"The season starts tomorrow," Downingtown West coach Scott Burns said after states.
It's not often you see a performance as dominating as the one Downingtown West put on at the PIAA State Championship this year. West went 2-3-6, scoring just 57 points en route to a big win at states. But they're not finished for 2015. The Whippet Footracing Team will look to carry that momentum into Saturday's NXN Northeast Regional.
The Whippet Footracing Team won PA, now they look to NXN Northeast (Photo by Patty Morgan)
The Whippets low sticks up front will go a long way at Bowdoin Park in Wappinger's Falls. The top three of Jaxson Hoey, Josh Hoey, and Henry Sappey are truly one of the more remarkable trios in PA history. All three will need to bring their A game Saturday.
After that, West will need a boost from four and five if they want a top two spot for nationals. The Whippets have have a number of different combinations making up 4-5-6-7. At District One, it was Ben Ryherd at four and Shaun Bullock at five. At states, Jake O'Neill was four and Ryherd was five. There was also the notable absence of Ryan Barton at states. He had a rough day at districts, but took fourth overall at Ches-Monts. Barton, however, appears to be back on form at the right time, taking third at the Warrior Classic tune-up in a 9:38 for 3200 meters. Whatever the combination may be, West will need at least two of those aforementioned guys to step up.
Also heading up to Bowdoin is Germantown Friends. GFS has some experience on the NXN Northeast course. Rob Hewitt took his team up for the Bowdoin XC Classic back in late September. they saw the course and some likely NXN opponents, such as Christian Brothers Academy (CBA). Nick Dahl claimed a come-from-behind win at that race and should instill in him some confidence heading into Saturday.
Dahl (right) has had an undefeated season thus far, taking wins at George School, Bowdoin, the Friends League, and Independent Schools Championships. He hasn't battled with any of the big names from PA this season, so it's hard to judge what he's truly capable of. NXN Northeast will be a big test for Dahl and we'll see if he will be up to the task. If his performance at the Warrior Classic--a 9:02 3200m on the track--is any indication, he's ready to roll.
Both Downingtown West and GFS will have their hands full with the top squads from New Jersey. Have a look at what the boys from CBA, Indian Hills, and Don Bosco Prep have done this year and it's not hard to tell that the PA teams will need monster efforts if they want a shot at Portland. But hey, that's why we race, right?
Expect some PA individuals near the front. We know about what the Whippets trio can do against the big dogs from PA. How do they stack up against the rest of the region? Jaxson, Josh, and Sappey will be ones to watch on Saturday. Dahl will also have a crack at making NXN Nationals individually.
(From left to right) Henry Sappey, Jaxson Hoey, and Josh Hoey lead the Whippets into NXN Northeast.
Check out the full list of entries for NXN Northeast here.
Make sure to check out all our race coverage. Earlier this week, we previewed the girls' and boys' Foot Locker Northeast Regional. Follow us on Twitter at @PennTrackXC and @MileSplit for live updates from the races and check back later for results, photos and more.