Boys Preview - PIAA District 12 Championships
Class A
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
Motivation's Kesi Hatton looks to be the one to beat in D12-A this season. The sophomore ran a PR of 18:07 to take second in the Public League last week. He'll look for a similar performance -- and maybe a sub-18 -- to take the win on Thursday back at Belmont.
Masterman has a good group that will be up near the front that will aim to challenge Hatton. Noah Bradley, Calder Burke, and Owen Moss will be in the mix for top 5 finishes. Devon Prep's Max Mongiello, Keaton Rush, and Kevin Walton will also be contenders for high finishes.
Masterman should be in the driver's seat to take yet another district crown, which would make it eight-in-a-row for the squad that scored just 35 points to win the Public League last week. Masterman has the frontrunning and depth that no other team in D12-A can compete with.
As for the other states spot, it will likely come down to Devon Preparatory and Motivation. Devon Prep was ninth at PCLs, while Motivation was fourth in the Public League. Devon looks to hold a slight advantage with some lowsticks, but Motivation will look for some breakout performances to get into the mix for the second and final states spot.
Class AA
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
Archbishop Carroll's Aidan Doherty proved he'll be a tough one to beat in D12-AA after a big showing at PCLs on Saturday. The senior broke up LaSalle's talented top five and took fourth in the league. He's had a strong season to this point and he'll look to win the district before heading to states.
Wood's Gary Martin was seventh in the PCL and will look to challenge Doherty at Belmont Plateau on Thursday. Lansdale Catholic's Anthony Gargani (ninth at PCLs) and Bonner's Brian McGarrity (tenth at PCLs) are among the other boys who will be factors after strong runs at Belmont Plateau on Saturday.
Look for close team race with two state spots on the line, and a number of teams that could get in the mix. Archbishop Wood looks like the team to beat after a strong third place showing at PCLs. Public League runner-up Engineering & Science could get in the mix and compete for the win after taking a close second last season.
Lansdale Catholic (fifth at PCLs) is another team to watch for. With a good day from its 4 and 5 runners, it could be a factor for a spot in the state meet. Msgr. Bonner & Abp. Prendie, which took eighth at PCLs, can't be counted out either.
Class AAA
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 1
LaSalle College is the overwhelming favorite to capture the team title. Last year, the Explorers scored the minimum 15 points and they will have a shot to do that again this season. LaSalle scored 19 at PCLs, but a few of those squads will be in different classifications.
It remains to be seen how hard the LaSalle boys will go on Thursday with a large likelihood of easily taking the lone D12-AAA spot.
The top runner this season in D12-AAA has been Ethan Maher of LaSalle. The senior has emerged as a top five state threat. He stormed to the PCL win in 15:59 on Saturday. Along with his teammates Vincent Twomey, Bradden Koors, Patrick Coyle, Dan Gervino, Max Manganiello, and Zachary Brill, look for a lot of LaSalle jerseys up front.
Among those with a shot to break up the LaSalle grouping up front are Saint Joseph's Prep's Patrick Casey, Father Judge's Shane Curran, and Roman Catholic's Sean Hamilton.
Saint Joseph's Prep is on the rise, and after a strong second place showing at PCLs, the Hawks will be a team to watch for with Casey competing for a high finish.