Boys Preview - PIAA District 4 Championships
Class A
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 1
Ethan Knoebel of Southern Columbia will shoot for the repeat in D4-A on Thursday. He pulled away to take the victory last season. Knoebel has run to three second place finishes this fall, and he'll be looking for that first win at Bloomsburg.
This year, though, he'll have plenty of challengers. The Wyalusing Valley trio of Kevin Heeman, Alex Patton, and Kemuel Laudermilch will be shooting for the win. Hughesville's Hunter Foust and South Williamsport's Port Habalar are among the other individuals who could compete for the title here.
The Wyalusing Valley Area boys are the favorites for the D4-A title. WVA took the first four spots at the NTL meet last week and were third at the PIAA Foundation Invite last week, a sign this is a team that can not only win D4-A, but place very high at states. South Williamsport is the team with the best shot of challenging Wyalusing Valley.
Class AA
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
The Lewisburg Area boys have proven this season to be the class of D4-AA, and a team that is capable of a very high states finish. The postseason kicks into gear for this squad at Bloom on Thursday. Lewisburg has registered impressive performances every step of the way this season, running well at PSU, Carlisle, and the Shikellamy Boosters Classic. At Shik, Lewisburg scored just 56 points and won by 76.
Jacob Hess of Lewisburg looks to be the individual favorite. Just a freshman, Hess has wasted no time making a name for himself. He won at Shik over Ethan Knoebel after taking sixth at both PSU and Carlisle. His teammates Peter Lantz and Calvin Bailey will also be in the mix for high finishes.
Alejandro Quintana of Loyalsock won the NEPA Invite and was third at Shik. He'll be up there, too. Shikellamy's Logan Strouse, Milton Area's Tanner Walter and Kellan Guinn-Bailey, Warrior Run's Damein Moser, and Mount Carmel's Derek Lawler should mix it up with the favorite as well.
There are two state spots in D4-AA. Lewisburg will likely get the top spot, leaving an opportunity for a team to step up. Danville Area was second to Lewisburg at the Shik Classic, but Shikellamy, Milton Area, and Warrior Run weren't far off. It will come down to which of those trio of teams performs the best on Thursday.