It might be a bit of hyperbole, but Xander Giandomenico’s statement about going to the state meet says everything about how badly the Northwestern senior wanted to finish his high school cross country career at a state championship meet.

Whether he finishes first, last or in the middle of this weekend’s meet, Giandomenico will be running happy.

“State qualifying was all I wanted,” he said after last week’s district meet. “I told people I don’t even care if I get last at states, I’m just happy I made it senior year. Hopefully I can do well there, but like I said, just happy I made it.”

Giandomenico is one of two Tiger runners who secured a place in this weekend’s state meet with their performance last Wednesday at the District 11 Class 2A Championships at DeSales University.

Sophia Cornell finished eighth in the girls race to earn a place at this weekend’s state championship meet in Hershey.

Despite the pressure of knowing it could be the last race of his high school career, Giandomenico stayed calm and poised at districts. He went into the race with a plan and executed it well.

“The whole goal was just not to panic,” he said. “If I was going to make states I had to stay calm while doing it. I really played it pretty well throughout.

“Coming around mile two is when I had two or three people pass me. Then I immediately passed them. I knew now was the time, over the cornfield hill in the back. I knew I had to keep it strong up there and on the back side keep it going. I’m not the fastest at sprinting so I knew I had to get that spot ahead of time.”

Giandomenico has run at districts three times in his career and finished better each time, taking 30th place as a sophomore and 20th last year to miss qualifying for states by four places.

While Cornell is making her third trip to states, she’s just as pleased to be finishing her career on the biggest stage Pennsylvania high school cross country has to offer.

Cornell qualified individually last year and made it with her team as a freshman.

She wanted to finish her high school career in Hershey, and earned the right to do it with an eighth-place finish in the Class 2A girls district championship race.

“I was hoping to run a little bit better, but I can’t complain,” Cornell said. “My goal was just to get to states. That’s done so I’m glad. Conditions were a little rough today.”

Northwestern’s hill training comes in handy on the up and down DeSales course.

“Started off a little quicker than I normally do so I wouldn’t get boxed in and crowded,” Cornell said. “In the woods I was feeling pretty good. Those hills, we run hills a lot and I like those hills back there. The last mile is always a tough one for me. That cornfield gets everyone. Once you come out of that and come around the end there’s only so much left, you just have to get out and do it.”

After finishing around the middle of the pack in last year’s state meet, Cornell is excited to run there one last time.

“That course is hard,” she said of Hershey’s Parkview Course. “After going once and then again, I feel like this year I can really dial in on it and my nerves won’t be as bad.”

Palmerton’s Connor Hibell repeated as district champ in boys 2A. The two-time Colonial League champ finished in 16:34.6 to beat Central Catholic’s Duke Ebert (17:17.0) by a comfortable margin. Ebert’s Vikings won the boys 2A team title, with Wilson taking second place.

Two-time defending Class A state champ Virginia Kraus of Saucon Valley won the District 11 girls Class 2A title this year after winning it the past two seasons as a Moravian Academy student. She ran 18:01.4 to finish 1:28 ahead of the runner up, Wilson’s Avery Errico (19:29.6).

Notre Dame (Green Pond) won the girls team title over second-place Wilson. Central Catholic took the boys team title over second-place Wilson.

In Class A, Minersville’s Kolin Long won the boys race in 17:11 with Shenandoah Valley’s Robert Espinal (17:14.3) in second place. Schuylkill Haven’s Anna Schaeffer won the girls race in 20:37.5 with Mahanoy Area’s Felicia Bro (22:44.1) in second place.

The Blue Devils won the boys and girls Class A team titles over Moravian Academy (girls) and Minersville (boys) in second place.

Class 3A team titles went to Nazareth boys with Emmaus in second place, and the Emmaus girls, with Easton in second place.

Freedom’s Dylan Boyle won the boys 3A race in 16:39.1 with Emmaus’ Connor Fisher (17:10.3) in second place. The Hornets’ Mady McCartney repeated as girls 3A champ with Liberty Katie Drabouski (19:29.8) in second place.