AA 4x800m
I wish I could say I had read on this one. I mean, beyond
the obvious anyway. Central Cambria enters the meet with an 8:01 mark from
districts. Only Hughesville in District 4 joined Cambria under 8:10 and only 6
teams hit the SQS last week. So I guess it’s easy, pick Central Cambria, right?
Beyond the 8:01, there’s a lot to like on the Cambria
roster. This squad was 9th at states in 2019, just off the podium.
That’s not something that a team forgets quickly and I expect they will be out
for blood at this year’s championships. Nobody sub 2 in the open this season,
but Toby Cree has run 4:25 and is a lights out XC runner. It’s a well-balanced,
deep team with a guy who can be a star in the right moment.
It seems like a straightforward pick, but that’s never
how states plays out so let’s dig in on some other contenders. For starters,
you’ve got Hughesville (2nd fastest time of the week) whose big dog
Hunter Foust dropped the 3200 so he could be fresh for this relay, you know
that means they think they’ve got the pieces to make a run. There’s also
Fairview who has Buckner and Grechanyy on the roster, but Buckner has a 1600 to
consider later in the day and Grechanyy will be doubling off a 3200 where he
may spend a lot of time in the lead pack. That’s a tough double for him and could
hurt Fairview’s chances of making a run. Maybe their District 10 rivals, Grove
City, will make a push? They have Gabe Nichols ready and waiting on their
roster, but the senior may get the chance to focus on the open events after a
super busy district meet where he ran on the 4x8 as well as the 32, 16 and open
8. My guess is he goes for the 16 victory with fresh legs which probably knocks
Grove City out of title contention.
The other teams to hit the SQS at districts were Saint Joseph’s
Catholic of District 6 and South Williamsport of District 4. Saint Joseph’s has
four guys who have proven themselves in open events, led by Jonah Clark who
clocked a 2 flat at districts and XC standout Josh Hershbine. District 4 has a
history of producing top tier teams in the 4x8 (they accounted for 5 of the 12
finalists in last year’s state championships) and South Williamsport could add
to that depth this year with sub 2 man Quaid Molino and individual state
qualifier Port Habalar. They also have a 51 second 400m runner who, if he can
find the endurance, could be a real game changer as this team seeks out the
gold. I like their sleeper potential.
You can never count out Wyomissing, the defending state
champions from 2019 who always find a way to contend for state gold. They didn’t
stagger at their district meet, but they got the job done with a decisive win.
They should get a boost in front of the home crowd this weekend. I’d also keep
an eye on district champs New Hope Solesbury and Riverview.
I’m going with a pretty chalky set of picks here so try
not to judge me too much. I like Central Cambria as a fresh, focused squad with
their eggs in the right basket. That said, I don’t expect the gap to be as wide
as those seed cards might otherwise indicate.
8. Mid Valley 8:14
7. New Hope-Solebury 8:14
6. Fairview 8:11
5. Wyomissing 8:10
4. Saint Joseph’s 8:07
3. Hughesville 8:05
2. South Williamsport 8:02
1. Central Cambria 7:58
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