Team Preview
Photo by Patty Morgan
Sewickley Academy seemed like a lock to take the state title last season, but an injury to their #2 runner, Ben Clouse, ended up proving costly, and the Camp Hill boys pulled off the upset of the meet, winning the Class A title. It proved anything can happen, especially at the state meet.
The Winchester Thurston squad comes in as the favorite. They were runaway winners at the Foundation Invitational and then scored just 20 points to take the WPIAL title. Behind low stick like Littmann and Forsythe, it would be hard for any team to stop them.
Some injuries derailed Winchester Thurston's title hopes last season, but their D7 performance showed that they look to be in good shape headed into Hershey. So who could possibly challenge them?
Elk County Catholic is a strong team, led by Zachary Wortman, a worthy frontrunner. ECC was sixth last year and they should be in position to improve on that and better this season.
Northeast Bradford won handily at District 4, beating a strong Southern Columbia team. Casey Ellis has really come on strong, and the depth provided by Garret Smith and Zak Smith makes them a tough team to beat in Class A.
Photo by Phil Grove
District 10's Seneca also picked up a sizable win at its district meet. They have the talented Myers brothers, but can they find some big races out of their 3-4-5? That's necessary for Seneca to compete with some of the state's top A squads.
The newcomers to Class A this year, Montrose, will look to make a big impact in their first season in the classification. They rolled over the competition at District 2 taking the first three spots. Zach Mead, Brandon Curley, and Owen Brewer went 1-2-3 at districts and they will likely work together on Saturday to lead Montrose.
Other teams to watch for: District 3's Camp Hill (after pulling out the upset win last year, you can't count this team out); District 6's Penns Valley (Chris Colwell and Mark Bierly should contend for medals); and District 1's Jenkintown (led by Jack Miller, they could surprise some folks).