Single A Check In

By Jarrett Felix

Let's give a little love the small schools! I figured I'd throw a little check in post on the A competition heating up around the state (with some AA possibly coming in the future) as we head into the highly anticipated league meets and district championships. 

Last year's season ended with Winchester Thurston going on a late run to win the state championship (in dominant fashion) over Sewickley Academy. That squad returned 4 of its top 5 for 2015, making them the favorites to repeat. Individually, the top 2 finishers graduated last June, leaving the favorite spot to Junior Griffin Mackey who ran a blazing 16:09 on the course as just a sophomore. Will Loevner, Matt Murray, Domenic Peretta, Cody DiVecchio, Blake Behney and Ben Littman were just behind Mackey in the individual standings (all placing inside the top 10) and all were ready to challenge Mackey in 2015 for the title. All in all 17 medalists were returning this year.

At Foundation in September, Winchester Thurston once again set themselves ahead of the pack, winning the race with four inside the top 20 finishers. But Camp Hill emerged as a potential game changer, finishing second ahead of Sewickley Academy by 11 points. Cranberry also had a fantastic day to take 4th in the team standings.

Individually it was still Mackey in the front of the field on a course where he has become quite comfortable. But the surprise was his teammate, Ben Clouse who made it a 1-2 finish for SA. Clouse solidified that performance with great runs at RWB and Paul Short on either side of that performance, setting him up to be a favorite for a top 5 finish at states. In the mix with these front runners was Joe Previdi of Masterman, who ran 16:42 for 3rd. He was 17th at states last year and ran to impressive wins at Salesianum and Bull Dog. 

Since then much of the dynamic for states has already changed. Camp Hill, who went out conservatively at Foundation and ate up ground over the second half, has really emerged as a legit contender. Cooper Leslie has consistently improved with each race and looks poised to finish in the top 10 at states if he can keep this momentum going and balance his soccer duties. Blake Behney was 9th at states a year ago and has been strong again in 2015, although possibly overshadowed by Leslie's strong year. Perhaps most importantly, Matt Little emerged as a very capable #5. He ran right behind Shank at leagues and, if he had been in that spot at foundation, Camp Hill would have won the team title.

Meanwhile, WT did not have Shaun Hay or Ben Littman in action last time out and could potentially be headed in the wrong direction. However, I have learned not to doubt this squad. Last year, they times things perfectly and ran absolutely study to close out the year. Littman finishing 10th at states was incredibly clutch and if he is up there again as potentially the #3 or 4 man on this team, they are set. Tristan Forsythe has been fantastic in recent weeks, coming off a very impressive run at Slippery Rock. He is quite sharp already and will likely continue to excel in the weeks ahead. It's hard to remember he's just a sophomore.

The other compelling storyline is the continued improvement of Domenic Peretta on the cross country trails. He has clearly committed himself to the sport and is better shape than he was this time last year (when he was preparing to win the district championship over Mackey and Loevner among others) and it's hard to argue that his talent level is off the charts. In theory, if he is close coming off the final hill, his kick could really take down the field. However, the Hershey hills have a way of zapping the power from track stars which could potentially give Mackey the edge (especially when you consider how well he runs the course). 

Although the WPIAL will likely house it's fair share of top individuals and teams yet again in 2015 (Mackey, Peretta, Forsythe and Clouse could all potentially crack the top 7), there are plenty of other contenders lurking throughout the state. Last year's champ Griffin Mackey left a young heir to his throne in Hunter Crawley who quietly ran sub 16:10 in his first big invite of the year at Paul Short. He's just a junior who learned a lot from Molino last fall when he ascended from relative unknown to 19th at states. He could be a sleeper contender in this field.

Last year's runner up Sebastian Curtin also was interested in leaving an heir to his throne: his brother Noah Curtin. Noah was a strong 11th in this field as a sophomore last November and now comes in a full year stronger and more experienced. He ran very well at Gettysburg and, continuing how well Mercyhurst Prep has peaked in recent years, he should contend for the district title and then, perhaps the state crown if things break right for him. I believe his brother was 3rd as a junior and I'd bet Noah would like to match that performance.

I already mentioned Joe Previdi, an experienced and seasoned XC man who was 3rd at foundation. He will be a factor at the front of this field. Another strong runner from foundation was Isaac Wilson of North Clarion. He ran well under 17 minutes and beat Noah Curtin in a 3 mile race (running sub 16 in that one) in New York. Matt Murray of Dunmore finished in the top 10 a year ago at states and this year seems like he could emerge as a contender again. He was incredibly clutch at states and dominated the D2 championships so we will see if he hits his stride in championship season again. 

Some other names I really like from the results this year include Cambridge Spring's Connor Walsh. Walsh, from D10, really impressed me in his most recent race at Grove City, beating the rest of the stacked field that included a couple A studs in the Meyers twins and D9 standouts from Cranberry Harrison Keenan and Sam Lander, all of whom could easily be medalists this year. Walsh will get a nice battle with Curtin and co at districts before looking to avenge his near miss from the medal stand last year. Will Greene from Delone Catholic has also looked fantastic this year. He ran to a top 10 finish at Foundation and was the top A runner at Big Spring's invite, beating all the Camp Hill guys. I like his upside as a top 10 sleeper pick. I'll also be keeping an eye on how Keegan Beard looks after a strong win against the NEB armada this past weekend (I like NEB as a sleeper pick in the team standings). The Troy runner will get a nice test at districts when he faces Crawley in addition to a rematch with Upham, Sweet and Ellis of Northeast Bradford.