2017 PIAA XC District Previews: District 10

District 10 (10/28)

A (2 Teams, 10 Individuals)

1. Cochranton

2. Seneca

3. North East

4. West Middlesex

5. Reynolds

1	Zac Tingley	Sr	Lakeview
2	Noah Bernarding	So	Cochranton
3	Josh Lewis	Jr	North East
4	Brock Smith	So	Seneca
5	Jac Cokley	Jr	Cochranton
6	Jesse Sands	Sr	Maplewood
7	Troy Hart	So	Reynolds
8	Justin Reno	Sr	Mercer
9	Luke Mantzell	So	West Middlesex
10	Logan Hogue	So	Lakeview
11	Jake Schneider	Jr	Seneca
12	Stephen Clulow	Jr	Cochranton
13	Zane Courtwright	So	North East
14	Andy Chlpka	Jr	West Middlesex
15	Zack Marazza	Sr	Cambridge Springs
16	William Divens	So	Sharpsville
17	Keane Cropp	Jr	Commodore Perry
18	Jacob Winters	Sr	Wilmington
19	Elijah Mamula	Fr	Cambridge Springs
20	Colin Baxter	Sr	North East
21	Robert Stepnkowski	Sr	Seneca
22	Jared Mink	Jr	Commodore Perry
23	Alex Chlpka	Jr	West Middlesex
24	Alec Bidwell	So	Cambridge Springs
25	Noah Krantz	So	Commodore Perry
26	Lee Ault	Jr	Cochranton
27	Joel Kweder	Jr	Mercyhurst Prep
28	Garrett Duffy	Sr	Reynolds

The reason this preview is going up last (and a day late) is not because I hate District 10 (as everyone should know by now, I hate the WPIAL, duh). It’s because I had no idea what to do with these predictions. I changed my mind about 8 times on A teams and ultimately am still uncomfortable with my picks. Ultimately, I picked Cochranton because their top 4 has been awesome this year. And it’s getting better. If Stephen Clulow is the guy he was in the last couple meets this team is loaded. I also opted for Seneca because of their recent success as a program. I’m not 100% confident in this team (North East has looked better at times), but I think they will rise to the occasion. However, they did lose their three big dogs from a year ago and that will hurt them on this stage.

North East was the best team in this district early in the season and they also had the best individual runner (Josh Lewis). However, they haven’t done a lot of racing since McQuaid and I’ve got no feel for their squad. This team has a strong history of producing results, but they haven’t made states in at least a couple years. Let’s see if they can break that drought. West Middlesex is also an intriguing pick. They were surprise (to me) state qualifiers last year and seem like they are in a good position to upend my predictions again with a 2^nd place finish at this meet. They’ve got a big three that can get the job done, it’s just the 4-5 that will need to pull through.

Individually, I think Zac Tingley is in the driver seat for the individual gold. He has been the top young gun the past few seasons and now gets his chance to shine as most of the stars graduated last spring. That being said, another rising stand out in Noah Bernarding will give Tingley fits. He’s defeated Zac already this year and is one of the most talented sophomores in all of A (which is saying something considering how good the sophomores in A are). As mentioned, Josh Lewis was the #1 guy early in the season. This junior even spent some time on the XC Top 50 list. That talent doesn’t go away, I just haven’t seen him race much recently so it gets me nervous about picking him for the win.

AA (2 Teams, 10 Individuals)

1. Grove City

2. Harbor Creek

3. General McLane

1	Jonah Powell	Jr	Grove City
2	Ryan Stravaggi	Jr	Harbor Creek
3	Nate Price	Jr	General McLane
4	Erik Andrzejewski	Jr	General McLane
5	Aiden Weber	Jr	Harbor Creek
6	Christian Babo	Sr	Harbor Creek
7	Cole Frazier	Fr	Hickory
8	Luke Owrey	Jr	Grove City
9	Tucker Watson	Jr	Meadville
10	Jake Eshelman	Jr	Franklin
11	Ben Jones	Sr	Grove City
12	Joe Somora	So	Grove City
13	Dylan Throop	Fr	General McLane
14	Tobias Jones	So	Grove CIty
15	Cole Pollock	Sr	Fairview
16	John Curtis	Sr	Corry
17	Zachary Titus	So	Titusville
18	Simon Zehr	Jr	General McLane
19	Caleb Mandel	Jr	Harbor Creek
20	Matthew Jordan	Fr	Hickory
21	Nolan Weber	So	Harbor Creek
22	Mitch Rathburn	Fr	Fort Leboeuf

