Throughout the past 5 years, we've been graced with magical performances on this very weekend. In 2016, we saw debatably the fastest xc race in PA history, when Noah Affolder and Nathan Henderson dueled to a 14:47-14:59 finish at Carlisle. In 2014, we saw Colin Abert shock the state with a solo 14:55 at Paul Short. Just last year, we saw Dalton Hengst run 14:57 in a race where 3 men broke 15:10, and the top 6 were all sub 15:30. The point is, this is usually the weekend where teams and individuals lay down marks that put them in the conversations of many, and catch national attention.
Its fair to say that wasn't the case this weekend.
In a mud bath-like run, the Paul Short kids dealt with surprising heat and mushy surfaces. With 31 kids running 16:00 or faster in 2017, the number was just 11 runners this time around. Over at Carlisle, athletes looked as if they were competing in a triathlon minus the biking, with runners navigating through mini lakes and rivers. Just the top 6 runners dipped under 16 at this meet, as opposed to last year, where more than 15 boys accomplished just that.
The point is, the times are not what we expected them to be. However, that doesn't mean we didn't see shockingly impressive performances. This doesn't mean we don't have teams that could compete on the regional level (though many mainstream outlets may think so, because they love to just look at times). All it means is rather than chasing what many were hoping to be fast times, teams found themselves toughing it out in difficult conditions to see who would prevail. Sound like Hershey? We saw some big surprises. Lets dive in.
Paul Short-
After the collegiates did a number on the course earlier on in the day, we knew our high school runners were in for a bit of a mess. In an individual showdown between Kinne and a host of out of staters, Kinne once again asserted his dominance, dismantling the field on his way to a 15:23 effort. In many years, 15:23 would be just another solid race from a top guy, but this can not be overlooked at all. In the conditions of the course, on a sneaky hot day, this 15:23 effort from Kinne can be equated to say, the 15:01 effort that Rusty Kujdych threw down last year. Kinne clearly came over to eastern PA to throw down a fast time, so although he may not be pleased, it was a very impressive performance. After Kinne, we didn't see PA again until 6th place. Christian McComb continued his back and forth battle between him and Tyler Wirth, as he has now won two of three since PTXC. As we are more into the second half of the season, I see McComb and Walker as the two individual favorites from D1. That will be one fun one race to watch a month from now. Next behind McComb was the aforementioned Wirth. Again, I expected a bit of a better race from him, and maybe he hasn't had the season some expected from him up to this point, but it can't be overlooked that his best race of the season is from the states course last week. This kid is a stud and loves the Hershey course, so don't forget about him. Healey ran another solid race to cement himself as one of the best guys in A, but as we'll get to, he'll need to get better to even have a shot at Miller. The race of day in my mind goes to the top sophomore in the race, Robert DiDonato from Germantown Academy. I mentioned him as a sleeper after he finished runner up to Love at the George School Invite, but I wasn't expecting this. He hung with some BIG time names for this being his 2nd XC race! Is DiDonato the new favorite for the private school state meet?
Team wise, PA got beat up pretty badly in this one. With a lot of our top teams taking off this week, out of state squads swept the top 3 spots. OJR and Parkland were the top 2 PA schools, both finishing in the top 5, and within 7 points of each other. This result doesn't completely surprise me, as these are two very solid teams, though I would've expected Parkland to come out on top. Williamson had an off day though, so this could have gone either way. I think these are two teams that are both right around that 9th-11th area in the state for AAA right now, so they hung well with some of the finest talent that Delaware and North Carolina has to offer. Easton only lost to Parkland by 36 points, so while I believe Parkland is still the clear favorite in D11, I wouldn't say it is by a landslide.
In the white race, there isn't too much to say outside of Jack Miller and the rest of the Jenkintown Drakes. Jack Miller's 15:44 in a 30+ second landslide victory is nothing short of just a special performance. Miller is on an absolute tear this season, and he inches further and further away from the rest of the A field every week. I've said it before, while we may see NA lean towards an NXN performance, Miller might be one of our strongest bets out of a FL regional this year (although his Jenkintown squad might lean towards NXR at this rate). I expected a stronger race out of Wyomissing, having not really seen them at all this season. GFS, while a distant 2nd, looks to be the clear favorite for the Independent League state title. Another great race from Malvern Prep's super frosh Zachary Brill. While many expect the seasoned senior veteran Jeffrey Love to pick up the private league title, his stiffest competition is shaping up to be from a freshman, and a first year sophomore.
Carlisle Invitational-
Despite everything I had to say about Paul Short runners overcoming some tough conditions, I think its fair to say that Carlisle runners had it much, much worse. I really want to talk about the teams first, because lets be honest, this was the talk of the weekend. In a big surprise (although not to everyone), Downingtown West finally unleashed their squad on PA, and took down the defending state champs LaSalle, 99-110. In a race where LaSalle's top man, Vincent Twomey really struggled, Dwest "LaSalle'd" LaSalle, utilizing a dirty top 5, all in the top 30 to take the win. Despite Dwest's depth however, they could not have won without the front running from Payton Sewall, whose 4th place finish gave them a big advantage over LaSalle. Commenters on this blog have stated that despite no true ace for LaSalle, they will find ways to get guys into the medals and still win. Well, we got our first taste of what an elite field did to them. So the question becomes, what does all of this mean? Does LaSalle still have a chance to win it all? Are Seneca Valley and North Allegheny actually much better than their eastern counterparts? Or are the Whippets of Dwest all of a sudden now the favorites? The answer for me, while it may be a bit of a weak answer, is that all four teams are in contention for the title. If Twomey runs as expected, LaSalle beats Dwest by a couple of points. NA is undefeated when at full strength, but barely held off a SV team with a sick Seth Ketler. The point is, there is no favorite. I think these four teams have now separated themselves as the four best teams in the state, with a decent sized gap behind them. I think there is a 2nd tier of teams for 5th-8th or so that also stand alone, but for now, the podium finishes will be between these four teams. And man, is it going to be fun to watch.
Lets talk individuals. Jack Wisner was one out of state runner away from snagging the win on his home course. Wisner has been around the top of the state for years now, and now, in his senior year, finally has the chance to breakthrough to the top. He has not finished in the top 30 at an XC state meet, and this year I think he is more than just a medal threat. Brayden Harris had an incredible race as well. Despite most of his Mifflin County team really struggling this weekend, Harris got a big win over a guy in Sewall to take 3rd overall. Really impressive races from Klingenberg and Shields make the individual race up front very exciting to watch in D3. I expected a better race from Baublitz, but, like Wirth, I'm not too worried after his run at Hershey.
Other Notes:
-Josh Lewis continues to roll, staying undefeated after a win at McQuaid
-Danville shows me up, beating Warrior Run (power ranked 2nd in D4) by a slim margin of 3 points (had Danville power ranked 4th in D4)
-In a really surprising McQuaid matchup, Wyalusing Valley Area loses to both Montrose and Elk County Catholic
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Recaps Coming
Hey all, just wanted to apologize for no meet previews for this weekend. It was a hectic week/weekend, and that won't be the norm. Thank you all for keeping some discussion going based off our two premier meets this weekend. It was clear that the course conditions really kept things slow on both sides. I honestly liked this because people usually love to hype up the times run from this weekend, rather than focusing on the actual importance of the team scores. I'll have the recaps out later this afternoon, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here and they're coming!
-TheRunningHub
-TheRunningHub
Thursday, September 27, 2018
District 4 and 5 Rankings
D5 A: (SQ Spots: 1)
1- Northern Bradford
2-Windber Area
While no team in this small district has tons of depth, NB has the closest thing to it. They're going to have to hold off Windber Area in their pursuit of a district title, and in this small district, each place is crucial. As of right now, NB seems to have 1-2 locked up with Zimmerman and Sherlock. This 1-2 punch combined with Windber's lack of a 5th man should just about hand the district title to Northern Bradford. In a three team district, the margin of victory isn't going to be large, but Zimmerman and his squad should be headed to Hershey.
D4 A: (SQ Spots: 1)
1- Wyalusing Valley Area
As one of the breakout teams of the year, WVA should have no problem running away with the district title out in D4. Breaking into the top 3 statewide at Foundation, this is a dangerous team this postseason. With a killer trio up top, if WVA can take 3 of the top 5 or 6 spots come districts, the title should be locked up. While teams like South Williamsport and Southern Columbia Area are strong, the lack of firepower past the #1 runner on each team will prevent them from hanging with Wyalusing Valley. I said this in the Foundation recap, but I really liked how Wyalusing Valley ran there, closing the gap on our top 2 A powerhouses in the 2nd half of the race at Hershey. To call them possible upset contenders might be a little crazy as of right now, but I still think there's something exciting to come with this squad.
