Jaxson Hoey of Downingtown West returns this weekend after his big Millrose Trials win with an 800 at Ocean Breeze (Photo by Steven Pisano)
Ocean Breeze High School Invitational
There will be plenty to watch at Ocean Breeze on Saturday. Some of PA's top athletes will hit up Staten Island for possibly their last race before the stretch run of the season leading up to states. The nice facilities will offer them a nice opportunity for fast marks that could help solidify state spots or help make their case. Here's what to watch for on the stream:
BOYS
Sprints/Hurdles: Miles Green come in as the top PA threat in the 55m hurdles. The St. Joseph's Prep sophomore will look for a strong race against a good field. In the 200, we'll have a STACKED field of PA talent. We will see the return of MLK's Tyreek Mathis, as well as LaSalle's Charles Headen, Imhotep's Ade Jones-Roundtree, Upper Darby's Mason Weh, Coatesville's Terrance Laird, and PA#1 Joshua McLemore of Downingtown West. It's a safe assumption that the state rankings will have a new look by the time this group leaves New York. In the 400, we'll get another god bunch with Green, McLemore and Haverford's Justin Moscoe in the field. Mathis is slated for the third heat as well.
Distance: The 800 should be a very fun race. Expect a fast race with Downingtown West's Jaxson Hoey and Carlisle's Matt Wisner headlining the PA guys in the field. Wisner hasn't got on a banked track this year, so the Duke recruit will have a good chance to move way up the state leaderboard. Jaxson Hoey has been on fire this indoor season and it will be interesting to see how much faster he can go. In the mile, Josh Hoey (Downingtown West) gets back on the track. He'll be joined by West teammate Ryan Barton. Also in the field are Liam Galligan of Springfield, Colin Wills of Malvern Prep, Cooper Leslie of Camp Hill, and Dominic Hockenbury. Hockenbury made his season debut at the small Summit Invite last week. This will be a good opportunity to see truly where the AA XC champ is at this point of the season. No PA boys made the invitational section of the 2 mile, but that shouldn't stop them from dropping some fast times. Methacton's Jeff Kirshenbaum, Pleasant Valley's Seth Slavin, and the LaSalle duo of Stephen Paul and Eddie Goebel are among some of the entries.
Relays: The 4x200 should be a good matchup between Downingtown East, Imhotep, Upper Darby and LaSalle. Meanwhile, Downingtown West looks like they'll stack a 4x400 (they're already PA#1 in the 4x200).
Field: Darian Alston of Downingtown West has been quiet since his huge PA#1 46-10 in the triple jump back at the Bishop Loughlin Games. He's one of the top entries in the TJ this weekend. Hatboro-Horsham's Nicholas Marino will look to improve on his 14-9 a few weeks ago in the pole vault.
GIRLS
Sprints: Jayana Webb leads the list of PA entries in the 200. The Norristown sophomore sits at PA#4, but she ran that back in December. Look for Webb to shoot up the state rankings this weekend. In the 400, the Springside Chestnut Hill teammates, Brooklynn Broadwater and Alexandria Kitchell, come in as the top PA girls to the event.
Distance: There will be a lot of distance action on tap for the girls of PA. The 800 has a loaded field, including Germantown Academy's Abbe Goldstein, Friends' Central's Gabrielle Wilkinson, O'Hara's Olivia Arizin, and Pleasant Valley's Jenn Mickens. Lots to watch for there! The mile features Conestoga's Dom Shultz, Emmaus' Katie Bacher and Easton's Diana Hammerstone, who will be chasing down Briana Gess of Haddonfield. The 2 mile also has plenty of talent. Aislinn Devlin of Downingtown West will step up in distance after running a few mile races earlier in the season. She'll be contested by Cumberland Valley's Mady Clahane and Germantown Academy's Maggie Hallahan. Surely, they'll be looking to eclipse the top PA time in that event and see if they can't go after a conversion that tops Abbe Goldstein's 10:02 3K from earlier in the season. Hannah Molloy of Pennsbury is a late addition to the field. She's coming off a strong 3K at the Hispanic Games.
Relays: PA#2 Norristown is entered in the 4x200 meters, looking to top their early-season 1:42.65. The 4x800 will be a treat with Penn Wood, North Penn, Cardinal O'Hara, Friends' Central, and Easton looking to run fast. It's the same track where North Penn broke out with a huge 9:28.76 last month let's see if they can channel more of that magic with a very competitive field. In the 4x400, Penn Wood, Springside Chestnut Hill, and Norristown look to be some of the top teams.