Quaker Valley boys track and field wins second consecutive PIAA team title

SHIPPENSBURG — It seemed like Groundhog Day for the Quaker Valley boys track and field team at the PIAA championships in Shippensburg when the squad hit the track at Seth Grove Stadium on Friday and Saturday, May 22-23. Following a year where it won a WPIAL team championship and the PIAA team title at last year’s state meet, Quaker Valley won the team championship once again, finishing with a team score of 47 when action concluded, edging out District 10's Fort LeBoeuf. The team joins North Allegheny (1979, 2018) as just the second team out of the WPIAL to claim multiple district titles.

"This year was tough because we knew that we had a chance to win from the beginning after winning the team title last year," Quaker Valley head coach Jared Jones said. "We had a lot of hurdles to clear along the way that we hit, but we finished clean in the end. It was amazing to be able to see this through.

" Just like last season, Quaker Valley came into the final day of competition with 10 points, getting on the board thanks to Jonah Montagnese’s gold medal victory in the 1,600-meter run. However, instead of being behind by four as it was last year, it trailed Elk Lake (11), Fort LeBoeuf (12) and leader Danville Area (16) by six. Required Reading: Rachael Stepp claims silver in 400 at PIAA track and field championships Required Reading: Riverside's Silas Reichart places fourth in triple jump at PIAA championships Required Reading: Here's the hardware Quaker Valley athletes won at PIAA track and field But because of the strong podium finishes it got in events from Montagnese (gold in 3,200 and silver in 800), Kieran Cain (bronze in 200) and strong performances from its 4x400-meter relay team (bronze), Quaker Valley pulled ahead of the pack once again.

"We were glad that we were able to get Kieran and the 4x400 into the finals so we knew that we had the entire meet to get points," Jones said. "While we were down early, we were confident all day with all of those guys to come through and get us points when we needed. " One of the top performances of the meet came from junior distance runner Jonah Montagnese, winning 2-of-3 distance events, the 1,600 on May 22 and the 3,200 on May 23.