Tom Tessena returns for his 40th year as head coach and his 50th year working for the Bradford School District as the Bradford boys cross country team prepares for the 2018 season. He will again be assisted by his grandson Kadyn Tessena as his right hand man.

Tessena had the following to say about the 2018 Owls:

“After winning the individual and team District 9 Class AA championships last year, Bradford will be in rebuilding mode. We lost Logan Caruso who was the District 9 Champion but we had quite a few underclassmen on last year’s team. We had quite a few of those guys that decided not to return for this season, three of whom were letter winners in past seasons. That will be hard to overcome especially with our two biggest rivals Punxsutawney and Clearfield. Punxsy returns every one of their top five and Clearfield returns their top four.
“Out top runner is junior Tyler Kraft. He was new to the team last year but placed third at Districts. Tyler is one of our captains this season and he has worked very hard this summer. He has set some pretty high goals for the season and isn’t afraid to work hard to achieve them. He has a good background from track that will help him this season. He is quite a ways ahead of the rest of the team so he has to learn to push himself when he is out in front in the workouts.  

“Senior David Allen returns for his fourth year on varsity. He has lettered the past two years and was in the top seven for much of the season. We will need David to move up and challenge for one of the top five spots this season.
“We have three other seniors. Ethan Hollamby is running for his third year and he has made great progress. He is usually in the top group on our longer runs and is improving in our tougher interval and tempo runs. He is a good leader as well and has a great attitude. He is very good at encouraging the younger runners and leads by example.  

“Hunter Fox and Frank Colosimo are the two other seniors. Hunter doesn’t have much experience but is working very hard and will definitely be in the top seven if not the top five because he is a hard worker and a great competitor. He has a lot to learn but is improving daily and will be vital to our success as a team. Frank got a late start but is improving and is very helpful in encouraging the younger guys.   
“Our sophomore class is the largest with eight runners and three lettermen. Gabe Mitchell is the top sophomore. He was our number four man at Districts and finished 10th overall at the District Meet. Gabe has been improving but needs to get more miles in to be at his best. He is our number two runner behind Tyler so he needs to close the gap if we are to have any chance to win meets this season. Running at States last year was a valuable experience and should help him in the big meets this year.  

“Ian Paterniti and Ryan Cotillion also lettered. They finished first and second in the JV race at Districts and also ran in the State Meet. These two are very talented but did not get the miles in this summer. We need them to both step up and be consistently in our top five if we are going to do anything this season.  

“We have five other sophomores. Quenton Minard, Devin Benson, and Stephen Morgan ran last year so they have some experience. These three also attended most of the preseason conditioning sessions so they are quite a bit head of last year. They could make a real difference if they continue to push themselves and compete for the top five. Aiden Wright ran track last spring and is really adapting to the long distance running.  He is putting in the miles and his always in the top five on the longer runs. Aiden is determined and never gives up. He is going to push the rest of the sophomores for a top five spot. Alex Liners is the final sophomore. He moved from Kane where he was a very good hurdler and 400 runner. He is making progress and will help us down the road.
“Our schedule should give us plenty of competition in preparation for Districts.
“After 50 years of coaching I have seen quite a bit but every year is a little different and this one will be a big challenge. With most of the team being sophomores consistency will be very important. It is easy to run a couple of good races but not for a whole season. Without many upperclassmen they will have to shoulder a big load. Hopefully they will accept that challenge and be stronger for it in the future. Our goals will be simple: to get stronger each week and build up for the District Championship on Oct. 27. We would like to see several State Meet qualifiers.”

The team is still looking for any interested 7th, 8th, and 9th grade runners. Those who are interested can contact Coach Tessena at 368-7028.

Bradford’s 2018 schedule:

September

1 – at Lock Haven Invitational, 10:30 a.m.

4 – vs. Kane, St. Marys, 4:45 p.m.

8 – at Maple Grove (Red Dragon Invitational), 11:45 a.m.

11 – at Brockway, DuBois, 4 p.m.

15 – Bradford Invitational, 9 a.m.

18 – at Punxsutawney, Brookville, 4 p.m.

25 – Northern Tier Mega Meet, 4:45 p.m.

October

6 – at Ridgway Invitational, 10 a.m.

9 – at Clearfield, 4 p.m.

13 – at Cuba-Rushford Invitational, 11 a.m.

27 – District Championships, at Ridgway