Shikellamy Boosters Classic - Meet Preview
Some of top teams in the PHAC will compete in what is basically a de facto conference championship, since the PHAC doesn't sponsor its own championship meet.
GIRLS PREVIEW
Warrior Run's Lauren Trapani has had little trouble adjusting to high school running. After a big start with a 17:41 at Lock Haven, Trapani ran to wins at the PIAA Foundation Invitational and then the Northeast Invitational at Bloomsburg. Now she'll be on the hunt for another win on Saturday.
His best competition could come from Isabel Sagar of Loyalsock Township, who is in the midst of a great junior season. Trapani did get the best of Sagar by over a minute at a dual meet this week, though, so we'll see if Sagar can close the gap to her District 4-1A rival this weekend ahead of the district meet.
Central Mountain's Alyssa Laughner will be one to watch. She was second to Trapani at NEPA and will also be looking to close the gap to the frosh. Laughner took third at this meet last year. The Danville duo of Marisa Maffei and Emma Mikita look for spots in the top five. So will Mifflinburg's Audrey Macpherson and Jillian Miller. Lewisburg freshman Delaney Humphrey has put together a solid season with three top ten finishes so far. Williamsport's Mary McMahon, along with her teammate Lydia Smith will also be in the mix.
Danville Area will be favored for another team title. Led by Maffei and Mikita, they are one of the state's top AA teams and they'll be looking to prove that on Saturday. Warrior Run has proven to be an upstart 1A team with a number of talented young runners after Trapani. Loyalsock and Mifflinburg are among the teams looking to chase WR after falling that aforementioned dual meet.
BOYS PREVIEW
At the PIAA Foundation Invitational, Jersey Shore's Isaac Davis proved he's the one to beat in 2A this season, rolling to a victory and the day's fastest time of 16:01. Davis also won at Big Valley, but has been mostly silent on the "big meet" front. Still, he proved his fitness at Hershey and will be tough to take down this season and this weekend.
But he hails from District 4, which has a lot of talent in 2A this season. His top competitor will likely be Quinn Serfass of Loyalsock Township, who upset Davis for the district title last season. Saturday's "PHAC" meet will serve as a precursor to districts as the two will battle it out.
One to watch for will be Tyler Leeser of Milton Area. The senior opened his season with a Blue Race win at PTXC9, but has been relatively MIA since then. If healthy, Leeser has the ability to contend with the two favorites on Saturday.
Williamsport Area's Tyler Holcomb is also having a great season. He's run well every step of the way, most recently going 16:32 at Paul Short. He even won a dual meet that included Serfass earlier this week. Expect him to be up there. Mifflinburg's Quenton Long will also be worth watching for. He was sixth at the Northeast Invitational a few weeks ago. The Loyalsock duo of Ryan Sullivan and Alejandro Quintana were fourth and fifth respectively at NEPA and should figure into Saturday's race.
Southern Columbia's Ethan Knoebel, Central Mountain's Corbin Green, and Warrior Run's Damein Moser are among the others to watch for in this meet.
As for the team race, we've got a good one on our hands with many of District 4's best (in both 1A and 2A) in the fields.
Warrior Run won at NEPA and has good depth, but fellow 2A teams like Milton Area (particularly if Leeser is back in the lineup) will be strong. Lewisburg was second at NEPA and boasts a good 1-5 gap. Loyalsock has talented frontrunners and if the back end of varsity can bridge the gap to the front, it can contend here. Mount Carmel Area looks to be a serious states contender out of 1A, so they'll look to get a good race in on Saturday against these 2A team ahead of districts. All in all, this will be a close team battle top to bottom.