Big Valley Invitational - Meet Preview
Girls' Preview
State College Area will look to run the table once again this season at Big Valley. Last year the Little Lions took the first three spots and scored just 20 points to win the meet overall. This year, it will look to do the same thing. Kileigh Kane (Preseason PA#12) is the favorite for the individual win (she was fifth last year, but came on strong later in the season), while Emma Simon (second last year) and Jordan Reed (third last year) will also be in the hunt.
Forest Hills' Emily Montag, the reigning District 6 Class AA champion, is also in the field. She'll aim to break up the State College lead pack. The Mifflin County duo of Joy Galbraith and Lauren Kuykendall will look to do the same.
State College will be favored to run away with the team title again, while Forest Hills, Mifflin County, Altoona Area, and Camp Hill will battle it out for spots within the top five.
Boys' Preview
One of the best intra-district team battles to watch for this season will be between District 6 Class AAA rivals State College Area and Mifflin County. Saturday will bring us round one of the fall. State College rested some of its top boys last season, but it looks like it will go full throttle to open up the season this weekend. Mifflin County comes in as Preseason PA#10, but State College it out to prove it can be a top ten state team, too. Expect a close one here.
The race for the win will come down to a number of contenders. Mifflin County's Chayce Macknair (Preseason PA#6) will look to take the win over Juniata's Garrett Baublitz (Preseason PA#23), State College's Owen Isham (Preseason Bubble), and Mifflin County's Brayden Harris.
Brendan Colwell and Colton Sands of Penns Valley Area placed fourth and sixth last season at Big Valley as freshman and will look for another big start to their sophomore seasons. Tyrone Area's Zach Kohler, East Pennsboro's Caeden Smith, and Forest Hills' Mitchell Chunta all return from the top ten at this meet last year, too.
The season is young, but Big Valley will tell us where some of these top teams and individuals stack up in the early going.