Not many names carry as much weight in District 11 track and field as Bethlehem Catholic, Penn State and Olympic superstar Joe Kovacs.
One of his many records fell at Tuesday’s District 11 Track and Field Championships held at the Zephyr Sports Complex at Whitehall High School.
Palmerton senior Ryan Burkett exceeded Kovacs’ mark of 184-10 with a record-breaking discus throw of 186-0 to cruise to district gold by more than 40 feet.
“At first, it was kind of shaky because of all the rain and everything, but I just wanted to put one out there just to solidify my spot in states,” Burkett said. “But then, I kind of had my eye on the district record, but I never thought about it during the meet to break it. It just kind of happened.
“I see [Kovacs] all the time, like at the Olympics and everything, so it means a lot to break one of his records,” Burkett said. “It’s weird.”
The sheer speed of Burkett’s routine stood out to Notre Dame track and field coach Joe Kitchell, which is a key aspect in Burkett’s dominance in the event. For him, that’s hardly ever the direct focus. It’s just a positive side effect of training the right way.
“It’s a lot of practice and consistency. Whenever I’m at practice, I don’t necessarily focus on my speed at the front, but there’s some days where I feel solid with a discus and I can go a little bit faster just to push extra distance,” Burkett said. “I mostly focus on form and being controlled and balanced.”
The senior continued a drastic improvement the last three seasons in the discus, going from a fifth place finish in 2023 with a throw of 129-2 to a championship last year with a throw of 168-0.
The Blue Bomber keeps improving and hopes to continue to do so with a big performance in a state meet.
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Burkett said. “That’s the goal.”
Giberson goes from fourth to first on final throw to claim district gold
Southern Lehigh’s Carter Giberson was one throw away from not only missing out on a gold medal but also missing out on a trip to states in an event he entered as the favorite.
Instead, the two-sport star settled himself, listened to some good advice and launched his best shot put throw of the day to jump the leaderboard and go home with district gold.
“I was trying to calm my thoughts down. I was trying to just breathe, think about what my mom would say and just relax,” Giberson said. “I knew how to do it – I’ve done it before – so I just executed it and got it done.”
He might have thrown far enough to win before, but Giberson had never reached the 51-9¼ distance he posted on Tuesday to surpass North Schuylkill’s Aiden Zilker and bring home the first gold medal of his track and field career.
The star offensive lineman for the district champion football team kept focusing on the mental aspect of the competition as opposed to the mechanical, trusting his technique and letting the results speak for themselves.
“It was just calming my nerves and getting in the moment,” Giberson said. “I only had one throw left [and had to] make it count and get it done.
“I’m truly blessed. Hard work and dedication is what got me here,” he said. “I only plan to go up from here.”
Freedom phenoms lead the way in 300 hurdles
Ever since Ethan Huertas stepped into the halls of Freedom High School two years ago, he and teammate Stephan Richards dreamed of finishing together at the front of a district championship race.
The two best friends and teammates coasted in the final heat of the 300 hurdles on Tuesday to do exactly that and enjoyed the celebration years in the making in the process.
“We’ve always talked about it since freshman year. You know, he’s my best friend and we’re always with each other,” Huertas said. “It means everything to go one and two in this race.”
“We call each other hurdle duo,” Richards said. “So, it was kind of scary thinking that this could be my last race because I’m a senior but knowing that we can run at states again just made it even better.”
The ride down to Shippensburg University in just under two weeks will be far more enjoyable for the Patriots who will get to make the trip together and compete as a “duo” one last time.
“We kind of started hurdles with each other, so we’ve been pushing each other,” Huertas said. “They say iron sharpens iron … we’ve always worked out with each other, we hang out with each other, so we went out there and did it.”
Casey remains perfect in sloppy conditions in 3200
Nazareth junior Jacob Casey ran the 3,200 a few times as a freshman but never attempted it last year as a sophomore.
In his breakout junior campaign, he’s now won it all three times he’s run it, including for an EPC Championship last week and his first district championship on Tuesday.
“It’s great. This is my first medal at districts period, let alone to get a gold, it’s awesome,” Casey said. “Especially in an event that I haven’t really run too much yet. It’s amazing.”
