Link to Starting Lane Assignments from PIAA
Narrated photo tour of the Hershey Parkview XC course, redesigned in 2008
PREVIEWS
AA GIRLS | AAA GIRLS | AA BOYS | AAA BOYS
AA Girls - 9:00 am
By Lex Mercado
Team:
The big question in the AA girls is who’s going to be able to challenge two time defending AA state champions and Small School PA#2 Central Cambria. Not much has been said about this team in 2009, but they have quietly been taking care of their business in an attempt to three-peat.
After being the underdogs last year and surprising many teams in the 2008 championship, this time around no one will be caught napping on this group. They have yet to taste defeat in any invitational and they have won big each time, including the Blue race at PIAA Foundation in Hershey on September 26.
This team has a blend of youth and experience. Freshman Alyssa Brandeis has become the team’s top runner for most of the season. Her breakthrough helps accommodate the experience of the Seymour sisters, Kelsey and Kendall, who have been a part of the last two championship teams and know how to win big races.
So who can match up and challenge the reigning champions? Small School PA#3 Northwestern Lehigh has been one of the better teams this season. Led by Lindsay Kerr, they have been the only team to come close to Central Cambria with two girls under 19:40 this season.
Small School PA#5 North East has had one of the smaller 1-5 compressions in AA this season and with four girls who have broken 21 minutes, they may have a good chance to match up well with the champions.
Small School PA#4 West Middlesex has been a top five ranked AA team who has running their best during the last few weeks of the season.
Also in the mix should be District 3 winner Wyomissing, who put up a remarkable 14 second compression off a 7th place finish by freshman June Chiango. If they can move that pack up 10-15 seconds, that compression will be hard to beat.
Individuals:
Individually, Leah Anne Wirfel, a junior from Forest Hills, has had a perfect 2009 season, winning every big meet she has entered, has a seasonal and AA PA best 18:13 this season, and has already earned one victory on this course back in September. Wirfel was runnerup in 2008.
Kayleigh Perry, a senior at Eastern Lebanon County, was 3rd in 2008, and captured this year's District 3 title again. Perry has a 17th place finish at the loaded Paul Short Run, along with three other victories.
Katie Sick of Millville may be another top challenger for Wirfel. Sick has not finished worse than 2nd in any invitational and won her first district championship after three years of close calls.
Alyssa Brandeis of Central Cambria, Emily Giannotti of Coudersport, and Angel Piccirillo of Homer Center have also broken the 19 minute mark this season. Giannotti has only finished worse than first once all season and that was at PIAA Foundations behind Wirfel. Brandeis has not finished worse than 4th in any invitational race. Piccirillo has four first place finishes to her name.
Other top ten contenders include Susan Learn of Mansfield, Allison Hall of Blue Ridge, Katrina Jueng of Shady Side Academy, Lainie Smith of Saucon Valley, Emma Mahoney of Villa Joseph Marie, Amber Carroll of Tamaqua Area, and Danielle Kocjancic of Kane Area.
AAA Girls - 10:00 am
By Don Rich
Team:
There are lots of ways to win a state team championship in cross country.
Go with a front-runner who keeps the points low, and then get 2-5 as close as possible.
That's how the District 11 champions from Emmaus did it the first last two championships behind now-graduated Lindsey Graybill.
Another way is to move the pack up toward the front as much as possible and keep the compression low from 1-5.
That's how PA#1 Emmaus is hoping to pull off the second three-peat in girls' AAA history when they toe the line in the 10 AM race this coming Saturday at Hershey's Parkview course.
If they achieve their goal, it'll make four straight years on the PIAA podium. A first in the sport in PA. The team took 2nd to Radnor in 2006.
Their 53 second compression included the Faust triplets - Brianna, Amanda and Christina - at the front, with emerging talents, Lydia Brough and Kelli Steinert, both sophomores.
The other team that achieved the three-peat? Why, previously ranked, and current tie PA#10 State College of course. From 1979 to 1981, the Lady Lions scored just 46 points, 31 points and 92 points. The team was led by the great Lynn Strauss, who would finish 2nd, 2nd and 3rd at Foot Locker Nationals those three years. Interestingly, those team wins were on three different courses - Fort Indiantown Gap, Lehigh University, and Penn State University.