D4 AA: (SQ Spots:2)
1- Lewisburg Area
While we haven't seen a lot of results from this squad, what they gave us is enough to believe that this is a dangerous team. They were the 2nd place PA team at Spiked Shoe back in early September, and lost to State College by just 32 points. Granted, this was a smaller field in terms of competitiveness up front, but with what we've seen from State College this season, that performance from Lewisburg should not go unnoticed. I don't think anyone knows just how good this team is, so I'm not ready to say they should be up around the top 3 or 4 teams in AA, but with freshman Jacob Hess leading the charge (the kid ran 9:53 as an 8th grader!), we have certainly not seen the last of this Lewisburg team.
2- Warrior Run
Claiming the second state spot out of District 4 is another team that we haven't seen results from in a couple weeks. We haven't seen Warrior Run since their season opener at Bear Mountain Run, but they finished a strong 3rd there, losing only to General McLane and Wyalusing Valley Area. I don't think this team is completely safe because of how fast the Lock Haven course ran to kick the season off, but they're a young team who I still feel comfortable slotting in for 2nd right now. If Damein Moser can step up as a low stick for this young Warrior Run team, they will be able to hold off Shikellamy.
3- Shikellamy
As aforementioned, the Shikellamy squad has some work to do, but they are not out of contention for this second state spot. The emergence of new star Logan Strouse is what has facilitated the little success that Shikellamy is having. After running 4:24 last spring, Strouse now finds himself as the district favorite, though Hess won't go down quietly. I know Shikellamy just lost to Danville at Foundation and didn't run all that well, but I still think with Strouse, and the 34 second spread from 2-5, this Shikellamy team has the structure to perform well at the district meet.
1- Northern Bradford
2-Windber Area
While no team in this small district has tons of depth, NB has the closest thing to it. They're going to have to hold off Windber Area in their pursuit of a district title, and in this small district, each place is crucial. As of right now, NB seems to have 1-2 locked up with Zimmerman and Sherlock. This 1-2 punch combined with Windber's lack of a 5th man should just about hand the district title to Northern Bradford. In a three team district, the margin of victory isn't going to be large, but Zimmerman and his squad should be headed to Hershey.
D4 A: (SQ Spots: 1)
1- Wyalusing Valley Area
As one of the breakout teams of the year, WVA should have no problem running away with the district title out in D4. Breaking into the top 3 statewide at Foundation, this is a dangerous team this postseason. With a killer trio up top, if WVA can take 3 of the top 5 or 6 spots come districts, the title should be locked up. While teams like South Williamsport and Southern Columbia Area are strong, the lack of firepower past the #1 runner on each team will prevent them from hanging with Wyalusing Valley. I said this in the Foundation recap, but I really liked how Wyalusing Valley ran there, closing the gap on our top 2 A powerhouses in the 2nd half of the race at Hershey. To call them possible upset contenders might be a little crazy as of right now, but I still think there's something exciting to come with this squad.
D4 AA: (SQ Spots:2)
1- Lewisburg Area
While we haven't seen a lot of results from this squad, what they gave us is enough to believe that this is a dangerous team. They were the 2nd place PA team at Spiked Shoe back in early September, and lost to State College by just 32 points. Granted, this was a smaller field in terms of competitiveness up front, but with what we've seen from State College this season, that performance from Lewisburg should not go unnoticed. I don't think anyone knows just how good this team is, so I'm not ready to say they should be up around the top 3 or 4 teams in AA, but with freshman Jacob Hess leading the charge (the kid ran 9:53 as an 8th grader!), we have certainly not seen the last of this Lewisburg team.
2- Warrior Run
Claiming the second state spot out of District 4 is another team that we haven't seen results from in a couple weeks. We haven't seen Warrior Run since their season opener at Bear Mountain Run, but they finished a strong 3rd there, losing only to General McLane and Wyalusing Valley Area. I don't think this team is completely safe because of how fast the Lock Haven course ran to kick the season off, but they're a young team who I still feel comfortable slotting in for 2nd right now. If Damein Moser can step up as a low stick for this young Warrior Run team, they will be able to hold off Shikellamy.
3- Shikellamy
As aforementioned, the Shikellamy squad has some work to do, but they are not out of contention for this second state spot. The emergence of new star Logan Strouse is what has facilitated the little success that Shikellamy is having. After running 4:24 last spring, Strouse now finds himself as the district favorite, though Hess won't go down quietly. I know Shikellamy just lost to Danville at Foundation and didn't run all that well, but I still think with Strouse, and the 34 second spread from 2-5, this Shikellamy team has the structure to perform well at the district meet.
Monday, September 24, 2018
District 6 Team Rankings
D6 A: (SQ Spots:2)
1-Penns Valley
Although Penns Valley has certainly fallen from their state champion status from last fall, this squad should still cruise to a district title. Although there is a severe lack of depth on the squad, the sheer dominance of Sands and Colwell going 1-2 will be enough to put this team well clear of the rest of the competition.
2-Marion Center Area
3-Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy
As we look to the second qualifying spot, its hard to deny that Marion Center is in the driver's seat to advance to Hershey. They have a solid runner up front in Hunter Armstrong, and their entire scoring 5 is ahead of SJCA's #3. But with the emergence of Carter Kauffman, I figured I'd at least shoutout his squad here. If he was able to step up with the best guys in A, maybe there's more to this team come the postseason.
D6 AA: (SQ Spots:1)
1-Central Cambria HS
As the clear cut favorites out of the district, Central Cambria is the type of team that has a chance to really jump some squads at Hershey due to their depth and pack running. Boasting a 45 second time spread, and 5 of the top 12 runners in their district, although there is no stud up front for the Central Cambria boys right now, they are definitely a name to watch in AA statewide. They were distant runners up to Mt Lebo at Kiski, but they took down some decent teams in Fox Chapel and Indiana Area.
D6 AAA: (SQ Spots:1)
1-State College
2-Mifflin County
As one of the best teams in all of Pennsylvania, it should come as no surprise that the Little Lions are predicted to come out of D6 mostly unscathed. I think the SC boys have their eyes on a top 5 finish at states, and with the way this team is running, I don't think anyone can rule that out at this point. They will not need to be perfect, but I'm not content saying that the Little Lions can just jog their way to a district championship. I've mentioned this before, but I'll continue to say it. I think Mifflin County will be one of the best teams, if not the best team that sits home from Hershey because of the qualifying system. I don't foresee an upset, but I expect the boys from Mifflin County to put enough pressure on SC that they'll still need to run decently well to guarantee their trip to Hershey.
1-Penns Valley
Although Penns Valley has certainly fallen from their state champion status from last fall, this squad should still cruise to a district title. Although there is a severe lack of depth on the squad, the sheer dominance of Sands and Colwell going 1-2 will be enough to put this team well clear of the rest of the competition.
2-Marion Center Area
3-Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy
As we look to the second qualifying spot, its hard to deny that Marion Center is in the driver's seat to advance to Hershey. They have a solid runner up front in Hunter Armstrong, and their entire scoring 5 is ahead of SJCA's #3. But with the emergence of Carter Kauffman, I figured I'd at least shoutout his squad here. If he was able to step up with the best guys in A, maybe there's more to this team come the postseason.
D6 AA: (SQ Spots:1)
1-Central Cambria HS
As the clear cut favorites out of the district, Central Cambria is the type of team that has a chance to really jump some squads at Hershey due to their depth and pack running. Boasting a 45 second time spread, and 5 of the top 12 runners in their district, although there is no stud up front for the Central Cambria boys right now, they are definitely a name to watch in AA statewide. They were distant runners up to Mt Lebo at Kiski, but they took down some decent teams in Fox Chapel and Indiana Area.
D6 AAA: (SQ Spots:1)
1-State College
2-Mifflin County
As one of the best teams in all of Pennsylvania, it should come as no surprise that the Little Lions are predicted to come out of D6 mostly unscathed. I think the SC boys have their eyes on a top 5 finish at states, and with the way this team is running, I don't think anyone can rule that out at this point. They will not need to be perfect, but I'm not content saying that the Little Lions can just jog their way to a district championship. I've mentioned this before, but I'll continue to say it. I think Mifflin County will be one of the best teams, if not the best team that sits home from Hershey because of the qualifying system. I don't foresee an upset, but I expect the boys from Mifflin County to put enough pressure on SC that they'll still need to run decently well to guarantee their trip to Hershey.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Weekend Recap: NA wins, but Seneca Valley Surprises: Foundation and much more!
