Week One Recap Part II

Huge thank you to those who sent results to us to post on the site. I really appreciate your support!
The next edition of the Top 50 list will be posted tomorrow at some point. I will also address the ideas poll sometime later this week to set up some of our leagues/competitions/whatever we decide to call them. So stay tuned.

Remember you can check out the first round of recaps here: Part One including Oakbourne, Viking, Big Valley and Cliff Robbins.

Gateway Invitational
Defending champion Jake Susalla was not in the race which opened the door for Baldwin standout Casey Conboy to take home the title by a convincing 30+ second margin. Conboy seemed poised in the preseason to be an X-factor in the individual WPIAL title race and has gotten off to a nice start here in 2015.

The team title race was very competitive and the boys from Norwin pulled out what was perhaps a surprise victory over more established XC teams like Fox Chapel and Baldwin (2nd and 3rd). Norwin ended up placing three in the top five overall behind Matt O'Neill and Tyler Laughery (solid 800m man last year). Norwin won the 4x800m at WPIALs this past spring and seems to be a team on the rise in 2015. I like the momentum they have gained in the last few months and am excited to see if they contend for a state qualifying spot.

Fox Chapel had a variety of finishers in the Top 50 at states including a run of four straight years dating back to Ethan Martin's sophomore campaign. That means you should keep an eye on Brendan Urso this fall. He finished 4th this past weekend.

River Trail XC Invitational
Last year's champs West Mifflin had the top individual finisher in Zac Schrott, who likely learned a lot from his teammates last year. However, it was Serra Catholic who grabbed team gold behind a top five finish from Noah Kinser. Behind Schrott was a great performance by Jacob Hebda of Elizabeth Forward.

McDowell Invitational
The McDowell Invite was quietly one of the most exciting meets of opening weekend as we had the opportunity to see a variety of surprises, newcomers and old favorites. The individual winner was North Clarion's Isaac Wilson. Wilson was 22nd at states last year after taking silver at the District 9 Championships (behind a stud in Liam Raehsler). Wilson should be among the competitors for a top 10 spot at states in "A" and is among the best runners in his division outside the stacked WPIAL.

Rising Junior Connor Walsh, who just missed a medal last year at A states, took 2nd place in a surprise finish. He and Wilson both beat out a variety of state medalists at the "A" level including Noah Curtin of Mercyhurst Prep (7th at McDowell), Phoenix Meyers of Seneca (15th), Devan Cavanaugh of Coudersport (13th), Brad Amy (16th) and Donovan Meyers.

Jake Lehotsky of Fort Lebeouf (52nd at AA States last year) took third place honors in a strong showing in this quality field. Logan Caruso, rising sophomore from Bradford had an excellent day as well, finishing in 6th. But Harbor Creek, the team that produced AA freshman medalist Christian Babo in 2014, had two freshmen in the top  at this meet with Rya Stravaggi and Aiden Weber taking 5th and 8th.

In the team race, Allerdice took home the title with three in the top twelve overall. That sets the District 8 squad up nicely to start the season and is a great sign heading into the year. In the A battle Seneca managed to beat out their district rivals Mercyhurst Prep behind a solid pack performance (they put 5 in front of Mercyhurst's 3). I like Seneca's pack and their potential to continue to improve as the Meyers twins round into form as front runners. Jimmy Zimmerman had a fantastic day for Mercyhurst Prep as well. Keep an eye on him this fall.

Don't sleep on Saegertown either. The former stand champs were suprisingly bounced at Districts last year but with Fleishcer and Amy (as well as Garrett Johnston) this time has the pieces to make a run.

Lock Haven Bear Mountain Invitational
Out of state Archbishop Curley handled business at the front, but second place overall came from Warrior Run's Cassidy Hoffman, who ran a fantastic 16:26 for top PA honors. Hoffman was a solid freshman on a strong, underrated Warrior Run team in 2014 and has clearly made a great jump over the summer. With Griffin Molino graduating this spring, the District 4 title race in A becomes much more interesting. NEB likely houses a couple of the favorites (they have 3 of the top 4 returners), but if Hoffman keeps running like this and continues to improve he should be in the mix for gold.

Great runs by the boys from St. Joesph's including Eli Urban and Michael Peters who finished 5th and 6th overall. They also had a frosh in Kaelan wright who took home 16th place. That was enough to get the D6 squad top PA honors in the meet.

Northampton Invitational
Once again an out of state team came into PA borders and took control of the race with Severna Park (winners at Pre States last year I believe) taking 4 of the top 6 spots overall. Will Alpaugh of Freedom earned top PA honors with his third place run. Alpaugh was solid last year during XC, but really came into his own on the track last spring when he ran low 4:20s in the 1600m. I labeled him as a sleeper in the preseason top 50 rankings (he finished just off the list in favor of teammate Dan Quigley), but this race proves he is ready to be a contender in his own right.

Awesome run from Hudson Delisle as well. The soph from Quakertown was sub at 800m as just a freshman last year and has shown the ability to translate it to the trails with a 7th place finish. Fellow 800m standout Brett Wolfinger impressed as well, taking 9th. Despite those runs, DT East earned top PA team honors over Quakertown in this one. It should be fun to see how East fits in to the very complicated landscape that is the Chesmont. They have a nice pack of runners (significantly better spread than their closest competitors) and that's what got them the nod in this one.

