By Jarrett Felix
My dad went to Bloomsburg so I mean.
A (2 Teams 5 Individuals)
Northeast Bradford has been dominant in this division for the past few years and they were state champions as recently as 2012 (the first three division state championship). NEB was actually my pick to win states a year ago, but they ended up a hard fought 3rd place. This season, with Levi Upham and Garrett Smith each on the roster and each having state medal aspirations, they have a nice 1-2 punch. Casey Ellis has really come on strong in 2015 to round out the top 3 while freshman Zak Smith has found a role in the scoring group as well. You could make the argument through 5 guys, this is the best A team in the state. However, their front runners will really have to show something at districts if they are going to jump into the state title discussion.
Team #2 is going to be a real wild card. I must say I'm blissfully unprepared to be picking a second team as I feel like a variety of squads have the potential to grab the honors. Last year's silver medalists Warrior Run will be in contention on race day. Sophomore Cassidy Hoffman has had a breakout season for this team and should be in the mix for a top 3 finish at districts. Dallas Blicksley was a key contributor on last year's impressive squad and comes back to bolster the 2 spot. However, there are some question marks within the pack.
That has opened the door for a variety of new contenders to emerge. At Shikellamy Boosters Invitational, both Southern Columbia and Loyalsock Township were able to edge out Warrior Run in the team standings thanks, in part, to a superior #5 man or a better pack overall. It was a bigger meet than we will see at Districts (the AA and A teams were all in this one together) but this could still be some foreshadowing of what is on the horizon at districts. Southern Columbia has the best pack and has a strong contender out front in freshman Ethan Knoebel. Their #2 was a bit back of Ethan and is also a freshman, Jacob Petro (this is the third different J Pedro to run for SC). The key members of this squad's top five are younger guys who will have to prove themselves on the big stage. That opens the door for Loyalsock, a distant 10th last year, who has gotten a huge boost from the addition of Ryan Sullivan as well the continued development of sophomore Quinn Serfass. They have some depth questions of their own, similar to Warrior Run, but they could be the surprise team of the championships if things break right.
Individually, Hunter Crawley will be looking to pick up where Griffin Molino, his graduated teammate, left off and give South Williamsport (who doesn't even have an official XC program mind you) a third straight title. He's the top returner from a year ago and seems to have taken a big step forward, highlighted with a run in the low 16s at Paul Short. He was also second at Shikellamy behind AA Isaac Davis (more on him later) and almost a minute faster than his closest A competition, Cassidy Hoffman. Keegan Beard may be the best hope to challenge Crawley for the title. He beat the NEB monster at NTL and seems to be trending upward heading into districts.
AA (1 Team, 5 Individuals)
I'm pretty sad District 4 AA only sends one team to the state mean, mainly because that means just five individuals will be able to punch tickets to states. That meant Jack Spaulding and Nicholas Alico from Lewisburg and Isaac Davis from Jersey Shore had to stay home last year. Which is a massive bummer considering those guys could have used the extra experience this time around. The good news: I expect all three of those gentlemen to leave districts this time around flaunting gold medals.
Last year's time title race was won, going away, by a super talented Mt Caramel team that seemed like a smart bet for top five at states, even among a very crowded field. With that squad graduating three of their top four runners, Lewisburg Area moved into the favorite position and has delivered. With their entire top six returning, including a trio of rising juniors at the front, Lewisburg has taken a mini leap this season. At Shikellamy this past weekend, the team looked extremely impressive. Bach and Alico each finished in the top five AA spots at the meet, with Bach taking third overall. Jack Spaulding finished 14th overall (9th AA) and Leander Shaffer was 19th. Their five was a bit farther back which made the scores a bit more interesting, but he was still the fastest #5 in the field. With that dangerous top three and a consistently improving Bach out front, I have a tough time picking against Lewisburg to get back to states.
