Bicentennial
The boys race will be the final opportunity for Holy Ghost Prep to get their whole team on form before they take another shot at winning their first district 1 AA championship. They should threaten a perfect score with a top five that's 54 seconds apart, with a front two of Patrick Donahue and Callahan Lennon under 16:25. They would want to leave this meet with their confidence as sky high as they can be before the October 30th state qualifier.
The girls race will see Christopher Dock and New Hope Solebury battle for the title. Both teams have performed well this season, and the head to head match up between Julia Mycek of New Hope Solebury and Maddison Landis of Christopher Dock could decide the team title. Both runners, however, will be chasing Kerry Kovacs of Lower Moreland for the individual gold. Kovacs has run 19:15 this season, almost 30 seconds better than the field.
Colonial League
Kiele Riefenstahl of Saucon Valley will go for her first league championship on Wednesday. She's had a big freshmen year, winning two invitationals and finishing 2nd at the recent Paul Short Run. Behind her, Northwestern Lehigh will look to retain their league title after a consistent season thus far. Madeleine Consuelos and Molly Tarvin will lead the charge, while Southern Lehigh will aim to pull off the upset.
In the boys race, Joe Espinal of Wilson will aim to turn his silver medal at last season's championship meet into gold. He's run 16:17 this season and is the only runner in the league to dip under 16:30. Zack Svetik of Palmerton is the only other runner in the league to break 17 minutes, and will be Espinal's top challenger. Notre Dame Green Pond will battle Southern Lehigh and Saucon Valley for the team title. Last season's meet was decided by two points. Can it be that close again?
Laurel Highlands
Central Cambria girls will look to find their best form in their Wednesday title defense. The team is still unbeaten in all competitions, winning by a narrow margin at the Foundation meet in their last appearance. Forest Hills and Somerset will try their best to stay close to the state champions, but expect Central Cambria to take care of business. Sydney Gilkey is the defending champion and will face competition from Tori Kocsis of Richland, Emily Montag of Forest Hills, and Jane Woy of Somerset. The trio all have seasonal bests ahead of Gilkey entering the race.
The boys race will feature state title contender Will Kachman of Bedford defend his title against teammate Zane Baker and Bryce Descavish of Central Cambria. Descavish has two top three finishes, including a PTXC 7 win, while Kachman spent some time as the state's top runner in the early part of the season. Kachman will be favored, but expect Descavish to give the Bedford duo a good run for their money, while helping his team defend his title. Somerset will be a good challenger with a strong front three of Dominic Mazzariello, Cejay Walker, and Matt Senft looking to become new champions.
Mountain Athletic
Penns Valley boys will be favorites to defend their league title with the 1-2 combination of defending individual champion Chris Colwell and Keith Griffin expected to be the first two finishers for their team and the whole meet.
In the girls race, Penns Valley and Clearfield will battle it out for the team title. Rebecca Bierly of Penns Valley will be favored to win the gold medal, while defending champion Paige Mikesell of Clearfield will look to keep her crown and help her team defeat the champs.
Schuylkill League
Jim Thorpe boys romped to the team title last season, but will have their hands full in their efforts to keep the crown. Tamaqua and North Schuylkill will challenge the champions with their depth. Tamaqua will have Adam Melnick and North Schuylkill will have Chris McCormick to challenge last season's runner up Dylan Bucior and his Jim Thorpe teammates.
The girls favorites will be Tamaqua and their strong 1-5 pack that are only 44 seconds apart this season with only one senior and freshman Sarah Maue leading the charge. Defending individual champion Tina Capparell of Marian Catholic will face the challenge of the Jim Thorpe duo of Kayley Kovac and Delana Nalesnik.