Northampton High School junior Zeke Colyer finished in the top half of the field, placing 56th at the PIAA State Class 3A Boys Cross Country Championships on Nov. 7 in Hershey.

“It was a great experience and a ton of fun to be out there with teammates,” Colyer said.

Colyer, who finished the race with a time of 17:34 after running in the fourth of four heats, was supported by fellow K-Kid harriers Owen Nahf, Georgia Wiswesser, and Evan Dempsey, along with Coach Dan Benner.

Because competitors were not allowed on the course before the races this year, Coach Benner was forced to show Colyer the way with a map.

“It wasn’t optimal, but I was there last year to watch, so I knew where some things were,” Colyer said.

Colyer was Northampton’s top runner last year as well but became injured during the season, so Coach Benner called this year a rewarding one for Colyer.

“Everything he got, he deserved,” Benner said. “Obviously, we went into states with best case scenario goals. The start of the race was extremely fast, a little bit of a shock, but he picked his way through and went from 22nd to midteens [in his heat].”

Colyer said if there was a benefit to running in heats, it’s that the first 400 meters was more wide open than usual.

Now, Colyer is focusing on recovering from the state meet.

“If anything, I’ll run some more hills in the summer. They’re pretty steep at Hershey,” he said. “I’ll have to prepare more for those.”

Brady Bigger from State College in District 6 was crowned state champion in Class 3A with a time of 16:07.

From within District 11, Liberty’s Cole Frank placed first and 24th overall with a time of 16:57.