District Week: District 12 Preview

By Jarrett Felix

A (2 Teams, 10 Individuals)
Historically, this district has been dominated by Masterman and forecasting ahead to 2015 it doesn’t appear that will change. In fact, given the relative strength of the competition it looks like Masterman (who was one runner from a perfect score last year) could get their sweep this time around with a 1-5 finish by their varsity. Masterman lost at Philly Public Leagues to Central (apparently the first time in 8 years they were defeated), but Central moves up in classifications clearing the way for Masterman to dominate at this level. It looks like Motivation will be taking the other state spot over last year’s qualifiers Paul Robeson behind Josue Marcelin who seems like a safe bet for a top 10 finish on race day.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know much about district 12 A so I’m certainly winging it in the back half of my picks. It’s obvious Masterman will come to play as they have in the past and, assuming I have the classifications correct, keep an eye on Lounsberry from Bishop McDevitt to make noise within the front pack. The real story here revolves around the state implications for Masterman as a team and their front runner Joe Previdi, who could potentially be a top 10 man in A (or maybe even top 5). Previdi has flat out dominated a variety of races this year with his only real challenge coming at Foundation when he was edged out by Clouse (and beaten fairly handily by Mackey). This guy also is well trained and excels on hills so he could be the perfect pick for an upset type run at states. We will see how he sets the tone in this one.

1. Masterman
2. Motivation

1
Joe
Previdi
Masterman
Sr
2
Per
Loufman
Masterman
Sr
3
Daniel
Bici
Masterman
So
4
Manfred
Thomas
Masterman
Sr
5
Robert
Sim
Masterman
Jr
6
J
Lounsberry
Bishop McDevitt
So
7
Josue
Marcelin
Motivation
Jr
8
DJ
Frenchj
Paul Robeson
Sr
9
Darren
Chen
Masterman
Jr
10
Jesus
Gil
Creative and Performing Arts
Sr
11
Declan
Murphy
Masterman
12
David
Lawerence
Masterman
13
Tamir
Green
Constitution
Jr
14
Josh
Grant
Freire Charter
Jr
15
Anthony
Harrison
Freire Charter
Jr
16
Markeese
Dennis
Walter D Plamer
So
17
James
Morales
Creative and Performing Arts
Jr
18
Homza
Toure
Walter D Plamer
Jr
19
Evan
Langlinais
Walter D Plamer
Fr

AA (2 Teams, 10 Individuals)
So I alluded to this team race on my first podcast of the year (small shout to those who have been listening), but I mentioned how in the early season Bonner didn’t have a full five runners which meant the multi-defending champions were vulnerable and possible on the verge of being left out of the qualifying picture. However, at PCLs they got on the scoreboard for the first time and a solid performance from the pack behind their top dog Sean Sullivan confirmed the team as favorites for states. They could have a bit of a trouble at the 5 spot, but most of these teams are not particularly deep and Bonner clearly has the best front running, especially through the top three that includes Dave Whifield and Steve Cromity behind Sullivan. I’ve got Bonner running away with the title in this one.

After that it gets a tad more interesting. You have Science Leadership from the Public League and the PCL squads Archbishop Carroll and Lansdale Catholic who all could potentially find themselves in contention for a state spot. And, because of the 10 individual qualifying spots, in theory all four teams could qualify for states (although that is incredibly, incredibly unlikely). Carroll and Lansdale Catholic will need to get a boost from the back end of their rotation but these teams are very close (they finished within a point of each other at leagues. Carroll has the better front running with the Fohner brothers, but LC has a tighter pack.

However, I don’t think either of those teams will advance as I’m projected Science Leadership as my team qualifier #2. Desmond O’Donovan is an excellent front runner who should at least give Sullivan a bit of push while Javier Peraza has had a nice season in the #2 spot. If their two freshman (the Ruiz brothers) have a strong showing this team should get the job done with the past overall pack. If the freshman fold a bit under the pressure, the catholic league teams will be waiting.

As mentioned, I think Sullivan is going to run away with this one and set himself up as a medal contender at states. This guy has been money dating back to last indoor track season and I don’t anticipate that changing any time soon. He could get the team’s best finish at states since Will McDermott. Meanwhile, O’Donovan and Matthew Fohner are other top contenders, leading some top teams with realistic state goals. I think those three are a relatively safe bet for top 3 and the Bonner boys, Whitfield and Cromity, will also likely mix it up to finish among the leaders.

