A lot has changed in the 38 years since the Selinsgrove High boys cross country team last qualified for the PIAA championships.

Gasoline and everything else is four times as expensive thanks to inflation, Germany has unified and the Soviet Union dissolved, and in the White House we've gone from Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon to Barack Hussein Obama.

But one thing has remained the same. When it comes to running in the PIAA meet, all strategy gets thrown out the door.

For Ryan McGuire, Selinsgrove's 27-year-old second-year head coach, winning the school's first District 4 Class AAA title in almost four decades has been a gratifying experience for him and his runners.

And all the congratulations and kudos have also been nice.

Now, the fun and games are over. It's time to get down to brass tacks, and it all begins Saturday.

"Winning the district title has meant a lot to my guys, and to myself just moving to this area and being able to keep the program growing that (former) coach Brian Catherman built up and got up and running," said McGuire.

"It's been nice, but we've been very focused and working hard this week. We lowered our miles, but we increased our intensity and focus to keep our speed and to stay sharp."

McGuire is expecting his guys to go out fast with the crowd and not be pinned in at the back with the slower runners.

Because if that happens, then it'll be a tough day for the young Seals, who are one of only five true Class AAA teams competing in the meet.

"That's the key to a race like this. If you get stuck in a crowd, it's too hard to move back up," McGuire said. "They need to get themselves out and put themselves into position from mile one and just keep on passing from that point and focus on passing people."

High expectations

Coach McGuire expects junior Vince Fadale to pass a lot of people in the race on Saturday.

The three-time state qualifier and two-time district champ is expecting to leave Hershey with a medal around his neck.

Only the top 25 finishers receive medals.