District 4 Class A Boys - Race Preview
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Individuals: 10
Individuals To Watch: Creed Dewing (Northeast Bradford); Kenneth Draper (Hughesville); Hunter Foust (Hughesville); Morgan Gavitt (Hughesville); Zion Laudermilch (Wyalusing Valley); Logan Long (Hughesville)
Contending Teams: Hughesville; Northeast Bradford; Towanda; Wyalusing Valley Area
The Skinny: The Hughesville boys will be among the top 1A teams to watch for at the state meet in a little over a week, but first thing's first, the team will look to take care of business in D4. Hughesville will be the big favorites behind a good mix of lowsticks and depth that is tough to match. Wyalusing Valley is a good bet for the second of the two state spots. WVA was second in the NTL, quite of few points of other D4-A challengers NE Bradford and Towanda.
The individual race will likely come down to Hughesville's top two of Gavitt and Foust and Wyalusing's Laudermilch. This should be a close one up front and will probably be the meet's most exciting individual battle of the day. Laudermilch was third in the NTL, while Gavitt was fifth and Foust was seventh in the PHAC.
District 4 Class AA Boys - Race Preview
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 2
- State Qualifying Spots For Teams: 10
Individuals To Watch: Owen Cummings (Cowanesque Valley); Thomas Hess (Lewisburg); Jacob Hess (Lewisburg); Jonathan Hess (Lewisburg); Rory Lieberman (Danville); Kristian Mizdail (Cowanesque Valley); Connor Murray (Lewisburg); Bryce Ryder (Lewisburg); Noah Shedden (Mansfield);
Contending Teams: Athens Area; Cowanesque Valley; Danville Area; Lewisburg Area; Milton Area; Selinsgrove
The Skinny: Lewisburg's pursuit of three straight titles kicks into high gear this week as the Green Dragons look to capture another District 4 title. The team is in a good spot to win D4, with the Hess brothers, Murray, and Ryder running well at the right time. Lewisburg scored just 25 points to win the PHAC title, so this team is considered a heavy favorite to advance through to Hershey. Danville was second at the PHAC Invite, and looks to be in the driver's seat to claim the second of the two state spots, though NTL champions Athens will look for an upset.
Jacob Hess is the favorite to claim his third straight district title. He went 15:59 to win the PHAC a few weeks ago, and has had another solid season. Lieberman has had a great season, too, and will aim to challenge Hess for the top spot -- he was just 14 seconds off Hess at PHACs. Murray, Ryder, and NTL champ Shedden are among the others to watch for in this deep district.