Boys Races Preview - Carlisle Invitational
Champions Race
Look for a good race up front in the Champions Race. Upper Dublin's Gus Platt dropped a 15:43 at the Mill Street Run a few weeks ago, and the sophomore will look to keep the momentum rolling this week. His teammate Matt Castronuovo wasn't far behind at Mill Street and those two teammates may work together to put together a strong performance.
The Central Cambria duo of Aiden Lechleitner and Devon Morgan should battle it out up front. Lechleitner was fifth at Red, White & Blue earlier this season. Susquenita's Michael Singley, East Pennsboro's Elijah Mckell, and Trinity's Jasper Burd are among the other contenders to watch out for in this race.
In the team race, it's fairly wide open. Central Cambria, Upper Dublin, Trinity, and Woodgrove (VA) will be among the teams chasing the top trophy.
Challenge Race
The Challenge Race is absolutely stacked with talent and this will be a very competitive, and surely very fast race to watch out for. The individual favorite is Larry Josh Edwards of University (WV). The senior Oregon commit opened up his season with a win at Spiked Shoe at Penn State and he will return to PA on Saturday for Carlisle. He'll be the big favorite, and if the course conditions cooperate, he could go after Noah Affolder's 2016 course record of 14:47.
a number of top Pennsylvania runners will look to hang up front with Edwards. Butler's CJ Singleton, who opened up his season with a win at Marty Uher, will return to the course. The recent Notre Dame recruit won't shy away from a challenge. Greencastle-Antrim's Weber Long, a Wake Forest commit, was 16th at the adidas Challenge in NC last week and he returns to PA. He, too, will be a factor up front along with Singleton.
Lewisburg's Jacob Hess, who opened up with a third place finish at PTXC 12.2, should be one to watch up front. He went 15:57 at Kutztown and that should set him up for a fast time at Carlisle. Speaking of PTXC, Severna Park's James Glebocki returns to PA after winning PTXC 12.2 earlier this month. After that big win, he'll also be right there chasing a top five finish. McLean's (VA) Xavier Jemison won at Oatlands in Virginia a few weeks ago, and he should put himself right in the mix for a big run.
Hempfield's Aidan Hodge has been undefeated to start the season. The junior should match up well with some top competition in this field. Central Dauphin's Timothy Roden (also entered in Foundation) will be one to watch. Carlisle's Ray Bondy went sub-16 at Spiked Shoe and will look for a big day and another big statement on his home course. Other PA boys in this field that will have a shot at the top ten include Butler's Sage Vavro, Lebanon's Caleb Hershey, Northeastern's Cole Perry, Cumberland Valley's Jordan Tiday, LaSalle's Drew Brill and Zachary Brill, and Lansdale Catholic's Anthony Gargani.
This is a loaded field and if the course is in good shape and the temperature is nice, we could see a number of really fast times on this quick course.
The team race, like the individual race, will be a good matchup between some strong out-of-state teams and some of PA's top teams. The top non-PA teams look to be University High (WV), Severna Park (MD) and Loudoun Valley (VA). University won handily at Spiked Shoe earlier this season with a terrific top two of Edwards and Rocco DeVincent. Severna Park dominated at PTXC 12.2, putting four in the top 13. Loudoun Valley, the national champions from a few years ago, are a team you can never count out.
Five of the top ten PA boys teams are in this field. PA No. 2 Hempfield will have its biggest test yet. The Knights, who have a number of returners from last year's team paced by Hodge will look for a good showing. LaSalle College (PA No. 3) will provide a good challenge for top PA team honors in the meet. The Explorers opened up with a solid win at Briarwood. How Hempfield and LaSalle stacks up against the out-of-state teams could go a long way.
PA No. 6 Butler, PA No. 7 Carlisle, and PA No. 9 Lewisburg Area are also entered. Butler, with a full squad, is a very dangerous team with a great top two. Carlisle has had a great start to its season, and it could get even better with a strong run at home. Lewisburg, the No. 2 ranked AA team in the state, can certainly hang with the AAA squads.
Other teams to watch for include Chambersburg, Cape Henlopen (DE), South Lakes (VA), and J.P. McCaskey.