As I was watching the meets kick off this weekend, I thought to myself, what am I going to mess up the most this weekend? Will it be the smaller non-Foundation meets? Or, am I totally messing up these A and AA guesses at Foundation? There was also the unthinkable, could NA actually lose?
Well, I messed some things up pretty badly. But, like Etrain always used to say, he wanted people to #DerailTheTrain! So thank you all for keeping things interesting! Lets dive into what went down this weekend!
Council Rock Invitational-
Not sure what to make of these results if I'm being completely honest. The top 4 teams from last year's meet averaged under 17:20. This year, the winning team's average was 17:28. So despite some well-known names in this field, its hard to really gauge how good some of these teams are on account of the fact that it truly just wasn't that fast of a meet this time around. That being said, I will say that CR South has hopped back on my radar out of District 1. As some teams fade out of the picture and others hop in, CR South let us know that they are deep. They won the meet with just 81 points and took down a solid team in Twin Valley. While that's all well and exciting, they did it without their #1 man! Without Collin Ochs, who won Abington this year (over a contingent of Great Valley guys), CR South used a RIDICULOUS 18 second time spread to pack up and win the meet. With Ochs in the lineup, the CR South boys roll through this field. I haven't seen quite enough from them to have them go shooting up the rankings, but its fair to put this team in the 5th-7th place group out of District 1 (spoiler alert!). Individually, a slight surprise win from Mechanicsburg's Brandon Knepper. I've mentioned him as a name to watch since PTXC, but even then, he surprised me. I think Love faltered a little bit in this race, as I thought he could've walked away victorious. Glad to see a solid race out of Cornelison. After missing Abington and then not having a great race at Briarwood, I think he's just starting to get back to his old self, for whatever reason that may be. But nonetheless, Cornelison was a district title contender headed into the season, so while he may not be quite there, watch for him to start shooting up in races. Another solid race for Ermold after a great PTXC run. Also a nice race for Sam Kartsonis of Harriton. Big improvement for him.
Crimson Hawk Invitational-
Despite a tough race from Berzonsky, and a DNS for Budjos, the Indiana Area boys still rolled to a win, scoring just 28 points in the small meet. Despite being a relatively weak field, I liked this race from the winning squad. To rest your #1 and get a tough day from your #2 and still look great as a team shows this squad is growing, and getting deeper. They probably could've scored in the teens at this meet if they were racing full strength.
Penncrest Invitational-
In a solid 5k debut for the Penncrest boys, this is about what I had expected. They put 5 under 17:45 and dominated their small home meet, with Theveny looking solid up front. It'll be interesting to see how this team stacks up in a bigger meet, as they are absolutely a bubble team in District One right now.
Sharpsville Blue Devil Invitational-
Another week, yet another win for New Castle. Hard to believe this team is one of the few undefeated squad on the year. It'd take some digging, but if you look at teams that have competed in at least 3 meets this year, there isn't many undefeated teams out there. Off the top of my head, its North Allegheny, New Castle, and Jenkintown, though I'm probably missing some. Nonetheless, Anthony Litrenta and his squad continue to just quietly dismantle fields. Again, they have yet to face a truly fierce program, but they are not to be trifled with. I said they wouldn't have a shot at Greensburg Salem at districts, but after a slip up from GS this weekend, I wouldn't rule it out. Well, I tried to hype up the potential of this Harbor Creek team, but it looks like this squad just isn't going to come together. That being said, Starvaggi and Weber just continue to assert their dominance across AA. I'm super curious to see how they would've fared out in Hershey. I don't think they would've cracked the top two, but they certainly could've contended for top 5. Lastly, more solid racing from Cochranton who continue to show that they're one of the stronger programs in A statewide.
PIAA Foundation Invitational-
Alrighty, I made you wait till down here to get into it. The perennial powerhouse of a meet did not disappoint, and while I actually did have some good calls, I got my you-know-what handed to me by these athletes this weekend with my predictions, so I'll stop stalling and fill you in.
A:
You may not believe me, but I did think Miller was going to win this race. I had my doubts, but by no means was I surprised when he broke the tape. What stunned me was his sheer dominance in the second half of this race. After the race of the year was hyped up between him, Sands and Healey, Jack Miller did not just rise to the occasion, he took it and ran with it (no pun intended). I wasn't sure how legit his win at Mill Street was, which is why I think I had my doubts. With Miller's experience, and now his confidence, this title is his to lose. I think as long as he doesn't fall into some kind of pace trap, and runs his own race come November, he will be crowned state champion. Will we see a legitimate regionals threat out of the Jenkintown senior? Speaking of Jenkintown, they also made me look foolish. I really was not convinced this team was legit, and WT just looked so good at R,W&B that it made me hard to bet against them. Jenkintown held their own in the merge as well, against some of the best teams in the state. I really like the direction this team is headed in, and they are obviously the new favorites as of now. Though, truthfully, I would call Miller more of a clear favorite right now than his squad. WT is known for peaking beautifully in the postseason, so while I think they have tons of work to do, I wouldn't quite hand the title to Jenkintown just quite yet. I really like this Wyalusing Valley Area team though. They finished a strong 3rd, and they actually hung well with Jenkintown through 3 or 4 guys. They really closed the gap on our top 2 teams after the halfway mark too, which I really like to see. When states comes around and some guys blow up, if your team is picking guys off in the 2nd half of the race, anything is possible. Also shoutout to a solid race for Kauffman, because he helped me predict the top 5 finishers in the race.
AA:
Alright, so yes, I admit it. I have been stupidly oblivious to how good Grove City is and I don't know why it took me so long to realize it. Before I go over the results that make me look like a fool, I can proudly admit I called the top four individuals in the race in order. But that's about the only positive thing I can say. I really didn't see Greensburg Salem losing this race, and I think their front running needed to be a little more convincing. I think the Bindas didn't have their best day. So before I get to Grove City, I still see Greensburg Salem as the favorite due to only losing by 3 points, but obviously this one is up in the air now. Ok, now I can focus on Grove City. Yeah, they really brought it. With the overall runner up and the best 5th man in the field, it was hard to see this team losing. Like I said, I think the downfall of GS in this race was their top 3, and Grove City was able to keep it close up front and utilize their depth to pull out the win. Whether GS falters again, or if Jones and Somora step up for Grove City, the key to winning a state title for Powell and his boys will be keeping the score close through the top 3. Individually, we got exactly what we expected. A Powell/Lewis showdown that resulted in Lewis pulling away in the last mile. I liked Baublitz's rebound in this race after he fell apart at the end of Ben Bloser last week. Big race of the day for me was Dylan Throop finishing behind his star teammate Nate Price to sneak in the top 5. Its a shame because this ended up being the strongest duo in the field, yet the rest of the General McLane team couldn't tie it all together, finishing 5th behind York Suburban and North East.
AAA:
And here we are, the holy grail of all the races in PA so far this season. As many readers have already discussed, NA's win ended up having us question them more than praise them for being champions. With only a 3 point victory over their WPIAL counterparts in Seneca Valley, the scariest part about this close call is that Seth Ketler ran this race sick, and definitely could've dropped this score by about four points or so. So the question becomes, is LaSalle now the clear favorite? Or is this truly now a 3 horse race? Possibly four, because who knows what Dwest will unleash at Carlisle. Seneca Valley was the 3rd best team in the state headed into this weekend, and while they may still be 3rd, people are looking at that spot very differently than they were 48 hours ago. Lets unpack the rest of the top 5. While I had State College over Mount Lebanon, they finished within 10 points of each other, and both held their own behind the madness up front. I liked the run from Owen Isham, who stepped up and gave SC a low stick when they needed one in this deep field. For those who didn't know, Patrick Anderson is legit. I did not expect a top 3 finish for him, and he stepped up and comfortably beat the entire field except for the NA duo. The problem is, with Anderson running so well, I expected to see Lebo a tad bit closer to NA and SV. With a slightly better field at states, if Anderson has to hold off a couple other big names, SC's depth might take over and jump Lebo in the state standings. Not really sure what to make of Great Valley's performance, other than it was pretty impressive. They only fielded five guys, and still had the best 5th man in the field outside of SV and NA. The crazy thing is, their #2 didn't even race! This showcases Great Valley's depth, and I think they really are right with Lebo and State College as the 5th-7th best teams in the state right now. In other notable news, although the WPIAL dominated this meet, District 1 teams took 5th-10th in this race. As expected, OJR ran tough, and took the next spot behind Great Valley. I still think Blatz can run better than he did this weekend, and give OJR a real lift up front. I will say I'm very impressed with Methacton's performance. I didn't think much of their win at Rose Tree, but with Varghese getting back into form, this squad really has jumped into the qualifying conversation. Lowe Merion, Boyertown, and CB East rounded out the top 10. As of now, I no longer have these teams in my possible qualifying positions, as I just don't see the potential for these squads to jump some of the programs ahead of them. It should be noted that CB East was without Endres, but even then, mathematically, we probably would not have seen a better finish than maybe 8th with him at full strength.
