May 28, 2022 3 min read

SHIPPENSBURG – For Andrew Layton, the end nearly came before his second vault.

The Waynesburg pole vaulter calmed his nerves and ended up with a silver medal in the event after clearing 14-6 at the PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University Saturday.

Logan Gossard of Richland cleared the same height but won the gold medal based on fewer misses.

Layton’s first miss nearly did him in. The pole bowed under the weight of his body and injured his leg.

It was easy to detect the frustration on his face and the slight limp he received from the pole. But enough time elapsed between his first and second vault to allow himself to get composed. He cleared 13-6 and one could see the relief on his face.

“It gave me my confidence back,” said Layton of clearing his first height.

A quick change of poles and it was the same old Layton fans had gotten used to seeing.

“I tried to use a bigger pole and it nearly killed me,” Layton said. “I had to go back, sit down and get my mind straight. That first clearance, I felt great. I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m going to win this.’ But I came up short.”

Waynesburg vaulters have been a dominating force, especially the girls, who have held the WPIAL record ever since the sport was introduced in the late 1990s.

So Layton felt pressure to finish at or near the top.

Layton’s teammate, Dawson Fowler, took fifth place in the triple jump with a jump of 44-1 1/2, a personal record.

“That was my second jump,” said Fowler. “My first jump was 44-flat and my second was 44-1 1/2. My third jump, I face-planted or I’m sure I would have hit 45.”

Fowler makes sure he has time to rest before a big meet.

“If you don’t have fresh legs, you can’t do anything,” he said. “I usually take off two or three days before I compete. I work very hard before that.”

Ryan Pajak of Ringgold finished fifth in the Class 3A 3,200 run with a time of 9:06.35, a personal record. He credits the speed workout from shorter distances for the decrease in his times, lately.

“I did speed workouts and that helps the last couple laps of the longer runs. I feel a lot stronger at the end of a race. It did help. I’m happy with my decision.”

Pajak felt he did too much running during the cross country season.

“It sorta wore me out,” he said. “I ended up doing super early in the season then the last few races I was dying out.”

South Fayette’s Jake Borgesi was sixth in the Class 3A 3,200, right behind Pajak, at 9:07.99.

Washington finished third in the boys Class 2A 400-meter relay with a time of 43.31. The legs were run by Ruben Gordon, Zxavian Willis, Davoun Fuse and Dane Asbury.

Canon-McMillan’s Christopher Davis finished sixth in the Class 3A 300-meter hurdles.

The Big Macs finished 15th in the Class 1,600-meter relay with a time of 3:25.07. The legs were run by Jake Egizio, Davis, Colton Dean and Jadon Rahman.