So as you probably now, Penntrack does a nice post about the top 8 times in each event so far this season, so I thought it might be cool to do my own version of it that is purely opinion based rather than purely time based. For the sake of simplicity, I assumed some people who did not yet have qualifying times would get them. In addition, I am comparing all runners at each event as if they were completely fresh. So let's do some analysis.
800m
1. Jeff Wiseman, Sr Council Rock South (1:52.72/1:57.09)
Wiseman is the top returner from last year's indoor state championship and that in itself would be enough to get a lot of people on this list. But this is far from the only reason to slot Wiseman at #1. Last spring Jeff established himself as one of the best runners in the state at mid-distance, running a 1:52.72 at Henderson and a 48.64 in the 400m. Few other guys in this field boast that kind of raw speed. He has continued that trend indoors running a flat track 1:57.09 and 50.73. As an added bonus, in Wiseman's career he has won a slew of incredibly close races, meaning he brings that extra umph necessary to win a state title.
2. Joe Logue, Sr Pennridge (1:51.59/1:58.17)
Logue won a state championship two years back when he anchored his Pennridge squad to an upset victory in the 4x8 and also grabbed state gold in the 4x4 last year indoors. Now he is looking to add an individual gold to his mantle. Logue has built quite an impressive resume for himself over the past few seasons. He notched a 1:51 PR at Henderson, added some quick 4x4 splits and even went up in distance and excelled, running an impressive 3:57.49 for 1500m which earned him a Penn Relays spot. He is a fantastic combination of strength and speed and has experience winning titles. He is no stranger to the big stage and will be ready to compete come states.
3. Zach Brehm, Jr Carlisle (1:54.40/-)
Brehm is easily the hardest guy to place on this list. He is coming off an outdoor season where he ran under 9:20, sub 4:10 in the mile and 1:54 in the 800m to claim the state title. He followed that up with an impressive XC season that included a 15:28 and a top 10 finish at states. Wow! The problem is it will be hard for the guys outside of District One to get in top training and top competition on a weekly basis, which may put Brehm at a disadvantage this indoor season. Carlisle hasn't had a medalist in the past 5 years and Brehm's indoor PR currently sits 2:14.31 (not including any fast splits). There have been top District 3 talents like Rotz and Kunzweiler who haven't been able to grab the title, but Brehm may be able to break the streak and bring the title back to the middle of the state.
4. Will Cather, Sr State College (1:55.53/1:56.9h)
Cather's biggest advantage coming into this race: he has a hometown crowd to support him. With the meet being held at Penn State, Cather will gain extra support from a supportive crowd. But it's not just the crowd that will help Cather, he has also established himself as one of the best up and coming talents on the distance scene. He has already qualified for states this season in the 400 and the 800 (with 1:56.9h that puts him atop the list), but he also has the potential to qualify in the Mile and the 3k (as he did last season). This would be a nearly unprecedented feat. Cather's range is clearly superb and he is clearly a gutsy runner: he fought his way to 25th at XC states, just edging out the last medal spot, and he also ran a strong race out of the slow heats at states last year to grab an indoor medal.
5. Jon Lewis, Jr Cheltenham (1:54.93/1:57.19)
Lewis started off his indoor season by coming within a tenth of a second of our #1 on this list, Jeff Wiseman. He has been on the quiet side since, but he did drop a 49.1 at the Armory in the 400m and ran some power legs on 4x4 and 4x2 relays for the state leaders: Cheltenham. A lot of Lewis's achievements over the years (including a 48.79 PR at 400m) indicate that he may opt for the sprints over the distance, but Lewis has made it clear his true love is the 800m. He ran a huge leg on the Cheltenham 4x8 last year and raced long into the summer to grab a 1:54.93 open 8 PR. Lewis may lack a little experience at the top of the 800m scene in PA, but he is learning quickly and appears to be on the verge of a break out season. He is a sleeper pick for the title come season's end.
6. Billy Caldwell, Sr Downingtown East (1:55.12/2:00.57)
Caldwell has been one to watch ever since he began to emerge on the team's relays last year. He ran a pair of brilliant legs at Districts to get his team to states and once he got there, his third leg brought DTEast on to the medal stand. Caldwell followed it up by finishing 7th outdoors in the 800m for his first individual state medal. He was a sleeper pick last year, but this year he is on everyone's radar and so to his DTEast relay squad. Caldwell has been working hard on improving his mile strength and is among the state leaders in this category as well, so we may not get to see him at this event come states, but if we do, we will see a gutsy runner with a lot of talent and heart.
7. Alek Sauer, Jr Pennsbury (1:56.85/1:57.17)
Sauer opened up his season with a blazing 1:57.17 800m up at the Armory to suddenly catapult himself into the state title conversation. As just a sophomore, Sauer developed into a huge contributor to the Pennsbury relays, running some huge 4x8 legs for the squad as they worked their way to bronze in the 4x8. Although Sauer wasn't the big name on the relay with state medalists like Sam Webb and Connor Harriman on the team, Sauer ended the season as the best 800m man out of them all. Now, as he makes the signature sophomore to junior jump, he is looking to build off a sub 16 XC season and head towards an upset in the 800m.
8. Jim Belfatto, Sr O'Hara (1:55.19/1:59.96)
Belfatto has done it all over his career. He has run on some fantastic XC teams, some great relays indoors, and was a key leg on O'Hara's Penn Relays squad from a year ago. But he is still hungry for more. Belfatto, who has range from in the low 9:20s for 3200m all the way down to 1:55 in the open 800m. He ran a 1:54 split for his DMR at Nationals a year ago as well. Belfatto has always been willing to sacrifice individual glory in pursuit of team achievements, so like our previous couple runners, we may not get to see him compete for a state title this season, but he and the O'Hara boys are always dangerous on the big stage.
Honorable Mention
Dylan Wilhoite, Sr Penn Hills
Frank Brophy, Sr CB East
More to Come!
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