PIAA Foundation Invitational - Boys' Blue Race (2A) Preview
Last year, the Blue Race gave us a nice preview of what was to come at the state meet. Dallas and York Suburban battled to a 1-2 finish with York Suburban taking the win. Dallas reversed its fortune at states, taking the win over YS. There's no Dallas this year, but the boys from York Suburban (PA-AA#1) will make their season invite debut.
Led by a strong 1-2 punch of Bryce Ohl and Jarrett Raudensky, York Suburban is a deep squad with hopes of returning to the top of the 2A podium in November.
Among the teams looking to challenge YS are Indiana Area, led by Kendall Branan, Greensburg Salem, paced by a talented duo of Cameron Binda and Mark Brown, Bradford Area, with Logan Caruso a top ten threat, and South Fayette, with one of the individual favorites in Sam Snodgrass. Overall, it should paint a good picture of the 2A scene even minus Dallas.
Photo by Phil Grove
The individual race should heat up as well. The defending champ in this race is Jersey Shore Area's Isaac Davis. The senior went on to take third at states in 2A. He opened up with a 15:54 win at Big Valley, and should be in the mix for the win again on Saturday. His best challenge will likely come from Snodgrass, who won at the Red, White & Blue Classic against a deep western PA field. These two figure to be in the hunt for a state title come November and the Blue Race should serve as a good barometer for that.
Then there's Binda and Brown from Greensburg Salem. Brown opened his season with a win at Cal U. Binda was third at Red, White & Blue, while Brown took fifth. Look for these two to work together and put themselves in that lead pack. York Suburban's Ohl, along with Radensky, should also be competing for spots within the top five.
The field is deep after that. Bradford's Caruso, Western Wayne's Jacob Pasake, Somerset's Dominic Mazzariello and Cejay Walker, Warrior Run's Damein Moser, and Upper Perkiomen's Cameron Junk are all medal hopefuls for this weekend.
Watch highlights from last year's race: