Top 12 Team Rankings

It seems like the people don't just want to hear me talk and rant and such. The people want rankings. And I want to give the people what they want, Jalen Rose and Grantland style baby. So without further rambling let's get this rolling.

1. Malvern Prep- Malvern Prep is a real nice squad. They have all the key elements of a contender. The big top three is nicely in place with Jaxson Hoey, Billy McDevitt and Colin Wils (with the freshman Josh Hoey likely to be just as good if not better than any of those chaps). Wils looks poised for a strong jump this year after running some low 4:20 and sub 2 type marks on the track. McDevitt broke 9 minutes for 3k and ran a slew of solid races in 2014. And Jaxson Hoey is really a beast. I don't think people realize just how fast this guy's track season was. As just a sophomore his 1500m converts to 4:11.1, a faster time than Ned Willig, Wade Endress, Tom Coyle and Jack Huemmler ever ran in their high school careers. His 9:05 for 3200m is faster than Dan Coval, Sam Hibbs, Kyle Dawson, Rad Gunzenhauser, Chris Aldrich, Glenn Burkhardt, Josh Izewski and Zach Hebda. He was 12th last year at NXN regionals, ahead of studs like Aaron Gebhardt and just 5 seconds back of Kev James and a Nationals spot. If he makes a leap this year, he could be a top 3-5 guy at NXN and that front runner would be huge. Malvern returns 5 of their top 6 from NXN last season, most of them making the soph to junior jump and some making the 8th grader to freshman jump. They have the most returners out of any of the top teams in the region and are an early favorite to come out of the region and head to Portland. Very intriguing squad to watch this season who will likely stay under the radar all year as they wait to time their peak and don't show all their cards until the season is over.

2. North Allegheny- Ah yes, here we are again. North Allegheny returns a slew of guys who have grown each year for the past three years and are poised to strike and take back state gold. They are led out front by state medalist in track and XC Matt McGoey who I am still convinced is on the verge of a huge performance at one of these meets. Not to sell what he has done short. He has run a few times under 9:20 and close to sub 9:10 which is a very rare mark. We have just been spoiled by the depth of talent at 3200m in recent years. McGoey is joined by Hunter Wharrey and Scott Seel (Seamus Love is not at NA anymore apparently?) who were both top 50 guys at states a year ago. Wharrey was nearly a medalist. Plus NA just continues to churn out guys year after year. They beat Altoona last year at Tri States with a JV squad and they have won the WPIAL basically every year forever. Losing Love definitely takes a little bit of their projected dominance away, but this squad is still the favorite in my eyes to reload behind their top 3 and chase state gold once again.

3. Cardinal O'Hara- Here is O'Hara's last 4 years at States: 3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd. That first 3rd place team was a bit like this squad. They had a solid group of guys but on paper it didn't seem like they would be dangerous at all. Then they ended up third at states behind medalist Chris Garrity. From there the dynasty was on and they have had a slew of medalists over this 4 year span (8 with Belfatto coming awfully close last year). They return Pastore, Morro and Ryan James from last year's third place squad to try and beef up that pack with Kev James creating the low stick out front they will need to compete. In order to truly challenge the top team, they need to shrink the gap behind Kev and the rest of the boys, but it wouldn't surprise me to see Ryan or Morro take a step towards the top 50.

4. Conestoga- Alright let me point something out for you kids. Since 2006 the following teams have been responsible for all the top 3 finishes: Henderson (5), North Allegheny (6), O'Hara (4), LaSalle (2), North Penn (3), Coatesville (2), Haven (1), CRN (1). Since the PCL joined the PIAA, they have had a top 3 school every year. District One has had a top 3 school every year as well. 8 teams are responsible for the 24 best finishes of the last 8 years. Haven and CRN were both only just third when the cracked the top 3. Haven and Coatesville haven't been truly relevant since 2007. Three teams have taken all the titles since 2007. Why do I say this?

Because if Conestoga does finish the season where I am ranking them now (third in AAA) it would be extremely historic. It would be the equivalent of what Haven did in 2007, finishing a fantastic stretch to become a historic team. Haven got that top 3 finish because they had 4 guys who finished in the top 50 at states (yes that only got you third that year). Conestoga isn't going to need to be quite that good (this year in my mind as of now doesn't project to be near as deep as 2006) but they will need to continue to progress with their returners. They return 6 of 7 from a fantastic story a year ago including the headliner of that Cinderella story in Andrew Marston who stunned the field all the way to finishing 9th a year ago. He's a top 5 returner at states which puts him in the title conversation really. Especially after some excellent track races including some 9:17ish marks at 3200m. That's real quick. Marston is joined by top 50 returner James Cooper who needs to continue to be a top 50 guy, hopefully replacing Sjoreen's production as a near medalist. Nick Cruickshank will also be key, coming off a 16:21 mark from last year.

