Boys track: Springfield earns long-awaited title

LOWER MERION >> Adding the year 2016 to the championship banner that hangs in the gold gym simply wasn’t enough for Liam Galligan, Ache Hall, Philip Shovlin and the rest of the Springfield High boys track team. The Cougars wanted something more, something tangible, after going 11-0 in the dual-meet season to win the program’s first Central League title since 1990.

“We wanted a trophy, not just a banner,” Galligan said. “We want the trophy for the team.”

And since the boys coaches in the Central League award a trophy to the winner of the league championship meet, the Cougars made sure they brought that piece of hardware home with them from Lower Merion High School Wednesday. Springfield won the team title and did so in the same fashion it won the dual-meet crown. The Cougars concentrated on the individual events at the expense of the relays.

“We didn’t win a relay in the regular season, but we can go three deep in a lot of individual events,” Springfield coach Barry Foster said. “That’s how we went 11-0.”

Just like in the dual meets, Springfield’s depth prevailed. Liam Galligan won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Hall, a senior, was first in both hurdles and the long and triple jumps. Shovlin was first in the 100 and second in the 200. Dashawn Dale won the high jump. Nick Fox was second in both hurdles. Joe Cardie was second in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600. Owen Galligan placed second in the discus and Dan Archibong was third in the javelin. The Cougars didn’t just win or score points, many of them turned in the best performances of their careers.

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Ache Hall of Springfield roars from the blocks in the 300 hurdles, one of four events in which he finished first Wednesday at the Central League track and field championship meet at Lower Merion High. (Robert Gurecki/Daily Times).