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Brandon Brueckner
Hanover Area
Sr.; Triple Jump
The second state trip Brueckner took resulted in a seventh-place PIAA medal when he ran a 40.62 in the finals of the 300 hurdles, but that was just one of the multitude of events in which he excelled. Brueckner took a bronze medal in the District 2 Class 2A triple jump with a leap of 42-10.5 and also finished with bronze medal as part of the Hawkeyes’ 400 relay team. He placed sixth in the 200 finals after leading the preliminary competition, giving him a fourth medal to go along with his district silver in the 300 hurdles.
Dominic Capaci
Holy Redeemer
So.; 800 Run
Capaci collected two silver medals and a gold at the Class 2A District 2 Championships, starting with his second-place finish in the 800 run with a time of 2:00.18. He also helped Redeemer’s 3200 relay team to a gold medal at districts and a surprising fourth-place finish at the PIAA championships, and fueled a 1600 relay team that finished second at districts.
Nazir Dunell
Meyers
S0.; 110 Hurdles
Dunell earned a bronze medal in the 110 hurdles by running a 15.13 at the PIAA Class 2A championships. He also proved a valuable asset on the Meyers relay teams, which helped the Mohawaks earn a second straight WVC Division 2 title. Dunell flourished in the District 2 championships while winning gold in the 110 hurdles after taking third in the event’s preliminaries, and helped the Meyers 400 relay team capture a sixth-place district medal.
Emmanuel Edoukou
GAR
Sr.; 100 Dash
The Grenadiers speedster won his share of meets during the WVC Division 2 season, but in the District 2 Class 2A championship field, Edoukou really blossomed. Edoukou came from a No. 9 seed to win the district gold medal in the 100-meter dash with a season-best time of 11.82 seconds. He also won a second gold medal as the third leg of the district championship 400-meter relay team. Edoukou finished in the top 15 in the Class 2A state sprint and helped move the 400 relay up to No. 13 from its 15th-place PIAA seeding.
Mitchell Fowler
Tunkhannock
Sr.; Pole Vault
After a stellar regular season where he regularly topped all WVC vaulters, Fowler blossomed in the postseason. He cleared 12 feet on his second try to win the District 2 boys Class 3A championship, earning a gold medal that sealed a season of consistency for Fowler.
Joe Grula
Hazleton Area
Jr.; Javelin
Grula helped the Cougars secure an unbeaten season and WVC Division 1 title by dominating jumping events. Then he won the District 2 gold medal by capturing the Class 3A javelin throw with a distance of 187-7, while grabbing two other district medals with fourth-place finishes in the high jump and triple jump. Grula didn’t quite match that javelin throw in his first state championship competition, but finished in the top 10 among Class 3A throwers by hitting 170-9.
Patrick Mitchell
Pittston Area
Sr.; Shot Put
Mitchell’s continually out-gunned his competitors in throwing events, which was a big reason why Pittston Area made a surprising move from a middle-of-the-pack team to a third-place finish in the WVC Division 1. Mitchell earned a fifth-place medal in shot put at the District 2 Class 3A championships, and he also set a personal best in the discus throw during the season.
Paul Moska
Pittston Area
Sr.; High Jump
With his second-best jump of the season, Moska earned himself a tie with three other competitors — along with a bronze medal — in the PIAA Class 3A high jump. It proved a fitting reward for Moska, who paced Pittston Area’s resurgence in the WVC Division 1. Moska cleared 6-4 at states, just after winning the District 2 gold medal with a leap of 6-5 to match his personal record and earn his first PIAA trip. He also finished ninth in the district triple jump.
Namir Murphy
Meyers
Sr.; Discus
The stalwart thrower, headed to the Army National Guard, proved a key point producer for a Meyers team that shot to a second consecutive unbeaten regular season and a second straight WVC Division 2 title. Murphy collected bronze medals in both the discus and javelin throws at the District 2 Class 2A championships and also finished in the top 10 in the district shot put. He threw the discus 130 feet and the javelin 149-4 to earn his district medals.
Christian Roberts
Dallas
Sr.; 400 Dash
A strong showing in the District 2 Class 3A field earned Roberts a silver medal in the 400, and his time of 49.85 barely left him shy of a gold medal run. Roberts qualified for the state championships, where he finished 17th overall. He helped the Dallas 400 relay team to a No. 7 finish at districts and finished among the top 10 in District 2 in the 100-meter dash.
Ron Sepkoski
Coughlin
Sr.; 300 hurdles
Sepkoski put up excellent times to secure a silver and bronze in the District 2 Class 3A field. Sepkoski’s 15.29 in the 110 hurdles placed him second and just missed first place by a nose, and his time of 40.51 in the 300 hurdles put him third in the district field. Sepkoski also ran on a 1,600 relay team that finished eighth at districts.
Vincent Todd
Coughlin
Jr.; 200 Dash
Todd sprinted to silver medals in the 100- and 200-meter dashes during the District 2 Class 3A boys championships, and spearheaded Coughlin’s 400 relay team to a district gold medal. Todd’s silver medals came with a finish of 11.31 in the 100 and 23.31 in the 200 during the district finals.
Lukas Volpetti
Holy Redeemer
S0.; 1,600 Run
In just his second high school season, Volpetti took home a bronze medal in the District 2 Class 2A 1,600-meter run and captured a fifth-place district medal in the 3,200. Volpetti also ran second for the Royals’ District 2 champion and fourth-place state medalist 3,200 relay team, and he was a three-time winner at the Cross Invitational.
Jack Zardecki
Dallas
Jr.; 3,200 Run
The Mountaineers distance dynamo punctuated a strong regular season by running a 9:22.90 in the 3,200 at the District 2 Class 3A finals to finish with a silver medal. He just missed first place by .23 seconds. The performance qualified Zardecki for the PIAA championships, where he finished 24th.
Hayden White
Meyers
Coach of the Year
For the second straight season, White turned an underdog into a conference champion. Since his return to the Mohawks after spending a few seasons assisting Hanover Area, Meyers hasn’t lost a league meet. This year’s repeat of the WVC Division 2 title was a complete surprise, considering the Mohawks lost one of the top hurdlers in the state, a state medalist and a key mid-distance runner from last year’s title team. No matter to White, who guided young talent into positions of strength and once again coaxed the best from every facet of his team. It’s a big reason why the Mohawks are the best in the league, two years running.