If you are looking for sleepers in your local fantasy league, check out Carl Fortna. He finished 5th in this one for Fleetwood Area (ran AA last year). Fortna was 38th in D3 last fall, missing out on a state spot, but this year he is off to a fast start and seems like a good bet to significantly improve on last year's performance.

Cal U Invitational
At the very difficult Cal University course, the Mount Lebanon boys started off their season in impressive fashion, placing their top 4 runners in the top 6 overall behind Ian Harris's runner up finish (2nd overall behind Miner of West Virginia). It was enough to give Lebo a comfortable victory in this one with a solid 59 second spread. Sophomore Bryce Brandenstein took 3rd place overall and 3200m stand out Todd Gunzenhauser finished 5th. Josh Kalapos, who really came out quickly at the end of last season, was the team's #4 in 6th. This was a nice start for Lebo and encouraging to see such a great top 4.

Fantastic run by Pine Richland's Rusty Batykefer, who was just 79th at WPIALs last fall, but came into September ready to make it a great senior year. He started off with a bang, finishing 4th overall. He struggled in XC in the past, but really shined on the track last spring when he dropped all the way to 4:29 in the 1600m. It's fantastic to see things clicking for him in cross country.

Hornet Harrier Invitational
If you look back at my team previews, you may have noticed that I put particular emphasis on how incredibly stacked the "A" WPIAL race should be in 2015. Basically every team is returning a slew of talent, and that wasn't even including Shenango, who showcased an awesome squad in their opening meet, winning the Hornet Harrier Invite over Hickory. The top 3 for Shenango really set the stage, with two in the top 5 and another at 11 (Waldschmidt, Salem and Campbell).

Ryuji Mano beat out Zac Tingley in a bit of a surprise finish. Mano failed to make it out of D10 "A" state qualifying last year in XC. Tingley, as just a freshman, was 13th last year at Districts and adds his name to what could potentially be a thrilling field of young, up and coming stars in 2015. This is a real wild card of a district on paper right now and should be interesting to follow as the season progresses.

LVC Invitational
Joe Piscano of St. Joe's Prep returned to this meet with running mate Isiah Fisher (the two took 1-2 last year) and delivered with a 16:22 victory over Nate Frierson of Milton Hershey. This is an excellent start to the year for Piscano who, as I mentioned in my preview, is an underrated XC talent in the PCL. It should be fun to see him mix it up with the LaSalle and O'Hara packs in 2015.

In a tight team battle, Milton Hershey edged out Palmyra and Cocalico to take the team title behind Nate Frierson and Henry Mercedes. The team was led by 5 seniors. Hershey was 6th last year in AA for D3 while Palmyra rode a strong pack to a top 3 finish and advanced on to states. These two teams will likely be fighting hard for the 3rd state spot again this year as York Suburban (defending state champs) and Wyomissing (ranked by the milesplit coaches poll) are both in house.

Cocalico is a AAA school and will have their hands full in what is always a loaded district, but they looked great in their opener at LVC. Freshman Evan Kreider looked impressive in his debut for this squad who can potentially dramatically improve on last year's district placing.

Enos Yeager
In what was set to be a tight battle between Carlisle and host Chambersburg, Enos Yeager did not disappoint. Carlisle got the edge 34-44 behind a 1-2 finish from Matt Wisner and Isaac Kole. Kole is an interesting development as he really shined in a moment when Carlisle most needed him. Plus freshman Jack Wisner (Matt's little brother perhaps) finished in the top 10 in his season debut. Carlisle, who looked fairly depleted headed into the year with Brehm and DeAngelo moving on, seems ready to reload and compete again for a state qualifying spot. Chambersburg looked strong with a tight pack, but ultimately the 3-4-5 of Carlisle edged the 4-5 of Chambersburg by enough to let the front runners of Carlisle take control of the victory.

Wisner's individual win came in a close battle with Gettysburg's Dan Filler. Both men ran 12:46, but ultimately Wisner's 800m speed prevailed over Filler's excellent ability on the trails. I really like the race for both guys as Wisner seems comfortable in his role as team leader and Filler seems like he is in great shape and running with a strong mix of competitiveness and ability. Both guys could be on the road to big years.

Lions Invitational
HG Prep got off to a strong start at the Lions Invite behind a powerful 1-2 punch of Callahan Lennon and Patrick Donahue. The duo ran excellent out front and the pack behind them filed into places 11, 19 and 27 to grab the team title of Notre Dame Green Pond. It's a great start for Holy Ghost in what will surely be the group of death this year: D1 AA.

Also worth noting, Joe Espinal of Wilson got the win over Lennon in a strong 16:17. The 1:55 runner continues to improve his strength and that will hopefully benefit him at the state championships in AA.

Other Notes
Griffin Mackey ran a 15:48 in Texas for Sewickley Academy, placing 12th in what was clearly a fast race. Jack DiCintio of Wyomissing raced at the Lehigh Invitational, a collegiate event, over 6,000m and held his own, running 20:13.3 and placing in the top 25 overall. Spring Ford looked very impressive in their opening tri meet against Bonner and Upper Darby, taking the top 4 spots overall in the race behind sophomore Zachary Smith. Canon-Mac looked fantastic in their opener at the Bede Invitational as well.