Team Rankings: Week Six

By Jarrett Felix

I'll start by briefly throwing out some honorable mentions for squads that missed the cut. 

Parkland- At Paul Short, their first big invitational, they mixed it up well with a pair of teams who made the rankings (spoiler alert Spring Ford and Owen J) and showcased a pair of strong front runners (Kyvelos is having a great season). I think they can still improve looking forward, but they won't have a chance to really prove it until states. They will be heavy favorites at District 11s.

York Suburban- This team is very talented, but I dropped off the list thanks to the "what have you done for me lately" factor and the "it's a AA team so I can't decide how good you are" factor. Honestly, this team is probably an easy top 10 pick and with a big stretch run to end the year and a second straight state title, it would be hard for anyone to overlook them. 

If I'm being perfectly non cryptic, this team would be on my top 10 but I couldn't split up two teams that seem incredibly close on paper. Spoiler alert it's the same two teams from the previous spoiler.

O'Hara - Hmmmm, is it foolish to leave off a team that has placed in the top 3 at states ever year since 2010? Especially when they have two state medalists and now five men under 17 at DELCOs yet again? I think Morro and James are going to have phenomenal stretch runs, but much like last year's squad I need to see a bit more from the pack. There is also a bit of a drop off from 5 to 6 right now on paper which is always a little worrisome at a course like Hershey when blow ups are so common. However, I really like how this team seems to have retooled since the early season and their pack is definitely on the rise. Patrick James looked great last weekend and they crushed the JV race. The real test will be LaSalle at PCLs and then a revenge play at Districts. I think those races will be closer than some expect.

10 Owen J Roberts

9 Spring Ford

As mentioned numerous times before, these are a pair of fun teams who happen to be division rivals and also happen to be two of the most interesting stories headed into the home stretch of the playoffs. Spring Ford gets the nod for recency of their break through (Paul Short #2 squad and won their dual with OJR), but OJR has the most impressive run with their 4th from Pre States on the resume. 

What's cool about both of these teams are the packs, both of which, when the team has succeeded, run as a unit with no weak links and have delivered. 

As I've said in other posts, I'm not picking these teams to make states out of the ultra competitive District One, but their resume's to date clearly show they are deserving of a spot in the top 10.

 

8 State College

State College took just 5th at Pre States, but before that they looked fantastic at Spiked Shoe, beating Hempfield and Carlisle impressively. I'm a fan of SC's top 5 and their top 2 have been great, but they've been quiet of late. I'm betting at Mid Penn's (a race they really came to play at last year) we see what they are made of. Keep an eye on the 3-5 as those pieces will go a long way in determining how far up the state standings this team will finish.

7 Henderson

There's not much to say here considering all the Chesmont/District One talk that has gone on, but I will say that I trust this program to deliver. They weren't at DT West level at leagues, but really which team is at this point? Henderson is headed in the right direction and they have nice depth, but they still haven't had that race where I say, "here comes Henderson". We will see if that comes at Districts. They still aren't in lock position for states.

6 Mount Lebanon

I really like the way this team has been running and I think a lot of people have let them fly under the radar. Their top 4 is very strong and consistent and few teams can match it. Dewitt, Doncourt and Potts in the 5-7 spots have come along very well in recent weeks. I think they have the potential to drop a lot of time thanks to the inner squad completion and that could narrow this team's spread down a bit. Thus far, they and LaSalle seem to be built similarly, with LaSalle having a tighter spread and maybe the better front running. But I think that could flip in an instant.

5 LaSalle

LaSalle has raced the 3 best teams in PA this season and held their own. They have had a different #1 at each meet and their 5 has rotated consistently, meaning this team is prepared to overcome obstacles when they arise. Goebel ran very well this past weekend and Addison has shown real promise for a soph. 

Last year this team beat Conestoga and O'Hara, the 2nd and 3rd best teams in the state, once in a large meet against a deep Stoga team and once in a small meet against a team with killer front running. If things broke right at states they could have been in the medal hunt. This year's team has the potential to be just as good if not better and they are a year more experienced and prepared for the big stage (the switch from Carlisle to Pre States is likely no coincidence). 

Also worth noting: since the PCL joined the PIAA in 2008 they have had a team in the top 3 at states EVERY year.

4 Hempfield

I really like this team and have been on their bandwagon since the preseason. They look like the class of D3 right now which is no small statement and they absolutely crushed Paul Short. Mattes has been excellent this year and Groff has shown some nice flashes. White and Norton are great runners who came through big time when it counted last year and Yurchak is a great front runner who has already clocked sub 16.

The way they have structured their schedule and rested guys, it just seems like this is a focused and poised squad. And this year, most importantly, they don't have to deal with running Hershey back to back, which crippled their chances a year ago (and a few years before that). There's still room on the bandwagon if you want to hop on.

3 North Allegheny

2 CB West

I literally went back and forth on this 4x before opted for West yet again. Here's the thing, NA definitely has the better front running, but as of now, I like West's pack a bit more. The Tennent times are certainly fast, but more importantly at that meet I saw that Iatarola is really coming along as a #2 type. If there top 5 hangs on and stays healthy through states there will be no weak link on the squad and Fortna should be a medal contender to lead the pack. 

But NA's top 3 is looking really good and we know this team turns it on at the end of the year, especially at WPIALs. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time they race their 4 and 5 are fantastic and we start thinking about the possibility of a NA over DT West upset happening if things break right. But for now, I'll take CB.

1 DT West

Amazing top 3 and depth to back it up. 8 really good runners. Not much else to say for now.

Fun fact, LaSalle has raced each of these top 3 squads this year and here are the dual meet results if you break it down to a one on one:

DTW 18 LS 42

NA 23 LS 32

CBW 25 LS 30

Make of it what you will