| Six Venango runners earned spots in the PIAA Cross Country Championship following the District 10 meet Saturday in Titusville. Franklin’s Jay Prettyman was the top local finisher in the boys AA race. The senior ran a 15:56 to finish eighth. Prettyman was among a trio of Knight qualifiers in 2023. In last year’s state competition Prettyman finished in 44th place with a time of 17:19. Three Oilers will be making the trip to Hershey. Seniors Elijah Brosius and Eli Collins both qualified for the first time. Brosius finished ninth with a time of 16:15. Collins beat teammate Rilee Matalino by one second to finish 17th and snag the final qualifying spot, with a time of 16:46. In the team contest, Oil City finished fourth out of 18. Their best team placement in recent years. Rounding out the Oiler team were Elliot Hulsizer (53rd), Keegan Kirkwood (68th), Kaleb Guiste (91st) and Tim Kahle (104th). In the girls AA race, Corabel Shiley was the only local runner to earn a spot in the state competition. Shiley improved on her 2023 time by 52 seconds and ran a 18:56 to earn fourth place. The sophomore placed 32nd during her first Hershey debut last year. It will be a return to the state championships for Rocky Grove’s Isabel Griffin. She finished third in the girls A competition with a time of 19:32. Last year Griffin placed 33rd out of 267 runners. Fellow Oriole Maxx Baker crossed the finish line in 12th place to secure his ticket to Hershey. He led a strong overall showing by Rocky Grove in the boys A race. |     |
The team just missed out on qualification by six points, ending in third out of 17. Competing alongside Maxx Baker were Gauge Gierlach (20th), Miles Baker (27th), Nathaniel Bolley (28th), Preston Keith (30th), Jayden Miller (38th) and Landon Platt (86th).
More photos can be viewed at sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p391927498
| Cranberry to send both squads to the states In District 9 competition, both boys and girls teams qualified to states once again. Both finished in second place during Saturday’s races in Ridgeway. Running for the Berries in the girls A race were Elena Ishman (fifth), Kayla Hanna (seventh), Karleigh Shaffer (10th), Kelsey Hanna (18th), Darien Wenner (21st) and Gracee Hess (36th). In the boys competition, the Berry team was made up of Dalton Wenner (10th), Mariner Perry (21st), Dane Wenner (24th), Cooper Matassa (28th), Elias Fox (35th), Isiah Miller (36th) and Thatcher Matassa (44th). |  |
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