Cliff Robbins Invitational - Meet Preview
Some strong District 2 and a few District 4 squads will meet up to start the season off in Dallas.
BOYS PREVIEW
The reigning Class AA state champs from Dallas will look to start things off with a win on Saturday. The Dallas boys, led by the individual Cliff Robbins favorite Jack Zardecki, return six of seven from last year's title team, and will have their eyes on the top prize again.
Montrose, the Class A District 2 champs from last year will begin its journey on Saturday as well. They are led by Brandon Curley.
After Zardecki, look for Mitchell Rome, Josh Wyandt, and Adam Borton---all from Dallas---to be in the mix for medals.
Western Wayne's Jacob Pasake may have upset on his mind this weekend. He was 12th in the state in AA last fall and should be a factor again this season. Holy Redeemer's Bryce Zapusek and Berwick's Jerrod Waller will also be up near the front.
This will also be the season opener for Northeast Bradford, a perennial power of of District 4. After losing some key runners to graduation, can the Class A stalwarts find the pieces this season? Holy Redeemer and Scranton Prep are among the other teams that will look to challenge Dallas and Montrose.
GIRLS PREVIEW
The girls race presents a good preview of the District 2 Class AA race. While we won't see Honesdale, many of the other top teams and individuals will toe the line.
D2-AA champ and state medalist Lindsey Williams will look to start her season off well. But she'll be challenged by Montrose's Hannah Perkins, who broke through as just a freshman in 2016. We should also expect Western Wayne's Annie Skirpan and Paige Barillo to get in the mix here. Scranton Prep will bring Mia Bellucci and Abby Bowen, a pair of strong runners, to the line as well.
Scranton Prep, which took second in D2-AA last season before placing sixth at states will be favored to take the team title. They are PA-2A#5 to start the season. We can't count out Dallas, though in this race Western Wayne and Lake Lehman should be strong as well.