While North Allegheny was asserting itself as the best girls cross country team in the state, Abington Heights was showing it could stack up just fine with the rest of the teams that aspire to compete on that level.
The Comets finished fourth out of 42 teams in the Girls Gold Race for Class 3A teams Sept. 23 at the PIAA Foundation Meet.
North Allegheny separated itself from the pack with its five scoring runners in the top 29 of a 287-runner field. Its score of 46 points was 154 ahead of the next best in the field.
Abington Heights had the second-best No. 5 runner in the race, using its depth to come in close behind second-place Manheim Township (200 points) and third-place Phoenixville (208) with 223.
“The girls ran incredibly well for the conditions,” Comets coach Frank Passetti said of the mud that led to more difficulty as the day progressed. “I think they surprised a lot of people.”
The Class 3A girls race was the third of eight on the day.
“We were only 23 points out of second place and two of our top five girls fell during the race,” Passetti said.
Abington Heights was 53 points ahead of fifth-place Peters Township.
The Foundation Meet annually brings together some of the state’s top programs and potential title contenders as a preview of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Championships on the same Hershey Parkview Course in November.
Anna Pucilowski led Abington Heights, finishing 21st in 20:18.
Reese Morgan was 31st in 20:38, Emma Horsley 35th in 20:45, Morgan Kresge 68th in 21:30 and Kiera Crowell 74th in 21:37.
Marley Gilboy was 80th, better than the fifth runner on all but three teams. Hailey Hirtz was also in the top half of the field in 105th.
Pucilowski and Crowell are sophomores while Kresge and Gilboy are freshmen.
CARLISLE INVITATIONAL
Abington Heights was second out of 39 teams in the Challenge Girls Race at the Sept. 30 meet.
The Comets again finished behind a dominant performance. Tatnall, from Wilmington, Del., had five of the top eight finishers for 27 points.
Abington Heights beat out Padua Academy, 172-192, for second place.
Pucilowski was 20th of 258 in 19:32.9.
Horsley was 28th, Morgan 36th, Kresge 43rd and Hirtz 55th.
LEAGUE CLUSTERS
Pucilowski finished in 19:07 for a 10-second victory over Mountain View Carissa Flynn Oct. 2 when Abington Heights posted five victories to emerge in sole possession of first place in the Lackawanna League at 17-0.
Mountain View was tied for first before losing to Abington Heights, 19-44.
Abington Heights also defeated Valley View (20-39) and North Pocono (18-45), teams it runs with each week in the cluster meet format who otherwise have a combined 32-4 record.
Morgan finished third.
The Valley View meet was the closest of the season to date for Abington Heights. The Comets also defeated Susquehanna and Forest City by the maximum, 15-50 scores as part of the 5-0 day.
The Comets also beat all three opponents they faced in four previous cluster meets. They still have to face Honesdale (14-0) and Montrose (11-0) in the final two meets of the season.