But enough about history.
This year's State College team is looking like a top three challenger. Fresh off a perfect 15 at their District 6 meet at Indian Valley Middle School, they boast a 50 second spread. Led by Lucia Sofo and Nora Adams, they are coming together at just the right time.
Right with Emmaus all season has been former PA #1, current #5, Liberty. They have lost to Emmaus the past two weeks, first in the Lehigh Valley Conference and then last Thursday in the District 11 Championships. Liberty has an incredible one-two punch in defending state champ Jessica Cygan and Amy Darlington. Darlington was first in those two meets, but Cygan is getting closer to true form, recovering from an earlier illness.
The top competition for Emmaus and State College will come from the big three districts - 1, 3 and 7.
PA#2 Norwin is led by Jenna Gigliotti, whose 18:26 at Cooper's Lake in winning her District 7 meet, was just 22 seconds off last year's D7 champ Natalie Bower. The team boasts a 1:56 compression and defeated traditionally strong squads from tie PA#10 North Hills and previously ranked North Allegheny. N.A. has an incredibly tight pack of just 42 seconds. That can really keep down the points in a big meet.
In District 3, unranked newly named PA#7 Warwick upset previous PA #6, now PA#9 Cumberland Valley. CV uses the 'score low' strategy with a front-runner in District champ Leigha Anderson. Their 1:56 compression is made more impressive with the leader of the race at the front end of that clock.
District 1 has three PA-ranked teams. PA#3 North Penn won the district crown - a repeat - behind emerging sophomore star Meghan McGovern. Their 2:30 compression could add up the points more rapidly in a deeper race like states. PA#4 Pennsbury was just behind them in districts, but without their strong #2 runner Ann Herman, who was held out of conferences and districts to completely recover from illness. Pennsbury is led by District 1 champ Sara Sargent, who is easily one of the best freshmen - and runners, in the country.
Her 17:39 came on a muddy, slightly longer D1 course a week after McGovern's 17:39. Both runners will be near the front. Previously ranked West Chester Henderson is led by the 4th place district finisher, Janie Augustyn, a sophomore. They were third in District 1.
Individuals:
In addition to (alpha order) Adams, Anderson, Augustyn, Cygan, Darlington, Gigliotti, McGovern, Sargent and Sofo, others with a great shot at top ten include, in District and Alpha order:
D1: Anne Areias, Sr, William Tennent, 7th; Katie Kinkead, Jr, Central Bucks Eat, 3rd; Elizabeth Simpson, Sr, Boyertown, 5th (and 2008 D1 champ); and Kayla Lampe, Jr, Bishop Shanahan, 6th
D3: Allison Mannon, Sr, Warwick, 2nd
D7: Elaina Balouris, Sr, Hampton, 3rd; Margo Malone, So, North Hills, 2nd; Angelica Peck, Jr, Blackhawk, 4th; and Shannon Malone, Fr, North Hills, 5th
AA Boys - 11:00 am
By Jayson Jackson
Team:
In 2008, the top three teams were separated by just six points when Elk Lake (138) edged out Quaker Valley (140) and North East (144). Quaker Valley was ranked the top AA PIAA team heading into last year's meet and was the odds-on favorite to win. Not much has changed in 2009.
AA #2 Quaker Valley is still on top and several teams are trying to pull off the upset. Quaker Valley has been dominant all season and they appear to be more focused than ever. Quaker Valley has been steadily climbing up the ladder at states. They were 15th in 2006, 5th in 2007, and second last year. If they want to continue their ascent, there's only one more spot for them. Their road is not going to be easy as a host of teams are also gunning for the state championship. Taking an in-depth look back through the season identifies some of the key challengers to Quaker Valley.
AA #3 Fairview had been dominant all season, but they stumbled at Districts and were beaten by North East. Fairview was sixth a year ago and still has the firepower to challenge Quaker Valley, as their winning team average from the Foundation Meet is 10 seconds faster than the one they took to States in 2008.
North East is hitting their stride at the right time. Their pack is backing up the front running of Alex Beardsley and Ryan Smathersback, which helped them to topple Fairview by 34 points in District 10, instantly making them a contender. North East finished fourth at the Foundation Meet, but appear to be much improved from that showing.
