Everything I wanted to say about Footlocker was too long for one post (and probably too long for two), so this will be my “What Nobody’s Talking About” Post and the next one will be my “What Everyone’s Talking About” post. So here it is my top 11 secretly intriguing story lines for FL NE Regionals.
1. Road to Redemption
Jeff VanKooten from Pittsburgh Central Catholic had a bit of an up and down Senior XC campaign. Some bad timing for an off performance left him out of the state championship picture in 2014 after he was a medalist in 2013. VanKooten, who was an impressive 4:14 state medalist last year on the track, could have easily turned his attention to the mile, but instead he chose to continue his XC training in pursuit of a top finish for PA at the Footlocker Regional meet at Van Cortlandt Park. He’s been all but forgotten from conversation for the past month or so, but when healthy he was running even with guys like McGoey, Wharrey and Susalla who all grabbed state medals out in Hershey including two sub 16 performances by the North Allegheny boys. A hungry, motivated and well recovered VanKooten could really surprise this regionals weekend.
2. Just a Little Respect
Sebastian Curtin and Jack DiCintio both placed second in their respective divisions at the PIAA State Championships in Hershey, but most PA fans couldn’t pick these guys out of a line up. Curtin was sub 16 at Hershey and gave Molino a solid push for half the race. Curtin has been quietly dominant this season and really only Molino, a national qualifier and two time state champ, has kept him from being remembered along the same lines as Rico Galassi or even Luke Jones (both guys where top 20 at FL NE Regionals in 2012). As for DiCintio, after a bit of an up and down start to the season, he exploded in championship season. He won a league championship, nearly stole a district title and then finished second to Dominic Hockenbury, a two time state champion and one time runner up, in the AA state title race. DiCintio showed fantastic potential and, as just a Junior, we may only be scratching the surface of what he can do. Both men will look to prove that they belong in the discussion of PA elites at Regionals and bring a little respect to the small school stars.
3. Second Bananas
Much talk this week will revolve around Jake Brophy and Colin Abert and their chances of making nationals. Zach Seiger and Jack DiCintio, two talented Juniors, should at least get play in the sleeper talks. But their teammates, Connor Sands, Kevin Lapsansky, Drew Wilkinson and Kyle Shinn, will also be competing at Regionals and looking to turn heads. Lapsansky, the lone Junior of this group, has learned well from training with Abert and grabbed 18th this past year at the state championships. He will try to be a scorer or varsity member of PA’s top 7 team at Regionals.
Meanwhile, Seniors Connor Sands, Drew Wilkinson and Kyle Shinn will also look to shine. Shinn was 5th at the AA state championships, his second straight top 5 finish, proving he is a clutch performer. His best race of the season the past two years came at states. If he can continue this momentum, he will surprise a lot of people at Regionals. Drew Wilkinson was one of my sleeper medalists at states and his work with teammate Zach Seiger has benefited both runners. If Wilkinson can continue this trend, both guys may end up in PA’s varsity. Connor Sands was a top 50 guy at this past state championship in the ultra-competitive AAA race. He will be competing against many fantastic runners, but he has the talent to hold his own.
4. Sophomore Stories
Griffin Mackey nearly broke 16 minutes at the state championships in early November as just a sophomore, a feat arguably in the same league as Smucker’s AAA state medal as a freshman. Mackey ran faster than Brophy did as a sophomore and nearly faster than Brophy did this year at Pre States. That’s a great sign and an underappreciated mark (likely because he is in A). Clearly the ability is here for Mackey, but how will he handle the challenging regional race as just a sophomore? PA has not had a soph in their scoring 5 in the past 8 years, but Mackey is hoping to change that.
Another A sophomore with something to prove is Noah Curtin, younger brother of Sebastian Curtin, the aforementioned A state runner up. Noah had a fantastic stretch run, grabbing a medal at states in Hershey and finishing third at districts. He has likely been a valuable training partner for Sebastian and has one of the best mentors in the state living under the same roof. Noah will be one to check for in the results.
Another little sibling to watch is Eric Kennedy, brother to Footlocker Finalist Brent Kennedy. Eric was MIA for a lot of the middle portion of the season before turning up at Districts to drop a bomb on the field and clinch a spot to states. With the extra month or so of training, Kennedy could really surprise at Van Cortlandt.
