D11-A Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 10
- 2020 Individual Champion: Thomas Smigo (Palisades) - 18:12
- 2020 Team Champions: Weatherly Area - 39 points
Individuals Breakdown
2020 was another big season for Thomas Smigo of Palisades. He ran to his second straight District 11 title last fall (his 2019 title came in D11-AA, while last year his team moved to D11-A) and then he placed third at the PIAA State Championships in Class A. Smigo went 15:52 to win the Colonial League last year, as well.
Now in 2021, Smigo finds himself as the top returner based on state finish in 1A, and one of only two returning boys from the top ten at the state meet last year. He is the early state favorite in Class A and should be among the state's best regardless of classification this fall. Watch out for a big year from the Palisades junior.
Taking second in the district last year was Smigo's Palisades teammate Mitchell Campbell. The senior was 45th at states last year and will have a good shot of moving up into the medals this season.
Weatherly Area's Frankie Willis, Michael Berger, Jacob Parker, and Ricky Ray are back this fall, and so are Moravian Academy's Sam Carter, and Minersville's Landon Boyle. Carter and Boyle were individual state qualifiers, while the Weatherly quartet went to states with the team last season.
Team Preview
Weatherly Area rolled to the district crown last season, putting just 39 points on the board behind some good depth. Weatherly ended up eighth a week-plus later at the state meet. The team loses its leader from last year and former district champ Scott Zoscin, but the depth for the most part remains with five varsity boys back this season.
The group of Willis, Berger, Parker, and Ray make for a strong pack that will make this team tough to beat as it pursues its second straight D11-A team title.
There are two state qualifying spots in D11-A this year, up from previous years and including last year, which limited each district to just one team per district/classification. Last year's runner-up Moravian Academy will look to be in the mix. Four varsity boys from 2020 are back, led by Carter up front. Moravian will hope to solidify its depth to make a run at Hershey.
Another team aiming for the top two is Palisades, the third place team from last year. We know the frontrunning is there for the Pirates, behind Smigo and Campbell, but Palisades will look to see some improvements from the rest of its varsity squad to have a shot at challenging for first or second.
Minersville Area and Shenandoah Valley are a pair of other teams looking to make a run at the top two in D11-A this year and both will be worth keeping an eye on.