1. Bonner
2. Science Leadership
3. Lansdale Catholic
4. Archbishop Carroll

1
Sean
Sullivan
Bonner
Sr
2
Desmond
O'Donovan
Science Leadership
Sr
3
Matthew
Fohner
Archbishop Carroll
Sr
4
David
Whitfield
Bonner
Jr
5
Javier
Peraza
Science Leadership
Sr
6
Steve
Cromity
Bonner
Sr
7
Dan
Fohner
Archbishop Carroll
Fr
8
Joe
Madden
Lansdale Catholic
Sr
9
Patrick
Burnham
Lansdale Catholic
Jr
10
Cinque
Harris
Science Leadership
So
11
Andrew
Danielson
Lansdale Catholic
Jr
12
Jack
Sullivan
Bonner
Sr
13
Joseph
Clay
Archbishop Carroll
So
14
Richard
Chekay
Conwell-Egan
Jr
15
Jeremy
Capella
Conwell-Egan
Fr
16
Joseph
Sirianni
Lansdale Catholic
Sr
17
Camilo
Ruiz
Science Leadership
Fr
18
Sergio
Ruiz
Science Leadership
Fr
19
Zayyir
Paulhill
Boys Latin
Fr
20
Raheem
Naughty
Boys Latin
Sr

AAA (2 Teams, 10 Individuals)
Alright, don’t get me wrong, District 12 AAA deserves two teams. It would be absurd to leave a top 10 team in the state home every year, which is what almost consistently was happening before the change. But I will say, this does make for a somewhat unexciting qualifying race this year. I would be absolutely shocked if D12 isn’t sending O’Hara and LaSalle to states again in 2015 and my gut says each team’s 8th guy could probably qualify for states out of this district individually if they went to another school.

The battle between the two teams could be a bit more interesting if O’Hara’s 3-4-5 pack get run closer to their performance at DELCOs. LaSalle dominated at PCLs, packing things in very tight after O’Hara rolled to 1-2. O’Hara took 1-2-3 against (what I consider) a worse LaSalle team last year and still didn’t win the district so it’s going to be very hard for them to win this year, even with the 1-2 punch projected to take the top spots again. And I have to admit, LaSalle has had their fair share of sick district performances. In 2012 they qualified for states as a team by taking the 5 non-O’Hara individual spots and Tom Coyle came back from injury to win the District. In 2014 they had an absurd come from behind victory, winning despite being 1-2-3ed in one of the smallest districts in AAA. That’s a pair of amazing runs. Assuming they win again, the real pressure will be on this team for states where they had their fair share of struggles in 2014 both on the trails and on the track.

Of course, O’Hara is a solid team and could potentially surprise. They are working hard to stay in the conversation for top 5-10 at states and it’s still possible if their 3-4-5 can push their way up the pack. I think they will improve on their PCL performance and keep this a race, especially if they inject some fresh blood from the JV race where some of their back end guys were impressive and ran hungry.

Individually, James and Morro should take this one in some order. They have basically traded the #1 spot back and forth this year so it’s possible Ryan takes the district title this time around. Last year, the squad’s top 3 held back, doing just enough to sweep the top spots, so with James and Morro as heavy favorites, we could see a similar strategy employed. That being said, the way Eddie Goebel has been running in his last two races, I wouldn’t suggest playing any games. Goebel took 3rd at PCLs after a fantastic run at Manhattan and will be gunning for a medal at states, which would be huge for LaSalle’s podium chances. Sophomore Evan Addison and Junior Stephen Paul should contend for top five spots as well for LaSalle who has a great amount of rotation depth. Frank Livolsi continues to consistently deliver as a top five scorer and Brendan Price and Patrick Grant could easily swap in to the scoring rotation and have big days. With those six and Casmusi, even an off day or two shouldn’t stop this train from rolling.

Tyler Zwicharowski from Roman Catholic had an awesome run at PCLs that he will work hard to duplicate this time around with a state qualifying spot on the line. I actually think his teammate Sean Brown could be the sleeper pick this time around as a contender for a top 5-10 spot. Kyle Ortiz from Archbishop Wood has also had a nice season and should contend well with the top group. Central’s duo of Christopher Carson and Natron Moore ran quite well in the shadow of Joe Previdi at Public Leagues and are riding the high of a league victory. They should be the top finishers for the Public League in this one and are sleeper contenders in a deeper race to be pulled to much faster times. Also watch for Jhon Zapata of Northeast who has contended well at District championships in the past and could snag an individual qualifying spot for himself this year.

1. LaSalle
2. O'Hara

1
Ryan
James
O'Hara
Jr
2
Rob
Morro
O'Hara
Sr
3
Eddie
Goebel
LaSalle
Sr
4
Evan
Addison
LaSalle
So
5
Stephen
Paul
LaSalle
Jr
6
Joe
Piscano
St. Joe's Prep
Sr
7
Sean
Brown
Roman Catholic
Jr
8
Frank
Livolsi
LaSalle
Sr
9
Patrick
Grant
LaSalle
Sr
10
Tyler
Zwicharowski
Roman Catholic
Jr
11
Patrick
James
O'Hara
Jr
12
Billy
Donovan
O'Hara
Jr
13
Brendan
Price
LaSalle
Jr
14
Kyle
Ortiz
Archbishop Wood
Sr
15
Gavin
Inglis
O'Hara
Jr
16
Nick
Casmusi
LaSalle
Sr
17
Christopher
Carson
Central
So
18
Natron
Moore
Central
Sr
19
Andrew
Lombardi
O'Hara
Sr
20
Andrew
Flinn
Archbishop Wood
Jr
21
Luke
McCoy
Roman Catholic
Jr
22
Quentin
Francis
O'Hara
Sr
23
Jhon
Zapata
Northeast
Sr
24
Joey
Console
St. Joe's Prep
Jr
25
Patrick
Lawson
Archbishop Ryan
Sr

 

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