I'll keep an eye on Mifflinburg to see if they can bounce back and give this team a challenge. Quincy Amabile will set the tone out front, hopefully competing for a top 2 spot individually and giving Bach and Alico a challenge. Bradley Haines and Daniel Marks have been solid in the 2-3 spot this year, but they will need to mix it up with Spaulding (who beat them by 20 seconds last week) to keep this team in contention. If Mifflinburg is off their game, a trio of teams will be waiting to jump them in the standings: Danville, Jersey Shore and Milton. Although Danville and Jersey Shore bested Milton at Shikellamy, I think Milton might be the best team. They don't have quite the same front running, but sophomore Tyler Lesser is really talented, not to mention Seth Kendall has some nice potential. They had just five finishers at Booster and that hurt them in the standings, but I saw a lot from this squad during track season and I think they can rebound under the spotlight of districts.
Individually, I've said this before and I will repeat it here for emphasis: Isaac Davis is really good. He dominated at the district meet site earlier this season, running away with the preview invitational title. Then this past weekend he continued his dominance, nearly cracking 16 mintues and beating out Hunter Crawley by roughly 20 seconds. Davis, who is just a sophomore, is running amazingly well in 2015. I think he dominates this field and could potentially have a big day at states, depending on how he handles the Hershey hills (not sure he has ever faced them before). Amabile is a super talented track runner who I think will give Davis a nice challenge at districts. We saw his potential at Big Spring earlier this year when he placed in the top five or so mixing it up with guys like Signor and Mears. Joe Malafronte from Danville has also had an excellent individual season, particularly shining at Foundation Invite. He's a strength runner with a lot of talent and a team that seems to be on the rise. This program should peak well for districts.
Lastly, don't sleep on David Fletcher from the defending champs Mount Caramel. Fletcher ran 1:55 on the track for the second straight year last spring and was the runner up behind Peretta at 800m. He also ran a gutsy leg on anchor for the MC 4x800. He was 8th at this meet last year and bolstered his XC resume with a 4th place finish at Shikellamy, ahead of guys like Malafronte and Amabile who I just touted. If things are close at the end, it's hard to imagine Fletcher not putting on the kick and getting to the line first.
Individually, Hunter Crawley will be looking to pick up where Griffin Molino, his graduated teammate, left off and give South Williamsport (who doesn't even have an official XC program mind you) a third straight title. He's the top returner from a year ago and seems to have taken a big step forward, highlighted with a run in the low 16s at Paul Short. He was also second at Shikellamy behind AA Isaac Davis (more on him later) and almost a minute faster than his closest A competition, Cassidy Hoffman. Keegan Beard may be the best hope to challenge Crawley for the title. He beat the NEB monster at NTL and seems to be trending upward heading into districts.
| 1. NE Bradford | 2. Warrior Run | 3. Southern Columbia | 4.Loyalsock | 5. Wyalusing |
| 1 | Hunter | Crawley | South Williamsport | Jr |
| 2 | Levi | Upham | NE Bradford | Sr |
| 3 | Keegan | Beard | Troy | Sr |
| 4 | Cassidy | Hoffman | Warrior Run | So |
| 5 | Garrett | Smith | NE Bradford | Jr |
| 6 | Casey | Ellis | NE Bradford | Jr |
| 7 | Blake | Nelson | Mansfield | So |
| 8 | Dallas | Blickley | Warrior Run | Sr |
| 9 | Ethan | Knoebel | Southern Columbia | Fr |
| 10 | Aiden | Perry | Wellsboro | Fr |
| 11 | Ryan | Sullivan | Loyalsock | So |
| 12 | Quinn | Surfass | Loyalsock | So |
| 13 | Zak | Smith | NE Bradford | Fr |
| 14 | Nate | Mosier | NE Bradford | So |
| 15 | Jacob | Culkin | Troy | Sr |
| 16 | Mitchell | Schools | Wyalusing Valley | Sr |
| 17 | Jacob | Petro | Southern Columbia | Fr |
| 18 | Sam | Beers | NE Bradford | Sr |
AA (1 Team, 5 Individuals)
I'm pretty sad District 4 AA only sends one team to the state mean, mainly because that means just five individuals will be able to punch tickets to states. That meant Jack Spaulding and Nicholas Alico from Lewisburg and Isaac Davis from Jersey Shore had to stay home last year. Which is a massive bummer considering those guys could have used the extra experience this time around. The good news: I expect all three of those gentlemen to leave districts this time around flaunting gold medals.
