Fingerhut, Lawson lead Haverford to fifth-place finish
For Ethan Fingerhut and Patrick Lawson, as well as the rest of the Haverford High boys cross country team, the game plan for the PIAA championships was simple: Be conservative at the start. Don’t go out too fast. Stay back and save your energy for a strong finish on the challenging course.
The Fords, especially Fingerhut and Lawson, followed that strategy to the letter in the boys Class 3A championship race in Hershey Saturday afternoon.
Fingerhut placed fourth and Lawson was 18th to lead the Fords to a fifth-place finish in the team competition. The top 25 individual runners earn medals and the top two teams receive trophies.
Fingerhut’s finish was the best by a Haverford runner since Josh D’Angelo was third in 1990. It was the third top-10 finish for the Fords in the last 31 years. Aaron Rich placed eighth in 1997.
Fingerhut ran a steady race. He was sixth after 2,500 meters, seventh after 4,000 meters and ran the last 1,000 meters in 3:13.1 to finish in 16:31.1.
“I made a move after the first mile mark,” Fingerhut said. I speeded up and began passing people until about 800 (meters) to go. I was in fourth place by then and really couldn’t make any more moves because the other kids were far ahead of me.”
The fourth-place finish capped a strong senior season for Fingerhut. He won the Delco and Central League championships and was second at the District 1 championships by fourth-tenths of a second.
“It’s nice to get fourth in the state,” Fingerhut said. “It shows that I’m one of the best runners in the state.”
Lawson had to make up a lot of ground to earn his place on the medals stand. He was 46th after 2,500 meters, 33rd after 4,000 and covered the last 1,000 meters in 3:09 to cross the finish line in 16:30.9.
“The race went out really fast, which I knew it would,” Lawson said. “I made some moves at the mile and two-mile marks and then with about 1,000 (meters) to go I began to pick up the pace. I was around 30th, then on the last hill I just gave it everything I had, and passed like 15 or 20 kids in the last quar- ter mile. I knew that if I held on I would have something left to give.”
Lawson received a little help from the crowd to get him over the finish line.
“People were yelling at the runners around
me, ‘You have to move up a couple of places to get a medal’ so I knew I was in good shape,” Lawson said. “I knew if I held on and had a strong kick I would get a medal.
“The medal means everything to me. This is everything we’ve worked for starting last June.”
Junior Quentin Ryan finished in 45th place to help the Fords take fifth in the team competition with 210 points, seven ahead of District 1 champ and Central League rival Lower Merion.
“We were so happy with that, real happy,” Lawson said.
“It was a great day for the kids, boys and girls,” Haverford coach Matt Wells said. “I’m so happy for them.”
Also in Class 3A, Penncrest junior Gavin Mogck missed earning a medal by eight spots. He was 33rd in 16:41.8. Like Fingerhut, Mogck ran a steady race. He was 34th after 2,500 meters and 35th at the 4,000-meter mark before covering the last 1,000 meters in 3:20.
In boys Class 2A, Michael Glavin of Archbishop Carroll ran a steady race to finish 35th in 17:20.6. Glavin was 32nd at the 2,500-meter mark and 33rd at 4,000 meters. Noah Sharrets of Cardinal O’Hara finished 220th (20:02.0). Archbishop Wood’s Gary Martin won his second straight individual title by nearly 13 seconds.