BARNESVILLE — Ryan Kately had a simple message for his Weatherly girls cross country team before Wednesday’s Schuylkill League Championships.

“Big-time runners come up big in big-time meets.”

The Wreckers certainly delivered.

A week after a disappointing loss to Schuylkill Haven prevented Weatherly from clinching the Division 2 title outright, Kately’s young squad made the most of its second opportunity at White Birch Golf Course.

Behind three freshmen who finished among the top eight overall, Weatherly captured the division championship in a runoff against Schuylkill Haven, finishing third in the team standings with 89 points — five ahead of the Hurricanes.

Both teams entered the meet with identical 11-1 division records, setting the stage for a winner-take-all showdown.

“We expected to wrap up the division last week, and I think we got a little bit ahead of ourselves,” Kately said. “We kind of got punched in the gut at Haven.”

Kately made sure his runners remembered that feeling.

“I told the girls that Thursday after, when we knew we were having a runoff, ‘I don’t want to feel like this again, and I know you girls don’t want this feeling again as well,’” he said.

They responded in a big way.

Mikayla Pugh led the Wreckers with a third-place finish in 20:20, while Emma Moyer and Mikayla Kuntz crossed the line seventh and eighth, respectively, both in 20:58.

All three are freshmen.

Pugh was particularly pleased with her performance after battling knee pain throughout the season.

“I’m very happy. I had a big PR today,” Pugh said. “I’ve been dealing with knee pain all season, so to push through that was amazing.”

Moyer and Kuntz were equally thrilled with the result, particularly after Weatherly’s loss to Schuylkill Haven the previous week.

Winning the division had been the goal entering Wednesday’s race, and the two freshmen acknowledged some nerves after the setback against the Hurricanes.

“We were a bit nervous coming into this, but we pulled it through,” the runners said.

The two also emphasized how much they’ve benefited from having one another to push throughout the season.

“What helped me a lot is especially that I have a teammate to run with,” one of the freshmen said. “We run together.”

That connection was evident Wednesday, as Moyer and Kuntz finished seventh and eighth with identical times of 20:58.

The Wreckers’ runners also said the entire team recorded personal-best times, making the division championship even more rewarding.

Weatherly also received contributions from sophomore Alexia Kehler, who placed 49th in 25:04, and freshman Riley Bachert, who finished in 32:18 to complete the team’s scoring lineup.

Kately praised the entire group, particularly Moyer, who bounced back from a difficult race against Schuylkill Haven the previous week.

“Emma Moyer, she had not her best race Wednesday at Haven, but my gosh, she stepped up today,” Kately said. “All five of them, they wanted it. I saw on the course the determination. Like, we don’t want to feel like we did last Wednesday. And they did it.”

The championship was especially meaningful for Kately, who has watched many of the runners develop through Weatherly’s junior high program.

“I describe them as nails — tough as nails,” he said. “They’re friends on and off the course. They hype each other up. They’re a tight-knit group, and I’m glad to have them for three more years.”

The Wreckers’ young runners credited their success to the work they put in throughout the summer, along with the support they received from their coaches, families and teammates.

The three freshmen also acknowledged the challenge of competing against experienced runners from programs such as Blue Mountain and North Schuylkill.

Pugh pointed to North Schuylkill’s Genevieve Dando, who won the individual championship in 19:11, as someone she looks up to.

“Dando is literally my idol,” Pugh said. “I want to be like her. I knew I wasn’t going to stay up with her today, but at least be somewhat close.”

Tamaqua shines

Blue Mountain captured the overall girls team championship with 29 points, while Tamaqua finished second with 74.

The Blue Raiders also enjoyed an impressive afternoon, led by freshman Peyton O’Brien, who placed ninth in 21:14, and sophomore Shaylee Gormley, who followed in 10th at 21:18.

O’Brien, who recorded a personal-best time, said the competition between the teammates has helped both improve throughout the season.

“We’ve been doing it all season, pushing each other,” O’Brien said.

The freshman was especially encouraged by her performance after dealing with back problems recently.

“It’s kind of helped me gain my confidence back,” she said. “Shaylee and I have been going back and forth, so it definitely helped me gain my confidence back a little bit.”

O’Brien said one of her biggest lessons this season has been learning to trust herself.

“My body’s stronger than my mind, and I need to believe in myself more,” she said.

Tamaqua also received strong finishes from Aubry Jones, who placed 21st in 22:49, and Sophia Stellfox, who was 22nd in 22:57. Gia Clemson completed the Blue Raiders’ scoring five.

Tamaqua coach Amanda Hascin was thrilled with the performances of both her girls and boys teams, which combined for several personal-best times.

“I am beyond happy with the performance of everyone that ran today,” Hascin said. “So many PRs. The races were fast. Everyone was running fast. I’m so proud of them today.”

The Tamaqua boys placed third with 120 points, led by sophomore Memphis Kline, who finished third overall in a personal-best 16:59.

Kline spent part of the race at the front of the field, something he admitted he hadn’t anticipated.

“I didn’t think I was going to do that going into it,” Kline said. “The day before, I was happy with fifth. I led the race, which I didn’t expect at all.”