Last year's time title race was won, going away, by a super talented Mt Caramel team that seemed like a smart bet for top five at states, even among a very crowded field. With that squad graduating three of their top four runners, Lewisburg Area moved into the favorite position and has delivered. With their entire top six returning, including a trio of rising juniors at the front, Lewisburg has taken a mini leap this season. At Shikellamy this past weekend, the team looked extremely impressive. Bach and Alico each finished in the top five AA spots at the meet, with Bach taking third overall. Jack Spaulding finished 14th overall (9th AA) and Leander Shaffer was 19th. Their five was a bit farther back which made the scores a bit more interesting, but he was still the fastest #5 in the field. With that dangerous top three and a consistently improving Bach out front, I have a tough time picking against Lewisburg to get back to states.
I'll keep an eye on Mifflinburg to see if they can bounce back and give this team a challenge. Quincy Amabile will set the tone out front, hopefully competing for a top 2 spot individually and giving Bach and Alico a challenge. Bradley Haines and Daniel Marks have been solid in the 2-3 spot this year, but they will need to mix it up with Spaulding (who beat them by 20 seconds last week) to keep this team in contention. If Mifflinburg is off their game, a trio of teams will be waiting to jump them in the standings: Danville, Jersey Shore and Milton. Although Danville and Jersey Shore bested Milton at Shikellamy, I think Milton might be the best team. They don't have quite the same front running, but sophomore Tyler Lesser is really talented, not to mention Seth Kendall has some nice potential. They had just five finishers at Booster and that hurt them in the standings, but I saw a lot from this squad during track season and I think they can rebound under the spotlight of districts.
Individually, I've said this before and I will repeat it here for emphasis: Isaac Davis is really good. He dominated at the district meet site earlier this season, running away with the preview invitational title. Then this past weekend he continued his dominance, nearly cracking 16 mintues and beating out Hunter Crawley by roughly 20 seconds. Davis, who is just a sophomore, is running amazingly well in 2015. I think he dominates this field and could potentially have a big day at states, depending on how he handles the Hershey hills (not sure he has ever faced them before). Amabile is a super talented track runner who I think will give Davis a nice challenge at districts. We saw his potential at Big Spring earlier this year when he placed in the top five or so mixing it up with guys like Signor and Mears. Joe Malafronte from Danville has also had an excellent individual season, particularly shining at Foundation Invite. He's a strength runner with a lot of talent and a team that seems to be on the rise. This program should peak well for districts.
Lastly, don't sleep on David Fletcher from the defending champs Mount Caramel. Fletcher ran 1:55 on the track for the second straight year last spring and was the runner up behind Peretta at 800m. He also ran a gutsy leg on anchor for the MC 4x800. He was 8th at this meet last year and bolstered his XC resume with a 4th place finish at Shikellamy, ahead of guys like Malafronte and Amabile who I just touted. If things are close at the end, it's hard to imagine Fletcher not putting on the kick and getting to the line first.
| 1. Lewisburg | 2. Mifflinburg | 3. Milton Area |
| 1 | Isaac | Davis | Jersey Shore | So |
| 2 | Quincy | Amiabile | Mifflinburg | Sr |
| 3 | Joe | Malafronte | Danville | Sr |
| 4 | David | Fletcher | Mount Caramel | Sr |
| 5 | Anthony | Bach | Lewisburg | Jr |
| 6 | Nicholas | Alico | Lewisburg | Jr |
| 7 | Tyler | Lesser | Milton | So |
| 8 | Jack | Spaulding | Lewisburg | Jr |
| 9 | Gabe | Herbst | Athens | Sr |
| 10 | Matt | Lieby | Danville | Jr |
| 11 | Quenton | Long | Mifflinburg | So |
| 12 | Seth | Kendall | Milton | So |
| 13 | Brody | Beiler | Selingsgrove | Sr |
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