The Parkland boys cross country team’s 2022 season ended with a solid showing at the PIAA Cross Country 3A Championship last Saturday in Hershey.

Coach Stephen Ott’s team finished eighth in the 21-team field with 218 points and a 17:35 average time.

Paul Abeln, the District 11 3A winner, was the first Trojan finisher in 35th place overall with a 17:09 time. Next for Parkland was Ethan Willard in the 54th position in 17:21. Willard’s journey to Hershey started when no one was looking. He, along with his Parkland teammates dedicated themselves for last Saturday’s chance to run against Pennsylvania’s best.

“A good example of our dedication is our training during the summer,” Willard said earlier this season. “We meetup with our coaches to participate in our workouts. On the other days it is our responsibility to run and take care of ourselves.”

Another Parkland runner taking care of business was senior Liam McGuigan, who finished 68th in 17:30. Trojan junior Jake Barnes ran a 17:32 race, good for 76th place. Tyler Rothrock finished in the 163rd position, while Praveen Sureshkumar ended his high school career with a 168th place finish. Brady Hoffman was the final Parkland finisher at 179th.

The Parkland girls team was represented by two runners at the state championship meet. District 11 3A champion Lana Hurwitz finished in 36th place with a 20:21 time, while Gracie Trexler claimed 138th place in the 233-girl field.