D7-AA Boys - Team Breakdown
- AA Preseason Team Rankings
- Qualifying Spots For Teams: 3
- 2016 Champion: Greensburg Salem (67 points)
It was a big year for WPIAL teams in Class AA last fall. Up front, Ben Bumgarner and Zach Skolnekovich took the first two individual spots. In the team race, three of the top eight spots came from District 7 squads. They'll look for similar success this season.
Greensburg Salem led the way in 2016, winning the WPIAL with 67 points and putting four runners inside the top 20. One of those runners---Frankie King---has graduated, but G-S returns the other three with Mark Brown, Cameron Binda, and Dylan Binda. But it will need to add some depth to its varsity squad if Greensburg Salem wants another D7 victory.
South Fayette was third in the WPIAL last fall (and only made states on a sixth runner tiebreaker), but put together an impressive team effort a week later at states to place third overall in Class AA. It loses Aaron Pfeil, but South Fayette brings back five rising seniors from last year's team, led by Sam Snodgrass, who was sixth at states. If SF can have a similar peak, there's no telling just how well it can do this fall.
Photo by Phil Grove
The team on the losing end of South Fayette's tiebreaker victory was New Castle. New Castle had an impressive 1-5 gap of just 19 seconds at WPIAL, but lacked a frontrunner and it cost them. But this year, it brings back five of seven from last year. Look for WPIAL 1,600 meter champ on the track, La'Shawn Huff, and rising sophomore Anthony Litrenta to lead this team worth watching for.
Quaker Valley was second in the district and fifth in the state last fall. However, it loses Skolnekovich and three others from its team from last year. QV is a great program, however, and don't count them out of the equation this season.
Indiana Area will be without Samuel Lenze, its top runner from last fall, but brings back the other six varsity runners from 2016 and could threaten for a place in the top three. Knoch loses some valuable runners and will look for others to step up to contend again this year. Uniontown Area has some sleeper potential this year. It brings back its top four runners from a team that was seventh in the district last year, and could make some noise if it finds some breakthrough performers.