Team Rankings: Week Four

By Jarrett Felix

Here's a little team ranking action to supplement the top 50.

1. Downingtown West

2. Central Bucks West

3. North Allegheny

4. LaSalle

5. West Chester Henderson

6. Mount Lebanon

7. State College

8. Hempfield

9. York Suburban

10. Germantown Friend's School

Props to Hershey, Owen J, Dallas, and Winchester Thurston who were among the near misses.

I've said this a variety of times already, but the top three teams seem to be quite clear cut as things stand. DT West has three of the best runners in the state and they had 8 guys break 17 at Carlisle this weekend. It's hard to argue they aren't huge favorites at this point in the season considering their wealth of talent and proven track record at Hershey and other state championship meets. 

North Allegheny wowed at Pre States and justifiably have received a lot of positive press as a result. Their top 3 has come along nicely and they too have an incredible amount of depth, with TJ Robinson among the names prepared to step up from JV if called upon. But I still think CB West is the #2. If their top five is on, there is no weak link there and they can get five in the top 50. Fortna has the ability to match up with most teams front runners and Mass is emerging as a real talent as well. Iatorola (who's name I can't spell) was also in the top 50 at states last year as a sophomore and he's been rotating through the 3-4-5 type positions. NA certainly handled LaSalle better than CBW when you compare the relative results, but at Briarwood LaSalle was on their pseudo home course and better rested. Plus it was a smaller meet with less points to go around and less front running to help give Fortna and Mass an edge. The Tigers are really good, but so are the Bees. That's not their logo it's just Matt Bee's last name so I figured I'd use it.

LaSalle's only losses have come to top 3 squads and they have a strong pack. Lebo had an under the radar strong run at Pre States and if they get a #5 a bit closer to their excellent top 4, they could be a game changer. Let's not forget about Hempfield. I missed seeing their varsity squad at states, but this team has had a long term focus from day one. I think they peak at the right moment.

Henderson and GFS will always generate buzz because of their excellent program history. They each have a real talented front runner to give them an edge in bigger races and some younger, less experienced runners rounding into form. Henderson hasn't wowed me just yet, but that may be coming sooner rather than later. I'd like to see GFS mix it up with some top flight PIAA teams, but that moment may not come until NXN. 

State College had a tough day at Pre States, but I think it was a valuable learning experience on a difficult course. They had a lot of positives despite finishing 5th, including a great run from Feffer and Isham and Daubenspeck in the JV race. I haven't forgotten how strong they looked at Spiked Shoe. 

As for York Suburban, putting them in the 9 slot may be a little bold (they could still use a bit more at the 5 spot), but in a slower paced race they really dominated the AA scene. And this is the second straight year this squad has come out and run at a high level. Doubt them at your own risk. 

Etrain MVPs for the past two weeks (similar to my last edition of the rankings)

DT West: Josh Hoey

CB West: Brian Mass 

North Allegheny: Sam Blechman

LaSalle: Frank Livolsi

WC Henderson: Jack Downing

Mount Lebanon: Todd Gunzenhauser

State College: Nick Feffer

Hempfield: Coby Mattes

York Suburban: Bryce Ohl

GFS: Nick Dahl