D3-AA Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 3
- State Qualifying Spots For Non-Team Individuals: 15
- 2018 Individual Champion: Ben Kuhn (Wyomissing Area) - 16:18
- 2018 Team Champion: York Suburban - 91 points
Individuals Preview
Ben Kuhn ran to the D3-AA last season, and the rising senior at Wyomissing Area is looking for the repeat this year. Kuhn ran away from the field to capture the win. At the state meet, Kuhn placed ninth in AA.
He followed up his good fall with a strong winter on the track, where he took fifth in the 3K at indoor states. He was apart of AA-winning 4x800 meter relay outdoors. In what is shaping up to be a fairly wide open AA race this this fall, Kuhn could be one to watch to go after the PIAA Class AA individual title this fall.
Northern Lebanon's Gage Krall had a very strong junior campaign last season, too. He was third at districts and then earned a state medal, taking 17th. After his breakthrough junior season, Krall will be looking for an even better senior season.
Greencastle-Antrim's Weber Long was fourth at districts last year as a freshman. He took 29th at states and will be gunning for a strong sophomore season. Speaking of freshman from last year, the York Suburban duo of Cole Adams and Shea Walsh were impressive last season, taking sixth and ninth in the district, respectively.
Kennard-Dale's Collin Wolf, Wyomissing's Thomas Foster, and Conrad Weiser's Alfonso Knoll are among the other boys to watch in D3-AA this fall.
Team Preview
York Suburban took back the D3-AA team title last season. After winning four straight district crowns from 2013 to 2016, Wyomissing won the district (and the state title) in 2017. But YS reclaimed the top spot last year, winning by 21 (91-112) over Wyomissing.
At states last year, Wyomissing placed sixth, while York Suburban was ninth.
If York Suburaban wants to win its second in a row and sixth in seven years, the squad will need to add depth. It has a terrific group of returners between the sophomores Adams and Walsh, along with rising senior Jordan Ohl, but will need some more newcomers to step into big roles to make them a contender for the title, or one of the three state qualifying spots this season.
Wyomissing brings back four varsity boys from last year. Kuhn is the favorite for the individual title, while Foster is another srong returner. Wyo will also have to add some depth to round out its scoring five to go after the district title. Both YS and Wyo have a good history of retooling, though, and can never be counted out.
An interesting team to watch for is Susquehannock. After taking fifth last season, this squad brings back its full varsity squad and should make a push for a state qualifying spot, and quite possibly the district title. Susquehannock managed a seemingly unbelievable 1-5 spread of just 11 seconds at the district meet last year. If that pack can move up in the field (its highest placed individual -- Mateo Vega -- was 43rd at districts), this will be a tough team to beat.
Boiling Springs, fourth in the district in 2018, returns five boys from last year's squad. Expect the Bubblers to mix it up for a spot in the top three. Fleetwood Area was sixth last year and also has five varsity boys back that will make it a factor.
Milton Hershey loses its top two from last year (it took seventh in the district), but will look for its returners to move up to contend. Greencastle-Antrim was eighth last season, but loses just one boy from that squad. With a strong No. 1 in Long, GA should be a team to watch. Conrad Weiser, with a solid group of returners, could also make some noise here.
Ultimately, it's a wide open battle for the top spot and the three state qualifying spots in District 3 Class AA. Look for this race to be one that takes shape throughout the season, as we learn more about each squads newcomers and improvers.