The Blue Eagle star knows how hard it is to lead a long distance race, so he was more than comfortable sitting just behind Freedom senior Dylan Boyle for the first five laps of the race.
When the time came, he was ready to pounce.
“My strategy was just to let Dylan do whatever he wanted to do and play by him. I know it’s a lot harder to lead the race than just follow behind someone,” Casey said. “I kind of wanted to use that to my advantage and that’s normally how he races – he goes out hard. I figured even if I let him go out a little bit in front of me, I hoped that he’ll eventually come back. I got lucky enough that he did.”
Still, Casey found himself ahead for a large chunk of the race and had to avoid the same fate befalling him in the most miserable weather conditions of the day. He only got stronger as the race went on, leading to a new personal record time of 9:42.45 and a gold medal.
“My mindset was, ‘You better not let anybody pass you,’” Casey said. “That’s when it really got hard for me because, like I said, it’s a lot harder to push yourself when there’s no rabbit in front of you … I figured, I know I’m feeling it, so everyone else is going to be feeling it too. I just had to push through just as much as everyone else and hopefully get there before them.”
Emmaus bounces back to win 3,200 relay over Parkland
Emmaus senior Jared Petre would’ve been able to stomach coming in second place to a team like Southern Lehigh in the 4 x 800 relay.
Losing to Parkland for the second straight week? Not so much.
“I’d be pissed,” Petre said. “I’m friends with the guys on Parkland, so no hate to them, but we want to beat them. It’s a rivalry.”
Petre’s final leg ensured that wouldn’t be the case and allowed the Green Hornets relay team of himself, Conor Fisher, Miles Cook and Richard Will to bounce back from a second place finish last week at the EPC Championships.
That group posted a time of 8:01.86 on Tuesday to push past the Trojans, who actually ran a better time than they did in last week’s win but came up short against a motivated Emmaus squad this time.
“We knew we should’ve had them [last week], so this whole week I was telling them, ‘I’m anchor. I’m there for you. If you just give me the baton close, I’ll get it for you guys,’” Petre said. “I knew when I was getting the baton that I’ve got this.”
The Green Hornet senior has a good chance to win the individual 800 in Thursday’s finale to the district tournament, but relay wins like the one he enjoyed with his teammates on Tuesday will always mean a tiny bit more to the group’s anchor.
“I love it,” Petre said of the 3,200 relay. “I’ll take a 4 x 800 or 4 x 400 over any other race. I love the guys I run with and it’s a lot of fun.
“It just feels so much better to celebrate on the podium with four guys instead of just yourself. It’s just amazing. I love it.”
Preliminary results
• Nativity BVM senior and Army football commit Noah Dolbin ran a 14.91 to outpace the competition in the 110 AA hurdles by nearly a second and secure the top position in Thursday’s championship race. Rutkowitz was next best just before he claimed gold in the triple jump with the third place time nearly another full second behind him.
• Minersville’s Paiten LaPoint and Blue Mountain’s Chase Guers, while slowing up in the final 20 meters, narrowly ran the best times in the 100 meter dash in 11.31 and 10.99 seconds, respectively.
Derek Bast is a freelance writer who can be found on Twitter/X at @derek_bast or reached by email at derekbast11@gmail.com.
District 11 Track & Field Championships
Tuesday at Whitehall’s Zephyr Sports Complex
BOYS
2A
3,200 relay: 1. Nativity BVM (Liam Messina, Nash Stehr, Michael Stank, Nolan Daynorowicz) 8:19.76; 2. Allentown Central Catholic (Duke Ebert, Tommy Grubb, Gavin Mahon, Will Haring) 8:51.82; 3. Notre Dame-Green Pond 8:52.55; 4. Salisbury 8:57.10; 5. Lehigh Valley Academy 9:06.63; 6. Palisades 9:08.67; 7. Weatherly 9:52.24; 8. Palmerton 10:00.58.
300 hurdles: 1. Noah Dolbin (BVM) 39.07; 2. Josiah Lafond (Cat) 41.75; 3. Cayden Anglin (NL) 42.44; 4. Sonny Seritti (Mah) 42.49; 5. Franklin Pujols (Cat) 42.54; 6. Brandon Andrews (BC) 43.45; 7. Blake Oglialoro (Pali) 43.50; 8. Armando Thom (BC) 44.02.
