By Harold Raker and Todd Hummel
The Daily Item
SUNBURY -- It takes different types of efforts to win dual meets, invitationals and district meets. But it helps to gain some confidence and build momentum. That's what happened for the Lewisburg boys team, which Saturday afternoon completed a season sweep of a dual meet league title, league invitational title and district title.
Coach Mark Sundberg said it started when the team had an outstanding performance in the Lock Haven University high school invitational in April.
A few days later, the Green Dragons faced Selinsgrove in a battle of unbeaten teams to decide the Heartland Athletic Conference Division I crown on the final meet of the regular season.
"That was a nice progression. It really started back with the last Lock Haven meet and we carried that into the Selinsgrove meet. Our kids were pumped off that, then they were pumped off the Selinsgrove meet for the Coaches Invitational and that pumped them up for the district meet," he said.
He said the focus has been to get them where they needed to be both mentally and physically and the challenge has been to keep them there. "The last couple of weeks have been a great bounce step going onto states. It's a good feeling."
BIGGER FISH TO FRY: Lewisburg senior Luk Olenginski gave up running the 1,600 in Saturday's meet to focus on the 800 and the 1,600 and 3,200 relays, and all three took gold. He believes the 1,600 unit has a shot to win gold in the state meet and that if that happens, the sacrifice (including his own scratch from the 800 for states) will make it all worthwhile.
"That's what led to the decision. I feel like a gold in the 4x4 is more important," he said.
LOFTY GOALS: Southern Columbia junior Matt Moore, who won both hurdles races in Saturday's D4 AA meet, is not ready to bask in the limelight. He is headed to Shippensburg to win a couple of gold medals.
"It's my first time to be able to perform at this level. I am really excited about this. My goal is to win it all. I set my goals high because I know I will feel so much better when I succeed at those goals. Hopefully, I can at least place in both of them," he said.
BACK AT THE TOP: Over the last four decades, Selinsgrove's boys have won more league, invitational and district titles than most area teams combined. So, in his first year as the Seals' head coach, Ryan McGuire went into Wednesday's District 4 Class AAA championship meet at Shikellamy with one last chance to get a title of his own.
After losing to Lewisburg in both the HAC-I dual meet season and the Susquehanna Valley Coaches Invitational, McGuire's Seals gave him a title of his own, winning the district championship in a battle with Williamsport and cross-river rival Shikellamy.
"It feels great to be able to continue the tradition here. The boys really stepped up and did what they needed to do. It means a lot to me to be able to keep the tradition going."
SOOOOO CLOSE: Selinsgrove senior Mike Rodriguez, who won the D4 Class AAA triple jump championship, missed qualifying for states in the long jump by a measly one inch.
ONE FOR THE TEAM: It has been a long season for the Mifflinburg boys, but the Wildcats got a bright spot when junior Brandon Walls upset Selinsgrove's Vince Fadale to win the title in the 800.
Walls said it felt good to represent the team. "It was definitely a year of personal bests, not team goals."
DOG GONE: It isn't uncommon for the public address announcer at the District 4 track and field meet — Carl Bower — to give a list of things turned into the press box.
Stuff like cell phones, wallets and puppies. Wait, did he just say puppy?
A young beagle was found on Saturday at the District 4 Class AA meet running around the pole vault area.
It was brought to the press box at Shikellamy High School but went unclaimed for the final three hours of the meet.
The beagle quickly made friends with the assembled media and workers in the press box. The puppy had plenty of water and even created a bit of mischief, when he escaped once, only to be returned by an Athens athlete.
The story had a happy ending, though. The Warrior Run 1600 relay team was doing their cool down after the final girls race of the day and saw a woman looking for her lost dog.
DUEL AT THE HURDLES: Lewisburg hurdler Brodie Ercole discussed the weather a little bit last week at the league meet in Montoursville after another rainy, cool spring day in 2011 and even wished for a warmer day for the District 4 meet.
That certainly came on Saturday afternoon with temperatures in the low 80s for maybe the first time this spring and -- after a tough duel in the 300 hurdles with Milton's Moira Nester -- Ercole was reconsidering.
"I think I might have rather ran in the rain," Ercole said sitting in a chair under the tent on the football field at Shikellamy High School.
Like the two distance races, the 300 hurdles is physically demanding on a good day and when factoring in the heat Saturday, that finish line can seem awfully far away over the final 100 meters.
"Right at the end of the curve, your body just shuts down. You just have to push through," Ercole said.
It also didn't help that Nester was breathing down her neck.
"I saw a little bit of her leg out of the corner of my eye next to me with a couple of hurdles left," Ercole said.
"I thought I had a chance to catch her for a while, but right before the last hurdle she really made a kick," Nester said.
With the heat and the energy exerted, Ercole was surprised she was able to pull away.
"When I saw her leg, I decided I was going to leave it all on the track," Ercole said. "I dug deeper. I was surprised I had anything left."
Ercole won the race in 45.32, while Nester finished in 45.82.
FIRST TIME: New Covenant Academy crowned its first-ever district champion on Saturday when Sara Williams won the shot put with a throw of 36-4½. The school is located in Mansfield.
