Boys Preview - PIAA Foundation Invitational
Individuals
Brendan Colwell will look to get his second win in as many weeks at an invitational. The senior Penn State recruit from Penns Valley won last week at Altoona in convincing fashion. Now he heads to Hershey on Saturday looking for another victory. Colton Sands is still out for Penns Valley, but Colwell is the big favorite here.
Looking to give him a good challenge is Greencastle-Antrim's Weber Long. The junior is coming off a great sophomore season, and has looked strong in early-season dual meets. He's got some good potential this fall and will be one to watch.
The North Allegheny boys had an impressive contingent up front at Red, White & Blue last week. Look out for their talented top four of Scott Nalepa, Jackson Hickel, Gregory Kossuth, and Graham Wolfe. Seneca Valley's Noah Petersen was fifth at RWB, and should be a factor with them as well.
Jenkintown's Luke Miller is fresh off a win at the Holy Ghost Prep Meet last week and should be near the top at the end of the day. He was just ahead of LaSalle College's Zachary Brill at Tyler Park last week at that HGP meet. Brill and his teammates Ryan McGinley, Drew Brill, and Max Manganiello will be ones to watch this weekend. As for Jenkintown, in addition to Miller, Carter Geer looked strong last week and should place near the top, as well.
Twin Valley's Noah Taylor has notched a pair of tri-meet wins this season and should be right in the mix for a high overall finish. Beaver Area's Will Lamb was second at Foundation's Blue Race last year and second in the AA race at RWB last week. He'll be strong again on Saturday. Southern Lehigh's Alex Kane, Grove City's Gabe Nichols, Exeter's Alex Holbrook, Indiana Area's Joel Beckwith, and Manheim Township's Tyler Stevens are among the others to watch out for in this stacked fields.
Teams
After a dazzling debut at Red, White & Blue, the North Allegheny boys return to action on Saturday. With just a 40 second 1-5 gap, the Tigers rolled over the competition at White Oak Park, making a big statement. NA saw its good depth from last season take some big strides forward. They scored just 26 points at RWB and will be the ones to beat on Saturday.
LaSalle College will aim to challenge NA for the top spot. LaSalle was second in the state last year, while NA was third. The Explorers lost some key performers from last year's team, but bring back some good depth. After a solid opener last week at Tyler Park, expect a close one for the top spot.
Twin Valley is certainly a team to watch. The Raiders have been strong in some early season tri-meets, and now TV will get a big test this weekend. Seneca Valley (fourth at RWB in AAA), Southern Lehigh, and Perkiomen Valley are among the other AAA squads to watch out for while AA's Grove City Area will look for a big invite opener.
There should be a good battle between a pair of top Class A squads, too. Jenkintown had an impressive opener last week at Tyler Park, taking a close second to LaSalle in a virtual dual meet. The Drakes have some a great lineup, regardless of classification. Penns Valley Area is coming off a win at Altoona last week. While the team was without Sands -- and will be this week, too -- it will be interesting to see how the Rams stack up with Jenkintown.