D6-A Girls - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 10
- 2020 Individual Champion: Lauren Shaffer (Portage Area) - 18:56
- 2020 Team Champions: Penns Valley Area - 47 points
Individuals Breakdown
Lauren Shaffer of Portage Area will look to win her third straight District 6 Class A title this season. The senior has had a terrific career that started in her freshman year with a runner-up performance at the state meet in 2018. Shaffer was 42nd at the state meet last year, but this time around she will look to go out on a high note. Statewide, 1A is relatively wide open and Shaffer can certainly contend for a state title this season.
But there is a lot of talented returning talent in Class A this season. There are three returning state medalists from last year out of D6-A, and the highest placed of all of them is Shaffer's Portage teammate Alex Chobany. As a freshman last year, Chobany was fifth in the district and then 22nd at the state meet.
The two other medalists hail from Penns Valley Area with Anna Stitzer and Alexis Durn. Stitzer (fourth at districts) was 23rd at states, while Durn (eighth at districts) wasn't far behind, taking eighth in Hershey. Juniata Valley's Morgan Hess and Marion Center's Reagan Ryen just missed the podium last year, taking 26th and 27th, respectively. Both of those girls will be motivated to get inside the top 25 this season.
There are a number of other talented girls out of D6-A, including Marion Center's Lilly Ryer (sixth in the district last year) and Nevada Armstrong, as well as SJCA's Amber Fisher (tenth in the district), Brandi Carmack (16th in the district) and Kate Youngmark (tenth at the state meet in 2019).
Overall, the district looks pretty wide open heading into this fall, but one things for sure: there are a lot of fast girls in D6-A and a lot of potential for girls to grab state medals this fall.
Team Preview
Last year, for a third straight year a team from D6-A won the team state title, and for a third straight year, it was a different team. Penns Valley Area put three in the top 25 and scored just 37 points to win the title rather handily by 26 points.
Perhaps no district/classification was affected more by the PIAA's pandemic-induced "one team per district to states" cut down last year than D6-A, which has consistently boasted some of the state's top team talent over the years. Perennial Class A powers Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy (SJCA) and Marion Center Area didn't send full teams to Hershey last year.
But enough of lamenting 2020. 2021 brings us back to two team state spots for D6-A. The state champions from last year lose No. 1 girl from last year, Kelsey Hull, but do bring back three of their top five and five of their top seven. Stitzer and Durn are returning state medalists, and while PV will need to add some depth to fill out the varsity squad, the building blocks are there.
Meanwhile, SJCA and Marion Center will be strong again this season. SJCA, the 2019 state champions, lose a pair of girls from its top seven last year, but bring back a good core and can usually be relied on to have a few breakout performers that can make an impact. Marion Center, the 2018 state champions, could be poised for another big run. The full varsity squad from a year ago is back.
Portage Area is a team to keep an eye on. They have a terrific top two with Shaffer and Chobany. This is a rapidly developing program that had four freshmen in its top five last season, and Portage could be ready to make a splash this season.
Each of these teams have some solid lowsticks. Like usual, it will come down to depth and the strength of those 3-4-5 runners. Developing that depth throughout the season will be crucial for these teams if they want a trip to the state meet. It's gonna be close and competitive once again.