D10-AA Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Non-Team Individuals: 10
- 2018 Individual Champion: Jonah Powell (Grove City) - 17:38
- 2018 Team Champion: Grove City - 62 points
Individuals Preview
District 10 Class AA was loaded with talent last season. Many of those talents were seniors, but a new crop of talented individuals will look to keep D10-AA stockpiled. Graduated is AA state champ Jonah Powell, as well as the likes of Nate Price, Josh Lewis, and Aiden Webber, which made up four of the top five in the district last year.
The top returner is General McLane's Dylan Throop, who was fourth in the district and eighth in the state last season. He'll assume the leader's role on McLane's squad, which loses strong runners in Price and Erik Andrzejewski. He was consistent all fall in 2018 and should be gearing up for what could be a very strong junior season.
Meadville Area's Patrick Stevens, a rising senior, will be another threat to the top spot in the district. He was sixth at districts and then took 15th at states. He, too, will make a good run at the district title and a high place at the state meet.
Fairview's Zach Buckner, North East's Zane Courtwright, and Grove City's Joseph Somora placed in the top ten at districts last year and each are back this fall. Somora narrowly missed a state medal last year, taking 26th at states. Courtwright was 36th, while Buckner was 63rd. Look for that trio to make some noise again on the state and district level.
One boy to watch for is Hickory's Cole Frazier. Last year as a sophomore, he just missed a state qualifying spot as the last boy out, but make no mistake: he's talented. He had some strong early-season performances last fall and should be a factor in his junior year. Grove City's Tobias Jones was also impressive early last season (he won his home invite and the Mercer County title). He should be strong again this season.
Team Preview
On the team side, it should be another fall in District 10 Class AA, which had a number of talented teams last year, but only two state qualifying spots on the line.
Grove City Area, which placed third in the state after capturing the D10-AA team title in runaway fashion, loses Powell, but returns five varsity boys from a year ago. Somora and Jones make for a strong top two and GCA should once again be a factor for the district title.
North East squeaked into states last year, taking second in the district (both NE and General McLane scored 102 points, but NE took second on the sixth runner tiebreaker). North East, too, loses its top runner in the talented Lewis, but brings back the rest of its varsity team, including Courtwright and Brock Pennington. It should be another strong season for NE.
Hickory, led by Frazier, should be a factor with its top four back. If it can solidify the backend of its scoring five, the Hornets could make a run at the top two. Seneca was ninth last year in its first year in AA after moving from 1A, but it returns six varsity boys from last year. If it can move up in the field, Seneca has a shot at making states.
Fairview, General McLane, and Meadville Area will look to retool this season and each have shown that they can do just that, so they can't be counted out. As we sit here in August, there is any number of squads that have legitimate claims to the top two.