Let's talk individuals. I still have Kinne-McGoey going 1-2 come states, but Anderson proved it isn't a guarantee at least. I like Wirth's bounce back race here after not looking his absolute best at PTXC, and he got his revenge on McComb. I like what Owori has been doing. He's usually just a step behind Ketler, but with health issues plaguing him, Owori has continued to perform well up front. McComb continues to run well as he makes his campaign for D1 favorite. Huge shoutout to Wirth's teammate, Dieter Burkes, for being the top sophomore in the field with an incredible jump from last year, coming in at 12th overall. Clearly, training under Wirth has done him well, and he might be the next big stud at Wallenpaupack. Possible DMR from these boys? I'll push that off till a later time...
As I finish up the district rankings, I'll start to shift my focus to more broad, statewide rankings to give you guys a better idea of who I think is on top. Thank you for reading as always!
Stay Happy, stay healthy
-The RunningHub
Well, I messed some things up pretty badly. But, like Etrain always used to say, he wanted people to #DerailTheTrain! So thank you all for keeping things interesting! Lets dive into what went down this weekend!
Council Rock Invitational-
Not sure what to make of these results if I'm being completely honest. The top 4 teams from last year's meet averaged under 17:20. This year, the winning team's average was 17:28. So despite some well-known names in this field, its hard to really gauge how good some of these teams are on account of the fact that it truly just wasn't that fast of a meet this time around. That being said, I will say that CR South has hopped back on my radar out of District 1. As some teams fade out of the picture and others hop in, CR South let us know that they are deep. They won the meet with just 81 points and took down a solid team in Twin Valley. While that's all well and exciting, they did it without their #1 man! Without Collin Ochs, who won Abington this year (over a contingent of Great Valley guys), CR South used a RIDICULOUS 18 second time spread to pack up and win the meet. With Ochs in the lineup, the CR South boys roll through this field. I haven't seen quite enough from them to have them go shooting up the rankings, but its fair to put this team in the 5th-7th place group out of District 1 (spoiler alert!). Individually, a slight surprise win from Mechanicsburg's Brandon Knepper. I've mentioned him as a name to watch since PTXC, but even then, he surprised me. I think Love faltered a little bit in this race, as I thought he could've walked away victorious. Glad to see a solid race out of Cornelison. After missing Abington and then not having a great race at Briarwood, I think he's just starting to get back to his old self, for whatever reason that may be. But nonetheless, Cornelison was a district title contender headed into the season, so while he may not be quite there, watch for him to start shooting up in races. Another solid race for Ermold after a great PTXC run. Also a nice race for Sam Kartsonis of Harriton. Big improvement for him.
Crimson Hawk Invitational-
Despite a tough race from Berzonsky, and a DNS for Budjos, the Indiana Area boys still rolled to a win, scoring just 28 points in the small meet. Despite being a relatively weak field, I liked this race from the winning squad. To rest your #1 and get a tough day from your #2 and still look great as a team shows this squad is growing, and getting deeper. They probably could've scored in the teens at this meet if they were racing full strength.
Penncrest Invitational-
In a solid 5k debut for the Penncrest boys, this is about what I had expected. They put 5 under 17:45 and dominated their small home meet, with Theveny looking solid up front. It'll be interesting to see how this team stacks up in a bigger meet, as they are absolutely a bubble team in District One right now.
Sharpsville Blue Devil Invitational-
Another week, yet another win for New Castle. Hard to believe this team is one of the few undefeated squad on the year. It'd take some digging, but if you look at teams that have competed in at least 3 meets this year, there isn't many undefeated teams out there. Off the top of my head, its North Allegheny, New Castle, and Jenkintown, though I'm probably missing some. Nonetheless, Anthony Litrenta and his squad continue to just quietly dismantle fields. Again, they have yet to face a truly fierce program, but they are not to be trifled with. I said they wouldn't have a shot at Greensburg Salem at districts, but after a slip up from GS this weekend, I wouldn't rule it out. Well, I tried to hype up the potential of this Harbor Creek team, but it looks like this squad just isn't going to come together. That being said, Starvaggi and Weber just continue to assert their dominance across AA. I'm super curious to see how they would've fared out in Hershey. I don't think they would've cracked the top two, but they certainly could've contended for top 5. Lastly, more solid racing from Cochranton who continue to show that they're one of the stronger programs in A statewide.
PIAA Foundation Invitational-
Alrighty, I made you wait till down here to get into it. The perennial powerhouse of a meet did not disappoint, and while I actually did have some good calls, I got my you-know-what handed to me by these athletes this weekend with my predictions, so I'll stop stalling and fill you in.
A:
You may not believe me, but I did think Miller was going to win this race. I had my doubts, but by no means was I surprised when he broke the tape. What stunned me was his sheer dominance in the second half of this race. After the race of the year was hyped up between him, Sands and Healey, Jack Miller did not just rise to the occasion, he took it and ran with it (no pun intended). I wasn't sure how legit his win at Mill Street was, which is why I think I had my doubts. With Miller's experience, and now his confidence, this title is his to lose. I think as long as he doesn't fall into some kind of pace trap, and runs his own race come November, he will be crowned state champion. Will we see a legitimate regionals threat out of the Jenkintown senior? Speaking of Jenkintown, they also made me look foolish. I really was not convinced this team was legit, and WT just looked so good at R,W&B that it made me hard to bet against them. Jenkintown held their own in the merge as well, against some of the best teams in the state. I really like the direction this team is headed in, and they are obviously the new favorites as of now. Though, truthfully, I would call Miller more of a clear favorite right now than his squad. WT is known for peaking beautifully in the postseason, so while I think they have tons of work to do, I wouldn't quite hand the title to Jenkintown just quite yet. I really like this Wyalusing Valley Area team though. They finished a strong 3rd, and they actually hung well with Jenkintown through 3 or 4 guys. They really closed the gap on our top 2 teams after the halfway mark too, which I really like to see. When states comes around and some guys blow up, if your team is picking guys off in the 2nd half of the race, anything is possible. Also shoutout to a solid race for Kauffman, because he helped me predict the top 5 finishers in the race.
AA:
Alright, so yes, I admit it. I have been stupidly oblivious to how good Grove City is and I don't know why it took me so long to realize it. Before I go over the results that make me look like a fool, I can proudly admit I called the top four individuals in the race in order. But that's about the only positive thing I can say. I really didn't see Greensburg Salem losing this race, and I think their front running needed to be a little more convincing. I think the Bindas didn't have their best day. So before I get to Grove City, I still see Greensburg Salem as the favorite due to only losing by 3 points, but obviously this one is up in the air now. Ok, now I can focus on Grove City. Yeah, they really brought it. With the overall runner up and the best 5th man in the field, it was hard to see this team losing. Like I said, I think the downfall of GS in this race was their top 3, and Grove City was able to keep it close up front and utilize their depth to pull out the win. Whether GS falters again, or if Jones and Somora step up for Grove City, the key to winning a state title for Powell and his boys will be keeping the score close through the top 3. Individually, we got exactly what we expected. A Powell/Lewis showdown that resulted in Lewis pulling away in the last mile. I liked Baublitz's rebound in this race after he fell apart at the end of Ben Bloser last week. Big race of the day for me was Dylan Throop finishing behind his star teammate Nate Price to sneak in the top 5. Its a shame because this ended up being the strongest duo in the field, yet the rest of the General McLane team couldn't tie it all together, finishing 5th behind York Suburban and North East.