If Conestoga can hold off a retooled charge from Henderson and win Districts this season, they will break a streak of 5 straight district one championships for the Warriors. Before that North Penn had taken back to back titles and Coatesville had taken back to back titles. Conestoga has a chance to be a historic team.


5. West Chester Henderson- 2 straight state titles, 5 top 2 finishes over the last 8 years, 5 straight district titles. The boys from Henderson are a historic program. It's hard to rank them this low knowing the potential they have. But look, on paper they lose a real lot including two time regional and state champ Tony Russell and a key contributor since his Freshman year Reiny Barchet. Those two were an unreal top 2 for the Henderson boys. They only return Alex Knapp, 18th place finisher at states and 15:38 man at Districts, from their state title squads. Knapp is very strong and a great XC talent, but he will need help. Gordy Barchet and Will Swart will have to become full force varsity guys and some of their incoming freshman and returning youngsters will have to make a jump for this team to continue to contend at a top level. I expect them to find a way to stay relevant this year in the district and state title conversations.

6. Pennsbury- Here is what I like about Pennsbury. They return Sam Webb, a guy I think is going to have a big time season and they return Alek Sauer, a guy with a ton of potential if he could find that extra bit of strength to go with his unbelievable speed. That's 2/3 of a very dangerous top 3. It reminds me of the Coyle-Stone duo. If Sauer can surprise like Stone did 2 years ago and grab a state medal, Pennsbury is in a great spot. Sauer is a 1:52 guy who broke 16 last year and also improved his mile ability. He is a dangerous weapon. My appreciation for Sam Webb's guts and heart is well documented. Somebody has to step up and replace the void left by Liam O'Connell. They have some guys with potential and the Pennsbury squad has been steadily improving every year since Harriman and Webb began to get good. I expect them to take another big step this year with that extra year of experience at Hershey. Remember last year was their first appearance at states in a very long time (I don't even know for sure if they had ever qualified before).

7. Mount Lebanon- Lebo has consistently been an impressive team. They usually run better at States then WPIALs in my opinion, which is encouraging. They have a really strong pack and I expect Todd Gunzenhauser to take a big step forward this year. Maybe it is just the name, but I liked what he was developing into during track. He was a top 5 miler in a very good district. Ian Bruan was really solid last year as well. He was their top man at Hershey. Lebo has JV guys who can step in and fill rolls (they will need to) and has the benefit of racing the best team in the state multiple times to help bring out the best in their team. They need to improve their pack up a bit into the top 50 mix and maybe develop a more clear cut front runner. If they do that, they will be a very dangerous team in 2014.

8. GFS- This is probably too high for GFS, but I'm a big fan of this program and their guys. I think Grayson Hepp is going to have a pretty solid season for them this year in cross. Plus Nick Dahl may end up becoming a real super star. He has already run the equivalent of 9:15 for 3200m this past summer. That's crazy good. GFS has had multiple top teams at NXN regionals over the year and has a young team with loads of potential to improve. They will be pushed by Malvern Prep's elite squad and I think they will turn some heads by season's end. The Independent League is deep and strong this year and that should help GFS take a big step.

9. Cumberland Valley- CV has been the most consistent team in District 3 over the past decade. They always have a competitive squad but haven't been able to break through for a top 5 performance at states, despite some really strong guys. Their young team gets another year older in 2014 Yahya Soliman, a top frosh a year ago, helping lead the way with Owen Seeber helping out along side. They return 4 of their top 5 and should compete for a district title once again.

10. Freedom- Freedom returns 6 of 7 and their entire top 4 from last year's 12th place team. After experiencing an entire year up at the top of the state, the D11 boys should be a much more experienced team, hungry to prove themselves. They are a great under dog story led by top 50 finisher Ben Zeigler. Their spread is great, but their pack needs to move more guys into the top 50 if they are going to be true contenders.

11. Downingtown West- DT West is probably still a year or two away from competing for a state title, but they have been developing a lot of young talent at the District Meet in the JV and Varsity races. A lot of their top returners are mostly rising sophomores which means this team is very young. The return their top 6 guys from an 8th place D1 team last year which makes them instant contenders for a state spot next year. But it is unclear how their youth and inexperience will hinder them going forward towards the difficult state course and the pressure of the moment.

12. CRN- To have them at 12th is probably just silly. They will develop into a top 10 team no doubt, they were just two points out of 4th last year and return 3 of their top 5 and 3 of their top 7. However, they benefited a lot from front runner Ross Wilson and sub 16 man Rob Simmons who both will graduate. That means it's time for Brian Arita and Sean Griswold to take a big step towards the medal spots. Arita was great last year at states with a top 40 finish and will need to continue to improve. CRN will be back at states, that seems almost certain. The question is what will they do when they get there? They will either need to develop a star front runner, or continue to increase their depth if they want to be back in the top 5 of the state. The past 2-3 years have been a fantastic stretch for CRN, probably their best teams in a very long time considering the quality of the top teams in recent years. Can they continue to build on their past success? We shall see.