Barnes, Leachman top runners
Their runs were in the quiet serenity of wooded trails.
Their achievements spoke volumes.
Butler County's high school cross country coaches recently got together to honor the accomplishments of local athletes in their sport by compiling the 2019 county all-star team.
Knoch's Sammy Jo Barnes and Mars' Zach Leachman have been named Girls and Boys Runners of the Year, respectively. Barnes placed fourth in the WPIAL Class 2A meet with a time of 20 minutes, 27 seconds, then finished 29th in the state meet in 20:14./20.
“Unquestionably, she was the leader of our team,” Knoch coach Wess Brahler said. “Everybody followed what she did. She took ownership of this team.”
The Knoch girls won their section title for the first time in the program's 32-year history. Brahler shared county girls Coach of the Year honors with Seneca Valley's Steve Strelick.
Knoch had no other runners make first team all-county. Elyse Chess and Yumiko Kuo made second team. Seneca Valley had five female runners make first team.
“They've got so many runners. Steve's got a machine going down there,” Brahler said.
The Raider girls finished second to North Allegheny in the WPIAL Class 3A meet. They finished eighth as a team at the PIAA meet.
First-teamer Lizzy White is the only senior among the six Seneca Valley runners named to the all-county team. The Raiders had 53 girls and 40 boys on the squad this season.“It's competitive, but we don't stress competition among ourselves,” Strelick said. “We always stress team and we support each other.“I didn't name any individual awards at our banquet because I don't want our runners placed above each other. We just want a winning culture within our program. That works for us.”On the boys side, Leachman's versatility helped earn him Runner of the Year. He placed third in the WPIAL 3A meet with a time of 16:10 and medaled at the state meet, finishing 19th.Butler's Rick Davanzati was named Coach of the Year on the boys side. The Golden Tornado finished second to North Allegheny in the WPIAL 3A meet and fourth at the state meet.Brahler lauded the achievements of Leachman, describing him as “an exceptional distance and cross country runner, and one of the best high school triathletes in the United States.”Davanzati added that Leachman “is a natural-born triathlete and deserves the Runner of the Year honor.”Butler had three runners — C.J. Singleton, Sage Vavro and Skyler Vavro — place among the top 10 in the WPIAL meet. That same trio joined Leachman in medaliing at the state meet, placing ninth, 13th and 24th, respectively.Tim Patterson, who joined the three as a first team all-county runner, is the only senior among Butler's top seven runners this year.“We're certainly excited about next season and our prospects there,” Davanzati said. “There were 280 runners in the state meet and to have three finish among the top 25 was pretty exciting.“We were section champs. We beat North Allegheny in a dual meet. That was a great accomplishment for us, too.”Davanzati credits the athletes themselves for the success they've put together.“As coaches, we can give them the workouts, but it's up to them to do it,” he said. “This is a self-motivating sport. The time and effort these kids put in on their own really paid off.”
Here is the 2019 Butler County cross country all-star selections, as determined by county high school coaches:
Runner of Year — Zach Leachman (Mars)Team of Year — ButlerCoach of Year — Rick Davanzati (Butler)First TeamButler: C.J. Singleton, Sage Vavro, Skyler Vavro, Tim PattersonKnoch: Braden Zukowski, Aaron PlylerSeneca Valley: Noah Peterson, Eli DewittSlippery Rock: Kristian Sosa, Ken BickelSecond TeamButler: Ryder Kriley, Cole Lyons, Raine GratzmillerMars: Dylan BeckerSeneca Valley: Mateo Murra, Adam Owori, Sebastian Wary, Ty Miller, Justin DomenicSlippery Rock: Jack SpenceHonorable MentionFreeport: Ben Perka, Jacob SchaefferKarns City: Eli EvansKnoch: Daniel Deal, Mike FormicaMars: Jack OlshenskeNorth Catholic: Zach Cozza, Joe Harmanos
Runner of Year — Sammy Jo Barnes (Knoch)Co-Teams of Year — Knoch, Seneca ValleyCo-Coaches of Year — Wess Brahler (Knoch), Steve Strelick (Seneca Valley)First TeamButler: Jennifer Cichra, Autumn PettinatoNorth Catholic: Alaina Hicks, Julie ZalenskiSeneca Valley: Gabrielle Kutchma, Dylan Kirchner, Bailey Royhab, Karsyn Spears, Lizzy WhiteSlippery Rock: Harley PflughSecond TeamButler: Chelsey Kabel, Kara KempleFreeport: Anita BhatKnoch: Elyse Chess, Yumiko KuoMars: Kelli JancayMoniteau: Hannah Burgoon, Jenna BlauserNorth Catholic: Emma MacDonaldSeneca Valley: Grace GranerHonorable MentionButler: Krislyn GreenFreeport: Maggie HollobaughKnoch: Amelia Walls, Grace BogaczMars: Josie SchneiderSeneca Valley: Abby KreberSlippery Rock: Marie Bickel