AAA:
And here we are, the holy grail of all the races in PA so far this season. As many readers have already discussed, NA's win ended up having us question them more than praise them for being champions. With only a 3 point victory over their WPIAL counterparts in Seneca Valley, the scariest part about this close call is that Seth Ketler ran this race sick, and definitely could've dropped this score by about four points or so. So the question becomes, is LaSalle now the clear favorite? Or is this truly now a 3 horse race? Possibly four, because who knows what Dwest will unleash at Carlisle. Seneca Valley was the 3rd best team in the state headed into this weekend, and while they may still be 3rd, people are looking at that spot very differently than they were 48 hours ago. Lets unpack the rest of the top 5. While I had State College over Mount Lebanon, they finished within 10 points of each other, and both held their own behind the madness up front. I liked the run from Owen Isham, who stepped up and gave SC a low stick when they needed one in this deep field. For those who didn't know, Patrick Anderson is legit. I did not expect a top 3 finish for him, and he stepped up and comfortably beat the entire field except for the NA duo. The problem is, with Anderson running so well, I expected to see Lebo a tad bit closer to NA and SV. With a slightly better field at states, if Anderson has to hold off a couple other big names, SC's depth might take over and jump Lebo in the state standings. Not really sure what to make of Great Valley's performance, other than it was pretty impressive. They only fielded five guys, and still had the best 5th man in the field outside of SV and NA. The crazy thing is, their #2 didn't even race! This showcases Great Valley's depth, and I think they really are right with Lebo and State College as the 5th-7th best teams in the state right now. In other notable news, although the WPIAL dominated this meet, District 1 teams took 5th-10th in this race. As expected, OJR ran tough, and took the next spot behind Great Valley. I still think Blatz can run better than he did this weekend, and give OJR a real lift up front. I will say I'm very impressed with Methacton's performance. I didn't think much of their win at Rose Tree, but with Varghese getting back into form, this squad really has jumped into the qualifying conversation. Lowe Merion, Boyertown, and CB East rounded out the top 10. As of now, I no longer have these teams in my possible qualifying positions, as I just don't see the potential for these squads to jump some of the programs ahead of them. It should be noted that CB East was without Endres, but even then, mathematically, we probably would not have seen a better finish than maybe 8th with him at full strength.
Let's talk individuals. I still have Kinne-McGoey going 1-2 come states, but Anderson proved it isn't a guarantee at least. I like Wirth's bounce back race here after not looking his absolute best at PTXC, and he got his revenge on McComb. I like what Owori has been doing. He's usually just a step behind Ketler, but with health issues plaguing him, Owori has continued to perform well up front. McComb continues to run well as he makes his campaign for D1 favorite. Huge shoutout to Wirth's teammate, Dieter Burkes, for being the top sophomore in the field with an incredible jump from last year, coming in at 12th overall. Clearly, training under Wirth has done him well, and he might be the next big stud at Wallenpaupack. Possible DMR from these boys? I'll push that off till a later time...
As I finish up the district rankings, I'll start to shift my focus to more broad, statewide rankings to give you guys a better idea of who I think is on top. Thank you for reading as always!
Stay Happy, stay healthy
-The RunningHub
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Commentors Rankings-Jiminy Cricket and FB
As I've said before, you guys as the readers make this blog! The more comments, the better! They posted them on our Week #3 recap post, but Jiminy Cricket and FB dropped some awesome rankings, and I figured they should be displayed for all to see. Check out their rankings! What do you guys think?
FB:
Week 3 Top 25
1. Zachary Kinne, Sr. North Allegheny (7 AAA)
2. Dan McGoey, Jr. North Allegheny (7 AAA)- Took 3rd at Boardman, so far I see the NA duo as being a real threat to go 1-2 at states. We'll get a better idea this weekend at Foundation but right now the top two looks clear cut.
3. Tyler Wirth, Sr. Wallenpaupack (2 AAA)- Despite not having his best day at PTXC, I think it’s hard to not see Wirth as someone who can win the state title. I expect his race against the NA boys this weekend to be very telling for how the state scene will shake out.
4. Jonah Powell, Sr. Grove City (10 AA)- 5th place in a fast Boardman race was a pretty good way for Powell to open his season. Despite some fast early season performances from Josh Lewis, I still have Powell fixed as the top guy in AA.
5. Seth Ketler, Sr. Seneca Valley (7 AAA)- I try not to be too reactionary to what happens in one race. Despite finishing 9th at RWB, Ketler has shown me enough over the last several years to make me think this is just a temporary snag and he'll be back to putting up great performances in the near future.
6. Nate Price, Sr. General McLane (10 AA)- Ran a very fast time at Lock Haven without any great competition. I don't read too much into that time because of how fast the course generally is but still a good way to start a season
7. Andrew Healey, Jr. Holy Cross (2 A)- Ran well to finish as the 3rd PA guy at PTXC. Also ran nearly a minute faster than he did last year on the same course that could be a great sign for things to come.
8. Patrick Anderson, Jr. Mount Lebanon (7 AAA)
9. Christian Fitch, Jr. Fox Chapel Area (7 AAA)- I felt compelled to put these two together seeing as the finished within a second of each other at RWB. Although I think they may not be quite ready to compete for D7 title, I'm excited to watch these two mix it up with the best of the best over the next two years.
10. Josh Lewis, Jr. North East (10 AA)- I feel confident in saying that Lewis has had the hottest start of any runner in the state this year going 3/3 to start the year. This makes me not quite sure where to place him. Seeing him race at Foundation will tell us more about where he will end up in the AA mix.
11. Jack Miller, Sr. Jenkinstown (1 A)- The top returner in A started his season well with a win at Mill Street. Be on the lookout for him and Healey to mix it up at Foundation in what is sure to be an exciting battle.
12. Saw Owori, Sr. Seneca Valley (7 AAA)
13. Christian McComb, Jr. Boyertown (1 AAA)- Very impressive as the top PA finisher at PTXC. Interested to see if he can pull out another big performance at Foundation
14. Ryan Starvaggi, Sr. Harbor Creek (10 AA)
15. Garrett Baublitz, Jr. Juniata (6 AA)
16. Payton Sewall, Sr. Downingtown West (1 AAA)
17. Jonah Hoey, Jr. Bishop Shanahan (1 AAA)
18. Cole Walker, Jr. Unionville (1 AAA)
19. Colton Sands, So. Penn’s Valley Area (6 A)
20. Jeffery Love, Sr. George School (Independent)
21. Chayce Macknair, Sr. Mifflin County (6 AAA)
22. Logan Horst, Sr. Lancaster Mennonite (3 AA)
23. Jack Wisner, Sr. Carlisle (3 AAA)
24. Vincent Twomey, Sr. LaSalle (12 AAA)
25. Alexander Ermold, Sr. Governor Mifflin (3 AAA)
-FB
Jiminy Cricket:
1. Zach Kinne (North Allegheny/Senior)- 7 AAA
2. Dan McGoey (North Allegheny/Junior)- 7 AAA
3. Josh Lewis (North East/Senior)- 10 AA
4. Jonah Powell (Grove City/Senior)- 10 AA
5. Patrick Anderson (Mount Lebanon/Junior)- 7 AAA
6. Tyler Wirth (Wallenpaupack/Senior)- 2 AAA
7. Nate Price (General McLane/Senior)- 10 AA
8. Jonah Hoey (Bishop Shanahan/Junior)- 1 AAA
9. Garrett Baublitz (Juniata/Junior)- 6 AA
10. Seth Ketler (Seneca Valley/Senior)- 7 AAA
11. Christian McComb (Boyertown/Junior)- 1 AAA
12. Christian Fitch (Fox Chapel/Junior)- 7 AAA
13. Colton Sands (Penns Valley/Sophomore)- 6 A
14. Andrew Healey (Holy Cross/Junior)- 2 A
15. Mark Brown (Greensburg Salem/Senior)- 7 AA
16. Jack Miller (Jenkintown/Senior)- 1 A
17. Cameron Binda (Greensburg Salem/Senior)- 7 AA
18. Sam Owori (Seneca Valley/Senior)- 7 AAA
19. Ryan Starvaggi (Harbor Creek/Senior)- 10 AA
20. Payton Sewall (Downingtown West/Senior)- 1 AAA
21. Chayce Macknair (Mifflin County/Senior)- 6 AAA
22. Vincent Twomey (LaSalle/Junior)- 12 AAA
23. Jack Wisner (Carlisle/Senior)- 3 AAA
24. Jeffrey Love (George School/Senior)- Independent
25. Jason Cornelison (Cheltenham/Senior)- 1 AAA
26. Cole Walker (Unionville/Junior)- 1 AAA
27. Luke Klingenberg (Cumberland Valley/Senior)- 3 AAA
28. Linus Blatz (Owen J. Roberts/Senior)- 1 AAA
29. Ethan Maher (LaSalle/Junior)- 12 AAA
30. Brayden Harris (Mifflin County/Sophomore)- 6 AAA
31. Isaac Valderrabano (Downingtown West/Senior)- 1 AAA
32. Logan Horst (Lancaster Mennonite/Senior)- 3 AA
33. Noah Demis (North Penn/Junior)- 1 AAA
34. Alexander Ermold (Governor Mifflin/Senior)- 3 AAA
35. Scott Routledge (Winchester Thurston/Junior)- 7 A
36. Ethan Knoebel (Southern Columbia/Senior)- 4 A
37. Ian Zimmerman (Northern Bedford/Sophomore)- 5 A
38. Ben Hoffman (Elk County Catholic/Junior)- 9 A
39. Mitchell Rome (Dallas/Senior)- 2 AA
40. Connor Shields (Warwick/Senior)- 3 AAA
41. Liam Mead (Montrose/Senior)- 2 A
42. Joshua Lewin (WC East/Junior)- 1 AAA
43. Aiden Weber (Harbor Creek/Senior)- 10 AA
44. Zachary Leachman (Mars/Junior)- 7 AAA
45. Brendan Colwell (Penns Valley/Sophomore)- 6 A
46. Ben Kuhn (Wyomissing/Junior)- 3 AA
47. Evan Kreider (Cocalico/Senior)- 3 AAA
48. Adam Hessler (Freedom/Junior)- 7 A
49. Jarrett Raudensky (York Suburban/Senior)- 3 AA
50. Nathan Grucelski (Conestoga Valley/Senior)- 3 AAA
Honorable Mention: Jakolby Fackler (Palmyra/Sophomore)- 3 AAA; Seth Hoffritz (Great Valley/Senior)- 1 AAA; Erik Andrzejewski (General McLane/Senior)- 10 AA; Bradden Koors (LaSalle/Junior)- 12 AAA; Riley Williamson (Parkland/Senior)- 11 AAA
Left Off for Injury Concerns: Kendall Branan (Indiana/Junior)- 7 AA
-Jiminy Cricket
FB:
Week 3 Top 25
1. Zachary Kinne, Sr. North Allegheny (7 AAA)
2. Dan McGoey, Jr. North Allegheny (7 AAA)- Took 3rd at Boardman, so far I see the NA duo as being a real threat to go 1-2 at states. We'll get a better idea this weekend at Foundation but right now the top two looks clear cut.
