Area athletes seek gold at PIAA state track and field meet

May 21, 2008 01:43 pm

— By Ed Farrell
Herald Assistant Sports Editor

Imagine, for a moment, Wilmington High’s boys track and field team minus incomparable Chris Burns. Sound far-fetched? It’s not. Just ask current coach J.R. McFarland.
“If we need some sound advice, I can call on Ray Cebula,” McFarland recently related.
Some of the best advice Cebula supplied McFarland was more of an ultimatum issued to Burns four years ago while Cebula served as the Hounds’ head coach:
“Chris wasn’t going to come out as a ninth-grader,” recalled McFarland, then the girls’ team head coach. “And I think, from what I understand, Ray was pretty emphatic and told him, ‘You come out, no ifs, ands or buts about it.’ ”
Four years later, Burns is bound for the University of Pittsburgh to continue his education and football careers. But first, however, he will lead the area aggregation into this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
The annual 2-day extravaganza commences 9 a.m. at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.
Burns’ 3-sport scholastic career climaxes this weekend when he will make his 4th consecutive appearance on the statewide stage. He has a full workload ahead, including the long jump — in which he placed 3rd last spring — the 100-meter dash, and as part of the Greyhounds’ 4x1 relay team.
Though first and foremost he’s intent on earning his Pitt degree in education, Burns, not boastfully, makes no pretense his long-range ambition is to play in the NFL. And McFarland recalled,
“I remember Chris, this year, running into Ray and telling him, ‘Hey, thanks a lot for making me run track and field, ’cause it really helped me in football.’ ”
And before he puts on the pads for the Panthers come August, Burns wants to culminate his scholastic career in the proper fashion. He and the Hounds hammered the District 10 Class AA competition last weekend, and between him and top-seeded teammates Paul Yohman (shot put) and Ryan Bell (javelin), as well as thrower Josh Falvo, sprinters Forrest Minteer and Nick Riggall and his kid brother and relay mate Derrick, the Hounds could howl from the top of the medals platform come Saturday afternoon.
“I’m going to states in three events, so I’ve been fortunate, you know? God really blessed me, and I just work hard ... ” Burns recently related.
During the past 2 Greyhouds’ gridiron seasons Burns burst for 3,552 yards and 63 touchdowns, carrying the ball 431 times. He also played defense for coach Terry Verrelli’s teams, and then seamlessly transitioned to the hoops hardwood.
Non-stop.
“Like I said, I’ve been real fortunate. God’s blessed me with no injuries. I’ve been fortunate to stay healthy, and I work hard. I think if you take care of yourself good enough. A lot of people can do it; it’s just the kids who really want to do it will be able do it,” explained Burns, who has blossomed in the upper-body, particularly during the last 2 years.
“My high school career, not a lot of kids have had the opportunities I’ve had, so I’m just real grateful. It’s definitely a humbling experience to look back and see all the accomplishments I was able to achieve throughout my four years. It’s going to something to think about, remember when I’m an old man sitting in the rocking chair, some day,” Burns beamed.
Now he is hoping to culminate his “4-for-4” cinders career with some more hardware for the Hounds’ program.
“I’m grateful for this experience. The coaches have been great with me for the past four years, and the team has been amazing to run on and jump with. This is a great group of guys,” continued Burns, before admitting, “I’m a little sad it’s going to end, but hopefully it ends on a good note. So far, it’s headed that way. ... But it’s sad. You go to a school for 12 years, you get real close to your senior class. It’s just kind of sad to see it all end, but I’m sure in the end it’ll all work out for the best.
But it’s been fun, hopefully I can continue it at Pitt, then teach somewhere after I’m done with college, and hopefully play in the NFL some day. I’m majoring in education.
