The Cheltenham boys will compete in two relay events this weekend, and will be entering the weekend as favorites to come home with two national titles.
The Panthers have the US#1 time in the Sprint Medley Relay (state record 3:26.11) and the 4x400 meter relay (3:18.73) and after coming close in the 4x4 last year, only a gold medal will do. State athlete of the year award recipient John Lewis will anchor both teams. He has the top time in the country at 800 meters (1:50.57) and he has the state's best 400 meter time (48.81). They already have the sprint medley state record, but will have a chance at the 4x4 state record of 3:16.78 set by Abington 4 years ago. They may need to claim that record in order to have a shot at the national championship.
Jordan Geist of Knoch will also have a great opportunity to win a national title in the shot put. The sophomore won the state title by nearly 10 feet and his 66-0.25 mark is US#3 for the season. He is the best sophomore in the country by almost 7 feet!
Two other members of the Cheltenham sprint medley team, Christian Brissett and Saahir Bethea will compete in open events this weekend. Bethea will compete in the long jump after winning the state title on March 1. His season best is 23-4 but he set that way back on December 20. He will be joined by state number 1 Isaiah Brooks of Woodland Hills, who will do anything possible to have a better performance than he did at states. He's had the best mark in the state since the very beginning of the season at 23-6.
Meanwhile, Brissett will be part of a PA group of 4 that will run the 60 meter dash. The state champion has been close to unstoppable this season and will look to improve from his semifinal appearance last year. His time of 6.82 is US#6 for 2015. He will be joined by Osiris Nicholson of Church Farm School, who has been excellent all season long in his own right.
The 60 meter hurdles will have state champion Mitch Valko of South Fayette lead the way. Valko is the lone sub 8 second performer in the state this season. Mason Weh of Upper Darby is close to breaking 8 seconds, but will look to perform more consistently through the rounds. His teammate Akeim Thomas struggled at states after a big meet of champs the week before. Charles Bowman Jr of Central Dauphin East had a hot start to the season, but will look to reclaim that form after a tough state meet. Ori Rinaman of Mars Area made the medal stand at states and will have nothing to lose.
800 meter state runner up Elias Graca of Fox Chapel will carry the PA torch in Lewis' absence on Sunday. Graca is US#3 this season after his strong state performance in 1:51 and he has shown no signs of slowing down. Matt Wisner of Carlisle ran a huge personal best of 1:54 at states and will have nothing to lose. Brook Wilson of Central York will also compete.
In the mile, Zach Brehm of Carlisle will make his first appearance of the 2015 season in any meet. Brehm is the reigning AAA 1600 meter state champion outdoors. Billy McDevitt of Malvern Prep is coming off a personal best from the state meet and will also run the mile.
The 2 mile will have Kevin James of Cardinal O'Hara and Nick Dahl of Germantown Friends compete. For 3000 meters, Dahl ran 8:44 at Yale back in January, while James ran 8:40 in his only appearance of the season without spikes at Haverford on the same day. James will look to end his career on a high, whole Dahl is one of the young rising stars in the state looking for a signature performance.
A trio of distance stars will run the 5000 meter run on Friday. Dominic Hockenbury of Lake Lehman is the AA cross country champion and was moments away from a 3000 meter state title on March 1. Casey Comber of Hatboro Horsham was a Foot Locker Finalist in the fall and he finished 3rd in that epic 3000 meter run at states in a lifetime best performance. Aaron Gebhart of New Oxford was 4th at states in the 3000 after a big lifetime best 8:42.
The distance medley relay will have plenty of PA representation this Friday, including defending national champions and US#2 all-time Cardinal O'Hara. O'Hara is coming off a state title victory in 10:21.88, good for US#6. Should O'Hara be close to the front before the final leg, Kevin James will be ready to pull a repeat title win. State runners up Conestoga, St Joe's Prep, and Germantown Friends also enter the DMR ranked in the US top 16, while Malvern Prep enters at US#21.
In the 4x2, PA#3 Upper Darby will compete, where they sit at US#14. They've run well in previous trips to New York. Can they repeat that success? Downingtown West, Imhotep, and State College will also compete in the relay. State College will also run the 4x8 after a big performance at the state meet had them close to defending their state title.
In the field events, state champion Ryan Wilkes of Valley View will return to the site where he cleared his lifetime best 16 feet back on January 10 at the Hispanic Games. Caleb Sanford of McDowell had a top three state finish and will look to continue that momentum into nationals.
Isaiah Brooks of Woodland Hills will look for a better performance in the triple jump than he did at states. The man who beat him at states, Isa Paschall of Carlisle, will also be there to compete in the triple jump. He will also be joined by his teammate and outdoor AAA state champion Deshawn Millington, who is jumping for the first time after the end of his basketball season.
