D3-AAA 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: Evan Dorenkamp (Manheim Township) - 16:30
- 2018 Team Champion: Cedar Crest - 145 points
Individuals Preview
It will be another transitional year in District 3 Class AAA. The top seven boys from last year's district meet have graduated along with a big set of other impact seniors from 2018. So, it'll be another relatively wide open season in D3-AAA.
So who is the individual favorite? There's no clear-cut favorite, but Carlisle's Casey Padgett will be a serious contender. He was 41st in the district, but 69th in the state last year. He had a big spring on the track, running 9:23 for 3,200 meters (for eighth at states) and 4:25 for 1,600 meters -- both are the fastest of any D3-AAA returner.
The highest placed returner from last year's state meet in Palmyra's Zachary Toth, who was 11th at districts and 33rd at states. He's coming off a good spring, too (4:26 in the 1,600) and should make a run for the win. The top returner from last year's district meet in Penn Manor's Graham Thomas. He was eighth at Big Spring and 53rd at states. Now a junior, he'll look to shoot up to the top spot. The Cedar Crest duo of Tommy Bildheiser and Luke Hinegardner were ninth and tenth at districts last year, respectively, and both are back to lead a strong Falcons team.
Hershey's Brendon Shea, Gettysburg's Andrew Hirneisen, Muhlenberg's Jonathan Thrush, Red Land's Aiden Gonder, and Wilson's Christian Gagliardi are the other returners from the top 20 of last year's district meet that are back this season. Each will have a shot to move up inside the top ten. Other contenders in this district include Palmyra's Jakolby Fackler, and the Twin Valley duo of Griffin Schlegel and Noah Taylor.
As a side note, one boy to watch for is Tyler Shue of Ephrata. The rising senior just finished up a huge season on the track that saw him win state and national titles in the 800 meters, running a best of 1:50.39. He's also run 4:15 in the 1,600 meters. He is a soccer player, but if Shue decides to run XC this fall, he very well could immediately become the one to beat in D3-AAA, and he'll be a force on the state level, too.
Team Preview
The team race, similar to the individual race, will surely be a tight one this season.
The early favorites, though, have to be the defending champs from Cedar Crest. Last year, a young CC squad captured the D3-AAA team title by 44 points with a full team effort and a sub-one minute 1-5 gap. Six of their seven varsity boys and their top six from districts last year are back. Bildheiser (junior) and Hinegardner (sophomore) are back to lead the way for the Falcons, which will be under the radar no more in 2019.
Carlisle was third in the district last year and 11th at states. Four varsity boys are back, and Padgett will look to lead this team back to Hershey with a spot in the top four. Hershey earned that fourth and final spot last season. Six boys -- all seniors this year -- are back to the fold in 2019. Shea is expected to lead this tea, which will have a good chance at winning the district.
A pair of teams that were on the outside looking in of state qualification last fall -- Twin Valley (sixth) and Palmyra (tenth) -- will be among the district's other top threats to crack the top four this season. Twin Valley loses three boys from last year's varsity squad, but has a strong pair up front in Schlegel and Taylor. TV develops talent well and should be in the mix again this season. Palmyra has two state qualifiers from last year in Toth and Markus Vottero to go along with Fackler, another strong runner. If Matt Carroll returns to the lineup (12th in the district in 2017, but missed all of last season), this is a very dangerous squad.
Hempfield (fifth in 2019) and Manheim Township (seventh in 2019) are a pair of L-L squads that will make a run at the top four. Hempfield had five returners from last year, while Manheim Township brings back four.
Exeter Township, Gettysburg Area, and Cumberland Valley could also make some noise if it can push their main packs up in the deep field in District 3 AAA. There's plenty of room for teams to emerge -- just like Cedar Crest did last season -- and move into the fold in D3-AAA this fall.