Boys' State Distance Preview: 3 Straight for Perretta/Hockenbury?; Hoeys look for 8/16 wins

Boys' AA 800 meters

Domenic Perretta (Beaver Falls) | Photo by Phil Grove

Beaver Falls' Domenic Perretta will be chasing something special this weekend, trying to win the 800 and 1600 at for the third consecutive year. While he's the favorite to accomplish this feat, it's never a forgone conclusion.

Perretta, who has run 1:50.70 this season, will get some good competition in the 800, which comes after the 1600. The biggest test will come from Brookville's Ryan Thrush, who seemingly came out of nowhere to drop a PA#2 1:52 earlier in the season at Baldwin. Thrush is also doubling, though, coming off the 400 earlier in the meet.

Mount Carmel's David Fletcher has run 1:53 this season against college competition and was second a year ago to Perretta. 

Neumann Goretti's Kamil Jihad has had an impressive two weeks. Jihad won both the PCL (1:54) and District 12 (1:55) and appears primed for a big day at Ship. Harbor Creek's Dan Kuhn and Masterman's Joseph Previdi are a couple other breakout performers that could pull out big races when it counts most.