Girls
What started as a two horse championship rematch from 2012 and 2013 turned into a triple threat battle with the party crashers looking to escape with their first ever state crown.
2013 champions Unionville were looking to keep themselves on top of the state despite Courtney Smith’s graduation. The build up to the state title meet was gradual, with the team not running their first 5000 meter invitational until the Ches-Mont championships, where they won while shaking the rust off. At District 1, they matched up well with Pennsbury front three, but Pennsbury 4 and 5 secured a district title for the Falcons for the first time in 3 years with a 31 point victory. But as the 2012 Pennsbury championship team proved, losing the district meet does not spell doom at states, as Pennsbury recovered from a Unionville defeat at districts to win states.
The 2014 Pennsbury squad also took their time to get into the invitational scene, making their 5000 meter debut at the Paul Short Run. They managed to win the Brown race by only 8 points over Cardinal O’Hara while shaking their rust off. A league title sweep followed that performance, and a solid district title win has them firing towards making it 4 titles in 6 years. Olivia Sargent is the leader of this team and will score low points for her squad. Hannah Molloy, Meredith Twomey, and Erin O’Connell bring plenty of experience to the meet. Can they get back to the top after a one year absence?
Out to stop District 1 from winning yet another championship will be District 12’s Cardinal O’Hara. The Lady Lions have used a different approach to get to this point. O’Hara has competed in an invitational meet in each of the past eight weeks of the season, winning six meets and finishing 2nd in the other two, both by single digits. Pennsbury is the only team in PA to beat them this season. With each performance, the 1-5 spread has improved, with their last three performances bringing sub 30 second spreads. The Mancini sisters Grace, Liz, and Eleanor along with Olivia Arizin will lead the way after recording their best state finish last season (6th). This squad won the Foundation Gold race with four runners under 20 minutes in September. Will they see similar success on Saturday?
Other contenders include Seneca Valley, who became the first team to defeat Mount Lebanon this season after Mount Lebanon went unbeaten before the District 7 title meet. The 4th place team in 2013 surprised the top two teams in the division all season long in Mt Lebanon and North Allegheny. State College nearly swept the District 6 championship, while Carlisle enters the state meet as the District 3 champions.
The class of individuals in the AAA girls race is potentially second to none. Six sub 18 minute runners and 37 sub 19 minute runner shows the depth of the AAA division. Yet despite all that talent, the runner at the top of the list may simply be in a class all by herself.
Brianna Schwartz of Shaler Area did not make her season debut until the October 11 Slippery Rock Invitational. The only other competition she has participated in was last week’s District 7 meet. In both races, she set course records, including a PA#1 17:25 at District 7.
And despite what the rest of the state has done, including the likes of Marissa Sheva of Pennridge winning at Lehigh twice in under 17:35, Mady Clahane of Cumberland Valley never finishing worse than 5th in any PA race, Madeleine Davison of North Allegheny winning four meets, Olivia Young of Unionville finishing 2nd at District, and Olivia Sargent of Pennsbury breaking 18 minutes twice, they could all be chasing Schwartz’s shadow. Can Schwartz hold off a who’s who of PA’s female distance stars or will an upset be in the cards from one of the most talented rosters in state history?
Boys
The boys team championship race is so wide open, it may be the most unpredictable title race in the history of the PIAA state meet. Twists and turns have been coming week in and week out that Saturday’s race should be one fans will never forget!
Fans should not apologize if they didn’t pick two time defending champions West Chester Henderson to be back at the state meet to defend their title. After graduating six of their seven from the championship team in 2013, it was going to take a lot of hard work to get back into the state meet from the toughest district in the state. But at the end of the season, not only did Henderson earn a trip back to states, but they came within 8 points of winning a 3rd straight District 1 title. The champions possess a strong top four, who were in the top 20 in Friday’s District title meet. An inspirational performance from their number 5 may be enough to make it three state titles in a row.
The team ahead of them, Conestoga, were a favorite to contend for the state title after a strong 2013 season. They have a strong number 1 in Andrew Marston and at the midway point of the season, they finished 3rd in a 3 mile invitational in New York (McQuaid) to two nationally ranked New York squads. Saturday, they will look to replicate that form that saw five sub 16 minute runners for 3 miles.
North Allegheny entered the season as a title favorite after finishing 2nd in 2013. A couple of graduations and a transfer out of the program was going to make the 2014 season a tough challenge. An early win at Red White and Blue with the 1-2 combination of Matt McGoey and Hunter Wharrey got the Tigers off to a fast start. A loss to Cardinal O’Hara at Foundation was a tough defeat. Since then, the ten title reigning District 7 champions have found their form, including an improvement in their spread, a strategy that was so vital to their success last season. 2009 was the last time North Allegheny won the title. Will 2014 be the next?
Central Bucks West have the best 1-5 spread in the division this season, and it earned them a state berth after carrying a losing record in their league last season. The team has seven runners with seasonal bests of 16:35 or better. But can the Bucks keep their cool under the hot lights of the state meet stage? Sticking together may help their cause.
Cardinal O’Hara has been in the top three at states in each of the past four years. They have an individual contender in Kevin James and a squad that has grown and improved this season. A loss at District 12 to Lasalle could be a bump that stops them from making it five in a row. But experience in this meet is something O’Hara has plenty of. Can District 12 make it 7 years in a row of having a top three team finisher?
District 3 champions Hempfield edged ahead of Cumberland Valley by 4 points at District 3 and will look to take advantage of a home course advantage after running districts on the state course last week. Easton enter as the District 11 champion with two sub 16 minute runners.
One of those two has been the best in the state for 2014. Colin Abert of Easton has sent shockwaves across the state with his historic performances. His course record of 15:21 at Kutztown for PTXC 6 in 90 degree heat was just the beginning. In October, a meet record 14:55 to win the big Paul Short Run put him in the top ten in the country for the 2014 season. He enters the meet as the top returner after finishing 2nd in 2013. How big will he win by? Is a course record in the cards?
The answer will be determined by Abert and a chase pack of solid runners. 30 runners have broken 16 minutes this season, with the likes of District 1 champion Jake Brophy of Central Bucks East, District 12 champion Kevin James of Cardinal O’Hara, Foundation Invite meet record holder Paul Power of Spring Ford, Casey Comber of Hatboro Horsham, Zach Seiger of Red Land, Zach Brehm of Carlisle, McGoey, and Wharrey being amongst the elite. Power ran 15:50 on the state course in September, defeating James and Brophy in the process. Brophy is the top underclassman in the state this season, running 15:08 at Lehigh. Comber won 5 races this season and ran 15:12. Seiger and Brehm have been going back and forth, with Seiger winning the last two meetings. James is as tough as it gets, and has a 15:11 personal best in 2014.
