Confident Panther John Kowalski fronts Berks’ medal rampage with two fast firsts

By Julie Pelchar Cohen — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

SHIPPENSBURG – John Kowalski was a newcomer to the big stage.

He certainly didn’t show it.

The Schuylkill Valley junior performed like a sprint veteran during the District 3 Track and Field Championships. He captured gold medals in the 100 and 200 in leading the Panthers to a runner-up finish in the Class 2A team race Saturday at Seth Grove Stadium.

“I came in here feeling pretty confident,” Kowalski said with a smile.

Kowalski’s gold medals were among 13 won this weekend by Berks boys; Berks girls won six.

Kowalski has been rolling as one of Berks County’s fastest sprinters all season.

After a 200 win at last weekend’s county-championship Firing Meet, Kowalski entered the district meet as the top seed in both sprints. That was a remarkable accomplishment considering Kowalski lost his sophomore year after suffering a season-ending hip injury in his first meet.

This season has been nothing but fast times. Kowalski opened with a personal-best 11.03 in the 100 for a quarter-second win over Lancaster Catholic’s Brandon Way.

Kowalski later ran a 22.58 for a comfortable 200 win over Columbia senior Quincy Stewart.

Kowalski learned early that his junior year could be special. A month ago he broke the school record in the 200 with a 22.25.

“That definitely gave me a boost,” he said.

Kowalski stretched his momentum into May. He captured his first invitational win with a 200 title at the Shaner Meet and then won the same event a week later at the Firing by edging Gov. Mifflin’s Sean Singleton by two-hundredths of a second.

“It gave me extra confidence going into this weekend,” he said.

For a track and field program that has been wildly successful at the district and state level, Kowalski is the first Panther boy to win a pair of sprint medals.

Still on top: Brady Mider climbed to the top of the podium a third time Saturday afternoon.

It never gets old.

The Berks Catholic senior successfully defended his 3A shot put title. He won his first district discus gold Friday.

The two-time defending PIAA champion didn’t have his best stuff Saturday. Still, he threw a massive 60-7¼ to win by nearly five feet over Exeter’s Logan Wegman.

“I knew it wasn’t the best weather today,” Mider said. “I was just going in to get the job done, get a good mark, get the win and move on to states.”

If the weather cooperates, look for the Iowa recruit to chase the personal-best of 62-4¾ that he set at last weekend’s Firing Meet. The mark ranks 34th nationally.

Golden girls: Wyomissing battled Annville-Cleona all morning for the 2A girls team title.

“We were on the ropes,” said Spartans coach Jim Delp. “It was very stressful.”

Wyomissing pulled ahead with a late-afternoon surge. The Spartans finished with 105 points to edge the Little Dutchmen by six.

Senior Ayla Snyder provided the biggest surprise. Seeded fourth in the long jump, she unleashed a winning 16-8½ on her final attempt. She was tied for third heading into her last try.

“I was thinking that I needed to show that I’m meant to be here,” said Snyder, who is 5-1 and hardly looks like a long jumper. “I also was thinking about how I needed to help my team win.”

While Snyder was receiving her gold medal on the infield podium, senior Addie Cohen was pulling away from the 800 field to win her third gold medal and emerge from a senior season riddled with illnesses.

Junior Alexis Hardy, last year’s district champion in the 100 and 200, mounted her own redemption story. After taking an admittedly disappointing silver in the morning’s 100, she blazed to a winning 25.73 in the 200 all while running with a stress fracture in her foot.

“The team was everything that was going through my mind,” Hardy said. “We knew coming into this meet that we had a chance to win. My point contribution would help that a lot. I wasn’t just running for myself. I was running for everyone else.”

Delp noticed their resolve.

“This may be the toughest group of girls that I’ve ever coached in over 20 years,” Delp said. “They were determined. They did not want to lose.”

Three times as nice: Lauren Akers hasn’t produced the flashy numbers she reached last year.

But this win is the most special.

The Kutztown senior threw a 126-11 to win her third straight 2A javelin title.  Her mark was far from the personal best she set last year. The throw wasn’t even a season best.

But the gold medal is her most meaningful one.

Akers faced many challenges this year. Her indoor season didn’t work out and she didn’t even compete. She had a quad injury early in the spring. 

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” she said. “I was nowhere near where I was last year. I didn’t know if I could be here again, but I worked through it. This one definitely feels the best out of all of them. I’ve worked the most for this one.”

Golden mile: While Josh Wagner set a personal best in a fast 1600 at last weekend’s Firing Meet the result left the Oley Valley senior disappointed. 

The competitive Wagner wanted a win. Instead, he finished fifth.

A win in the Class 2A 1600 meant everything Saturday.

“I kind of had a chip on my shoulder,” Wagner said. “I wanted to go out here and show what I really have and that I deserve to have the gold.”

Wagner grabbed the lead after the first lap and cruised to the win in 4:25.95 ahead of Wyomissing’s Cameron Cohen and Lynx teammate Ryan Gourley. Berks boys claimed five of the top six spots.

Wagner also anchored Oley Valley’s 3200 relay to a silver medal. He took bronze in the 800 and was an anchor again for an eighth-place 1600 relay.

“I’m really ecstatic,” Wagner said. “This  has been a goal of mine since the beginning of the season. I put a lot of miles in, a lot of effort and a lot of hard workouts with the guys.

“To be standing here with a gold medal around my neck is something that I dreamed of since the start of the season.”

Hurtling forward: Hamburg senior Jaydon Witman has licked his chops knowing the five boys who finished ahead of him in last year’s district race graduated.

The 2A 110 hurdles race was his for the taking.

The Hamburg senior did just that Saturday afternoon. He lowered his personal best with a winning 14.48.

Running faster than last year’s winning time of 14.50 was another goal.

“It was definitely something I wanted to do,” he said. “I always look at times from previous years because I want to see if I can do better than they did the year before to keep everything rolling.

“It helps me set goals and get the times that I want.”

Witman won county titles in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles at last weekend’s Firing Meet. He finished fourth in Saturday’s longer hurdles race.