SHIPPENSBURG - None of the four members of Pleasant Valley's 1600-meter relay team knew what to expect heading into Saturday's Class AAA final.

The quartet of Aliem Hoousendove-Jackson, Nyiem Nevarez, Tyson Calhoun and Khai Samuels entered the PIAA Track and Field Championships as the 23rd overall seed in the event out of 27 teams with a time of 3:28.65.But on Friday afternoon, the group surprised many with a second place finish in their preliminary heat with a time of 3:20.92, good enough to advance to the final.With the seventh best prelim time of the eight teams participating in the final, the Bears entered with an all-or-nothing approach. And who could blame them? The group was already guaranteed spot on the podium. The only question left was where.Expectations changed, however, as the race unfolded.Hoousendove-Jackson started for Pleasant Valley and put the team in the lead after the first lap. Nevarez followed and maintained the gap for Calhoun, who ran a strong third leg to keep the Bears in contention.Samuels took over near the middle of the pack. As the senior rounded the second turn onto the backstretch, a duel between Cheltenham anchor John Lewis and Central Dauphin East's Charles Bowman resulted in a dropped baton by Bowman, allowing Upper Darby and Samuels to sneak past.Samuels held on at the end to give Pleasant Valley a third place finish with a staggering time of 3:17.82.Afterwards, the group conceded to not having the best attitude prior to the race."The whole time they were saying, 'We can't do this, we're tired,'" said Samuels. "Then as soon as they step onto the track, they turn into Olympians. They just wanted it."Leaving Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium with a medal was one of the last things any of them thought was possible as the 23rd seed."I don't think any of us knew what to expect looking at where we were coming into this. People probably thought we'd be last," joked Nevarez, who was also on the Bears' 400 relay team that competed on Friday."But it shows what hard work can do," added Calhoun. "We came out here and gave it everything we had."And then some.Hoousendove-Jackson walked off the track with a noticeable limp, a product of helping the team run the record-setting time."I can't feel my legs. They're like Jell-O," he said. "But it was worth it. I'm so proud of these guys."Earlier in the afternoon, Samuels recorded a sixth place finish in the 800, clocking in at 1:53.67, better than Friday's prelim time of 1:55.50.Palmerton's Spencer Hay also earned a bronze medal on Saturday. Hay finished in a three-way tie for third at 6-2 in the Class AA high jump.Though not a personal best (6-4, which he set at districts), Hay was still thrilled to earn a medal in his first appearance at the state meet."This is amazing," he said. "I can't even put into words how much this means."The result was especially rewarding for the junior, who got to celebrate it with his father, Jim, who is an assistant coach for the Blue Bombers and works with Hay in the jumping events."He's a great coach," Hay said of his dad. "I know this will make him extremely proud."After taking eighth in the Class AA pole vault on Friday, Tamaqua's Morgan Boyle came back motivated and ready to move up on the medal stand with a strong showing in the javelin on Saturday.Boyle did just that, taking sixth with a throw of 133-11."I was really trying not to worry about everybody else," she said. "I tried to just focus on myself and be confident."The podium finish also continued a tradition of Tamaqua javelin throwers winning a medal at states, a streak that now spans the past 10 years. The result also gives Boyle her second medal in the event after she took eighth last year as a sophomore."It feels really good," the junior said. "John's (Kotchmar, throwing coach) mom came up to me after my last throw and said, 'You did it! You kept it going!' It's pretty awesome."Boyle credited Kotchmar for helping her achieve so much success."John's awesome," she said. "He's knows how to get in your head, but in the right way."With her senior year right around the corner, Boyle is hoping she's saved the best for last."I have another season and I'm ready for next year," she said. "I'm ready to work hard and get back here next year."Pleasant Valley's Kevin Cruz gave the Bears their third medal of the day in the Class AAA long jump.As the 10th seed in the event, Cruz, was simply happy to compete.But a jump of 21-9 was good enough to get him seventh in the event."I didn't know what to expect with where I was seeded," the senior said. "During the week, I worked really hard with my coaches and they kept telling me I could do this. I'm just so happy to leave with a medal. It means everything to me."Cruz edged Lehighton's Tyler Crum, who took eighth with a mark of 21-8.25, his first state medal in his second appearance.After battling a hamstring injury throughout much of last season, Crum was pleased to end his career on the podium."I just wanted to go out with a bang," Crum said. "I'm coming home with a medal, so I am pretty happy."Crum recorded his best jump in the prelims, a leap he said was aided by an enthusiastic crowd."I don't know what was going on out on the track, but that got me really pumped up," he said. "Going down the runway, everyone was cheering and yelling and that definitely helped."While admitting he was hoping for a little more, the senior couldn't deny the fact that he was proud of what he accomplished."I could have jumped better," he said. "Bur it's just good to come out here against these great athletes at states and come home with a medal."Palmerton's Sean Doherty also capped his career in style, earning an eighth place medal in the Class AA 300-meter hurdles.The result was an impressive one for a senior that just started hurdling last year."I had played baseball before," he said. "But (Northern Lehigh's) Drake Pristash convinced me to come out and try this, and I'm so happy I did."We text back-and-forth all the time, and I owe some of this to him."Doherty noted the work of his coaches for helping him reach such a high level in a short period of time."I can't thank coach (Bethany) Rowland enough," Doherty said of Palmerton's hurdle coach. "She worked with me every day and she's the reason I was able to do this."