D7-A Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 4
- State Qualifying Spots For Non-Team Individuals: 20
- 2018 Individual Champion: Adam Hessler (Freedom Area) - 17:03
- 2018 Team Champion: Winchester Thurston - 32 points
Individuals Preview
Freedom Area's Adam Hessler goes for his second straight D7-A individual title. Last year, as a junior, he out-dueled a strong field to capture the victory. He followed that up with a third place finish at states. He's among Class A's top returners and should be a threat for both the district and state titles.
He'll get a good challenge, though, from Winchester Thurston's Scott Routledge. Also a senior, Routledge took third at districts and then fifth at states. Routledge and Hessler will be a great intra-district matchup to watch throughout the season.
Riverview's Mason Ochs is another contender. He was fourth at districts and 17th at states. Expect him to mix it up with the likes of Hessler and Routledge near the front. The same goes for Routledge's WT teammate Sean Heintzleman, who was sixth at districts and earned a state medal with a 25th place finish last season.
Thurston's Patrick Malone, Carlynton's Desmond Corrado, Riverview's Gideon Deasy, and Thurston's Benjamin Bermann are among the others back that placed in the top ten last year at districts. Riverside's Colby Belczyk, who ran 17:15 last season, should also be a factor in the district.
CJ Singleton of Saint Joseph (fifth in D7-A last year) transferred to Butler in D7-AAA.
Team Preview
Winchester Thurston stormed to the WPIAL Class A crown for yet another season last fall. And looking to the 2019 season, it should be more of the same with the Bears bringing back its full scoring five from last season. That Bears team won D7-A, scoring just 32 points to win by 49 over second place. A week later at states, it placed second to a dominant Jenkintown squad.
Routledge -- an individual title threat -- leads the way for this team, but Heintzleman is a returning medalist and Malone, Bermann, and Gus Robinson are all individual medal threats. We ranked Winchester Thurston eighth in PA, regardless of classification.
Riverview (PA-A#4), which was second to Thurston at districts last year, will be strong again this season. A year ago, Riverview placed eighth at states. This year, it returns six varsity runners, including a very strong top runner in Ochs and a solid No. 2 in Deasy. This team should be in line for a very high states finish this fall.
Eden Christian Academy was third in the district before taking 15th at the state meet. This team has plenty of returners, too, with six varsity boys back. Eric Gronbeck is expected to lead this squad into 2019. Look for Eden to make another run to Hershey.
Shenango grabbed the fourth and final states spot last year in D7-A, edging out Shady Side Academy on a tiebreaker. Four varsity runners are back for Shenango, which will have a good shot of making a return trip to Hershey. Shady Side, meanwhile, has three varsity boys back and will look to retool to have a shot at making the top four.
Laurel, Our Lady of Sacred Heart, and Chartiers Houston are among the other teams looking to get in the mix for the a spot in the state meet in a deep and competitive district.