Boyertown Cross Country Coach Values Hard Work and Character Development As Team Runs Towards Success

Boyertown’s Cross Country team takes to the road today, Saturday, Oct. 8, traveling  to Warminster in Bucks Country to compete in William Tennent High School ‘s Invitational Meet. The event has a lengthy history going back more than 65 years.

Coached by Ed Baghdasarian, now in his fifth year with the team, and assisted by Greg Mellor, a BASH alum, the team is building unity and striving to achieve  excellence after the multi-year disruptions of Covid. "I see us as finally attaining  normalcy," says Baghdasarian

Coach Baghdasarian describes the Invitational Meets like Tennent's  as “highlights of the season” because they give the Bears “a chance to compete against many runners from many schools and assess where we are compared to others.” Locally, the coach name- checks Perk Valley and Owen J. Roberts as "fantastically strong teams."

Cross country is a unique sport the coach says,  because it includes not only individual competition, but also competition between teams. Baghdasarian explains his “wolf pack philosophy” of training. “I know we are the Bears,” he says, “but unlike bears who are solitary animals, we are like a pack of wolves. We must train together, helping and supporting each other so that we build a strong team. We are stronger together.” Coach Baghdasarian wants the team’s athletes to understand that cross country is not “an instant gratification sport, but instead, it is long progression, requiring tons of training.”

Several team members have had notable seasons measured individually and in terms of their contribution  to the team’s success. They include seniors Alyssa Albanese, who the coach describes as a “fantastic captain with a positive attitude,” and Grace Major, along with freshman Evangelina Montanye, and juniors Tamara Engler, Gabriela Martin, and Jamie Kelly. On the boys side, Baghdasarian points to sophomores Aiden Voth and Cole Peifer, and seniors Ethan Maraldo, Cole Cavalero, and Lucas Famous. The coach believes that Voth, Albanese, and Montanye have the best chance of qualifying for the PIAA State Championships.   

The team’s season has “peaks and valleys,” Coach Baghdasarian explains, using a perfect metaphor for cross country running, but he expresses a heartfelt belief that there are things that matter  more than wins and losses. He wants his student athletes to develop positive values, including respectfulness, humility , a sense of fair play and he strives to model those values as his students watch him interact with other teams' players and coaches. 

It is clear that Baghdasarian loves the sport and the kids he coaches. He says he remembers that every Saturday morning when he has to wake up early and trudge off to “a cold bus” for a lengthy ride to another school. “I just remind myself of why I am doing this and it is all good,” he says. The coach summarizes his thoughts: "The kids choose to be here, so I want them to enjoy it. Success is great, but I want them to have fun. I want them to see me enjoying it. When they look back on the experience, I want them to feel it was worthwhile-- especially running up and down Franklin St. in Bechtelsville," he adds with a hint of laughter.

The team will finish out their season with the Pioneer Athletic League Championships (PAC) at Heebner Park on Oct. 20, the District 1 Championships at Lehigh University on Oct. 28, and the PIAA Championships at Hershey on Nov. 5. Coach Baghdasarian encourages everyone to experience the excitement  by coming out to cheer the team on.   

{Photos courtesy of Coach Baghdasarian.]

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