HERSHEY – For just the fourth time in program history your North Penn boys cross country team are state champions. 

An exciting race in Hershey, Pennsylvania had the Knights leaving with the hardware, and a couple individual North Penn runners leaving with a second medal around their neck. 

Senior Captains Justin Landis and Joey Sharkey both brought home individual bronze medals..

All-American Justin Landis performed excellently, placing 12th place in expected Justin Landis fashion. He is going to be someone to look out for as he brings his talents to Penn State for the next four years. 

 The most impactful finish though was from senior captain and West Chester Cross Country commit, Joey Sharkey. He stepped up in a big way placing an individual 18th place, this placing put the Knights just above State College in the team rankings. 

Sharkey came out slow but kept fighting for a strong finish. 

“I usually don’t get out that hard, but the entire time I was thinking I just need to keep passing people. If I kept passing people I knew I would be fine,” Sharkey said. “My ultimate plan was to catch everybody in the last two miles.”

A sense of pride was clear on the faces of the runners as they arrived back home a season of hard work and commitment ended in the most rewarding way possible. Winning though doesn’t just happen overnight. The team puts in months of hard work, starting even in the winter beforehand. 

“The season really started once winter track ended last year. Joey, Shane, and I met with our coaches once or twice a month just to prepare for the season,” Landis said. 

“The season prep starts in June and that is really when things start to get serious with summer training,”  Landis added. 

According to the third Captain and team hype man Shane Myers, “attitude is everything” when it comes to being a state champion. 

“Attitude is everything you need to be able to get the team fired up and ready for the race,” Myers said.

The team’s diamond in the rough this year was junior Musa Herzi. Herzi, up until this year, had no interest in cross country and devoted his autumns to soccer. It is safe to say the team is happy to have had him this season. 

Herzi had nothing but great things to say about the sport and the teammates he shared the season with. 

“I feel like cross country brought me a very tight knit group and that led to our success…We put ourselves on the line for each other. The idea of having teammates really motivated us to push each other,” Herzi said.

“I am more than proud of what we have achieved as a team, to be honest coming into this year I thought it was the worst chance we had at winning a title, but we worked hard from the beginning and earned every moment,” Landis added. 

The Knights put together an amazing season and this win in Hershey was just the bow on top.   

“It is important to celebrate and enjoy your victory.” Said Myers 

That is exactly what the Knights plan to do now.