XC Talk: West Chester Henderson

**Since the last post had 52 comments and I have tough time following all the changes in conversation, I strongly encourage people to go to www.tracktalk.net, make an account, and scroll down to the PA thread and talk about O'Hara v. Henderson or whatever else you would like to talk about on there. You can feel free to comment here still, but a forum would be a better place for these comments in most instances.**

Key Returners: Tony Russell (Jr), Sam Haugh (Jr), Reiny Barchet (Jr), Bobby Rimkis (Sr), Seamus Collins (Jr), AJ Chaborek (Sr)
Key Losses: Charlie Grab, Mike Salach

Notable Track Performances: Russell 4:18/9:31, Chaborek 4:22/9:40, Barceht 4:26/9:28, Stratman (Jr) 4:29/9:47, Rimkis 9:40, Collins 9:44

The Henderson boys bested eventual state champions North Penn by an impressive margin at the District One Championships at Lehigh in 2011, but unfortunately were unable to repeat the magic and came up short at the state meet where the team took 5th. But Henderson rebounded on the track, especially in the spring, where a healthy Reiny Barchet exploded back onto everyone's radar with an impressive 9:28 clocking at the District Championships.

Despite the struggles on the state course, Henderson did post solid marks at hilly courses throughout the season. Out in New Jersey Tony Russell and Charlie Grab (now graduated) helped lead the way to a top finish. The injuries to Charlie Grab and Reiny Barchet hindered this Henderson team and weakened their experience factor at the state meeet where the team led by mostly underclassmen had a disappointing day. Keep in mind before the championship season, Charlie Grab was the leader of this Henderson squad and losing him down the stretch hurt in more ways than just the spots he lost.

The boys from Henderson are very well coached and have consistently produced top level talent over the years and are always competitive for a state and district title. This team kind of reminds me of the Coatesville team that won the national championship a few years back. That Coatesville team had a top 5 of all Juniors in 2005, when they, again, failed to pull out the state title despite being one of the favorites. However, in 2006 when the group were all seniors, they left no doubt who the dominate team was. Now I'm not saying Henderson can't win this year or is going to be national champions or anything like that, but I do think this team's best year will be 2013.

Tony Russell has now consistently been a top level runner in District One. He is without a doubt a contender for a top 10 finish at the AAA state championship meet. He showed off some solid 1600 strength to go along with a killer XC season. Reiny Barchet, in my mind, is the guy to watch this season for Henderson. Even after his injuries and set backs during the crucial XC training period, Barchet had a great spring, headlined by his 9:28. He has had success at the District and State meets before as just a Freshman and has arguably been the clutchest runner on Henderson's squad this year. I'm not sure Chaborek's awesome track season is going to transfer to a killer XC year. I think he could end up kind of like an Achraf Khattabi this year if things go well, but he could also just as easily end up like a Sam Zengel. Don't forget about Collins whose brother was a top contributor for this team when they finished 2nd at states.

Plus the JV depth of Henderson is outstanding. They once again took most of the top spots at a very talented JV race at Districts. Their JV squad also features a lot of freshman who could potential become the next Tony Russell as a breakout sophomore.

There is potential here, crazy potential, but ultimately the critics will always point to the past state meets where Henderson has ran solid, but has not blown anyone away. People may make the argument that O'Hara choked at the state meet as well, but as stated by others, O'Hara had 4 guys who placed very well and their 5th man simply had an off day. Henderson had few bright spots at the state meet in XC and took home no individual medals from states in track or XC. I believe Henderson has a very good shot at winning states. They are well coached and heading in right direction. But the fact of the matter is I project that 4 out of their top 5 guys will be Juniors. In XC especially, Seniors are the main reason for big wins.

But tell that to Conner Quinn.

Here are my projected top 5 by states in order:
Barchet (ET #24), Russell (ET #18), Rimkis, Stratman, Haugh