District 11 Team Rankings

Lets take a closer look at how the team race will shape up this fall in District 11!

D11 A: (SQ Spots: 1)
1- Moravian Academy
I was ready to write another basic paragraph about how Notre Dame ES was poised to repeat for their title because they had the best group of returners. However, without looking great on paper, Moravian Academy showed up at the Lions Invitational and absolutely torched the defending champs, beating them by nearly 200 points. They averaged 19:38, which, for an early season small school, is not a bad performance. There are many other schools, like Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah Valley, and Marian Catholic that will make this team race interesting, but I felt obliged to slide Moravian into the lone state spot right now.

D11 AA: (SQ Spots: 2)
1- Bangor Area
Similar to the A field, we got a great preview of the district matchups in AA at the Lions Invitational. Those results are what allowed Bangor to snag the top spot in the rankings, winning over the next AA team in D11 by over 10 points. Bangor has a great duo in Marino Bubba and Morgan O'Brien that I think is going to be very hard to beat from a team perspective if Bangor can tighten up their spread. The drop off to their 3-4-5 is their biggest weakness, and if any of those 3 see a jump, Bangor can seal up this district title.

2-Jim Thorpe
The team that fell 12 points short of Bangor still finds themselves slotted in the 2nd state spot for now. Jim Thorpe used a much more balanced attack to their racing, utilizing a spread that was half the size of Bangor's. I think Jim Thorpe has a group that can go toe to toe for the district championship, but I feel that until they can have any sort of front runner to counteract Bubba and O'Brien, I think Jim Thorpe will struggle to secure a district championship.

3-Blue Mountain
The first team out of the state spots for now, is Blue Mountain. However, that could change very quickly. They have an excellent runner up front in Kevin Haas that was able to break up the Bangor duo, and while the BM boys fell short at Lions, they are the best returning team on paper. I think if Coltin Albitz, the team's clear cut #2, can slowly find himself moving up closer and closer to Haas up front, this team will be able to take down Bangor. Both teams are structured very similarly, and it will be a battle of the depth (or lack thereof) to see how this district race shapes up. This will be an exciting one that I think leaves one pretty solid team home from Hershey.

D11 AAA (SQ Spots:2)
1- Parkland
While I think this will be one of the stronger years for the district in recent memory, I still feel comfortable about slotting Parkland in as the clear favorites. They looked incredibly solid at PTXC, and were the top PA team in a very, very talented field. I think Williamson is a medal threat this year, and Bower is looking like a great #2 man. I think this is a top 5 team in AAA right now. As good as they are, I wouldn't say their district title is completely safe, but they are the runaway favorites as of now.

2- Easton
While Northampton times are known for being very fast, its hard not to deny that Easton's performance was impressive. Finishing just off of CB East for the team title, Easton has a lot to be excited about (though it should be noted that Parkland dismantled CB East at PTXC). Ozgar and Cardone look like they could at least hang with Bower if they are looking to truly have a shot at Parkland. Throw in sophomore Trey Rhinehart, and Easton might have a top 3 that can take Parkland. Easton remains solid through 4 with the younger Cardone brother, but a lack of a 5th man is where they will struggle mightily against a top tier program like Parkland. As long as their top guys can keep themselves at the front of races, it should be enough for the Easton boys to get out of this semi-crowded district.

3- Liberty
We've already discussed how many A and AA teams represented D11 at the Lion's Invitational. Well, AAA Liberty showed up and handily defeated the entirety of the field. Putting 3 in the top 10 and 5 in the top 31, Liberty delivered a performance that was strong enough to at least put their name on the board for possible qualifiers. Having run on a slower course, with Easton dropping blazing times on the Northampton course, the teams may not look comparable, but this is not a team to be ignored. It's a long season, and each runner in Liberty's scoring five has a decent individual resume. There was something about Liberty's win that I felt deserved some recognition, so for now, they sit one team away from a state qualifying position.

4- Stroudsburg
On paper, this team is as good as any in the district based off of returners. However, as many of us know, in this sport, that means nothing until we see results. However, I felt compelled to keep Stroudsburg in this top tier of teams. Resembling Easton, Stroudsburg found themselves towards the top of the Northampton meet through a strong top 3, and then a drop off to a distant 4th and 5th men. Truthfully, they hung right with Easton, but their top 3 just came up a little short of the top 10 finishes that Easton was able to deliver, and that was where they fell off. I think on any given day, Stroudsburg could have a shot at beating Easton, but I think in general, they have some improvements to make. From what I've seen, it will take a perfect performance from this squad to beat Liberty and Easton and grab a state qualifier, which is why they sit back in 4th. However, I don't think its impossible, which is why I still kept them included in this list.