by Jarrett Felix
District 10 Championships 10/29
AAA (1 Team, 5 Individuals)
A year
ago, we witnessed a tight battle to the finish between a pair of sophomores,
Ryan Zimmerman of McDowell and Peter Foradora of Dubois. The duo finished 1-2
within 3 seconds of each other. This year, those two will rematch, but the
biggest threat for the title may be newcomer Jack Holmberg, Zimmerman’s
classmate at McDowell. Holmberg has looked very strong thus far this season and
solidifies a great 1-2 punch for McDowell who, in my opinion, will get their
state qualifying spot back from Cathedral Prep this weekend.
Standing
in the way of that obstacle should be Kyle Wagner and breakthrough performer
Ryan Garich of Cathedral Prep. After not running varsity at last year’s
district championship, Garich has really made a strong leap to bolster Wagner
at the front of the pack. He too should be in the mix for the win out front.
Overall, this district hasn’t made a ton of noise since the switch to three
classifications, but I think guys like Foradora have a chance to make a big
statement about their chances at states with a great race this weekend.
A (2 Teams, 10 Individuals)
I
really struggled with this one. Seneca is the mult-time defending champion.
They return their entire top five from last year’s championship, including the
Myers twins. They are fresh off a 4x800m state championship with four runners
who are all contributing to the XC team. But I really like the team Mercyhurst
Prep has fielded in recent weeks. We know about Noah Curtin, the 2015 district
and state runner-up, but the emergence of Jimmy Zimmerman as a potent #2 makes
the front-running between the two teams almost a wash. Then it just comes down
to which pack will perform best.
I opted
for Seneca’s pack as it is a bit more proven, but Mercyhurst Prep may be able
to hang tough and steal this title. The big match-up may be at the #3 spot
where Jack Groshek will run for MP against Adam Hanes from Seneca. If either of
these guys pops off a big day and gets into the top 10 it will be a huge game
changer for not just this weekend, but also next weekend in Hershey.
Individually,
I see little reason to pick against Connor Walsh to deliver as repeat champion.
The Cambridge Springs senior has looked sharp this year, including a sub 16 run
at, punnily enough, Sharpsville. Walsh bested this same top group a year ago and
has seemingly gained confidence each season since, including a strong showing
at the outdoor state championships over 3200m. I see Myers as his biggest
competition. After a 1:54 split on the track and a confident anchor run, Myers
has been consistently strong this season and the trails. That speed also makes
him extra dangerous if the finish is anything close.
A year
ago, then sophomore Luc Tingley stepped up big time to take 3rd
overall at this meet. He may have a knack for running this course and, with the
extra year of experience, he could potentially challenge the top group for an
upset victory. Keep an eye out for bright young star Noah Bernarding, a
freshman from Cochranton. He looked excellent at his regional meet and could
carry that momentum through to districts.
Finally,
watch the duo from Maplewood of Jesse Sands and Jeremy Gallagher. This pair
will be trying to lift their squad to an upset state qualifying appearance. The
team returns its entire top seven from a season ago where they were 6th
in the meet without a single state qualifier. That sets the stage for some
potential redemption this time around.
AA (2 Teams, 10 Individuals)
I feel
like I’ve been being pretty boring so far. Lots of favorites for the win. Lots
of safe picks with established powers. Well, I’ll try to go out on a limb a
little bit with this next pick. I’ve got Harbor Creek beating out the perennial
super power Grove City at the upcoming District championship battle. Now it’s
hard to bet against Grove City as they are always in the running for the state
championship, let alone the district championship, but I’m a big fan of what
Harbor Creek has put together. Their top 3 is excellent behind defending district
champ (when he was a freshman), Ryan Stravaggi, fellow sophomore Aiden Weber
and Junior Christian Babo. That top three all have top 5 finishes in the district
to their name from their freshman years. The team’s #4 runner Jared Szklenski
was 8th a year ago in an impressive race. He’s been coming on very
quickly in recent weeks, possibly indicating he is ready for another try at the
top 10. With 4 in the top 10-12 finishers, this team will be tough to topple.
They have had a gap from 4 to 5 in the early season, but at the regional meet,
that gap looked to me like it was closing. Junior Nate Dougan was 25th
at districts last year and should be that #5.
Grove
City will not go quietly. They have perhaps the favorite for the district
championship individually in Jonah Powell as well as last year’s 5th
place finisher Braydon Pyle. Jacob Powell, Jacob Hughes, Tyler Quinn and Luke
Owery will likely be vying for the other scoring spots. Can this pack keep
close to Harbor Creek’s excellent front-running? Or will it not be enough?
Here’s
what’s wild about this race. The top 22 runners from last year’s meet were all
non-seniors. The top 22! That’s amazing. Of that 22, 6 were just freshman last
year. Considering this year we have a few guys back after missing last year
(like Christian Babo), a few guys who changed classifications (like Fairview’s
Jameson Cook), and some super talented new freshman (like Patrick Stevens of
Meadville), guys who were top 10 last year may not even be guaranteed a trip
back to states.
Individually,
beyond the top guys from the top teams, I’ll be closely watching Jake Lehotsky
and Blake Ristau. These are a couple of seniors who, in a young field, will
have the excitement and extra motivation that comes with your last district
championships.
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