PIAA TRACK AND FIELD: Janowicz runs to a silver in the 800 at the Class 3A championship meet

SHIPPENSBURG – Aiden Janowicz sported a new haircut and a determined attitude to the track at Seth Grove Stadium on Saturday.

Racing in the second of three heats in the Class 3A 800-meter run, Janowicz took off from the gun and darted to the front of the pack. On his second lap, he stormed to the lead and finished with a sprint.

His time flashed on the scoreboard at 1 minute, 51.52 seconds, and he was the winner of his heat.

Then, he had to wait. The third heat started, and it was an intense race. Upper Darby senior Josh Sharp pulled ahead and won. His time came up on the scoreboard as 1:51.44, just good enough for the gold.

Janowicz won the silver and couldn’t have been happier.

“It was awesome,” Janowicz said. “I knew there were two kids in my heat who had run 1:51 and 1:50, so I knew I had to go out there and push the pace. Hershey took it from me in the first lap. Then on the second lap, I was feeling good and gave it hell and left everything out there to stay in the lead.”

That performance, which bettered his school record, which was the fastest time run by a Lackawanna Track Conference athlete, stood out in the afternoon session on an otherwise dreadful day of rainy weather.

In Class 2A, Dunmore’s Jacob Costanzo won a bronze medal in the Class 2A 400. Western Wayne’s Robert Carrelle won a fifth-place medal in the 300 hurdles in 39.14 and a seventh-place medal in the pole vault at 14-6, and Dunmore teammate Weston Yannone added his second medal of the weekend by finishing seventh in the 300 hurdles.

Class 3A

During the regular season, Janowicz posted a hand-held time of 1:52.9, which converted to 1:53.14.

That set him up to scribble down goals to reach 1:52 and even 1:51. At the District 2 Class 3A Championships, after winning a third straight gold in the 1,600, Janowicz won the 800 convincingly in 1:55.24, which landed him in the second heat at the state meet.

He scratched from the 1,600 for the state meet and focused on the 800 and the 1,600-meter relay.

His dominant run, time, and silver medal brought him to tears.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” Janowicz said while fighting back tears. “To run 1:51, it checks another box. I put in the work; I have raced, and getting an opportunity to run that fast at states is amazing.

“It’s just awesome.”

After taking in some water and a quick recovery, Janowicz got back on the track and earned a medal in the 1,600 relay.

He and teammates Izael Rodriguez, Dawid Mrowka, and Bryce Pagano closed out the meet with a seventh-place finish in the Class 3A 1,600 relay in 3:23.72. Wallenpaupack ran a qualifying time of 3:20.67.

“We worked all season for this,” Rodriguez said. “This is all we wanted. Our guys are dogs. It was great to know that we came here and competed.”

Class 2A

Costanzo arrived at the PIAA Track and Field Championships with high expectations.

While his goals were high, having the top seed for the 400-meter run from his District 2 gold-medal effort, a strong field of runners in the Class 2A meet resulted in him bringing home a bronze medal.

North Catholic senior Logan Schade used a late surge to win the gold in 48.86 seconds. Greensburg Central Catholic’s Jerry Davis, the defending champion, was second in 49.30. Costanzo finished in 49.31 for third.

“I knew this was going to be the toughest race of the year,” Costanzo said. “There is so much competition here at this meet. I had three races (Friday), so I was still a little sore. It wasn’t my best time of the year, but I am proud of how I finished.”

Carrelle, who was also competing in the pole vault, which was held indoors, had a PIAA official escort him to the starting line after he received his medal for the 300 hurdles.

Then, he returned to the pole vault and placed seventh by clearing 14-6.

Oley Valley’s Jacob Mackie won the gold at 16-0.

Yannone started his day with a silver medal in the 110 hurdles. He was among the top three in the 300 hurdles when he slipped after the final hurdle and fell to the track in seventh place.

“I hate going out of here like that,” Yannone said. “I am just thankful that I am a junior, and I will have to make up for that.”

Elk Lake finished the weekend with a fourth-place finish in the 3,200 relay. The team of Cody Adams, Trevor Upright, Parker Upright, and Kendel Jones finished in 8:03.08. It was Jones’ third medal of the weekend, and the Warriors finished with 24 points to place fifth overall. Dunmore was eighth with 20.5 points, and Quaker Valley won the team title with 47 points.