AA #4 York Suburban returns their top six from 2008's fifth-place team. They used a 35-second compression to crush the competition at districts and score 37 points. York Suburban finished 8th at the Carlisle Invitational, five points behind District 1 AAA runner-up North Penn. They are battle tested and have the experience to finish on the podium.
AA #5 Holy Redeemer and defending champs Elk Lake have been close all season. Holy Redeemer finished six points ahead of Elk Lake at the Foundation Meet for second place while four points was their margin of victory at the District 2 Championship. Holy Redeemer finished fourth at states in 2008, 30 points off of Elk Lake's championship performance. Holy Redeemer returns three of their top seven, while Elk Lake returns five. Holy Redeemer and Elk Lake finished eight and 14 points, respectively, behind Fairview at the Foundation Meet for second and third places.
Similar to District 10, the rivalry between Holy Redeemer and Elk Lake has made both teams better and podium contenders. Elk County Catholic returns runners 2-7 from their ninth place team in 2008. Their 1-2 punch of Chris Antonio and Harley Thompson set the tone for the district meet finishing first and second respectively enabling the team to score 32 points. Third-place finisher in District 9, Barrett Kemp, was runner-up at the Foundation Meet to help put Elk County's performance in perspective.
Notre Dame Green Pond has five of seven runners back from their 19th place finish in 2008 and look poised to make a big leap in the team standings. By placing four runners in the top 10 at the District 11 Championship they were able to score 32 points, 68 points better than their closest competition. Based on their times, they would have won the AAA Championship as well, a very impressive feat for a small school. Masterman returns four of seven from their eighth-place team in 2008 and are a bit of a wildcard since the finish order has yet to surface. Masterman could surprise some teams and follow La Salle's blueprint to finish in the top five.
Individuals:
With two-time state champ Joe Beveridge of Bishop McDevitt lost to graduation, a new champion will be crowned on Saturday. Actually we will see a lot of new faces make the podium because only eight of the top 25 from last year return. North East's Alex Beardsley, who finished fifth in 2008, is the top returner. Beardsley was looking like the clear favorite until he lost to the #3 returner Nate Tallada (Saegertown) at the District 10 meet. Beardsley's 16:01 victory at Slippery Rock was the fastest time on the day edging out Altoona's Wade Endress 16:08 in the AAA race. And his 16:36 at the Foundation Meet was 13 seconds faster than he ran at States last year. The #2 returner, Tulpehocken's Tyler Riegel, was last years 10th-place finisher. The crazy thing is he finished sixth at the District 3 meet, behind Kutztown's Stephen Welsh (the #5 returner, 15th in 2008) and Nate Noll; Milton Hershey's Brett Kubiak, and York Suburban's Matthew Barton and Nick Schrading. If York Suburban plans to pull off their upset, Barton and Schrading will need to continue their strong seasons. District 1 Champ and #4 returner Jon Shope is ready to crack the top 10 as he continues his strong season and builds off of last year's 14th place finish.
Notre Dame Green Pond's Bryan Megee won District 11 by 12 seconds and will be needed to finish high if his team wants to make the podium. Megee was not on Notre Dame Green Pond's state qualifying team last year and will look to make his first trip to Hershey a memorable one by winning a medal. Oswayo Valley's Barret Kemp was runner-up to Beardsley at the Foundation Meet with a time of 17:05, three seconds ahead of District 4 runner-up Sullivan County's Logan Hatton. Taylor Woznicki, Wyalusing, outleaned Hatton for the title while two Elk County Catholic runners, Chris Antonio and Harley Thompson, beat Kemp in District 9, making them all contenders for medals. And don't forget about the three-headed monster in District 2, Valley View's Aaron Wilkinson (128th in 2008), Jordan Siddons (73rd in 2008), and Jake Kanavy (52nd in 2008), who can make big jumps from their spots in 2008 to earn medals. Two more runners who could make big moves up the standings in 2009 are Marion Center's Alex Woodrow, who led the District 6 race wire-to-wire and looks primed to move up from his 45th-place finish in 2008 to make the podium , and Laurel's Evan Miller (53rd in 2008), who defeated 2008 Medalist John Yankello to win District 7.
