D4-AA Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 10
- 2020 Individual Champion: Jacob Hess (Lewisburg Area) - 16:17
- 2020 Team Champions: Lewisburg Area - 29 points
Individuals Breakdown
Jacob Hess will look to make it three district titles in a row this season. The Lewisburg Area senior won D4-AA individual crowns as a sophomore and junior, and he'll go for No. 3 this fall. Hess is coming off another big season that saw him place second at the XC state meet. Moving up to the top spot in AA statewide will be a tall order with Gary Martin as the big favorite, but it should be another strong season for Hess, who, of course, will have team points on his mind in each race.
There are a number of strong D4-AA returners after Hess. Danville's Rory Lieberman had a big 2020. He was second at the district meet and 14th at states during his breakthrough sophomore season. Now a junior, he'll be one to watch again.
The Lewisburg runners after Hess include Bryce Ryder (ninth in the district, 30th at states), Thomas Hess (fifth in the district, 44th at states), and Connor Murray (tenth in the district, 58th at states). Each of those boys could make a good run at the top 25 at the state meet this season. The same goes for Milton Area's Timothy Marvin and Brody Bender. Marvin was sixth in the district and Bender was seventh last year.
Team Breakdown
Lewisburg Area made it two-in-a-row last fall, capturing AA state title at Hershey. In a good battle with some strong counterparts, Lewisburg put 57 points on the board to win its second state championship in as many years. The Green Dragons will look for state crown No. 3 this season and, despite the graduation of some key seniors from a year ago, they will have a shot to get it done.
Jacob Hess is back this year to lead the way. Gianluca Perrone and Calvin Bailey -- both 2020 state medalists last fall -- have graduated, but Thomas Hess, Ryder, and Murray will look to fill their shoes. It's no easy task, but this Lewisburg team could be ready for the challenge.
There's one other state spot up for grabs in D4-AA. Danville Area will be looking to snag that spot. Second last year, Danville didn't get to go to states as a team because only one team per district/classification went. But this time around, Danville looks to be in a good spot to get a trip to Hershey. Lieberman is a solid lowstick, and six of seven varsity boys are back from a team that had four freshmen in the top seven in 2020.
Milton Area will be a contender, though. Five of seven boys from last year's third place district team are back. Danville had a slight depth advantage last year, but Milton will look to close that gap and make it interesting this season with two spots to states up for grabs.
Athens Area, Mifflinburg, and Selinsgrove each have a good crop of returners back and they will aim to make a run at the top two as well this season.