AAA Boys
The boy\'s 1600 in 2003 saw the emergence of Manheim Township\'s Craig Miller, who set a US freshman class record of 4:14.26 in the finals. He ran a 4:14.59 last week to get here. Twin brother Brad was just behind him. Pacing shouldn\'t be a problem, as West Mifflin senior Mike Booth, who shocked the Baldwin Invitational crowd with a 4:07.71 win over Ian Fitzgerald a few weeks ago, will be out to add a state championship to his resume. Fitzgerald, the North Hills senior and defending 3200 champ who won this year\'s Penn Relays 3000, is the hands-on favorite in the eight-lapper. He ran 9:04.45 at WPIALs, and is probably thinking about Mike Connelly\'s (Upper Perkiomen) 1983 8:58.9 state record. In the sprints, North Hills\' Andrew Johnson is the defending champ. He\'ll be pushed by Phoenixville senior Quenton Boyer, last year\'s 2nd place finisher, Knowledge Timmons, a William Penn (York) junior, Bensalem\'s John Thompson, and Bethel Park\'s Robert Staten. Timmons is the defending 200 champ, and will face Boyer, and Henderson\'s Tracy Robinson. The 400 is wide open with top contenders including Andre Burton, Tennent; Javan Carter, Susquehanna; David Potts, Harrisburg; and Henderson\'s Robinson. The 110 Hurdles have Ben Maljovec of Warren and Tom Dance of Erie Cathedral Prep facing off against Chichester sophomore Carrington Queen, who was dominant at District 1. In the 300 Hurdles, defending champ Phil Atkinson didn\'t move on at District. There\'s been a lot of chatter about (from) the 4x100. I\'d suggest standing back from the track, because it\'ll be a vacuum after these guys go by. West Mifflin has the best time in the state. They think it\'s their year. We think Cedar Crest, Henderson and William Penn will have a lot to say about it. Glen Mills ran well at District 1, and they have a 4x400 that could sneak up on Central Dauphin East and Harrisburg. Racing against each other (and Lewisburg\'s time) will be Central Dauphin, North Penn, and a host of great squads under 7:59, including Upper Merion, Carlisle, North Allegheny, General McLane, Manheim Twp., Upper Dublin, Easton, Council Rock North, Butler, and defending champs, Cumberland Valley. Pete Harbegger, Cedar Crest, is the top seed in the Long Jump. Look for Shawn Smith of Wilson to challenge. In the Triple Jump, Darnell Johnson, a Gettysburg junior, is the top seed. North Penn\'s Dan Jacques has gone 47-04 this season. Just as with the girls, the Pole Vault competition is for 2nd. The difference between 15\' and 16\' feet is miles in this event. Andrew Rademacher, the Hickory senior, will be looking for the 16-09 state record set in 1990 by Jim Corse of Susquehanna Community. Too bad Auston Papay and Ryan Whiting, the Central Dauphin junior, can\'t go head-to-head. But Whiting has the top throws in the state in both the Shot (65-00) and Discus (194-03). He\'ll be impossible to stop.