Tour the Hershey Parkview Course before the action on Saturday
Welcome to the 2022 preview of the 3A Boyss PIAA XC State Championship meet.
Throughout the week, we'll be providing full previews of each race and Team Mock Scores to follow them. We are also incorporating PA MileSplit predictions, which are completely opinionated.
2021 Recap:
"Expert" Predictions
| John | Phil | Karlon | Ian | |
| Individual Race | Drew Griffith | Drew Griffith | Drew Griffith | Brian DiCola |
| Team Race | LaSalle College High School | North Allegheny | North Allegheny | North Allegheny |
The Team Race -
The teams in Class AAA have run a wide variety of courses and have made it nearly impossible to predict winners all season. We have seen teams shine and struggle, and this week will be no different.
On paper, North Allegheny has been the renowned favorite all year. They have been ruthless on the course, dictating races from the front and delivering trophies left and right. Sophomore Jack Bertram is a staple for them up front, but then they have another pack of talented boys behind him with a spread of just 40-seconds or so.
They win cross-country races the old-fashioned way, with a pack at the front. The defending champs will look to add to their state-winning streak on Saturday.
Recent rival LaSalle College High School is eager to earn the title after finishing second in 2021. Despite graduating talent, this may be their best shot at the win, with upperclassmen Drew Brill, Ryan McGinley, and Cole Casadei leading the charge.
In the Boys Eastern Championship race at the Manhattan Invitational, the squad finished 9th amongst some of the best teams in the northeast. They did so without Drew Brill in the lineup, who would've likely propelled them to a seventh-place finish. They have three boys who can run with Bertram. They have a shot at the title if they can keep those three near the front.
North Penn is another team that has come on strong as of late. Most recently, they won the District 1 title, largely thanks to a stellar 34-second compression. They have continually improved, and their starting seven gel nicely throughout the race. They often race in packs and at states that can be the key to success.
Greencastle Antrim came out of nowhere to win the District 3 title last week. They shocked the Hempfield and Manheim Township contingents and said made it clear that they'll be in the conversation for a Top-3 this weekend.
Hempfield and Manheim Township will both be in that conversation again this week.
The Individual Race -
This is it, the race we have been waiting all year for. For the first time this year, Brian DiCola (Hatboro Horsham) and Drew Griffith (Butler) will see each other in a highly anticipated clash of two titans.
Each week, they have shocked us, and both have arguably put together two of the best seasons in Pennsylvania history. But only one will walk away with a new course record, and only one can be named Champion.
Last week, Griffith stunned the state as he shattered his own course record on the Roadman Park course, running 15:17 on arguably the most challenging course in Pennsylvania. He jumped back into the MileSplit Top 50.
That run was rated to a 197.2-speed rating, equating to a 14:29 in the 2022 Paul Short Race.
Brian DiCola after winning District 1 Title
But Griffith wasn't in that Paul Short Race. DiCola was, and he just so happened to set the course record. DiCola ran 14:43 to best Gary Martin's one-year-old record and set the second-fastest time in Pennsylvania history.
DiCola has claimed crown jewel victories, winning the PIAA Foundation Invitational, Paul Short, the Suburban League Championship, and the District 1 Championship.
The Hershey Parkview Course Record is in jeopardy this week. Patrick Anderson holds that course record, a 15:25. If it does go down, the question remains; how fast can they go?
Those two will also have a loaded field of boys to push them. Timothy Roden (Central Dauphin) has been fast all year. He ran 15:01 at Paul Short and was in the race with DiCola until late. He could be a sneaky contender to challenge.
Patrick Lawson (Haverford Township) and Quentin Ryan (Haverford Township) have been an electric pair to watch all season. Both have run in the 15-lows this year, and they finished second and third to DiCola at the District 1 Championship. They've delivered a lethal 1-2 punch for Haverford throughout the season.
Matthew O'Brien (Susquehannock) just won the District 3 Championship, and he is getting hot when it matters. He is five for six in the wins category this season. He is a highly talented competitor and may surprise us on Saturday.
O'Brien after his District 3 Title Run.