Cross country and track coaches say runners have just so many outstanding races in their legs; Baldwin High School senior David Adley would not argue with that statement.

After finishing a disappointing 31st in the Class AAA race at the PIAA championships Nov. 3 in Hershey, Adley was 44th overall at the MidEast Cross County Championships this past Saturday in Kettering, Ohio.

Adley, who won the WPIAL Class AAA title this season and placed first in a number of invitationals, including the Tri-State Track and Field Coaches Association championships, was a member of the Pennsylvania team in the MidEast event.

Boys' and girls' teams of top senior runners from Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania participated in the MidEast championships. The Pennsylvania boys' team was fourth behind Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

"I didn't do that well," Adley said. "I guess the season has taken its toll on me."

He had a time of 16 minutes, 21 seconds on the flat 3.1-mile course. The winning time was 14:59. Mark Dennin of Boyertown paced the Pennsylvania team and finished third. North Allegheny's Matt Jacobs and Justin Taylor were 32 and 33, respectively.

"It was a good experience and I got to know the guys from North Allegheny a little better and the guys on the team from out east," Adley said. "I just wish I would have run a little better."

After winning the WPIAL Class AAA title by three seconds over Jacob at Cooper's Lake Campground last month, Adley was expected to at least finish in the top 20 at the PIAA championships in Hershey. But he had problems with his asthma and struggled.

"I had it pretty much under control all season, I just had trouble with it at the state meet," he said. "It was just a bad time for something like that to happen."

"I could tell after the first mile that he was having problems," Baldwin coach Rich Wright said. "I know that he was disappointed. Still, he had a heck of a season."

It was so good that he was the only WPIAL runner named to the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association boys' all-state first team. Jacob, Taylor and Seneca Valley's Cam Stauffer were selected for the second team.

The all-state team isn't based solely on where a runner finishes at the PIAA championships. It takes into consideration the entire season.

Adley planned to rest his legs this week. He will run indoor track for Baldwin and is looking forward to the outdoor track season in the spring.

Along the way, he will also consider what college to attend. An outstanding student, he said a few more college coaches have checked in since he won the WPIAL title.

One of the surprising finishes at the PIAA championships came from Peters Township sophomore Kayla Keddal in the girls' Class AAA race. She placed eighth with a time of 19:04 and was the third WPIAL runner to cross the line behind Greater Latrobe's Natalie Bower (fourth) and Norwin's Leslie Kovach (seventh).

What's interesting is that Keddal wasn't even Peters Township's top runner when the season started. But her strong finish -- she was fifth at the WPIAL championships -- earned her second team all-state honors.

"We talked about her finishing in the top 50 and how that was a realistic goal," said Peters Township coach Dave Barr of Keddal's race at the PIAA championships. "Then we talked about what she had to do to break into the top 20.

"As for her finishing in the top 10, I thought she could do it if she ran the way she did at the WPIAL championships."

Early in the season, Keddal was the No. 2 or 3 runner for the Indians. By the time the Mingo Classic rolled around in mid-October, she had moved up to No. 1.

After Keddal finished right behind Trinity's Chelsea Sumney at the Mingo Classic, Barr thought she might do well at the WPIAL championships.