3,200 run: 1. Kolin Long (Min) 9:51.90; 2. Connor Hibell (Palm) 9:54.34; 3. Will Harring (ACC) 9:57.85; 4. Robert Guzman (Shen) 10:14.03; 5. William Mayberry (Mah) 10:34.58; 6. Emmett Rieland (NDGP) 10:34.53; 7. Johnny Burgess (Min) 10:56.59; 8. Nash Stehr (BVM) 10:56.71.
Long jump: 1. Jake Rutkowitz (Palm) 22-3.50; 2. Jacob Tom (Mar) 22-0; 3. Noah Dolbin (BVM) 21-11; 4. Emmanuel Bolmer (Cat) 21-6.25; 5. Dante Carr (Min) 21-2; 6. Bradley Kostishak (Min) 20-11.75; 7. Liam Messina (BVM) 20-3.50; 8. Dane Hannevig (PG) 19-4.75.
Javelin: 1. Niko Carestia (SchHav) 159-1; 2. Zack Papcsy (BC) 155-10; 3. William Slattery (NL) 140-0; 4. Aiden Boom (Min) 135-5; 5. Aaron Gilbert (SchHav) 135-2; 6. Trexler Moore (PA) 134-5; 7. Jack Kothstein (NDGP) 134-3; 8. Aiden Becker (BVM) 129-7.
High jump: 1. Dante Carr (Min) 6-1; 2. Aidan Ryan (Min) 5-11; 3. Trent Ader (Palm) 5-11; 4. Aaron Gordon (NDGP) 5-11; 5. Luke Smith (SchHav) 5-9; 6. Daniel Weaver 5-9; 7. Joshua Hudak (Sal) 5-9; 8. Michael Johnson (Mar) 5-7.
Discus: 1. Ryan Burkett (Palm) 186-0; 2. Silas Day (Pali) 145-4; 3. Landen Klimek (NL) 143-3; 4. Ethan Kline (SchHav) 142-6; 5. Ethan Weems (NDGP) 124-0; 6. Landon Moll (NL) 121-5; 7. Marc Bartholomew (NDGP) 121-1; 8. George Shimko (BVM) 113-1.
Team standings: 1. Minersville 42; 2. Palmerton 35; 3. Nativity BVM 31; 4. Schuylkill Haven 23; 5. Notre Dame-Green Pond 22; 6. Northern Lehigh 21; 7. Catasauqua 17; 8. Allentown Central Catholic 17; 9. Palisades 13; 10. Bethlehem Catholic 12.
3A
3,200 relay: 1. Emmaus (Conor Fisher, Miles Cook, Richard Will, Jared Petre) 8:01.86; 2. Parkland (Henry Stein, Anthony Cappellini, Marcelo Castilla, Logan McEvoy) 8:04.35; 3. Southern Lehigh 8:16.40; 4. Easton 8:22.72; 5. Wilson 8:25.37; 6. Liberty 8:27.96; 7. Pleasant Valley 8:32.25; 8. Stroudsburg 8:43.33.
300 hurdles: 1. Ethan Huertas (Fre) 39.66; 2. Stephan Richards (Fre) 40.11; 3. Rafael Lirzano (BM) 40.53; 4. Jack Pavis (SL) 41.51; 5. Gaddiel Bidohuertas (SV) 41.61; 6. Benjamin Pilcher (Str) 42.66; 7. Gabe Fihlman (Fre) 42.73; 8. Aidan Coyne (Str) 42.80.
3,200 run: 1. Jacob Casey (Naz) 9:42.45; 2. Dylan Boyle (Fre) 9:45.95; 3. Luke McEvoy (Par) 9:48.62; 4. Jeffrey Sunderlin (Wil) 9:54.83; 5. Shawn Belfon (PMW) 10:05.52; 6. Cullen Clark (Pot) 10:07.59; 7. Brayden Boyle (Fre) 10:08.21; 8. Miles Etters (SL) 10:10.00.
