Boys Race Previews - PIAA Foundation Invitational
White Race
It's going to be a close battle in the first boys race of the day on Saturday. The individual top spot in wide open and there are plenty of talented boys, looking to score the win at Hershey this weekend.
There are a number of returning state medalists from last year in the field. Winchester Thurston's Lance Nicholls, a winner at Red, White & Blue a few weeks ago, was ninth in the state in Class A last season. Jenkintown's Oliver Michell wasn't far behind him last fall, taking 11th at states. Nicholls and Michell look to be the favorites, but they should have company in the top pack.
Other state medalists entered include Riverside's Daniel Danilovitz (13th), Cranberry's Matt Woolcock (16th), Chestnut Ridge's Calan Bollman (17th), and Wyalusing Valley's Zion Laudermilch (19th). It's going to be a good one, and this won't be a race to miss.
The team race will bring together a number of the state's top 1A teams. Winchester Thurston was second at Red, White & Blue earlier this season. The Bears have a strong team this season and should put themselves in the mix for the win. Their top challenge will come from Cranberry, which has started hot, taking second at the Rocket Invite and then winning the Big Red Invite. Both teams have solid top fives and should matchup nicely.
The defending state champions from Jenkintown are entered. The Drakes have a strong No. 1 and have added some good depth for this season. This is a team you can't count out. Rocky Grove, York Catholic, and Our Lady Of Sacred Heart are among the other teams to watch for in this field.
Blue Race
Perhaps the most interesting statewide team battle shaking out this this season so far has been in AA boys, not just because there are so many closely matched teams, but also the strength of said teams. A number of those top AA boys teams will toe the line on Saturday in what should be a very good matchup, and should tell us quite a bit about which teams are the best in the state.
At the top of the list is Grove City Area, which has been on a roll to start the season. After taking a big win at the Rocket Invite, GC won at Red, White & Blue in the AA race and was the second best team in the meet, per the merge. The Eagles have a slim gap and that should be on display Saturday.
The only question is how they match up with some of the other best AA teams in the state. Northwestern Lehigh opened strong at the Lions Invite and then again at DeSales, cruising to team titles in both meets. Lampeter Strasburg, meanwhile, won the A-AA race at Ben Bloser and was the meet's top team, ahead of all the AAA schools, in the merge. Each of these teams have some crazy depth and this will be a great matchup.
Blackhawk, Ringgold, and North Catholic are among the other teams to watch out for here. Two-time defending state champs Lewisburg are at Carlisle this week, so it won't be a full state meet preview, but it should give us a good idea of how these top squads stack up.
The individual battle figures to heat up as well. The two favorites are a pair of the state's top sophomores, Ryan Pajak of Ringgold and Colin Whitaker of Lampeter Strasburg. Pajak claimed convincing early wins at Marty Uher and then at RWB, where he ran the fastest time of the day with a 15:44. Whitaker went 15:56, the fastest time of the day at Ben Bloser last week, and looks to be off to a great start, too. This should be a good battle.
There's plenty of talent after those top two. Kennard-Dale's Garrett Quinan, who was sixth at the state meet last year, will look to hang with Pajak and Whitaker. Quinan was third at Ben Bloser last week. Danville's Rory Lieberman, 14th at the state meet last year, should be one to watch in this field, making his invite debut for the season. Northwestern Lehigh's Samuel Bower has had a big start to his 2021, most recently winning at DeSales.
Schuylkill Valley's Luke Seymour, Cathedral Prep's Luke Brown, and Juniata's Logan Strawser all should be in the mix for the top five. The same goes for Grove City's terrific pack, which includes Joshua Jones, Quinn McKnight, Caleb Hawke, MJ Pottinger, and Justy Brown.
Gold Race
Expect a close race up front for the individual title in the final varsity race of the day, the Boys Gold (AAA) Race, with a mix of state medalists from last year going up against some breakthrough performers this season.
North Allegheny freshman Jack Bertram has been one of those breakthroughs. He won at Red, White & Blue two weeks ago, then ran to a strong sixth at Boardman last week. Saturday will be his first time racing the Hershey hills. Peters Township's Brett Kroboth is another breakthrough. He was a very close second to Bertram at RWB, and will look to keep his hot start rolling at Foundation.
But the state's No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 returners based on state meet finish from last year are in this field. York Suburban's Cole Adams was seventh at states last year. He's fresh off a win at Big Spring last week and has some good momentum coming into Hershey. Scott Nalepa of North Allegheny, eighth in the state last year, has also had a good start to his season and he should be right up near the front. Adams' YS teammate Grant Kern, 11th at states last year, is one to watch. He was second to Adams at Ben Bloser last week. Look for the YS and NA boys to work together towards the front.
There is no shortage of others that should make a run at the top five here. Central Dauphin's Timothy Roden went 15:48 to win at Lebanon Valley earlier this season. He was fourth at Ben Bloser and looks sharp early on this season. Manheim Township's Tyler Stevens was 20th at the state meet last year, and last year notched a pair of solid races at Hershey -- expect him to be up front. South Fayette's Jake Borgesi was fourth at RWB and Seneca Valley's Noah Petersen (a returning state medalist) was fifth. Both boys will battle amongst the strong WPIAL talent in this field and should contend, as well.
Downingtown East's Brendan Flynn and Caiden Leen, who both ran well at PTXC 12.2, will be factors. Those D-East boys aren't the only teammate combos to keep an eye on. Taylor Allderdice's Holden Eagle and Jack Barnhisel and State College's Charles Endres, Nick Sloff, and Trent Dinant will look to push together through the hills, and should be battling for top ten spots. Penncrest's Gavin Mogck and Neshaminy's Ryan Tarapchak, who have both had hot starts to the season, should be right in the mix two.
Others to watch for in this deep field include NA's Ryan Podnar, Graham Wolfe, and Michael Gauntner, Methacton's Vaughn Lackman, Hollidaysburg's Ben Love, OJR's Andrew McGonigle, and Fox Chapel's Jack Lorence.
In the team race, the team to beat is PA No. 1 North Allegheny, which will enter Saturday as big favorites. The Tigers have an abundance of depth to go along with its lowsticks. After big victories at Red, White & Blue and Boardman, it hard to see anyone challenging NA here. The Tigers will be looking for its second straight state title, so the team will be looking to get a good performance in on the state meet course.
After NA, though, it should get interesting as a number of the state's top squads will be battling it out for the early-season upperhand on their rivals. Downingtown East, the top PA team at PTXC 12.2 returns to action. The Cougars have a strong core, led by a solid top two and will be looking to keep it rolling to start the season. State College Area, which won at Big Valley and took third at Spiked Shoe, is also entered, and should have a number of boys in medal contention this weekend.
After that, there are a number of teams with top ten hopes that could make a big statement this weekend. Among those teams are Taylor Allderdice, which looked very strong at RWB and Boardman, Lower Merion, which won a dual meet over Haverford last week, Methacton, runners up at Briarwood, York Suburban, Central York, Seneca Valley, and Manheim Township. There are some very intriguing matchups to keep an eye on with these AAA teams.