3. Tyler Wirth, Sr. Wallenpaupack (2 AAA)- Despite not having his best day at PTXC, I think it’s hard to not see Wirth as someone who can win the state title. I expect his race against the NA boys this weekend to be very telling for how the state scene will shake out.
4. Jonah Powell, Sr. Grove City (10 AA)- 5th place in a fast Boardman race was a pretty good way for Powell to open his season. Despite some fast early season performances from Josh Lewis, I still have Powell fixed as the top guy in AA.
5. Seth Ketler, Sr. Seneca Valley (7 AAA)- I try not to be too reactionary to what happens in one race. Despite finishing 9th at RWB, Ketler has shown me enough over the last several years to make me think this is just a temporary snag and he'll be back to putting up great performances in the near future.
6. Nate Price, Sr. General McLane (10 AA)- Ran a very fast time at Lock Haven without any great competition. I don't read too much into that time because of how fast the course generally is but still a good way to start a season
7. Andrew Healey, Jr. Holy Cross (2 A)- Ran well to finish as the 3rd PA guy at PTXC. Also ran nearly a minute faster than he did last year on the same course that could be a great sign for things to come.
8. Patrick Anderson, Jr. Mount Lebanon (7 AAA)
9. Christian Fitch, Jr. Fox Chapel Area (7 AAA)- I felt compelled to put these two together seeing as the finished within a second of each other at RWB. Although I think they may not be quite ready to compete for D7 title, I'm excited to watch these two mix it up with the best of the best over the next two years.
10. Josh Lewis, Jr. North East (10 AA)- I feel confident in saying that Lewis has had the hottest start of any runner in the state this year going 3/3 to start the year. This makes me not quite sure where to place him. Seeing him race at Foundation will tell us more about where he will end up in the AA mix.
11. Jack Miller, Sr. Jenkinstown (1 A)- The top returner in A started his season well with a win at Mill Street. Be on the lookout for him and Healey to mix it up at Foundation in what is sure to be an exciting battle.
12. Saw Owori, Sr. Seneca Valley (7 AAA)
13. Christian McComb, Jr. Boyertown (1 AAA)- Very impressive as the top PA finisher at PTXC. Interested to see if he can pull out another big performance at Foundation
14. Ryan Starvaggi, Sr. Harbor Creek (10 AA)
15. Garrett Baublitz, Jr. Juniata (6 AA)
16. Payton Sewall, Sr. Downingtown West (1 AAA)
17. Jonah Hoey, Jr. Bishop Shanahan (1 AAA)
18. Cole Walker, Jr. Unionville (1 AAA)
19. Colton Sands, So. Penn’s Valley Area (6 A)
20. Jeffery Love, Sr. George School (Independent)
21. Chayce Macknair, Sr. Mifflin County (6 AAA)
22. Logan Horst, Sr. Lancaster Mennonite (3 AA)
23. Jack Wisner, Sr. Carlisle (3 AAA)
24. Vincent Twomey, Sr. LaSalle (12 AAA)
25. Alexander Ermold, Sr. Governor Mifflin (3 AAA)
-FB
Jiminy Cricket:
1. Zach Kinne (North Allegheny/Senior)- 7 AAA
2. Dan McGoey (North Allegheny/Junior)- 7 AAA
3. Josh Lewis (North East/Senior)- 10 AA
4. Jonah Powell (Grove City/Senior)- 10 AA
5. Patrick Anderson (Mount Lebanon/Junior)- 7 AAA
6. Tyler Wirth (Wallenpaupack/Senior)- 2 AAA
7. Nate Price (General McLane/Senior)- 10 AA
8. Jonah Hoey (Bishop Shanahan/Junior)- 1 AAA
9. Garrett Baublitz (Juniata/Junior)- 6 AA
10. Seth Ketler (Seneca Valley/Senior)- 7 AAA
11. Christian McComb (Boyertown/Junior)- 1 AAA
12. Christian Fitch (Fox Chapel/Junior)- 7 AAA
13. Colton Sands (Penns Valley/Sophomore)- 6 A
14. Andrew Healey (Holy Cross/Junior)- 2 A
15. Mark Brown (Greensburg Salem/Senior)- 7 AA
16. Jack Miller (Jenkintown/Senior)- 1 A
17. Cameron Binda (Greensburg Salem/Senior)- 7 AA
18. Sam Owori (Seneca Valley/Senior)- 7 AAA
19. Ryan Starvaggi (Harbor Creek/Senior)- 10 AA
20. Payton Sewall (Downingtown West/Senior)- 1 AAA
21. Chayce Macknair (Mifflin County/Senior)- 6 AAA
22. Vincent Twomey (LaSalle/Junior)- 12 AAA
23. Jack Wisner (Carlisle/Senior)- 3 AAA
24. Jeffrey Love (George School/Senior)- Independent
25. Jason Cornelison (Cheltenham/Senior)- 1 AAA
26. Cole Walker (Unionville/Junior)- 1 AAA
27. Luke Klingenberg (Cumberland Valley/Senior)- 3 AAA
28. Linus Blatz (Owen J. Roberts/Senior)- 1 AAA
29. Ethan Maher (LaSalle/Junior)- 12 AAA
30. Brayden Harris (Mifflin County/Sophomore)- 6 AAA
31. Isaac Valderrabano (Downingtown West/Senior)- 1 AAA
32. Logan Horst (Lancaster Mennonite/Senior)- 3 AA
33. Noah Demis (North Penn/Junior)- 1 AAA
34. Alexander Ermold (Governor Mifflin/Senior)- 3 AAA
35. Scott Routledge (Winchester Thurston/Junior)- 7 A
36. Ethan Knoebel (Southern Columbia/Senior)- 4 A
37. Ian Zimmerman (Northern Bedford/Sophomore)- 5 A
38. Ben Hoffman (Elk County Catholic/Junior)- 9 A
39. Mitchell Rome (Dallas/Senior)- 2 AA
40. Connor Shields (Warwick/Senior)- 3 AAA
41. Liam Mead (Montrose/Senior)- 2 A
42. Joshua Lewin (WC East/Junior)- 1 AAA
43. Aiden Weber (Harbor Creek/Senior)- 10 AA
44. Zachary Leachman (Mars/Junior)- 7 AAA
45. Brendan Colwell (Penns Valley/Sophomore)- 6 A
46. Ben Kuhn (Wyomissing/Junior)- 3 AA
47. Evan Kreider (Cocalico/Senior)- 3 AAA
48. Adam Hessler (Freedom/Junior)- 7 A
49. Jarrett Raudensky (York Suburban/Senior)- 3 AA
50. Nathan Grucelski (Conestoga Valley/Senior)- 3 AAA
Honorable Mention: Jakolby Fackler (Palmyra/Sophomore)- 3 AAA; Seth Hoffritz (Great Valley/Senior)- 1 AAA; Erik Andrzejewski (General McLane/Senior)- 10 AA; Bradden Koors (LaSalle/Junior)- 12 AAA; Riley Williamson (Parkland/Senior)- 11 AAA
Left Off for Injury Concerns: Kendall Branan (Indiana/Junior)- 7 AA
-Jiminy Cricket
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Foundation, Council Rock, and Much More: Weekend Preview (9/21-9/22)
I wanted to try and get this preview out early, because Foundation is shaping up to be an even better meet than we thought, and I'd love to get some discussion going. Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far, and be sure to check out the district rankings we just dropped! We've ranked from District 12 down to WPIAL's (District 7). As always, thanks for reading!
