Boys PIAA Class AAA - 2019 Preview
Key Storylines To Follow This Season
- Patrick Anderson aims for the repeat, but he'll have company up front
- McGoey, Harris, Fitch, Walker are among the other contenders
- North Allegheny, LaSalle, and Downingtown West are among the favorites once again!
- Does Henderson have the young talent to get back to the state spotlight?
Individuals Overview
It's rare to not see seniors boys dominate the medal stand at the XC state meet, and last year certainly have no shortage of seniors in the top 25 (16 of the top 25 were seniors). But what was surprising was that four of the top five were non-seniors. That means that 2019 will be a thrilling encore between some of those young runners.
Mount Lebanon's Patrick Anderson became the first non-senior to win the AAA state title since Jake Brophy did it in 2014. Like Brophy, Anderson will look to repeat this season. Anderson ran a gritty states race to outlast the North Allegheny duo of Zach Kinne and Daniel McGoey. Kinne has graduated, but McGoey, a WPIAL rival is back. McGoey was third at states last season, but will be looking to close out his prep career with a state title. The pair -- Anderson and McGoey -- will see a lot of each other this fall at some of western PA's biggest invites. It will all come to a head, like it did last year, at the state meet. Look for this to be one of the most thrilling head-to-head matchups PA has seen in quite some time.
Those aren't the only talented returners, though. Mifflin County's Brayden Harris really emerged last year as a sophomore. Harris was fourth at states and 12th at Foot Locker Northeast. He has a ton of talent, and now has the experience it takes to hang with the favorites. He is a state title contender, too.
Not to be overshadowed by his WPIAL opponents is Fox Chapel's Christian Fitch. The rising senior was fifth at states last year. He's been consistently strong and is coming off a solid track season. Fitch can't be slept on in this field.
Unionville's Cole Walker will likely be a factor. The reigning District 1 champ was 11th at states last season, and will certainly not be afraid to mix it up with the frontrunners. Mars Area's Zachary Leachman, Haverford's Mike Donnelly, LaSalle's Vincent Twomey, and Boyertown's Christian McComb are among the others that culd make their way into the top five and possibly even challenge for the win.
With some interesting returners, an intriguing year in AAA boys is on the horizon.
Team Overview
Entering last year's state meet, it figured to be a three team race for the state title between North Allegheny, LaSalle College, and Downingtown West. The Tigers from North Allegheny delivered, scoring 90 points to overcome good challenges by LaSalle and D-West, which took second and third, respectively.
Looking to this year, all three should be very strong once again. NA loses Kinne, its state runner-up from last season, but retains 2019 title threat McGoey and three others from last year's team. LaSalle also has four boys back from last year's team. Downingtown West brings back three. Each of these programs are some of the best in the state and retooling -- not rebuilding. So the onus lies on the development and emergence of the JV runners and newcomers. How that retooling goes will likely go a long way towards determining which team captures the 2019 state title in AAA.
West Chester Henderson has missed states each of the last two years, but the Warriors should get back to Hershey this season. In fact, not only that, Henderson should be a serious factor this season on the state scale. Like the three aforementioned teams, the Warriors know how to develop talent and it should be in the thick of it for a top five -- or better finish -- this fall.
Unionville and Penncrest are a pair of other District 1 squads that have some strong returners that will make them contenders in 2019. State College Area, Council Rock South, Mount Lebanon, Cedar Crest, and Palmyra are among the other interesting teams that should attract some attention this season on the trails.