D12-AAA Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 1
- State Qualifying Spots For Non-Team Individuals: 5
- 2018 Individual Champion: Vincent Twomey (LaSalle) - 16:13
- 2018 Team Champion: LaSalle College (15 points)
Individuals Preview
Vincent Twomey led the way for LaSalle's sweep of D12-AAA last year. The rising senior is back for one last go and he'll be the favorite for the individual title again this fall. But his teammates -- Bradden Koors (second in D12-AAA last year), Ethan Maher (fifth) and Dan Gervino (sixth) -- should be close by.
Of course, with LaSalle's depth on the JV side, there will always be plenty of up-and-comers you can expect to step up. Be on the lookout for LaSalle breakthroughs this fall; some good bets would be Matt Dyer, Griffin Pumilia, and Jack Harrington. Look for LaSalle to work together in a number of races with a pretty slim gap.
Ricky Raup, a rising senior at Saint Joseph's Prep, will be one to watch. He was eighth at districts last year and should make a run at a high finish. The same goes for Father Judge's Shane Curran, who was ninth a year ago. Judge's Adam Knuttel and Roman Catholic's Sean Hamilton are among the others to watch out for this fall.
Team Preview
LaSalle's goals this fall surely lie well outside of just a District 12 this fall, but that won't stop the 2017 AAA state champion and 2018 state runners up from putting up another dominating effort at the district meet. The Explorers rolled to a clean sweep last fall, taking the top 7 spots to capture the win with the minimum 15 points.
A few opponents -- like Raup or Curran -- will be looking to prevent a 15-pointer from LaSalle, but regardless, LaSalle will be the heavy favorite to win the district title and earn D12-AAA's lone state spot for teams in 2019.
Last year's second place District 12 AAA finishers Saint Joseph's Prep has 5 varsity returners and '19 third place squad Father Judge brings back its top four from last year. Those two, along with Roman Catholic and Central, will be looking to give LaSalle a run for its money this fall.