North Allegheny standout distance runner Andrew Peigh was bloodied, but he isn\u2019t beaten.<\/p>\n
Peigh, last year\u2019s WPIAL Class 3A cross country runner-up, is fighting back from a scary biking accident that cost him some early-season training as the senior leader of a young but promising Tigers squad.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m building back,\u201d he said, \u201cand I think I\u2019m going to be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peigh, the only returning starter from last year\u2019s WPIAL Class 3A team runner-up, called it \u201ca miracle\u201d that he wasn\u2019t more seriously injured in the August tumble.<\/p>\n
A few days before the start of the season, Peigh crashed while riding a bicycle in North Park. He required 16 stitches in his face and head after flying over the handlebars and landing headfirst.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was 100% a faceplant,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was a miracle. I didn\u2019t get a concussion, and I didn\u2019t break any bones.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peigh missed the season-opening Hoka Kickoff Classic in Ohio on Aug. 23, but returned to place first overall in a tri-meet with Peters Township and Avonworth on Sept. 2. Four days later, he took ninth out of 256 runners at the Red, White & Blue Classic at White Oak Park, site of next month\u2019s WPIAL championships, with a time of 16 minutes, 6.4 seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing where I was a month ago, I am pleased about my (Red, White & Blue) race,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was like 30 seconds off my (personal best), so I wasn\u2019t too pleased about that. But it was seven seconds better than I did last year at this time, and I had a very strong end to my season last year. So, I know where I am and I know where I can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where the NA boys can be remains up in the air after graduating six of its top seven runners. The Tigers, who last season had their six-year WPIAL title run snapped, finished third out of 34 teams at the Red, White & Blue. The new-look lineup includes junior Wyatt Case, who was 15th overall at the Classic, and a pair of promising freshmen \u2014 Gatik Hirwani, who was second out of 312 runners at the HOKA Kickoff Classic, and Colin Clarkson.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndrew has really come out of the gate and done a nice job,\u201d North Allegheny coach John Neff said of Peigh. \u201cHe is already at an amazing level, and he\u2019s going to continue to get better. \u2026 Gatik and Wyatt are both running right there as top-of-the-class runners in the WPIAL as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the girls\u2019 side, Neff is facing a similar challenge. The seven-time defending WPIAL Class 3A champion Tigers graduated four Division I runners and are trying to rebuild on the run with a sensational freshman and a balanced mix of veterans and newcomers.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, we\u2019re just getting as good as we can, and we\u2019ll see where that puts us,\u201d Neff said. \u201cNorth Allegheny is kind of a place of waiting and working and investing into the future for when it\u2019s your turn.\u201d<\/p>\n
North Allegheny, which placed a distant fourth behind champion Norwin in the 27-team field at the Red, White & Blue, isn\u2019t running on empty.<\/p>\n
The Tigers welcomed freshman Samantha Sterlick, who is already flashing signs of greatness. She finished second out of 215 runners at the Red, White & Blue and fourth out of 288 at the HOKA Kickoff Classic.<\/p>\n
This summer, she competed against some of the top runners in the U.S. at the 2025 New Balance Outdoor Nationals in Philadelphia, placing fifth in both the two-mile and the 3,000-meter in the middle school division.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s easily one of the top few kids in the state,\u201d said Neff, in his 17th season. \u201cWe knew she was coming, and we knew she was good. \u2026 She can be one of the best we\u2019ve had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Junior Gabby Pizon (26th) and sophomore Lydia Stuart (30th) also had top-30 finishes at the Red, White & Blue. They are part of a deep pool of runners as the Tigers work to find their top-5 scorers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a solid group coming behind (Sterlick),\u201d Neff said. \u201cBut it isn\u2019t seven (deep). There\u2019s probably a dozen. We\u2019re going to be a really solid pack-running group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Depth also is encouraging for the boys team, which has 87 runners on the roster. Peigh believes \u201cthe sky is the limit\u201d for the Tigers at the WPIAL championships.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have so much raw potential,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t feel like it\u2019s really been noticed by anyone on the outside, because there just hasn\u2019t been an opportunity since we had all the seniors last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
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