*Quick Facts*
*Returning Medalists*
Alex Beardsley, North East -5th
Tyler Riegel, Tulpehocken - 10th
Nate Tallada, Saegertown -12th
Jon Shope, Phil-Mont Christian - 14th
Stephen Welsh, Kutztown - 15th
Tyler Ernhardt, East Juniata - 16th
John Yankello, Quaker Valley - 18th
Omar Hyjek, Quaker Valley - 22nd
*Qualifying Teams and Top Five Individuals*
*District 1
*Lower Moreland
Jon Shope, Phil-Mont Christian Academy 16:27
Stephen Arena, Jenkintown 16:42
Sal D'Angelo, Springfield Township 17:04
Chris Lacava, Saint Pius X 17:04
Andrew Johnson, Christopher Dock 17:08
*
District 2*
Holy Redeemer
Elk Lake
Aaron Wilkinson, Valley View 17:16
Jordan Siddons, Valley View 17:35
Jake Kanavy, Valley View 17:44
Dave Levandoski, Holy Redeemer 17:59
Tyler Williams, Elk Lake 18:00
*District 3*
York Suburban
Lancaster Mennonite
Milton Hershey
Stephen Welsh, Kutztown 16:50
Brett Kubiak, Milton Hershey 17:02
Matthew Barton, York Suburban 17:28
Nate Noll, Kutztown 17:33
Nick Schrading, York Suburban 17:42
*District 4
*Northeast Bradford
Danville
Taylor Woznicki, Wyalusing 17:14
Logan Hatton, Sullivan County 17:14
Tyler Ernhardt, East Juniata 17:26
Kelby Mullen, Sullivan County 17:29
Blake Bunner, Canton 17:37
*District 5
*Bedford
Aaron Benner, Northern Bedford 18:06
Colin Coffield, Bedford 18:21
Justin Toddie, Chestnut Ridge 18:44
J.C. Munson, Southern Fulton 18:49
Matt Beutman, Chestnut Ridge 19:15
*
District 6
*Penns Valley
United
Alex Woodrow, Marion Center 17:00
Mike Salguero, Central Cambria 17:17
Darryl Jones, Blairsville 17:33
Peter Kistler, Penns Valley 17:35
Chad King, Bishop McCort 17:36
*District 7
*Quaker Valley
Beaver Area
Greensburg Central Catholic
Shady Side Academy
Evan Miller, Laurel 16:33
John Yankello, Quaker Valley 16:37
Nate Fox, Quaker Valley 16:37
Eddie Grystar, Riverview 16:56
Jack Bagamery, Shady Side Academy 17:01
*District 9
*Elk County Catholic
Cranberry
Chris Antonio, Elk County Catholic 17:45
Harley Thompson, Elk County Catholic 17:55
Barrett Kemp, Oswayo Valley 17:59
Nick Schmader, North Clarion 18:04
Caleb Lecker Elk County Catholic 18:09
*District 10
*Northeast
Fairview
West Middlesex
Nate Tallada, Saegertown 17:40
Alex Beardsely, North East 17:43
Ryan Smathers, North East 17:57
Jordan Wingard, Corry 18:01
Ryan Hirst, Fairview 18:04
*District 11
*Notre Dame Green Pond
Northern Lehigh
Bryan McGee, Notre Dame Green Pond 16:40
Brendan Shearn, North Schuylkill 16:52
Eric Busher, Notre Dame Green Pond 17:13
Jaryth Bollinger, Catasaqua 17:20
Jon Mrewine, Bethlehem Catholic 17:23
*District 12
*Masterman
Paul Robeson
Archbishop Carroll
*Foundation XC Results
*1. Fairview (District 10)
2. Holy Redeemer (District 2)
3. Elk Lake (District 2)
4. North East (District 10)
5. Danville (District 4)
6. Penns Valley (District 6)
13. Beaver Area (District 7)
14. Shady Side Academy (District 7)
1. Alex Beardsley, North East 16:36 (District 10)
2. Barrett Kemp, Oswayo Valley 17:05 (District 9)
3. Logan Hatton, Sullivan County 17:08 (District 4)
4. Michael Bedell, Elk Lake 17:12 (District 2)
5. Ryan Hirst, Fairview 17:13 (District 10)
6. John Hurd, Fairview 17:16 (District 10)
7. Ryan Smathers, North East 17:17 (District 10)
8. Mike Salguero, Central Cambria 17:19 (District 6)
9. Tyler Reigel, Tulpehocken 17:25 (District 3)
10. Chris Monahan, Mount Carmel Area 17:31 (District 4)
AAA Boys - 12:00 pm
By Aaron Rich
Teams:
PA#5 North Penn is the top returning team from last year, and with state championships two years in a row, it is impossible to count this team out of the running despite losing some key runners from last year's squad. They will also have a low point score up front with pre-race favorites Brad Miles and Sam Bernitt running better than ever this year.
