May 4, 2015 5 min read

PITTSBURGH – As a steady rain fell on Baldwin High School’s track during the Class AAA boys 1,600-meter relay, Canon-McMillan’s team members and coaches looked on in anticipation.

Though the Big Macs were eliminated from winning the title, a victory in the final race would assure them second place and the runner-up trophy.

It did not happen as C-M placed second in the race behind Butler.

North Allegheny won the WPIAL Class AAA title for the third consecutive year, but Canon-McMillan’s athletes were forced to stand in the rain for their fate to be decided. Would it be a second-place finish or third place for the Big Macs?

After several minutes, C-M head coach Mike Koot was called to the scorer’s table in the infield to hear the news. The Big Macs were tied with Butler, 75-75, for second. The team with the most total points on the day receives the tiebreaker, and with the Golden Tornado scoring five more than C-M against fourth-place Hempfield, Butler finished as the runner-up.

“We’re obviously disappointed, but this is a huge improvement from last year,” Koot said. “There were some personal records today, so no one came in here and wilted under the pressure. I’m definitely proud. You can’t fault them when you know and they know that they did their best.”

One race decided the outcome, but it did not dictate the Big Macs’ overall performance. The day began when C-M’s 3,200-meter relay team came one second away from the school record – taking first place with a time of 7:56.86.

Caden Meier and Jon Weese ran the first half of the race to a draw with North Allegheny before Ethan Linderman gave the Big Macs the lead in the third leg. Michael Strosko ran anchor and outlasted an NA opponent in the final 30 meters for the win.

“That was probably the most difficult race of my life,” Strosko said with a smile. “I was giving it my all and I felt like I was going to fall over during the race. I felt him coming up, but I kept going. Luckily, I didn’t fall until after the race.”

The Big Macs continued to gain momentum when Eddie Cottrill took third-place in the shot put (45-4) and Josh Lack took third in the high and 400 hurdles.

It was a balanced performance by Canon-McMillan, including third-place finishes in the 1,600 by Linderman and third in the 400-meter relay.

“This meet is a big challenge,” Lacks said. “The competition here is extremely tough. You have to mentally prepare yourself to fight through the events and try to pick up a win for the team. You have to love it and we all do.”

Ahmad Morris-Walker finished third in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, and the team also picked up five points from Shane Danyo in the discus (142 feet).

“We’ve improved this entire season,” Koot said. “All the way from the beginning of the indoor season to now, everyone has gotten better and we’re seeing a lot of kids peaking at the right time. We’ll put a positive spin on this and get ready for the individual stuff.”

Washington’s boys track team returned to the team finals after failing to reach the event last spring. Despite returning senior DeQuay Isbell, one of the top sprinters in the WPIAL, coach Teresa Booker thought inexperience would prevent the Prexies from winning their third Class AA title in four years.

It also did not help that the team has practiced at Washington & Jefferson because of ongoing maintenance at Wash High Stadium, but Booker was proud of the team’s fourth-place finish with just five seniors and four sophomores.

“I’m so proud of these guys for even being here,” Booker said. “I didn’t expect it. We are very young, but these kids have a lot of potential. “

The day was highlighted by Isbell. After taking third place in the 100-meter dash, he finished first in the 200 (22.61) and 400 (50.29). Isbell competed in the high jump before the 100, and a slow start in the latter cost him against WPIAL champion Beaver.

He bounced back with a win in the 400 to help the Prexies draw closer to Beaver. He used a perfectly timed kick 110 meters in to pull away.

“I didn’t feel any pressure,” Isbell said. “I know the 400 because I’ve been competing in it since I was a freshman and I know how to run it perfectly. I knew kicking would give me the finish I needed.

“It was nice to pick up a win. I was disappointed after the 100, but it’s good to help this young group by getting some points.”

Wash High received a win in the shot put from Zack Blystone (47-1). Blake Smith finished third in the 110 hurdles.

“We’re going to put this behind us. I’m definitely going to stress to the kids how proud I am,” Booker said. “This meet is over and now we’ll focus on individual goals and our goal is to take as many kids to the state championships as we can.”

The Hempfield girls won their fourth consecutive team title in Class AAA, defeating Mt. Lebanon by six points with a victory in the 1,600-meter relay. … The Beaver boys repeated as Class AA champions and its girls team won its first WPIAL title.