22. Ricardo Guante, 19:38
26. Levi Zeiders, 19:47
31. Coy Kerstetter, 19:56
51. Charles Telfer, 23:06
Winner: Andrew Namatka, East Pennsboro, 16:12