AAA Boys' 4x800m Preview
Central Bucks West will look to make it two-in-a-row in the AAA boys' 4x800-meter relay on Saturday morning, but a number of teams will be in the hunt to take that spot.
CB West went 7:54 to win the District 1 title, but the Bucks did so without usual anchor leg Jake Claricurzio. He'll be back for this weekend as West looks to pick up another title. They remain at PA#1 after a 7:48 at their league championship. Then there's Pennridge, which beat West at West's home invite in the event, but was second at both SOLs and District 1. With its full 'A' squad, Pennridge is capable of taking the title.
Seneca Valley, the indoor DMR champions, make a big statement taking the WPIAL title last week, running 7:51.37, the third fastest time in the state and fastest districts time. The Raiders have a powerful group of 800 runners that could bring home gold. Butler was a close second to SV at District 7, showing it will have the digs to keep pace with the leaders.
Ephrata has been making noise all season long in the 4x8. Third at indoor states, it was the top PA team at the Penn Relays, where it ran 7:52. The boys in purple could be golden by the end of the race. Mifflin County took down State College Area for the District 6 title to put them squarely on the radar. Look for Mifflin to make some noise. State College is always a threat, too. The Little Lions were second a year ago and can never be overlooked.
Mount Lebanon, North Allegheny, Indiana Area, Hempfield and Central Bucks East, and Boyertown should also compete for medals. Boyertown suffered a fall in the exchange zone, but still managed to qualify out of a tough District 1.
Pennsylvania is always one of the nation's best in the 4x8 and that will be on display in this race at Ship.
ENTRIES:
Event 701 Boys 4x800 Meter Relay AAA (26) Prelims
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NFHS Record: 7:33.48 2009 , Central Bucks So HS, PA
Dickson, Manion, Poiesz, Mallon
PIAA Record: 7:33.48 2009 , Central Bucks So 1
Dickson, Manion, Poiesz, Mallon
NFHS Hnr Rol: 7:48.00
8:02.04 SQS
School Seed relim Time
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1 Seneca Valley 07 7:51.37 SQS
2 Butler 07 7:52.91 SQS
3 Ephrata 03 7:54.43 SQS
4 Central Bucks West 01 7:54.50 SQS
5 Mifflin County 06 7:56.38 SQS
6 Mount Lebanon 07 7:57.49 SQS
7 Pennridge 01 7:57.50 SQS
8 State College Area 06 7:57.71 SQS
9 North Allegheny 07 7:58.30 SQS
10 Indiana Area 07 7:59.32 SQS
11 Hempfield 03 8:00.27 SQS
12 Central Bucks East 01 8:00.80 SQS
13 Boyertown 01 8:01.82 SQS
14 Lower Dauphin 03 8:02.10
15 Haverford Township 01 8:02.11
16 Cumberland Valley 03 8:02.24
17 Twin Valley 03 8:02.85
18 Cedar Crest 03 8:03.75
19 La Salle College 12 8:05.61
20 Parkland 11 8:08.67
21 Stroudsburg 11 8:10.05
22 General McLane 10 8:11.84
23 Saint Joseph's Prep 12 8:12.81
24 Jersey Shore Area 04 8:17.63
25 Wallenpaupack 02 8:26.47
26 Punxsutawney Area 09 8:28.49