Reynolds, Stairs Shine as Great Valley Repeats as League Champions
SPRING-FORD, PA – The Great Valley Patriots emerged victorious at the 1997 PAC Track & Field Championships, repeating as league champs, compiling 94 points behind dominant performances from sprinter Nick Reynolds and a deep relay squad. Pottsgrove (81 points) and Phoenixville (79 points) fought hard but fell short of the title.
Reynolds stole the show on the track, securing wins in the 100m (11.0) and 400m (MEET RECORD – 48.9) while also contributing to the winning 4x100m relay (MEET RECORD – 43.1). His 3rd place in the 200m may have been the meet’s most exciting race as fellow teammate Andy Rado and Upper Perkiomen’s freshman newcomer Teon Higgs all crossing the time at 22.7, with Higgs claiming victory. Reynolds’ versatility across sprint events solidified Great Valley’s standing atop the leaderboard.
Pottsgrove’s Ryan Stairs made his mark in the field, capturing the triple jump with a meet-record 45’10” and taking the long jump title (20’5”). His 20-point contribution was critical in Pottsgrove’s runner-up finish.
Phoenixville’s Tom Parlapiano dominated the distance events, winning both the 1600m (4:25.1) and 3200m (9:41.5), proving himself as the premier endurance athlete of the meet. Meanwhile, his teammate Barry Flicker (SPX), delivered the most eye-catching field performance with a javelin throw of 217’5”, setting a new meet record and outdistancing the competition by over 40 feet.
With a blend of sprint depth and key victories in relays, Great Valley’s depth proved too much for the field, capping a successful meet for the Patriots.
MEET MVP
Nick Reynolds
100M – CHAMP
400M* – CHAMP
4x100M* – CHAMP
200M – 3RD PLACE
*Meet Record.
Nick Reynolds
Great Valley Patriots
TRACK MVP
Tom Parlapiano
1600M – CHAMP
3200M – CHAMP
Tom Parlapiano
St. Pius X
FIELD MVP
Ryan Stairs
LONG JUMP – CHAMP
TRIPLE JUMP* – CHAMP
*Meet Record
Ryan Stairs
Pottsgrove Falcons
100M
1ST
Nick Reynolds
Great Valley
11.0
2ND
Teon Higgs
Upper Perkiomen
11.1
3RD
Andy Rado
Great Valley
11.3
4TH
Cody Whitehurst
Pottstown
11.3
5TH
Tyrone Dalton
Pottstown
11.4
6TH
Matt Roche
Pottsgrove
11.5
200M
1ST
Teon Higgs
Upper Perkiomen
22.7
2ND
Andy Rado
Great Valley
22.7
3RD
Nick Reynolds
Great Valley
22.7
4TH
Matt Roche
Pottsgrove
23.5
5TH
Louie Gibbs
Pottstown
23.9
6TH
Dom Vuotto
Spring-Ford
24.0
400M
MEET RECORD
1ST
Nick Reynolds
Great Valley
48.9
2ND
Donnie Eastman
Owen J. Roberts
50.6
3RD
Louie Gibbs
Pottstown
51.2
4TH
Dom Vuotto
Spring-Ford
52.1
5TH
Dave Greenwald
Phoenixville
52.4
6TH
Billy Fischer
Lansdale Catholic
54.9
800M
1ST
Anthony Marano
Perkiomen Valley
1:59.0
2ND
Doug Mitchell
Great Valley
2:01.0
3RD
James Kipp
Spring-Ford
2:01.2
4TH
Bryan Doughtery
Phoenixville
2:03.6
5TH
Josh Haslip
Phoenixville
2:04.0
6TH
Billy James
Perkiomen Valley
2:04.3
1600M
1ST
Tom Parlapiano
St. Pius X
4:25.1
2ND
Billy James
Perkiomen Valley
4:27.7
3RD
Chris Trill
Phoenixville
4:34.5
4TH
Sam Haines
Lansdale Catholic
4:36.1
5TH
James Kipp
Spring-Ford
4:36.9
6TH
Eric Morgan
Pottstown
4:37.7
3200M
1ST
Tom Parlapiano
St. Pius X
9:41.5
2ND
Chris Trill
Phoenixville
9:53.8
3RD
Sam Haines
Lansdale Catholic
9:54.9
4TH
Eric Morgan
Pottstown
9:57.5
5TH
Mark Stallings
Great Valley
10:00.3
6TH
Ryan Moore
Lansdale Catholic
10:19.9
110H
1ST
Steve Gambone
Perkiomen Valley
15.2
2ND
Steve Husted
Perkiomen Valley
15.8
3RD
Mike Grady
Pottsgrove
15.9
4TH
Ben Kulp
Perkiomen Valley
16.4
5TH
Dave Cain
Phoenixville
16.7
6TH
Dominic Gallardo
Pottsgrove
16.8
300H
1ST
Steve Gambone
Perkiomen Valley
40.3
2ND
Doug Mitchell
Great Valley
40.8
3RD
Ben Kulp
Perkiomen Valley
41.6
4TH
Steve Sterious
Owen J. Roberts
41.7
5TH
Brett Hauze
Phoenixville
41.9
6TH
Mike Grady
Pottsgrove
42.4
4x100M
MEET RECORD
1ST
Great Valley
Bobby Lopez, Andy Rado, Marcus Ford-Bey, Nick Reynolds
43.1
2ND
Pottsgrove
44.9
3RD
Pottstown
44.9
4TH
Phoenixville
44.9
5TH
Owen J. Roberts
45.6
6TH
St. Pius X
46.2
4x400M
1ST
Great Valley
Andy Rado, Marcus Ford-Bey, Nick Montgomery, Doug Mitchell
3:30.5
2ND
Phoenixville
3:32.6
3RD
Owen J. Roberts
3:35.6
4TH
Pottsgrove
3:38.8
5TH
Spring-Ford
3:38.8
6TH
St. Pius X
3:42.4
4x800M
1ST
Phoenixville
Dave Greenwald, Keith Shoemaker, Josh Haslip, Bryan Doherty