Meet Preview: PIAA District 3 Championships

Fairfield Area looks to be the favorite to claim the team title and only available PIAA qualifying spot. The Knights boast depth and talent and ran well last week at the YAIAA meet. York Catholic lost by just 3 to Fairfield at the Ben Bloser Invite and by 29 at leagues last week; still, the thinner field could serve their interests as the Fighting Irish have posted a modestly better score through three runners. Kutztown Area is the defending champion and could surprise.

Trinity's Sam Predmore popped a 16:58 at Mid-Penns last week and enters as the individual favorite. Fairfield's John Whitcomb bested YAIAA rival Christian Gervasi by four seconds at leagues and is the top returning finisher from 2017 (2nd), while Predmore's Shamrock teammate Will Bucher and Kutztown's Mitchell Brett are a pair of names to keep an eye on.

Wyomissing and York Suburban dueled for the District title in 2017 with the former winning 52-61, but the script may be flipped this time around. York Suburban was dominant at the early-season Ben Bloser Invitational on this same Big Spring course, and also dominated the YAIAA meet against mostly 3A competition last week with just 61 points and a 50-second spread.

Wyomissing posted a strong effort of its own at the Berks County championships, giving 3A power Twin Valley a modest run for its money. Boiling Springs looks to have the inside track on the 3rd and final PIAA qualifying spot.

Individually, it looks to be a two-man race up front. Lancaster Mennonite's Logan Horst won his race in 16:18 at Big Spring in September, and was more recently the top 2A finisher at the Lancaster-Lebanon League meet, placing fifth. Wyomissing's Ben Kuhn, meanwhile, cruised to Berks County victory last week in 16:21.

Jarrett Raudensky has been team favorite York Suburban's top runner all season; Greencastle-Antrim's Weber Long, Milton Hershey's Gary Waters and Northern Lebanon's Gage Krall should place highly as well.

As has often been the case in recent years, the battle for the District 3A boys' trophy -- and 3 additional state berths -- should be intense.

Berks County champ Twin Valley is deep, and boasts a win over a bevy of talented District 1 schools at the William Tennent invite on October 6. Carlisle has a low stick in Jack Wisner, and Ed Boardman always seems to get his guys peaking at the right time - they're a strong bet as well after a Mid-Penn race in which the Herd put together their best team performance of the year and finished just 8 points adrift of District 6 foe State College.

Three Lancaster-Lebanon schools -- Warwick, Cedar Crest and Manheim Township -- finished within 17 points at leagues. Which will be racing in Hershey two weeks from now?

The senior-heavy individual race should be as exciting as the team battle. Wisner nearly claimed his home team's invitational with a strong 15:54, but his focus has remained on the postseason all fall. As was the case at Carlisle, Cumberland Valley's Luke Klingenberg and Warwick's Connor Shields, who also dipped under the 16-minute barrier, will trail him closely.

A handful of experienced Lancaster-Lebanon seniors - Cocalico's Evan Kreider, Manheim Township's Evan Dorenkamp and Ian Miller, and Ephrata's Andrew Foster - can all make a case for the individual win as well. Brandan Knepper, who put together his most complete race of the year at Mid-Penns to finish just behind Wisner, has stated his desire to bring the gold medal back to Mechanicsburg after Morgan Cupp won in 2017.

Palmyra sophomore Jakolby Fackler, who has moved into a leadership role in injured Matt Carroll's absence, is the fastest non-senior entering Saturday's race, ranked 12th on the descending order list.