D3-AAA Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 4
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 20
- 2019 Individual Champion: Jonathan Thrush (Muhlenberg) - 15:52
- 2019 Team Champions: Cedar Crest - 119 points
Individuals Breakdown
Last year was a wide open season individually in District 3 AAA. In the end, Jonathan Thrush of Muhlenberg emerged in a big way to capture the district crown. He's graduated, but there's some good talent back, and still a relatively open field in D3-AAA.
Penn Manor's Graham Thomas was second to Thrush in the district last year. He went on to take 16th at states for a strong junior season. Now a senior, he'll be the one to beat in the district, and should be a top ten state threat.
Central Dauphin's Timothy Roden was among the state's top freshman last fall. Now he'll be among the top sophomores to watch. He finished out his fall in a big way last year, taking third at the district meet and 29th at states, the top ninth grader in the AAA field.
York Suburban brings two state medalists from last year with it in its move from AA to AAA. Cole Adams was 14th and Grant Kern was 15th last year at the state meet in AA. Both will look to convert those into AAA state medals this season. Adams went 15:54 for third in D3-AA last fall.
Other top ten returners from the district meet last year are Shippensburg's Elias Spence (fifth), Carlisle's Evan Peachey (seventh), Chambersburg's Brayden Boyd (ninth), and Hempfield's Evan Eshleman (tenth). But there's plenty of depth after that. Cedar Crest's Tommy Bildheiser owns the quickest returning 5K time from any D3-AAA boy last year -- a 15:49. Palmyra's Jakolby Fackler also went sub-16 with a 15:53 last year. The same goes for Twin Valley's Noah Taylor, who ran 15:56 in 2019.
But wait! There are other contenders that, on a good day, could be right inside the top ten of the district. J.P. McCaskey's Stephen Schousen, Northeastern's Cole Perry, Cedar Crest's Luke Hinegardner and Ryan Wolfe, and Cumberland Valley's Jordan Tiday (a sophomore) were all top 20 returners from the district meet last year. There's plenty of room for breakthroughs in D3-AAA, just as there was last year.
Team Preview
The race, like the girls, will be an interesting one. Just the top two teams from each league/conference will advance to the district meet, according to District 3. That will make things extra intriguing in an already talented and deep district.
Cedar Crest has taken the last two District 3 AAA team titles, and is in a position to compete for a third straight. Back is its strong top three with Bildheiser, Hinegardner, and Wolfe. In total, four varsity boys are back and this team will be strong once again, though they will want to solidify the back end of its varsity squad.
The AAA newcomers are York Suburban. They move over from AA, but this team has been a perennial power on the district and state level for a while. Last year, they took second at the state meet on a tough tiebreaker to Lewisburg. Six of those varsity boys are back from last year's team. YS has a good mix of frontrunning and depth, and it should fit in just fine in AAA. They will contend for the district title.
Twin Valley loses a pair of talented seniors from last year's team, but back is some good depth, with Taylor as a strong No. 1. This team will be right there in the mix this season after an 11th place state finish last season. Cumberland Valley, another state qualifying team from last year, also loses some seniors, but brings back a good core that should put them in the mix for the top four in the district.
Carlisle has a good group back that will put them in position for a big season. Last year, the Herd took the unlucky fifth spot in the district, just missing a spot in states. But six varsity boys are back, and this will be a motivated team with a lot of potential. Hempfield has five boys back and they will also be a factor. They were seventh in the district last year.
Chambersburg, Shippensburg, and J.P. McCaskey are also teams that could make some noise in D3-AAA this season. It's crowded with teams with good potential in D3-AAA this season, and always it will be a fight for the top four.