Real Preview for the Imaginary Meet of Champions

Writing this was one of the saddest experiences of my month. Not because I hate writing previews for imaginary meets of my own creation (because, in fact, I love doing that), but instead because I can’t help but lament the fact that this meet is not actually happening. I just have a tough time ending the season knowing that we won’t have a race to decide the best 50 in the state, the best 10, and most importantly the best 1. Am I the only one who gets worked about this sort of thing? Yeah, probably. Is it that big of a deal that we won’t actually see Brophy v. Molino v. Hockenbury v. Ritz in a true state title race? For most people, the answer is probably no.

 

But for me the answer is an emphatic yes. Possibly with one of my fake expletives in front of it (I don’t swear, but I do use the word “frick” on a daily basis). And so I have created this mock Meet of Champions and even created this fake preview to give a chance to see what could have been. Also, I’d love to hear your thoughts on what would have happened. You can consider them “predictions” for the mock meet of champions that I am finalizing tomorrow night, or you can consider them “suggestions” because technically that’s what they are. I will consider all opinions, but in the end this is a dictatorship not a democracy and I’ve got the final say on everything.

 

So with all that said, let’s talk fake previews!

 

After two weeks of waiting, we will finally decide who the best in PA is. Jake Brophy is coming off a huge win at the state championships after back-to-back impressive runs at Lehigh. His dominating performance over the final 800m and his smashing of the course record make him an early favorite. However, the previous state title favorite, Colin Abert is waiting in the wings. He has something to prove after a surprise 5th place finish in the AAA championships. Abert has run 14:55, the fastest of anyone at Lehigh this year, and has beaten Griffin Molino and Dom Hockenbury head to head by an impressive margin, and those two guys have state gold hanging around their neck now.

 

Speaking of something to prove, Griffin Molino, Dominic Hockenbury and Sam Ritz are all state champions, but most people are probably either putting that in air quotes or throwing the word “technically” in front of it. They are each determined to leave their stamp on this meet and prove that they could have not only held their own in that incredibly deep AAA race, but maybe even have won the title. Sam Ritz made an early case a few days ago at the Henderson 3200m where he dropped a massive PR of 9:10. He always been known as more of a track guy, so we will see how he handles the hills of Big Spring. As for Molino, he barely missed Russell’s record in a reasonably solo performance at Hershey, an impressive run that was quickly overshadowed by the AAA race. As for Hockenbury, with the lone exception being PTXC, he has cruised to dominating wins at all of his meets. How will he handle the AAA competition?

 

With the meet at Big Spring, many runners will be seeing the course for the first time. However, Zach Seiger, Zach Brehm and Dan Green all dueled here at Mid Penns, meaning they should have a leg up on the competition. Nathan Henderson and Gabriel Allgayer also made the trip out to Big Spring for an early season invitational. Cumberland Valley won here as a team at the Mid Penn Championships and State College was a surprise second. We will see if either team can take advantage of their experience this weekend.

 

The battle for the top spot in each class should be extremely competitive. For the freshman, Josh Hoey looks to continue his impressive season, hoping to stay ahead of AAA medalist Spencer Smucker from Henderson as they transition back to the hills after their battle Tuesday on the track. AA state medalist Christian Babo, Morgan Cupp and Liam Conway have also been invited to try and chase top freshman honors.

 

The sophomores are led by AAA stud Nathan Henderson of JP McCaskey, who was the top sophomore in the AAA state meet, followed closely by O’Hara’s Ryan James. However, in the A race, Griffin Mackey ran the fastest time of the day for any soph en route to his third place overall finish. Ben Littman from Winchester Thurston was also top 10 in the A race as only a sophomore. Littman and Mackey will be relied on for team scoring as well as individual success. From the independent league, sophomore Nick Dahl will try and best the PIAA sophomores, fresh off a 9:11 3200m PR at Henderson.

 

In the team title race, North Allegheny comes in as the favorite thanks to their course record average at the PIAA state championships. However, Malvern Prep, the Paul Short and Briarwood champions in addition to the independent league gold medalists, will give them all they can handle. Jaxson Hoey, the team’s front runner when healthy, has said he will try and race to help his team out, but he won’t be 100%. Meanwhile, Billy McDevitt and Josh Hoey will look to help with top 25 finishes. North Allegheny has one of the best 1-2 punches of all time with two men leading the charge that were sub 16 at Hershey in McGoey and Wharrey. Stupak has emerged as a quality #4 and hopefully Dieble or Miggliozzi can help fight off the tight pack of guys around them and provide a low enough score to take the title.

 

AA State Champs York Suburban will be hoping to challenge the top AAA teams and prove that, despite their size, they are capable of being #1 in the state. York Suburban was the top PA team at the prestigious Carlisle Invitational and are led by AA state medalist Brady Wilt. They will need a big day from Donovan Mears and freshman Bryce Ohl to secure a top finish.

 

Conestoga was the runners up at the AAA state championships and, led by Andrew Marston, will hope to get some revenge on state champions North Allegheny. But over their shadow O’Hara and Henderson, two top notch programs, will look to use their powerful front running in this front loaded meet to steal a podium finish. Winchester Thurston, the smallest squad of the bunch, will also set their sights on a top finish. They had a fantastic top 5 at the A state championships and are hoping for a big day from their leader, Will Loevner as well as Senior Landin Delaney. Shaun Hay has had more time to recover from injury and should, therefore, be even more dangerous as the team’s 4.

 

The Meet of Champions is an excellent opportunity for redemption for a variety of teams and individuals. It also a fantastic chance to prove yourself against top tier runners and teams that small school guys have yet to have the opportunity to face. And most importantly, it is a moment to pick ONE champion of the state of Pennsylvania.

 

Buckle up.