A year ago, D10 AA produced perhaps the biggest shocker in the state. Grove City was knocked out of the state qualifying picture in a surprise turn with Harbor Creek and General McLane jumping into the mix in their place. Early in this season, it looked like General McLane would struggle to duplicate that feat. They raced solid, especially out front with Price and Andrzejewski, but they seemed to lack a strong #3 or #4 that could hold it’s own with the excellent squads at HC and GC. But at Coopers Lake a few weekends ago, I started to change my mind. Freshman Dylan Throop really impressed me and Simon Zehr was a keg cog on last year’s state qualifiers. If they have a strong day from the #5 or either team ahead of them slips up, they are in.

That being said, I’m not sure I see Grove City slipping again. They knocked off York Suburban at Carlisle and asserted themselves as the #1 team in AA with their results to date. I still think they have some flaws that leave them vulnerable, but I think this squad is too talented to stay home yet again. Harbor Creek is a bit more vulnerable because there is an expected drop off from #3 to #4, but that top 3 is so dynamic and their 4-5 are not exactly slouches. I think they survive although that is probably the team that General McLane will be chasing closely on race day. Just like in D7 and D3, the winner of this race will have a ton of confidence in their ability to compete for a state title next weekend in Hershey.

Individually, the class of 2019 will be on full display. Ryan Stravaggi won the district championship as a freshman and now he’s entering his all-important junior season. He’s been rolling so far this year and would be hard to bet against on this course. However, Jonah Powell of Grove City seems poised for a huge day. He’s been terrific this season, besting Stravaggi early and running sub 16 at Carlisle. Powell surprisingly didn’t make states a year ago which I think he will use as extra motivation to pull out the W at Buhl Park. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nate Price takes down the gold either. He’s another big time talent who has been on a roll thus far in 2017.

Deeper down the individual list, freshman Cole Frazier had a big race this past weekend at their sectional championship. He could be a factor. Tucker Watson of Meadville has been gaining steam as of late, taking the spot of Patrick Stevens (a sophomore who could finish in the top 5 if healthy). Jake Eshelman is another talent who produced a big result at Hershey last fall.

AAA (1 Team, 5 Individuals)

1. McDowell

2. Cathedral Prep

1	Mitch Daubert	Sr	McDowell
2	Ryan Zimmerman	Sr	McDowell
3	Peter Foradora	Sr	Dubois
4	Jack Holmberg	Sr	McDowell
5	Kyle Martin	Sr	Cathedral Prep
6	Alex Chelton	Jr	Cathedral Prep
7	Race Nicolia	Sr	Cathedral Prep
8	Sean Marsden	Sr	McDowell
9	Devan Bailey	So	Cathedral Prep
10	Colton Martin	So	McDowell
11	Jacob Lawrence	Sr	McDowell
12	Kaleb Stevens	Jr	Dubois

Cathedral Prep and McDowell have traded off this title in recent years and I expect that trend to continue. Personally, I think McDowell has the better front running. Zimmerman, Holmberg and Daubert could sweep the top 3 spots on the right day. However, I don’t think Cathedral Prep’s pack is far behind. If I miscalculated their ability even a little bit, the Prep could storm back to a second straight title. They will need to break up the big three of McDowell, but their pack may actually be deeper. Watch for Kyle Martin to lead the way for Prep. Also keep an eye out for Steve Campbell. He was Prep’s #1 guy at RWB, but has been MIA since. If he returns to the line-up, that adds another dimension to this line up.

Individually, the team preview kind of covers the guys likely to compete for gold. However, you also have to mention Dubois’s Peter Foradora. He’s been a consistent force near the front of this field since his sophomore season. He races against District 9 guys most of the year (because his school is technically in D9) so he may not be as familiar with some of his competition. Maybe that gives him an edge on race day if he can surprise some people. Foradora is the top returner, having finished 2^nd last year in this meet.