AAA Boys 800

14 individuals have run under 1:55 this year, with Jacob Puhalla (Moon Area), Aidan Hodge (Hempfield), Thomas Hess (Lewisburg Area), and Timothy Roden (Central Dauphin) leading the charge, all making strong arguments to be the favorite in this event.  

Puhalla not only stands out as the top returning finisher from last year but also as the top entry based on his 1:53.38 time from the District 7 championship. This season, he remains undefeated in the 800m run, demonstrating great competitive grit.

Hodge is on our radar with the fastest time from the overall season. He ran 1:52.55, which is no joke for someone who started running the 800 this past indoor season.

Hess shows serious consistency running in the 1:53s on three different occasions this season. That consistent performance could be the differentiator in a championship race. He also split a 1:51.9 in his team's district winning 4x800m last week.

Roden has a strong argument as the indoor state championship runner-up, just finishing behind Michael Woolery of Episcopal Academy. His season-best during outdoor is a solid 1:53.46.

Robert Walton (Bensalem), Joseph Butler (Cumberland Valley), and Jameson Todd (Bishop Shanahan) are some other individuals to keep an eye on.

AAA 1600

The 1600m run will bring us another round of an exciting matchup we've enjoyed watching this past year, Brian DiCola (Hatboro Horsham) and Drew Griffith (Butler).

DiCola will enter the state championship as the overall PA No.1 1600m runner, thanks to his blazing 4:06.58 effort at the Jim Kelly Invitational. Notably, DiCola won the one-mile run at this year's Penn Relays Carnival against some of the top talents from PA and the nation. DiCola may have the top time from this season, but that doesn't mean this race will be a walk in the park.

Griffith is a force to be reconned with, and he's hitting his season peak at the right time. The junior won the District 7 title with an impressive new PR of 4:09.53. Griffith is also the 2023 indoor one-mile state champion, where he outkicked DiCola during the final lap to come out on top. These two young men will surely put on a show.

Aidan Hodge, Timothy Roden, and Cole Stevens (Manheim Township) may surprise us.

AAA 3200

A fresh Matthew O'Brien (Susquehannock) has a significant advantage over a strong 3200m run field.

O'Brien will enter the state championship with the fastest seed time (8:59.82), ranking him PA No.2 overall in the 3200m. His impressive ability alone gives him a lot of potential to win. Still, O'Brien only running this event makes him a massive favorite over his competitors doing the 1600m the day before.

However, there's a long list of other athletes that under no circumstance should be counted out.

Ryan Pajak (Ringgold) is the current PA No.1 ranked athlete in the 3200m with an 8:58.89. Pajak has shown remarkable constancy during his junior season, sub 9:10 three different times. He also has incredible closing speed, with a 4:13.16 PR in the 1600m and a 1:54.52 PR in the 800m earlier this season.

Drew Griffith is another sure competitor who ran an impressive 3200m (9:04.8)/1600m (4:09.53) double at the District 7 championship. There's no reason to doubt we'll see a similar performance this weekend.

Drew Brill (La Salle College High School), Dale Hall (Hampton), Brian DiCola, and Patrick Lawson (Haverford Township) shouldn't be overlooked as potential top finishers either.

AAA 4x800m

Get ready for a battle. After big relay performances at the district meets last week, the 4x800 has a lot of teams close to one another.

The Lewisburg squad comes in as the PA No.1 team after winning the District 4 championship in 7:48.30. This was an impressive performance in which they beat PA No.4 Shikellamy (7:51.58) by over three seconds.

However, Lewisburg will have to fend off more than just Shikellamy this time-Penncrest rolls in as the District 1 victors with a 7:50.82. Cumberland Valley are the District 3 Champs with a 7:51.44.

Lewisburg will rely on two strong closing legs from the Hess brothers. The other teams in contention will rely on maintaining an early lead - and staying within striking distance.