Logan Schade won a state track championship Saturday.
Not bad for a teen who was competing in the sport for the first time this spring.
Schade, a senior at North Catholic, turned out to be a quick study, and in the final race of his brief career picked up a title in the PIAA Class 2A title 400-meter dash.
“It’s amazing. It’s surreal. I never imagined being here. It’s all fun,” said Schade, who has been best known athletically for being a standout running back on the North Catholic football team.
Schade won with a time of 48.86 seconds, while defending champion Jerry Davis of Greensburg Central Catholic placed second in 49.30. Beaver’s Bruce Sutter (49.51) was fourth.
Schade and Davis have had some great races this season, including at last week’s WPIAL championships when Davis edged out Schade by just a 1,000th of a second.
“I didn’t really know how any of this worked,” Schade said. “I was kind of going by what everyone else was telling me, so I was going with the flow. I kind of imagined myself going to WPIALs, but I never imagined winning states.”
Schade called his first and only trip to the PIAA championships “pretty hectic.” After qualifying for the final in the 400 on Friday, Schade returned home to attend his high school graduation before returning to Shippensburg late Friday night.
“I never envisioned this,” he said. “It’s just by the ability and grace of God that I was able to get here.”