D3-AAA Boys - Team & Individuals Breakdown
- Preseason Rankings: Team | Individual
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 4
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 20
- 2020 Individual Champion: Graham Thomas (Penn Manor) - 15:41
- 2020 Team Champions: Hempfield - 48 points
Individuals Breakdown
Another year, another talented batch of District 3 Class AAA returning individuals. And like usual, there's no clear-cut favorite as we sit here in late August. D3-AAA is packed with state medal -- and potentially even state title -- contenders. All told, there are seven returning state medalists back this season in D3-AAA.
While Graham Thomas stormed to the district crown last year, there was a big battle for the spots after that. Cumberland Valley's Joran Tiday outkicked Hempfield's Aidan Hodge, York Suburban's Cole Adams, Central Dauphin's Timothy Roden, and Northeastern's Cole Perry for the third spot, with each taking the next place in that order.
At the state meet, it was YS's Adams that finished the highest of any D3 returner, taking seventh with his best race of the season. He was 14th a year prior while in AA. Not far behind was his teammate Grant Kern, who also saved his best race for states, taking 11th after finishing just tenth at the district meet. Those two move into their senior seasons with plenty of potential as a duo that can work together.
Tiday was 13th states and Perry was 15th. Roden came across 19th at states, followed by Manheim Township's Tyler Stevens in 20th and Hodge in 21st. Stevens was the last individual state qualifier out of D3-AAA in 15th, but made the most of his states trip to earn a medal. Tiday, Roden, and Hodge are all entering their junior seasons this year. Roden clocked the fastest XC 5K of any returner with a 15:24 from a meet in Virginia in September.
Other D3 boys to watch for this year are Hempfield's Joseph Fahrney, Cedar Crest's Ryan Wolfe and Luke Hinegardner, and Exeter Township's Alex Holbrook. Fa was 33rd at states, while Fahrney was 40th. Hinegardner was the first boy to not qualify for states last year, so he'll have a lot of motivation. Holbrook didn't make states either, but did go 9:22 for 3,200m this past spring on a track -- a good indicator of a big XC season coming.
It's hard to separate a lot of these top District 3 performers. But they each made one thing clear: D3 is one of the state's deepest districts and they all know how to perform on the big stage. Don't be surprised to see a few of these boys emerge as AAA state championship bets as the season progresses.
Team Preview
With just one spot to states up for grabs, Hempfield came away victorious last year in the team battle in D3-AAA. The boys in red went on to take fourth in an unconventional state meet, where not much separated spots two through five. This season, Hempfield brings back five of its top seven from last year. Hodge, Fahrney, and Dale Winand make up a strong returning core for a team that will be the favorites to pull off the repeat in the district.
At the state level, Hempfield has the talent to improve upon its fourth place finish. 2020 state champs North Allegheny are the favorite to repeat, but Hempfield will aim to give the champs a run for their money. This is a strong group, and one that could make some serious noise in 2021.
York Suburban made the jump from AA to AAA last year and hardly missed a beat. They were an unfortunate second place in 2020, and therefore didn't qualify for the state meet, but it was a true sign of how strong this program is. In 2021, YS returns its top three. Adams and Kern will be an incredible 1-2 punch with Shea Walsh, a strong No. 3, looking to bridge the gap. If YS can strengthen the backend of its top five/seven, this will be a dangerous team once again.
Cedar Crest was third last year and loses three of its seven from last year. Like YS, Cedar Crest will need to add some depth to go after a strong team placing, but the building blocks are in place up front. Carlisle is a team to watch. Fourth a year ago, the Herd lose their No. 1 runner from last year, but bring back five of seven. Carlisle is always a threat and should be able to develop what could turn into an impressive pack of boys this season.
Hershey is a similar team to Carlisle, and it was just seven points behind the Herd at Mid-Penns last season. Hershey loses three boys from its top seven to graduation, but should have a tightly packed group of boys looking to move up in the field. This team has definite top four potential. Chambersburg and Cumberland Valley -- fourth and fifth at Mid-Penns, respectively -- each have a good set of returners, too. Both should make a good run at state qualification.
Exeter Township could make a good run at the top four. Holbrook leads for the way for a team that returns its full top seven from 2020. After taking seventh in the district last year, expect Exeter to make some moves through the field and contend for a berth to the state meet. Manheim Township, J.P. McCaskey, Gettysburg Area, and South Western could also be in the mix; each brings back a strong group of returners this fall.
Hempfield is the odds-on favorite for the team title, but it gets much murkier for those other three team spots. A lot of teams have some strong returners that could make or break it. It's really a wide open field for the those additional tickets to the Parkview Course in Hershey this year.