The 2015 Butler County cross country scholarship award winners include, from left,front row, Knoch's Max Freyermuth and Mandi Moxie, Butler's Maggie Welty and Noah Beveridge, Karns City's Grant Curdo and Ashlyn Hildebrand; back row, Mars' Camille Bromley and Nathan Mrdjenovich, Moniteau's Cloey Wallace and Wyatt McDeavitt, Slippery Rock's Nick Shea and Tabitha Donaldson. Freeport's Johnthan Asay and Natalie Dell, Seneca Valley's Rachel Hensler and Michael Kolor were other scholarship awardees. The Butler Road Race and Butler Eagle co-sponsor the cross country scholarsghip program.

“Business as usual” wasn’t just a slogan for the Knoch boys cross country team in 2015, it was a mentality the Knights used in capturing their second straight WPIAL Class AA title.

Max Freyermuth (second place), John Ejzak (seventh) and Brandon Grumski (tenth) all placed in the top 10 for the Knights at the district championship meet Oct. 29 at Cooper’s Lake. Nathaniel Pettit (38th), Aidan Neigh (40th), Zac Misitis (53rd) and Isaac Davanzati (61st) also competed for Knoch.

The Knights were chosen as Butler County’s Boys Team of the Year and Knoch’s Wess Brahler the Boys Coach of the Year.

Preston Carlsson was the lone Knoch runner to graduate from the 2014 title team.

“I told the kids before the season that winning that first WPIAL title is special, but to really separate your program from others, can we put together another one,” Brahler said. “The entire group is the best of friends. They’re in it for each other.”

The Knights capped their season by placing fourth at the PIAA Championships Nov. 7.

Seneca Valley earned Girls Team of the Year honors and SV’s Steve Strelick Coach of the Year.

Knoch’s Mandi Moxie was recognized as Girls Runner of the Year after claiming the WPIAL Class AA individual title and SV’s Mike Kolor Boys Runner of the Year.

Like Knoch’s boys, Seneca Valley’s girls claimed their second straight WPIAL crown, in Class AAA.

“After winning it last year, we had a target on our back,” said Strelick. “We didn’t have to say anything, the girls knew that repeating was the goal.”

Rachel Hensler paced SV with a second-place finish. Mariah Mack, Isabelle Biase, Julia Kooser, Emma Lizewski, Megan Aaron and Lauren Sauer rounded out SV’s competing team.

The Raiders took third place at the state meet.

“We tell the girls on the team that they aren’t racing against each other, they are pushing each other and they do it constantly.”

As the season wore on, Moxie realized that winning the district title was becoming more of a possibility and not just a dream. The senior topped the field with a time of 19 minutes, 46 seconds.

“I was by myself the last bit of the race,” she said. “Breaking that tape (at WPIALs), it was something I had never done before and it was great.”

“She had a super year and it started back in the track season,” said Brahler. “I can’t wait to see what she can do in the spring.”

Moxie has been running cross country since the seventh grade. She appreciates the sportsmanship that comes with the sport.

“A lot of sports get competitive and mean, like football and basketball,” said Moxie, who was 14th at the state meet. “Runners aren’t like that. They’re always happy.”

Kolor was sixth at WPIALs and 13th at PIAAs.

“Mike has a quiet determination,” Strelick said. “He is very unassuming, but also very confident. He has his goals and he goes after them.”

Though Kolor was honored to be named the county’s boys runner of the year, he did deal with frustration during the season.

“I struggled in some races,” he admitted. “I’ve made some changes with my training and I think I’m headed in the right direction. My strength is middle-distance and I’m going to focus more on that.”