Camden Catholic 21, Paul VI 36
Posted by Breton on October 11, 2007
When it rains, it pours they say - and Wednesday, October 10th was no different. The work had been put in and the Eagles were looking ready to go physically. It had to be translated to on-course succes and from the get go, the Eagles were playing a game of catch up. Catholic’s Kevin McDonnell - who has acted as the catalyst in the Irish’s turnaround - sprinted out to the lead heading through the mile in 4:58, but no one else went with him. Mike Rankin thought about it, but saw merit in rallying the troops and trying the keep the pack as close to him as possible. Rankin was through in 5:17 and looking tough, but it was Catholic who had packed up behind him with our pack consisting of Lively, Hoban, Murphy, and Norris not too far behind. Unfortunately, the race plan was to run straight up - not catch up. The fast pace was bound to take its’ toll, but the question was whether or not it would be too late to make the catch happen. Past the two mile mark, Catholic had firmly grabbed the 1, 3, 4 spot - but the race was still on for 5, 6, 7, 8. It was the Irish who wanted it more capping off a program resurgence that looks to provide with the Eagles with continued competition over the coming years. The pouring rain part reared its’ ugly head when a placement mix-up at the finish skewed the later results for many of the competitors.
Yes, the streak is dead - yes, with nothing but utter respect for the alumni and PVI fans that came before us, it is time to move on. 28 years later, PVI’s program has waxed and waned, but we all know, the tradition here is bigger than the streak - and I’m sure Coach Glavin, Coach Steinhoff, Coach Lyons, Coach Ceislik, and all former coaches would agree with that. What’s next? Create a new niche for PVI cross country and its’ runners - build a program from its’ early stages that teaches racing, not running. There is always more to be said, but I will refrain from rambling uncontrollably.
Our race was not (and no race ever is) without a silver lining - Mike Rankin has firmly established himself as a force to be reckoned on the course, finishing in 17:12 and eagerly looking forward to flat course that awaits him on Saturday at Delsea. Freshman Tom Hoban wanted the win so bad, he shaved off 34 seconds off his PR set last week at Holmdel to finish 5th in 17:53. Joe Fiore fought his ass off - stress fracture and all - to keep the PVI pack in it coming through 2 miles and as a junior who had run 17:48 before injury, his healthy return gives PVI an extremely formidable top three. Freshmen Mike Giordano and Nick Vadino both respectively clocked 90-second and 45-second personal records. Mike finished in 21:13 and ”Little Tank” in 21:42. The seeds are there.
Our seniors - though overwhelmed a bit by the streak - have put in an intense amount of training to prepare themselves for this year. Their wear-with-all clearly didn’t pan out yesterday, but in all honesty, our goal was not the Camden Catholic race - it’s the rest of the year. These seniors led by Tom Norris and Paul Lively will rebound and get ready to make the push towards the end of the season with the goal of translating their workouts into productive races.
So - as I’ve told the kids - the alumni support doesn’t go away with the streak over. The workouts and all-out training doesn’t stop. The program doesn’t just go away, or the tradition, but it’s now up to them and Coach Rankin and I to jumpstart the program back in the right direction again. And as I see positives in everything, we are already well on our way.
“Every strike brings me closer to the next home run” - Babe Ruth
The final number? Paul VI Cross Country: 244-0 since 1979. To every runner, coach, parent, fan - that is one hell of an accomplishment. For results, click here.
Posted in Dual Meets 2007, Gloucester County College, Meet Recap, vs. Camden Catholic | 1 Comment »
