D12-AA Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Non-Team Individuals: 10
- 2018 Individual Champion: Aidan Doherty (Archbishop Carroll) - 17:00
- 2018 Team Champion: Lansdale Catholic - 51 points
Individuals Preview
Aidan Doherty of Archbishop Carroll will look to make it two-in-a-row with D12-AA individual titles. A year ago, he ran to the win in 17:00 at Belmont Plateau. He returns for his senior year looking to add another win to his name.
Msgr. Bonner's Brian McGarrity was fourth last year. The rising junior should be a factor near the front this season again, looking to improve on his '18 finish. Lansdale Catholic's Kevin McCullagh-Beatty (fifth last year) is another top 5 returner from a year ago.
Engineering & Science's Meless Badume and Lansdale Catholic's John Murphy were top 10 boys from last season in D12-AA. Then the E&S duo of Andrew Drumwright and Aaron Drumwright were 13th and 14th in their freshman campaigns. Each should mix it up near the top 10 again this fall.
Teams Preview
Last year saw a very close race for the team title with Lansdale Catholic edging out Engineering & Science 51-55. We should expect another close race this season, with a number of teams with the depth to contend.
Lansdale Catholic returns six varsity boys from last year's D12-AA-winning squad -- Murphy and McCullagh-Beatty were both inside the top 10. E&S, meanwhile, had a tightly packed top 5 last season and all of them return this season. We could be looking at another close matchup for the title, with E&S possibly holding the early advantage here in August.
Surely, a number of other teams will be making a play for the top two and a berth in Hershey. Archbishop Wood will be a team to watch with its full top 7 back in 2019. Wood will be looking to move its pack up in the field to contend with Lansdale Catholic and E&S. Msgr. Bonner & Abp. Prendie, too, has a wealth of young returners and could make a run at the tip two.
Cardinal O'Hara, a program with some great history, definitely can't be counted out either.