Photo by Patty Morgan
Boys' 4x800-Meter Relay Preview
The state meet will waste little time heating up with action on Saturday. The first event of the day---the boys' 4x800 meter relay---figures to pack a ton of excitement to start off the meet.
Germantown Friends' comes in as the top seed. GFS ran 7:54.68 to take fourth at the Millrose Games two weeks ago, finishing as the top PA squad. Nick Dahl, like he did last season, has opted against individual events in support of his team's relay goals. Jonnie Plass has really come around as a half miler this season and GFS could walk away with a state title here.
This race also features the defending state champions from State College Area. The hometown team lost some crucial pieces to that winning team from last year, but still have a strong stable of middle distance runners that are more than capable of another win in the event. They are at PA#3 currently after a 7:58.55 for ninth at Millrose. Nick Feffer and Owen wing return from last year's winning team.
PA#2 Pennsbury was fifth at Millrose, running a time of 7:57.11. They, too, have some strong half milers like Jed Scratchard, Eric Kersten, and Aidan Sauer. They weren't far off the state lead and could make a big impact on Saturday.
Carlisle is a team shooting for the team title on Saturday, but it all starts with the 4x800. The Herd ran 8:01 earlier in the season at Ursinus. They have the Affolder brothers and Isaac Kole, so we'll see if they decide to use all those pieces to start the day out. They have the talent to contend with those top three ranked teams and drop a really quick time.
Photo by Patty Morgan
Central Bucks West is another strong team. They ran 8:04 back in early January at Lavino. They'll likely stack a good squad together for Saturday in this one. They were second last year in the 4x8 and will be in the mix once again this year.
LaSalle, Abington, Penn Wood, Central Bucks East, and Seneca Valley have all run between 8:06 and 8:10 this season. That will be a heck of a fight for the limited medal positions. A lot comes down to whether or not these teams decide to stack the relays or go for glory in other events.
Other teams to watch out for include Bishop Shanahan, Cardinal O'Hara, North Penn, and Council Rock South. This is going to be a good one and not a race you'll want to miss to open up the day of boys' action.
Boys' 4x800m Entries:
Event 2 Boys 4x800 Meter Relay (17)
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State Meet: 7:45.06 2/26/2011 Central Bucks West, CB West
M Bee, M May, C Manley, M McGarvey
School
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1 Abington
2 Bensalem
3 Bishop Shanahan
4 Cardinal O'Hara
5 Carlisle
6 Central Bucks East
7 Central Bucks West
8 Council Rock South
9 Germantown Friends School
10 LaSalle College High School
11 Mount Lebanon
12 North Penn
13 Penn Wood
14 Pennsbury
15 Radnor
16 Seneca Valley
17 State College Area High School