PIAA State Championships - AAA Boys' Individuals Preview
At the top of the state rankings all season have stood two boys: Neshaminy's Rusty Kujdych and Buter's Noah Beveridge. Though they've had similar opponents, the pair have yet to race this season. On Saturday, Kujdych and Beveridge will be the two favorites in an always-deep AAA field that should summon quite a few fireworks to close out the PIAA State Championships.
Kujdych (PA#1) enters Saturday undefeated against Pennsylvania high schoolers. He picked up wins at Briarwood, the pre-state PIAA Foundation Invitational, the SOL National Conference Championship, and the District 1 Championship. He was also the top PA finisher at PTXC9, Paul Short (which included a PR 5K of 15:01), and Manhattan. So yes, it's been a very busy senior season for Kujdych. He's sought out the highest level of competition practically every week, and he hopes it'll pay off with a state crown on Saturday.
Beveridge (PA#2) is the top returner from states last year based on finishing places. He was fifth as a junior, peaking at the perfect time. He rolled to wins at McDowell, Mack Cooper, and the District 7 (WPIAL) Championship. Despite a slight hiccup at Boardman in Ohio, Beveridge has proven to be even better than he was a year ago and certainly capable of crossing the line first on Saturday. Beveridge has the added motivation of his team, which also qualified, so he'll be gunning for that "1" stick.
Of course, more than just these two are in for Saturday's loaded AAA field. Bishop Shanahan's Josh Hoey looked like a worthy challenger at last week's District 1 meet. Hoey took second, just a second behind Kujdych. Remember that Hoey was third at states two years ago while competing with Downingtown West. He's a 1:49/4:08 guy on the track and is definitely dangerous in this field. Another District 1 runner to watch for is Owen J. Roberts' Liam Conway. The senior ran 15:08 at Paul Short and was third at districts. An injury derailed his state meet last season, as he came across 111th, so he'll be gunning to go out on a high note Saturday.
LaSalle's Evan Addison is in the midst of a strong senior season, too. He won the stacked Carlisle Invitational and rolled to PCL and District 12 titles. At Carlisle, he finished ahead of Ryan Campbell of Council Rock North, who was seventh at states last fall. Campbell, along with Ethan Koza will pace a CR North team, aiming for a big team showing, and those two should be up inside the top ten.
Photo by Phil Grove
It's also been a strong year in the WPIAL after Beveridge. North Allegheny's Daniel McGoey has become on of the state's top sophomores. He's earned five top finishes this fall and was second to Kujdych and ahead of Conway at Foundation in September on the Hershey course. Seneca Valley, a strong team, has Sam Owori and Seth Ketler, who are a pair of top ten threats. Mount Lebanon's Patrick Anderson, Pittsburgh Central Catholic's Sam Gatti, and Chartiers Valley's Czar Tarr are among the other D7 runners to watch for.
Mechanicsburg's Morgan Cupp looked strong winning the District 3 title last Saturday. After placing 13th in the state in 2016, Cupp seems primed to make a run at a higher finish this weekend. State College's Mitchell Etter missed most of last season---including the postseason---with an injury. He's healthy and running great now and should be a factor in this field. His teammate Owen Isham will look for a strong day, too. District 2 champion Tyler Wirth has top five potential for sure. This is just his first season of XC, but Wirth has looked terrific, earning wins at William Tennent and at Lakeland for his district meet. We'll see how he handles his first trip to the Hershey hills.
Phoenixville's Carlos Shultz was 29th as a freshman last season, but now as a sophomore, he's elevated his running. The Conestoga transfer was fifth at both Paul Short and the District 1 Championship, and should figure into the race around the top ten. West Chester Henderson's Spencer Smucker was seventh in District 1. He's already a three-time state medalist and has improved upon his place with each year, so Smucker will look to close out his PA career with his best finish yet, despite his Henderson team not qualifying for states for the first time in ten years. Penncrest's Avery Lederer has had a strong season, and should be in the mix for a high finish, as well.
The District 8 Taylor Allderdice has a pair of solid runners in Tavonne Davis and Ethan Hermann. Each have run well all season and should figure into the race near the front.
Other returning medalists looking for a return to the podium on Saturday are Lower Dauphin's Jared Giannascoli and Council Rock North's Sam Earley. The other individuals shooting for top 15 finishes on Saturday include North Penn's Brendan O'Toole, Cocalico's Evan Kreider, Downingtown West's Tyler Rollins and Payton Sewell, Owen J. Roberts' Andrew Malmstrom, Cheltenham's Jason Cornelison, Mechanicsburg's Brandan Knepper, Carlisle's Jack Wisner, Southern Lehigh's Colin Cramer, and LaSalle's Vincent Twomey.