“My plan is to go to the NFL, but my backup plan is to become a teacher, so ... ”
ä Potentially, a bevy of area athletes could bolster Burns on the medals stand this weekend.
Grove City’s Kristy Woods, the defending AA discus titlist and runner-up in the shot put, is top seeded in both (132-4 and 44-5, respectively). While Woods is the county’s lone top-seeded female, Lakeview sophomore Fawn Miller is seeded 2nd to Tamaqua Area’s Casey Wagner in the javelin.
In last weekend’s sub-par weather conditions Miller won the D-10 title with a throw of 145-6 (9 inches shy of Wagner’s qualifying throw), but earlier this spring Miller muscled a throw of 152-10 at the City of Hermitage Invitational. She’s also a 13-second sprinter in the 100.
In addition to the aforementional Wilmington athletes, including Yohman (52-11è shot) and Bell (196-5 javelin), another Mercer County medal could be manufactured by top-seeded Billy Altman of Sharon (39.35 intermediate hurdles).
A couple tidbits to bear in mind, however: Bell threw only once last week, owing to potential injury-inducing weather conditions. But he launched a throw of 220-10 earlier this spring in a dual-meet at Mercer.
“ ... I felt pretty good, and it was the first warm day we’ve had,” Bell related. “It was just a perfect throw, everything felt perfect. I felt the stretch the whole way up my back and up my arm — it just fired out of there. I knew it was over 200, because my previous throw was 188. I had no idea it was 200 until I went out there. But Mercer has a mark there for the 190 line, and the spot was there and it was a big distance. I was pretty excited, throwing 220!
“I can do it (at state); I just have to get everything perfect, though it’s hard to do,” admitted Bell, a senior making his initial trip to state, of which he admitted, “It feels good. At the beginning of the year I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it, but after the 220 it was just, ‘I want to win everything, now.’ ”
Speaking of Mercer, keep a close eye on Mustangs’ senior Weston Schaa, seeded only 4th in the high jump (Annville-Cleona’s Andrew Batula, at 6-8, is the top seed). Schaa’s PR is 6-8, and during last weekend’s D-10 Championships, on his 3rd attempt at 6-9 he nicked the bar only with “ ... just the bottom of my heel, that was it; otherwise I was over it.”
He is making his 3rd visit to Seth Grove Stadium, and related, “It feels good, I can’t wait. I’ve been telling everyone, ‘It’s a fun experience to go there. Go if you can go.’
“There’s definitely pressure, but, I mean, pressure’s something I’ve lived with all my life .... I’m used to it, but I like the challenges I have.”
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PIAA CHAMPIONSHIPS QUALIFIERS
110/100 hurdles — Weston Schaa (Mercer).
100 — Chris Burns, Forrest Minteer (Wilmington).
1600 — Shane Sigler (Sharpsville).
400 — Hana Casalnova (Grove City); Jacques Moss (Sharon).
400 relay — Lakeview (Jessica King, Kelsey Pears, Ashley Lewis, Autumn Tesinsky); George Junior Republic (Triston Miller, Haneef Tull, Chris Featherstone, Earl Banks); Wilmington (Minteer, Chris Burns, Derrick Burns, Nick Riggall).
300 hurdles — Billy Altman (Sharon).
800 — Casalnova, Adam Shrawder (West Middlesex).
200 — Kayla Campbell (Lakeview).
1600 relay — Lakeview (Lewis, Pears, Eden Slater, Campbell); Sharon (Jim Santillan, James Hosey, Ronnie Howard, Moss); Greenville (Justin McCrillis, Eddie Summerlin, Josh Riffe, Tyler Lapadat).
Shot put — Kristy Woods, Greg Reiber (Grove City); Emily Woods, Symone Somerset (Hickory); Paul Yohman, Josh Falvo (Wilmington); Travis Wojtalik (West Middlesex); Josh Mitchell (George Junior Republic).
Discus — K. Woods, E. Woods, Yohman, Falvo, Bob Saltsgiver (Hickory).
Javelin — Fawn Miller (Lakeview); Ryan Bell (Wilmington); Matt Durisko (Hickory); Justin Angermeier (Mercer); Josiah Rupert (Greenville).
Long jump — Kara Mostoller (Reynolds), C. Burns, Riggall.
Triple jump — Mostoller, Schaa, Tim Quattlebaum (George Junior Republic).
High jump — Schaa.
Pole vault — Mark Saylor (West Middlesex).

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