Photo by Don Rich
Paul Short Run - Boys' Brown Race Preview
INDIVIDUALS
The boys could have a shot at the sub-15 barrier on Friday on the flat course of Lehigh, on what figures to be a nice day to chase a fast time.
The race up front will matchup US#10 Dalton Hengst and PA#1 Rusty Kujdych. Hengst, a York, PA resident who attends McDonogh School in MD, dropped a 15:10 a few weeks ago and looks to be the favorite heading in. Kujdych of Neshaminy has had a busy start to his season, which included a fifth place finish at PTXC9 and wins at Briarwood and Foundation.
Hengst went out hard last year at this meet and faded to fourth in the final mile, so look for him to have redemption on his mind.
Another one to watch for is Bishop Shanahan's Josh Hoey (PA#8). Hoey has posted times of 1:49 (800m) and 4:08 (mile) on the track, but his XC resume has been mixed to this point. He won earlier this year at Abington and will look to race up front with the favorites.
OJR's Liam Conway was third at Foundation last week and now he'll drop down to the flat course of Lehigh. He sits at PA#6 and Friday will be another nice test for him. PA#11 Tyler Wirth of Wallenpaupack had a terrific start to his XC career at PTXC9, where he placed sixth, not far off Kujdych. Now he'll be in another big race where he should be up amongst the leaders.
VA#15 Jack Ikenberry (Lee-Davis), PA#14 Joe Cullen (Wyomissing Area), PA#16 Carlos Shultz (Phoenixville Area), PA#21 Jack Zardecki (Dallas), PA#25 Evan Kreider (Cocalico), Quinn Serfass (Loyalsock), Christian Groff (Hempfield), Jacob McKenna (Spring Ford), Andrew Avila (Charter School of Wilmington), and the Centerville (OH) duo of Ben Burkett and Jack Welsh should also battle it out for top ten spots.
TEAMS
The team battle should give an interesting glimpse into how some strong Pennsylvania teams matchup with some talented out-of-state squads. Centerville (OH) took the win at Paul Short last season and they'll be shooting for a repeat performance. Morgantown (WV) was second at the Red, White & Blue Classic in Pittsburgh earlier this season and should compete well on Friday.
Delaware's Salesianum School and Virginia's Lee-Davis should also be strong.
From Pennsylvania, the upstart squad from Boyertown returns to the course. They were second at PTXC9 and then second at PIAA Foundation Invitational last week. That shot them up to PA#5 and they'll look for more this weekend. We'll also see the 5K season debut of Downingtown West. The PA#6 team is out to prove they have the tools to contend again this season. PA#7 Bishop Shanahan is out to show that they, too, are for real. After a strong race at Foundation, PA#9 Spring Ford is also entered for Friday.
Owen J. Roberts, West Chester East, Easton Area, and Dallas are among the other teams to watch in this deep field.