Shot put: 1. Carter Giberson (SL) 51-9.25; 2. Aiden Zilker (NS) 51-0.50; 3. Eli Torres (SV) 49-0.75; 4. Jacob Hillis (Ban) 47-1.50; 5. Marquis Labossiere (Eas) 47-0.50; 6. Mekhi Kirkland (Str) 45-9.50; 6. Jonathan Adjin-Tettey 45-9.50; 8. Robert Edwards (Emm) 44-7.
Triple jump: 1. Shane Plante-King (ESS) 45-6; 2. Konstantinos Panagopoulos (Emm) 44-10; 3. Damar Gilzeane (Emm) 44-6.50; 4. Ozias Washington (ESN) 44-5; 5. Jeremiah Strowder (Nor) 44-1.50; 6. Exzavier Seide (Par) 44-0.25; 7. Uriah Gearhart (PV) 43-9.25; 8. Anthony Otero (Lib) 43-7.
Team standings: 1. Freedom 30; 2. Emmaus 25; 3. Southern Lehigh 22; 4. Parkland 17; 5. ES South 12.50; 6. Nazareth 10; 6. Saucon Valley 10; 8. Easton 9; 9. North Schuylkill 8; 10. Stroudsburg 6.50
PRELIMINARIES
(Finals qualifiers only)
2A
100: 1. Paiten LaPoint (Min) 11.31; 2. Alex Clark (NDGP) 11.34; 3. Lincoln Cook (Pali) 11.38; 4. Niko Carestia (SchHav) 11.45; 5. Nate Frankenfield (PG) 11.47; 6. Jeremiah Cofe (Cat) 11.61; 7. Owen Wescoe (Beth) 11.65; 8. Andrew Shupe (NDGP) 11.68; 9. Jamanni Cruz (Sal) 11.79
110 hurdles: 1. Noah Dolbin (BVM) 14.91; 2. Jake Rutkowitz (Palm) 15.79; 3. Bradley Kostishak (Min) 16.58; 4. Josiah Lafond (Cat) 16.73; 5. Joshua Orach (Sal) 17.26; 6. Wasleyson Charles (NL) 17.39; 7. Luke Smith (SchHav) 17.45; 8. Jonathan Cordon-Pinto (Cat) 17.57; 9. Riley Andrew (Pali) 17.64
200: 1. Alex Clark (NDGP) 22.63; 2. Paiten LaPoint (Min) 22.98; 3. Nate Frankenfield (PG) 23.23; 4. Hamaad Jenkins (Cat) 23.36; 5. Jeremiah Cofe (Cat) 23.63; 6. Niko Carestia (SchHav) 23.69; 7. Jamanni Cruz (Sal) 23.75; 8. Bo McDonald (BVM) 23.76
3A
100: 1. Chase Guers (BM) 10.99; 2. Luke Miller (NS) 11.01; 3. Ayden Walker (ESS) 11.09; 4. Noah Tapler (SL) 11.16; 5. Marquez Wimberly (Naz) 11.18; 6. Nicholi Marsh (Emm) 11.21; 7. Gigi Durandisse (Wil) 11.38; 8. Kai Jefferson-Rushing (Emm) 11.39; 9. Dorrian McCargo (Emm) 11.43
110 hurdles: 1. Abiel Quartey (Str) 15.80; 2. Donovann Durham (Pot) 15.87; 3. Amare DuBoise (Fre) 16.06; 4. Rafael Liranzo (BM) 16.06; 5. Samuel Ciampittello (Par) 16.67; 6. Equan Warner (Leh) 16.67; 7. Gio Rivera-Poke (Tam) 16.68; 8. Stephan Richards (Fre) 16.75; 9. Justin Mauro (ESS) 16.96
200: 1. Luke Miller (NS) 22.14; 2. Chase Guers (BM) 22.42; 3. Marquez Wimberly (Naz) 22.71; 4. Keyen Johnson (Str) 22.74; 5. Jareal Moore (PV) 22.76; 6. Laquaye Hamilton (D) 22.78; 7. Shane Kerosetz (SV) 23.03; 8. Gaige Guers (BM) 23.12