Blue Mountain’s Quinnlon Tremaglia won the boys race in 16:38, followed by teammate Brody Moyer in 16:46.

Kline credited the competition with helping him push himself to a new level.

“They’re great runners,” he said. “I know if I’m with them, they’re going to carry me, which is really good.”

Tamaqua also got strong performances from both Parker Steencken, who placed 13th in 17:28, and Aidan Elston, who finished 17th in 17:41.

Hascin praised the commitment of Kline, O’Brien and Gormley, three underclassmen who have helped lead their respective teams.

“They are the epitome of the workhorses on the team,” Hascin said. “They come every day, and they put in the work, and they run the miles and the workouts, and they just always want to get better.”

Kline said his performance gave him added confidence heading into next week’s District 11 championships.

“Before this race, going into districts, I just wanted to make states, but now I want to place at districts,” he said.

Eroh eyes districts

Marian’s Wade Eroh also earned a top-10 finish, placing 10th in 17:21 despite battling a hip injury that limited his training during the previous week.

Eroh said he had run only about three miles during that stretch and wasn’t feeling particularly sharp Wednesday.

“I wanted a better finish,” Eroh said. “I haven’t run in like a week, so I just feel really stiff. I feel like I had no power.”

Despite the setback, Eroh remained optimistic about his chances at districts.

“I think I got a pretty good shot to win it,” he said. “If I just get better, I feel I could win it by a lot.”

Marian finished fifth in the boys team standings with 156 points, with Jacob Berlanda placing 14th in 17:32 and James Gelatko taking 25th in 18:24.

Weatherly’s boys placed ninth with 197 points, led by Alex Best, who finished 24th in 18:21, and Khristian Rivera, who placed 27th in 18:32.

Blue Mountain completed a sweep of the team championships, winning the boys title with 29 points. Nativity was second with 67.

For Weatherly’s girls, Wednesday’s result was both a reward for months of work and a sign of what could lie ahead.

Kately knows the challenge will only grow as his young runners move into the district championships, but he’s confident they’ll embrace the opportunity.

“They don’t really care who they race,” he said. “Everyone’s stepping on the line, and they’re going. They’ve been great all year.”

And after turning last week’s disappointment into a division championship, the Wreckers have plenty of reason to believe their best races are still ahead.

SCHUYLKILL LEAGUE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

BOYS

Team Standings

1. Blue Mountain (BM) 29, 2. Nativity BVM (Nat) 67, 3. Tamaqua (Tam) 120, 4. North Schuylkill (NS) 130, 5. Marian Catholic (MC) 156, 6. Schuylkill Haven (SH) 165, 7. Mahanoy Area (MA) 173, 8. Minersville (Min) 185, 9. Weatherly (Wea) 197, 10. Shenandoah Valley (SV) 216, 11. Pottsville (Potts) 280.

Individual Results

1. Quinnlon Tremaglia (BM) 16:38, 2. Brody Moyer (BM) 16:46, 3. Memphis Kline (Tam) 16:59, 4. Russell Hunter (BM) 17:07, 5. Johnny Burgess (Min) 17:09, 6. Wyatt Hylka (Nat) 17:10, 7. Grayson Meck (BM) 17:12, 8. Shane Meyer (Nat) 17:17, 9. Owen Mentzer (NS) 17:19, 10. Wade Eroh (MC) 17:21.

Other locals in the top 50

13. Parker Steencken (Tam) 17:28, 14. Jacob Berlanda (MC) 17:32, 17. Aidan Elston (Tam) 17:41, 24. Alex Best (Wea) 18:21, 25. James Gelatko (MC) 18:24, 27. Khristian Rivera (Wea) 18:32, 40. Kevin Lawfer (Tam) 19:34, 41. Achilles Fitzpatrick (MC) 19:40, 42. Ryley Jacoby (Wea) 19:48.

GIRLS

Team Standings

1. Blue Mountain (BM) 29, 2. Tamaqua (Tam) 74, 3. Weatherly (Wea) 89, 4. Schuylkill Haven (SH) 94, 5. Shenandoah Valley (SV) 125, 6. Tri-Valley (TV) 139, 7. Nativity BVM (Nat) 169.

Individual Results

1. Genevieve Dando (NS) 19:11, 2. Vanessa Frasnelli (BM) 20:02, 3. Mikayla Pugh (Wea) 20:20, 4. Emma Lazarchick (BM) 20:26, 5. Ava Bosack (Min) 20:34, 6. Victoria Frasnelli 20:51, 7. Emma Moyer (Wea) 20:58, 8. Mikayla Kuntz (Wea) 20:58, 9. Peyton O’Brien (Tam) 21:14, 10. Shaylee Gormley 21:18.

Other locals in the top 50

21. Aubry Jones (Tam) 22:49, 22. Sophia Stellfox (Tam) 22:57, 31. Gia Clemson (Tam) 24:02, 34. Sofie DeAngelo (MC) 24:08, 35. Madelyn Schaefer (Tam) 24:09, 43. Anna Keer (MC) 24:39, 49. Alexia Kehler (Wea) 25:04, 50. Lila Stegemerten (Tam) 25:22.