Council Rock Invitational-
Considering a large majority of the state's best will be at Foundation this weekend, there is still a decent field assembled for the race at Tyler State Park on Saturday. We should see an exciting team battle between five teams or so, look for Mechanicsburg, Council Rock South, North Penn, Pennsbury, and Twin Valley. Overall, I really have trouble predicting how these teams will stack up against each other. I don't think any of these teams have seen each other yet this year, aside from Twin Valley and North Penn last week at Briarwood. I think this meet comes down to Twin Valley and Council Rock South. We haven't seen CRS since Abington, where they were runners up, and Collin Ochs picked up the individual win. I think CRS can pull this out over Twin Valley if Ochs can continue to run well up towards the front. Individually, look for a great battle between Ochs, TV's Dylan Servis and Griffin Schlegel, Noah Demis, Alexander Ermold, Brandan Knepper, Jeffrey Love, and Jason Cornelison.
1-Twin Valley
2-Council Rock South
3-Mechanicsburg
1-Jeffrey Love
2-Alexander Ermold
3-Noah Demis
4-Brandan Knepper
5-Collin Ochs
Crimson Hawk Invitational-
Look for Indiana Area to really take control of this field. I expect the Budjos/Berzonsky duo to contend for a 1-2 finish, and that should carry them to a comfortable team title as well.
1-Budjos
2-Berzonsky
3-Zajicek
1-Indiana Area
2-Kiski Area
Penncrest Invitational-
Excited to see some D1 teams matchup at Penncrest this weekend. Lower Merion is entered, but they're also entered at Foundation, which is where I expect we'll find them. Outside of LM though, we've got some solid teams, including the hosts Penncrest, Methacton, and Haverford Township. This meet is going to give me some of the final clarity I need to set my district rankings in stone. This is both Penncrest's and Haverford's invitational 5k debut. Both of these teams have very solid pieces up at the front and through 5. These are the last teams that I think have shot to contend up at the front of the district that we have yet to see race. Both teams have the chance to shake up both the district and state rankings at this small invite on Saturday. Lastly, if Methacton can hang with these two big sleeper picks out of D1, I'll be impressed. Methacton picked up a solid win at Bulldog (Rose Tree) over just a decent field, but if they can run well this weekend they have a chance to bump up their stock in D1.
1-Haverford Township
2-Penncrest
3-Methacton
1-Patrick Theveny
2-Mike Donnelly
3-Evan Peetros
Sharpsville Blue Devil Invitational-
We've got some more good action out west for the teams that aren't making the trek out to Hershey this weekend. With teams like Harbor Creek, New Castle, and Cochranton expected, as well as some stellar out of state talent, this is shaping up to be a pretty competitive race. Up front, look for the HC duo of Weber and Starvaggi to hold off the likes of Freedom's Adam Hessler, breakout stars Justin Carlson and Daniel Ford, as well as New Castle's lowstick Anthony Litrenta. Despite not having a big gun up front, look for Norwin to contend for the team title in this one. Obviously, eyes will be on AA powerhouses New Castle and Harbor Creek to see how they stack up. Lastly, watch for Cochranton, one of the top A teams in PA right now.
1-Starvaggi
2-Hessler
3-Weber
4-Litrenta
5-Carlson
1-New Castle
2-Norwin
3-Harbor Creek
Foundation Invitational (Pre-States)-
Here we are, at probably the biggest meet of the entire season aside from the state championships (and the district championships). It is here, where we will get a look at the most complete, competitive fields in PA before they all come together to do battle in November. Per Penntrack's statewide team rankings, this meet will feature 5 of the top 8 teams in the state. Its crazy to think that a team here may finish 5th in an invitational, and will still be one of the elite teams in the entirety of Pennsylvania. Heck, there are teams here that will finish outside the top 10 of the Gold race, and will still likely advance to the state meet later on. Before we dive into that madness, lets breakdown our White and Blue races.
White Race (A):
Super excited about this one, because unlike AAA, this is just about everyone individually and team-wise that we expect to see at the front come November. We will finally get our first look at the race between the trio I've been hyping up all season. Jack Miller. Andrew Healey. Colton Sands. The A showdown. This might be the strongest competition we've had up at the front of A in awhile. There's not much to separate these 3, as they've all opened up their season with some great runs. I'm going to go with my gut here and say that Sands has had the hottest start, and he keeps it going for the win. Miller's experience will keep him towards the front, and Healey will be lurking. This is going to be fun to watch. As obviously stated before, this team race will come down to Jenkintown v Winchester Thurston. Is Jenkintown legit? Or is WT going to cruise to a state title?
1-Sands
2-Miller
3-Healey
4-Routledge
5-Kauffman
1-Winchester Thurston
2-Jenkintown
Blue Race (AA):
I keep saying each race is going to be wild, but I just can't decide which classification I'm most excited for. After both racing at Boardman, but in different divisions, we finally get the Powell versus Lewis matchup. Beyond that though, we get to throw in the likes of Price, Baublitz, Binda and Brown, Rome, and up and coming Logan Strouse, amogst a host of others. I think this pace is going to get pushed early and pushed hard, and the winning time won't be too far off of AAA. I think Lewis and Powell are going to separate themselves in the 3rd mile, with Lewis ultimately pulling away and sealing the win right before poop-out. This race should answer a lot of questions in AA. In this big of a field, I think Greensburg Salem's trio is going to get them the win, but don't sleep on General McLane, Grove City, and North East. The biggest potential contender to upset GS though, has to be York Suburban. They looked real solid at Ben Bloser.
1-Lewis
2-Powell
3-Baublitz
4-Price
5-Binda
1-Greensburg Salem
2-York Suburban
3-General McLane
Gold Race (AAA):
Here we are. As said, its probably the most firepower we'll see in a meet all season, outside of the state championships themselves. Headlined by 5 of the top 8 teams in the state, we'll see who truly emerges as actual title contenders after this weekend. Can North Allegheny respond to LaSalle's dominating performance at Briarwood? Can Seneca Valley and Mount Lebanon prove they can hang with NA as the top teams in the state? After dominating local competition, is State College a team that can really run with the best? And lastly, after blowing away D1 teams at Briarwood and finishing 2nd to LaSalle, is Great Valley truly one of the best teams in PA? Can they give Dwest a run for their money in D1? All of these questions should be answered after this weekend. Like I said in the intro to the article, its crazy to think that a team will finish 6th place in an invitational, and should walk away extremely happy with their performance. But lets take a look outside these top teams. I think outside of this top 5, there is another tier of teams that should be on everyone's watch list this weekend. Look for Upper Saint Clair, Owen J Roberts, Lower Merion, and Central Bucks East to fill out this top 10. USC has run very well and consistently finished 4th behind the aforementioned 3 WPIAL teams. OJR has not lost this season, and took down Twin Valley at Centaur earlier this year. Look for Linus Blatz to have a big day for them. Lower Merion will be making their debut, but they return tons of solid pieces, including 16:13/4:26 man Charlie Herrmann. Lastly, I know we've seen a lot of CB East already this year, but I think they're better than what they've shown. I think Endres needs to step up and a have a big personal race, but I'm not quite ready to count this team out.
Individually, we've been through this spiel before. Look for Kinne and McGoey to cement themselves as 1-2 finishers in the state. Though the battle I'm really looking forward to seeing is how Tyler Wirth and Christian McComb do against the rest of the westerners. Seeing these two match up with guys like Owori, Ketler, Anderson, and Fitch should be really exciting and give us an idea of what the top 5 at states may shape up to be like. I hope you guys are excited to see these races as I am!!
