Knowledge is power, and so is talent and dedication, all three of which came together for Freedom harrier Dylan Boyle when he crossed the finish line as the District XI Class 3A boys cross country champion on Oct. 23 at DeSales University, Center Valley.

“I feel a consistency with this course,” Boyle said. “I know how to run it, exactly. I know the spots, and my body knows them too. I’ve just run it so many times, and wanting to come in first, it’s a blessing.”

Boyle maintained the lead throughout the 5K.

“It was a straight shot to the start around that pole. It was just, boom, right out of the cannon,” he said. “I just wanted to show that I could do it today. I never count anybody out. It was a hot one today, and anybody could’ve come out of nowhere.”

But no one did as Boyle won the race in 16:39.1, 30 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Emmaus’s Conor Fisher.

“I thought Dylan looked good,” said Freedom coach Bob Thear. “It was kind of like the saying, ‘If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’ I said to him, just do what you did last week. Just stay a little bit ahead of whoever’s in second, and by the time you get to the road, that’s where you want to be. Work the hills in the middle, and go from there. That’s it.

“He’s a talented runner, of course, but he’s very dedicated to his craft and getting better. I think that’s ultimately what got him here. Each year he improved and he put it on himself to try and move up, so he was never one to be content with where he was at. Those are usually the people who do get better every year because they’re never satisfied. But I think he’s satisfied tonight. He should be.”

Freedom sophomore Brayden Boyle moved up a spot from the conference meet, taking sixth place at districts.

“Brayden ran well too,” Coach Thear said. “Brayden’s one of those kids who could run it five more times and finish two or three places higher. He ran a good race, though. Sixth, I’m very happy with that overall.”

Boyle’s sixth-place time was 17:27.1.

“I was fighting just to be in that front pack, and Dylan was pretty far ahead. The heat was definitely affecting me a little bit, but I still gave it my all, so I’m proud of myself,” he said. “I kept working the hills, and that’s where some people’s weak points were, so I kept going and went hard on the downhills too, so I think that helped.”

Also competing from Freedom were Ryan Haas (18:21.7), Eric Wu (18:40.1), Webb Kurtz (19:07.6), Liam Kurtz (20:03.2), and Dylan Chambers (21:04.9).

The Patriots placed fifth of 16 in team results.

Nazareth placed first, and Emmaus placed second.

Joshua Cazares was the first to finish the race for Liberty, placing 23rd in 18:15.6.

Also competing for the Hurricanes were Ethan Caine (18:29.7), Liam Schoenauer (20:15.7), Jalen King (21:01.6), Calvin Rittle (21:12.7), Carl Fair (21:36.0), and Ezekial Frack (22:12.7).

Liberty placed ninth in team results.

In the Class 2A race, Bethlehem Catholic’s Mekhi Britt won the seventh place medal after a harrowing third mile.

“Throughout the race, he looked phenomenal,” said Bethlehem Catholic coach Krystyn Fenon. “He held that third place, and in the last mile he was getting ready to close hard. He looked solid until the dehydration kicked in, and that last mile was really a struggle for him, but I’m glad that he’s healthy. That’s all that matters.”

Although Britt had been feeling unwell the past couple of days, the Becahi senior kept that information to himself, especially because he suffered a quad strain in the third mile of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference meet on Oct. 15 and did not finish the race.

“I was on to do something really good that day, and it all unraveled, so coming into today, I have flu-like symptoms and I knew it was going to be a really hard day, but I couldn’t repeat what happened last week, that feeling of knowing you can do something and not being able to achieve that. I never want to have that again,” Britt said.

“I was in second place today, going up the cornfield, and then from there, I started seeing stars. I was severely dehydrated. I barely even ran through the finish line. My mentality was go out there and get to states. Today was just about getting through it and making it to the next level. I understood that my body was not cooperating the way I wanted it to, so I’m proud of where I am because I still pushed it as hard as I could.”

Britt’s time was 17:40.0.

Palmerton’s Connor Hibell won the race with a time of 16:34.6, and Allentown Central Catholic’s Duke Ebert came in second in 17:17.0.

“I’m glad that Mekhi did finish the race, but most importantly, that he’s healthy,” Coach Fenon said. “In his workouts last week, he looked great. Everything was on the up-and-up, and we were good to go.”

Also competing for Becahi were Brandon Andrews (19:30.7), David Gomes-Acuna (20:20.8), LJ Horvath (20:21.7), Matthew Amrick (22:49.0), and Canon Morrow (28:18.0).

Becahi placed eighth of 14 in team results.

Allentown Central Catholic placed first, and Wilson Area placed second.

Britt, Boyle, and Boyle will compete in the PIAA State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 2 in Hershey.

“If Dylan runs well, he could medal,” said Thear. “He could be in the top 25. That’s a reasonable expectation for him. And then Brayden, I think a good race would be top 100. It’ll be a good first experience out on that course.”