D4-A Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 10
- 2019 Individual Champion: Alex Patton (Wyalusing Valley) - 16:40
- 2019 Team Champions: Wyalusing Valley Area - 36 points
Individuals Breakdown
Last year, the Wyalusing Valley pair of Alex Patton and Kemuel Laudermilch, two seniors, dominated the day at the District 4 Championships and throughout much of the season in D4-A. Both capped off their seasons with state medals.
With those two graduated, it is time for a new top dog in D4-A and it looks like it could be Hunter Foust of Hughesville. Last year as a sophomore, he wasn't too far behind the WVA duo at districts, placing third. A week later at Hershey, he earned a 24th place medal to finish out a solid fall. Now, he's the favorite entering this season and will be looking for a district title and another state medal.
After that, there's a strong South Williamsport duo to keep an eye on. Evan Laudenslager and Port Habalar went 6-7 in the district last season. At states, Habalar took 37th place, while Laudenslager was 44th. Both will look to move up into medal territory this fall.
Wyalusing Valley's Zion Laudermilch and Hughesville's Morgan Gavitt and Kenneth Draper will be among the others to watch out of D4-A this fall.
Team Preview
After grabbing the lone state spot at Bloomsburg with a D4-A team title last year, the boys from Wyalusing Valley Area went on to place fourth at the state meet. Hughesville, which was second in the district by only six points to WVA, didn't send a team to states with only one state spot on the line in D4-A. That won't be as much of an issue this year, as an extra spot has been added to the district/classification, though Hughesville likely could have been a top five contender if it made it to Hershey last year.
This year, Hughesville looks like the team to beat in D4-A. It loses just one boy to graduation -- Ryan Bahr -- from last year's team and includes the individual district favorite in Foust, along with Gavitt and Draper. This is a strong team with top five state potential -- something this team would have been in the mix for had it qualified to states last year.
Wyalusing Valley, last year's district champs, lose a strong top three from last season, but will aim to retool to give it a chance at a return trip to Hershey. The Rams will rely on its 4-5-6 runners from last year to move up in the the field. This team is still capable of a run for the top two in the district.
South Williamsport will also be a serious factor for the district title or the top two, as well. After a third place finish last year, SW brings back five varsity boys with a very solid two up front in Laudenslager and Habalar. This a solid team that will make it interesting with the top two from last year.
Bloomsburg, Southern Columbia, and Troy are among the teams that will look to get in the mix with the three favorites.