1-North Allegheny
2-Seneca Valley
3-State College
4-Mount Lebanon
5-Great Valley
6-Owen J Roberts
7-Upper Saint Clair
8-Lower Merion
9-Central Bucks East
10-Wallenpaupack
1-Kinne
2-McGoey
3-Fitch
4-Wirth
5-McComb
6-Ketler
7-Owori
8-Anderson
9-Leachman
10-Blatz
Thank you all for reading, and lets get hyped! I tried to drop this early so we could get some great discussion going leading up to it. Stay happy, stay healthy!
-The RunningHub
Council Rock Invitational-
Considering a large majority of the state's best will be at Foundation this weekend, there is still a decent field assembled for the race at Tyler State Park on Saturday. We should see an exciting team battle between five teams or so, look for Mechanicsburg, Council Rock South, North Penn, Pennsbury, and Twin Valley. Overall, I really have trouble predicting how these teams will stack up against each other. I don't think any of these teams have seen each other yet this year, aside from Twin Valley and North Penn last week at Briarwood. I think this meet comes down to Twin Valley and Council Rock South. We haven't seen CRS since Abington, where they were runners up, and Collin Ochs picked up the individual win. I think CRS can pull this out over Twin Valley if Ochs can continue to run well up towards the front. Individually, look for a great battle between Ochs, TV's Dylan Servis and Griffin Schlegel, Noah Demis, Alexander Ermold, Brandan Knepper, Jeffrey Love, and Jason Cornelison.
1-Twin Valley
2-Council Rock South
3-Mechanicsburg
1-Jeffrey Love
2-Alexander Ermold
3-Noah Demis
4-Brandan Knepper
5-Collin Ochs
Crimson Hawk Invitational-
Look for Indiana Area to really take control of this field. I expect the Budjos/Berzonsky duo to contend for a 1-2 finish, and that should carry them to a comfortable team title as well.
1-Budjos
2-Berzonsky
3-Zajicek
1-Indiana Area
2-Kiski Area
Penncrest Invitational-
Excited to see some D1 teams matchup at Penncrest this weekend. Lower Merion is entered, but they're also entered at Foundation, which is where I expect we'll find them. Outside of LM though, we've got some solid teams, including the hosts Penncrest, Methacton, and Haverford Township. This meet is going to give me some of the final clarity I need to set my district rankings in stone. This is both Penncrest's and Haverford's invitational 5k debut. Both of these teams have very solid pieces up at the front and through 5. These are the last teams that I think have shot to contend up at the front of the district that we have yet to see race. Both teams have the chance to shake up both the district and state rankings at this small invite on Saturday. Lastly, if Methacton can hang with these two big sleeper picks out of D1, I'll be impressed. Methacton picked up a solid win at Bulldog (Rose Tree) over just a decent field, but if they can run well this weekend they have a chance to bump up their stock in D1.
1-Haverford Township
2-Penncrest
3-Methacton
1-Patrick Theveny
2-Mike Donnelly
3-Evan Peetros
Sharpsville Blue Devil Invitational-
We've got some more good action out west for the teams that aren't making the trek out to Hershey this weekend. With teams like Harbor Creek, New Castle, and Cochranton expected, as well as some stellar out of state talent, this is shaping up to be a pretty competitive race. Up front, look for the HC duo of Weber and Starvaggi to hold off the likes of Freedom's Adam Hessler, breakout stars Justin Carlson and Daniel Ford, as well as New Castle's lowstick Anthony Litrenta. Despite not having a big gun up front, look for Norwin to contend for the team title in this one. Obviously, eyes will be on AA powerhouses New Castle and Harbor Creek to see how they stack up. Lastly, watch for Cochranton, one of the top A teams in PA right now.
1-Starvaggi
2-Hessler
3-Weber
4-Litrenta
5-Carlson
1-New Castle
2-Norwin
3-Harbor Creek
Foundation Invitational (Pre-States)-
Here we are, at probably the biggest meet of the entire season aside from the state championships (and the district championships). It is here, where we will get a look at the most complete, competitive fields in PA before they all come together to do battle in November. Per Penntrack's statewide team rankings, this meet will feature 5 of the top 8 teams in the state. Its crazy to think that a team here may finish 5th in an invitational, and will still be one of the elite teams in the entirety of Pennsylvania. Heck, there are teams here that will finish outside the top 10 of the Gold race, and will still likely advance to the state meet later on. Before we dive into that madness, lets breakdown our White and Blue races.
White Race (A):
Super excited about this one, because unlike AAA, this is just about everyone individually and team-wise that we expect to see at the front come November. We will finally get our first look at the race between the trio I've been hyping up all season. Jack Miller. Andrew Healey. Colton Sands. The A showdown. This might be the strongest competition we've had up at the front of A in awhile. There's not much to separate these 3, as they've all opened up their season with some great runs. I'm going to go with my gut here and say that Sands has had the hottest start, and he keeps it going for the win. Miller's experience will keep him towards the front, and Healey will be lurking. This is going to be fun to watch. As obviously stated before, this team race will come down to Jenkintown v Winchester Thurston. Is Jenkintown legit? Or is WT going to cruise to a state title?
1-Sands
2-Miller
3-Healey
4-Routledge
5-Kauffman
1-Winchester Thurston
2-Jenkintown
Blue Race (AA):
I keep saying each race is going to be wild, but I just can't decide which classification I'm most excited for. After both racing at Boardman, but in different divisions, we finally get the Powell versus Lewis matchup. Beyond that though, we get to throw in the likes of Price, Baublitz, Binda and Brown, Rome, and up and coming Logan Strouse, amogst a host of others. I think this pace is going to get pushed early and pushed hard, and the winning time won't be too far off of AAA. I think Lewis and Powell are going to separate themselves in the 3rd mile, with Lewis ultimately pulling away and sealing the win right before poop-out. This race should answer a lot of questions in AA. In this big of a field, I think Greensburg Salem's trio is going to get them the win, but don't sleep on General McLane, Grove City, and North East. The biggest potential contender to upset GS though, has to be York Suburban. They looked real solid at Ben Bloser.
1-Lewis
2-Powell
3-Baublitz
4-Price
5-Binda
1-Greensburg Salem
2-York Suburban
3-General McLane
Gold Race (AAA):
Here we are. As said, its probably the most firepower we'll see in a meet all season, outside of the state championships themselves. Headlined by 5 of the top 8 teams in the state, we'll see who truly emerges as actual title contenders after this weekend. Can North Allegheny respond to LaSalle's dominating performance at Briarwood? Can Seneca Valley and Mount Lebanon prove they can hang with NA as the top teams in the state? After dominating local competition, is State College a team that can really run with the best? And lastly, after blowing away D1 teams at Briarwood and finishing 2nd to LaSalle, is Great Valley truly one of the best teams in PA? Can they give Dwest a run for their money in D1? All of these questions should be answered after this weekend. Like I said in the intro to the article, its crazy to think that a team will finish 6th place in an invitational, and should walk away extremely happy with their performance. But lets take a look outside these top teams. I think outside of this top 5, there is another tier of teams that should be on everyone's watch list this weekend. Look for Upper Saint Clair, Owen J Roberts, Lower Merion, and Central Bucks East to fill out this top 10. USC has run very well and consistently finished 4th behind the aforementioned 3 WPIAL teams. OJR has not lost this season, and took down Twin Valley at Centaur earlier this year. Look for Linus Blatz to have a big day for them. Lower Merion will be making their debut, but they return tons of solid pieces, including 16:13/4:26 man Charlie Herrmann. Lastly, I know we've seen a lot of CB East already this year, but I think they're better than what they've shown. I think Endres needs to step up and a have a big personal race, but I'm not quite ready to count this team out.
Individually, we've been through this spiel before. Look for Kinne and McGoey to cement themselves as 1-2 finishers in the state. Though the battle I'm really looking forward to seeing is how Tyler Wirth and Christian McComb do against the rest of the westerners. Seeing these two match up with guys like Owori, Ketler, Anderson, and Fitch should be really exciting and give us an idea of what the top 5 at states may shape up to be like. I hope you guys are excited to see these races as I am!!
1-North Allegheny
2-Seneca Valley
3-State College
4-Mount Lebanon
5-Great Valley
6-Owen J Roberts
7-Upper Saint Clair
8-Lower Merion
9-Central Bucks East
10-Wallenpaupack
1-Kinne
2-McGoey
3-Fitch
4-Wirth
5-McComb
6-Ketler
7-Owori
8-Anderson
9-Leachman
10-Blatz
Thank you all for reading, and lets get hyped! I tried to drop this early so we could get some great discussion going leading up to it. Stay happy, stay healthy!
-The RunningHub
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