5. D-3 Rematch
Cumberland Valley and Hempfield had a dual at the District Championships (won by Hempfield), but then Cumberland Valley took control at States with a top 10 finish. Hempfield has a slew of runners signed up to compete at Van Cortlandt and look for redemption in the post season. Duncan Brady, Justin Yurchak and Nick Norton make for a potent top three. However, CV has brought their own impressive trio with Quinn Wasko (nearly a state medalist), Yahya Soliman (sub 16 PR) and Josh Higgins (top 15 at D3). Higgins and Soliman are just sophomores as is Norton so all three could be in the class race or the championship race. Regardless, these teams will be eyeing each other up on the course with some extra motivation in store.
6. Paul Power on the Comeback Trail
I’ll spare you the overdone Power Puns. Paul is probably a bit disappointed with his states run where he finished 11th and couldn’t quite match his impressive showing at the Foundation meet where he stormed to a 15:50. However, the extra month to refuel and tweak training could work wonders for the Spring Ford Senior. Last year Chris Cummings, who won the foundation meet but finished 12th at states, had a bit of similar seasonal arc. That same Chris Cummings finished 16th at Regionals last year and was PA’s #4 finisher. If Power is PA’s #4 finisher at Regionals this year, he may need to buy a plane ticket.
7. Where Exactly is Clarion?
Two of the best runners nobody has heard of attend Clarion Area and North Clarion high school. Liam Raeshler and Isaac Wilson were both state medalists this past year in A and have had impressive seasons in the heart of PA’s ignored zone. Don’t be surprised if these guys fly past some bigger named guys and mix it up near the front.
8. District 11’s Hidden Gems
The Easton boys have stolen the headlines this year (and rightfully so), but District 11 will be showcasing some of it’s other talented runners at Regionals this year. Gabe Lamm, the top non Easton finisher from Districts, will look to end his season on a strong note with fellow state qualifying teammate Calvin Schneck. Parkland brings a strong group of runners including sophomore sensation Michael Geiger and top finisher from states the past two seasons Dan Kyvelos (a Junior). They also have a sneaky good freshman in Sam Morgan who is worth keeping an eye on. Lastly, be on the lookout for state top 50 finisher Seth Slavin from Pleasant Valley. He’s another very talented sophomore who, when things click, has scary potential.
9. Hock’s Shadow
There is a lot of talent that the greatness of Dominic Hockenbury has allowed us to forget. For starters, within his own district are a couple of super talented Juniors in Matt Kravitz and Jacob Tockzo. Both were state medalists in AA and Kravitz ran 15:39 this year at Paul Short. Tockzo was a member of state champs Tunkhannock a year ago and has back to back top 30 state finishes. In addition, we often forget about Will Kachman from Bedford. The Junior came within a couple seconds of being in Hockenbury’s shoes. First, Kachman finished third behind Hockenbury at last year’s state championships, a fantastic finish for a sophomore. Then, still a sophomore, he finished 2nd at the outdoor states 3200m in AA, again to Dom Hockenbury. Kachman had a bit of a disappointing state meet this year and couldn’t match his runner up to Hockenbury from last outdoors. However, he is a super talented runner with something to prove at Regionals. That kind of combination could make the competition wish they never had been born.
Anyone? Seriously? Has no one seen “It’s a Wonderful Life”?
10. Too Soon?
We know about some of the big names back next year, but what about next year’s crop of break out stars? Well some of those guys may be competing at Footlocker this year. Jack Carmody was 12th at Districts and Top 50 at States this year. His final three meets were quite impressive. Nick Wolk, a Junior from Peters Township, is a prime under the radar district 7 performer with potential for a break through. He was a Top 50 man at states as well. Also young guns Morgan Cupp, a frosh from Mechanicsburg, and Dan Ritz, another Ritz brother who is an 8th grader signed up to compete, both might be the next breakthrough prospects next season.
11. The Super Sleepers
Zach Seiger and Dan Green are my super sleepers for this meet. If there is going to be one guy who makes Footlocker Nats that you say, “Only crud where did that come from?”, I’ll bet on one of these two. District 3 has a long and storied tradition of putting champions on the trails and on the track, but they have been struggling a bit in XC. McNally is the last National Finalist they have had. These are two of the best in District 3. Green has never really excelled on the state course, so we may not have seen his true potential last month. Seiger was at the end of grueling back to back to back where he was giving it his all to try and get his Red Land squad to states. Both guys are really strong XC runners, this is what they do best. If everything clicks, one of these well rested D3 boys may surprise on race day.
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