(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next edition’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from May 26, 2001).

By Joe Plasko

jplasko@tnonline.com

SHIPPENSBURG - After the first leg of the Class AA 3200 meter relay final, Tamaqua’s chances at a state gold medal appeared in jeopardy.

The Blue Raiders, however, were ready for the challenge.

It takes four strong runners to make a winning relay, as the Blue Raiders demonstrated by pulling away from the rest of the field at Saturday’s PIAA State Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University.

By the time the race was over, the quartet of Mark Drum, Adam Rupert, Brian Cipko and Ricky Cipko had earned Tamaqua’s first relay state title, capping an undefeated season.

The Raiders ended up with a winning time of 8:03.51, a new school record as well as a TIMES NEWS area standard. It also marks only the second time in school history Tamaqua has earned gold medals in consecutive seasons, adding to Noel Powell’s long jump state title last year. The other back-to-back Raider golds occurred when Tom Scheitrum won the AA high jump in 1986 and Tricia Plasko sprinted to wins in the AA 100 and 200 in 1987.

Tamaqua was the top seed entering states by a second over District 3 champion Greencastle-Antrim. What’s amazing is that the Raiders ended up winning in the finals by more than three seconds over second place Scranton Prep’s 8:07.51.

Despite setting a new District 11 record the week before at 8:07.69, Tamaqua coach Phil Houm knew his 4x800 would have to go lower for a shot at the state gold.

“Our philosophy is that your last race should be your best race,” said Houm. “We knew what they did at Districts might not be fast enough, so our goal was to have them knock off a second per man out there, and they did that. Today they took it down to 8:03.”

Relay races are often unpredictable, as teams can change runners or flip-flop them in order to get faster times. That’s what the team from Iroquois High did when it put Mike Barlett, who earned a bronze medal in the AA open 800 on the lead leg.

Mark Drum, a junior who runs the lead leg for the Raiders, is usually in front when he hands off, but despite running a solid two-minute split, Drum found himself trailing Barlett when he handed off to Rupert.

“It scared me,” said Drum. “I was thinking that I blew it after we had come this far. When they said I ran a 1:59-2:00, I said, no way. They really got me. The joke was on me.”

Tamaqua assistant coach Eric Lech told the Raiders that somebody might try what Iroquois did.

“We knew Iroquois (which placed fourth) would run their best guy first, so I wasn’t worried when we came in behind him,” said Lech. “Our guys knew they couldn’t panic.”

Rupert, the only senior of the quartet, made up most of the ground by the time he handed off to Brian Cipko.

“I just gave it my best and tried to catch up as fast as I could,” said Rupert. “I knew I had to push as hard as I could when he (Barlett) came across with a lead. I just wanted to close it up as much as possible.”

It was Brian Cipko, one-half of the Raiders’ junior twin dynamos, that put his foursome ahead for good with a sizzling split of 1:58. He had gained the lead and ample cushion by the time he handed off to brother Ricky, the D-11 800 meter champ.

“There was no doubt in my mind from the time I got the baton that I was going to reel him in,” said Brian. “All we had to do was run our best race and get it to the anchor with a lead, and I knew Ricky would bring it home. If Ricky had that baton with a two second lead, there was no stopping him.”

“Everyone did what he had to do,” said Lech. “Brian ran an awesome leg, and Ricky blew it away.”

“I felt our second and third runners would be crucial,” said Houm. “Rupert ran an intelligent race and Brian was just in some sort of other zone out there.”

The Cipkos and Rupert were part of a Raider 4x800 team that qualified for states, along with Andy Hoffman, two years ago but did not medal. Last year Tamaqua didn’t get its 3200 relay to states, losing to Northern Lehigh at Districts.

“This is so much better, because we knew what we could do this time,” said Rupert.

“Last year we were disappointed because we were sitting in the bleachers here watching it,” said Ricky Cipko, who placed ninth in the AA 800 later in the afternoon. “This year, to come out and win a gold medal is unreal.”

“They were phenomenal all season,” said Lech. “Their times kept coming down, and it was definitely a team effort. No one individual made this happen.”