PA#2 West Chester Henderson is currently showing a very favorable hand with their dominating performance in the District 1 Championship meet, where they defeated North Penn. This Henderson squad registered a 44-second spread to score 67 points with all 5 scorers in the top-22. If they run this way at states (and their coach will have them ready to) they will be a tough team to beat. Henderson also boasts last year's individual runner-up, Will Kellar, one of the a pre-race favorites this year.
PA#3 Altoona has been dominating meets all year, and doesn't appear to be slowing down, as they won the District 6 Championship with 18 points off of a 69-second 1-5 compression. Altoona is led by Wade Endress, a pre-race favorite in the individual competition.
PA#4 North Allegheny has finished in the 3rd position for two years now, and their District 7 performance indicates that they could have another solid showing at this year's edition. They won the District 7 meet with 5 scorers in the top-21 and a 90-second spread. They are led by junior Ryan Gil.
PA#6 LaSalle was last year's runner-up, and they have a solid pack again this year. In their District 12 win they had a 35-second 1-5 compression, putting 5 scorers in the top-11.
PA#1 and US#13 Germantown Friends have been nipping at US#11 Haddonfield's heels all season, and will no doubt be watching this race closely, waiting for their chance to prove themselves deserving of the #1 ranking at the NXN Northeast meet later in November; by achieving and NXN berth, of course.
Teams to watch:
PA#7 Baldwin finished 17 points behind North Allegheny in the District 7 Championships, putting 3 in the top-12 overall.
PA#8 Council Rock North finished just behind North Penn in the District 1 meet with a solid 60-second spread.
PA#9 Unionville rounds out the tight District 1 pack as they were 4th, 3 points behind CR North, with a very impressive 41-second spread.
PA#10 Conrad Weiser won the District 3 Championship meet with a big 69 point spread over previously ranked Cumberland Valley.
Individuals:
Will Kellar, West Chester Henderson, finished 2nd at last year's state meet, and is on track for a championship run this year after his 3rd place showing at the District 1 Championships behind Miles and Bernitt.
Brad Miles, North Penn, finished 7th last year, but has become a much stronger runner this year, winning his first District 1 title with a time of 15:35 on a slick Lehigh course.
Sam Bernitt, North Penn, finished 10th last year, but has delivered some inspiring performances this season, running virtually neck and neck with teammate Brad Miles. Sam was 2nd to Brad in District 1 with a time of 15:46.
Reece Ayers, Tunkhannock, finished 8th last year, and is continuing to run strong this year, as he won the District 2 Championship meet.
Vince Perozze, Perkiomen Valley, 9th last year, put up a solid 4th place showing at the District 1 meet behind Miles, Bernitt, and Kellar.
Wade Endress, Altoona, was 14th last year at states, and has been showing championship-caliber form recently with a District 6 win to lead his team to a dominating victory.
Chuck Lockwood, Dallastown, was 3rd at Carlisle ahead of Bernitt, and won the District 3 Championship in 16:36 on a sloppy layout.
Jacob Kildoo, Grove City, was 17th last year, and is looking like is he rounding into championship-season form with a win at the District 10 Championship meet.
Ryan Gil, North Allegheny, 20th last year, has been on a tear lately, winning the Tri-State Coaches meet in 15:38 and the District 7 Championships in 15:30. Gil looks ready to compete for a top placing this year.
Chris O'Sullivan, St. Joes Prep, won this year's District 12 Championship meet to lead Saint Joseph's Prep to a state berth.
Tom Kehl, Father Judge, has put together an impressive year and was the runner-up finisher behind O'Sullivan in District 12.
PA Coaching Legends: Jim LeDonne - A 4-part video interview