NTL CROSS-COUNTRY: NEB'S DEWING EARNS THIRD STRAIGHT TOP 10 FINISH, PANTHERS TAKE 6TH AS TEAM (2024-11-03)
BY CHRIS MANNINGNorthern Tier Sports ReportHERSHEY — NEB’s Creed Dewing made NTL history by earning his fourth state medal at the PIAA Cross-country Championships Saturday. Dewing took ninth overall in 16:36, his third straight top 10 performance, in the Class A boys’ race.
“It feels good,” said Dewing. “I couldn’t have done it without support from family, they’ve encouraged me through this whole journey. And, above all, I just want to thank my creator, God, because he’s given us life on this Earth.”
It highlighted a strong showing from the Panthers, who took sixth overall as a team, their best finish since 2016 when they took fourth as a group.
“I was pleased,” NEB coach Dillon Lockwood said about his team’s performance. “I think they were shooting for top three, but I think they did really well, better than last year. Their times looked really good.”
They scored 159 points, just one behind fifth place Central Clarion (158). Winchester Thurston (89) and Riverview (105) went 1-2 in the team standings, with Elk Lake (134) third.
Dewing played the race by ear, sitting in 33rd at the 800 meter mark, and 18th at the mile. By the halfway point he was in the top 10, holding on to eighth for up through the 4,000 meter mark.
“I didn’t really look too much at the competition, I just wanted to have a good race,” Dewing said. “I just came in looking to have some fun, I was never too worried about it.”
“I didn’t really have much of a plan,” continued Dewing. “The start is usually crazy, crazy fast, so I just went out faster than normal, and it was still pretty congested, but I was confidence that I could get back up in my group.”
He was confident coming in that he would get that elusive fourth medal, the first for a boys’ NTL runner.
“I knew what I could do, and I was very confidence in myself,” he said. “But when I knew it was nailed in, it was this last stretch here. It’s such a fun course, my favorite course - it’s just so tough, and I love that challenge of it.”
His coach was impressed with that feat.
“I think that’s pretty exciting and impressive that it’s the first time it’s happened, knowing some of the runners that have come up through the NTL,” Lockwood said.
Dewing wasn’t the only good individual performance, as fellow senior Ryan Jones improved over a minute on his time from last year to take 28th overall in 17:34. He missed a medal by 15 seconds, but was just glad to get a PR on his final cross-country race.
“It was awesome,” he said. “It was the race I wanted to have as a senior, I’m so glad I could have it.”
Jones methodically moved his way up the race, starting out in 78th at the 800 meter mark. He was 58th by the mile, 38th by the 2-mile, and 35th with 1,000 meters to go.
“I was just trying to keep passing the groups, and every person I can,” said Jones. “Every single person that I passed counted.”
Coming into the race he was ranked outside the top 50 in the state rankings.
“I thought I could do a lot better than that,” Jones said. “I thought a medal would be awesome, but any finish above where I was ranked senior year, that’s a win.”
Much like Dewing, Jones is happy to finish his career at Hershey.
“It was so awesome,” he said. “I’ve dreamed of being able to come here all four years, and finishing my senior year with a good race, so, goal accomplished.”
Dayton Russell was 79th at 18:24, Jackson Martin took 81sth in 18:25, Brody Bennett finished 131st in 19:10, Russell Martin was 145th in 19:21, and Tanner Herb was 173rd in 20:00.
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PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING
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