*The Starting Line from the 2022 rendition of the boys Championship of America.
Photo Credit: Don Rich/MileSplit
A Star-Studded field approaches the Penn Relays Boys Mile Championship race, presented by Toyota. Sixteen boys will jostle for position over the mile race, but only one will walk away with the title "Penn Relays Champion." And with that - one question remains, will they break four?
Realistically - Drew Griffith (Butler) and Brian DiCola (Hatboro Horsham) have a shot at this allusive achievement.
Griffith is the reigning Pennsylvania Indoor State Champion in the Mile. He went 4:07 Indoors and knocked off DiCola in that race. He then finished fourth at New Balance Nationals Indoor in the Two Mile (8:48.01).
He is currently dealing with some lower leg discomfort, which explains Griffith's slow roll-out to the season. At this point, his camp is being cautious.
DiCola is Griffith's greatest competition. The two titans have clashed time and time again this year. This time, we will see a PTFCA Indoor Mile Championship rematch.
Above: Griffith and DiCola battled for the Indoor State Championship Win.
DiCola, the PIAA 3A State Cross Country Champ and PTFCA Indoor State 3000m Champ - rocketed to a 4:06.58 this outdoor season at the Jim Kelly Invitational.
That 4:06 inched him closer to the allusive 4-minute barrier and made him the sixth fastest boy in Pennsylvania history in the event.
To break four, these two will have to work together. While it is undoubtedly an attainable feat, they will need to split around 1:59 over the opening 800m and close just as hard. A 56 or 57 last quarter will undoubtedly aid them in accomplishing this feat.
While the storylines will focus on those two out front, a few boys could play upset.
Conner Rutherford (Blacksburg (VA)) opened his season with a 4:14.91 mile last week at the Carolina Distance Carnival. He went 4:11 indoors - and can certainly pressure the front-runners if the race becomes strategic.
Justin Pretre of Menlo School (CA) is an interesting character in this race. He owns a 1:52.98 800m personal best, one of the quickest in the field. He has also gone 4:13 over the Mile and 8:38 over the outdoor 3000m. This suggests he has the strength to pair with his short-run speed.
Right behind those four - Matthew O'Brien (Susquehannock), Logan Schaeffler (NY), Ryan Pajak (Ringgold), and Aidan Hodge (Hempfield), could all mix in.
They own personal bests of 4:14.27, 4:13.51 (1600m), 4:13.69 (1600m) and 4:12.51(1600m), respectively.
Schaeffler was a NYSPHSAA NY State Champ in the 1600m this past indoor season.
If you're familiar with Pennsylvania running, you also know that O'Brien, Pajak, and Hodge are racers at heart. All three are similar in the sense that they are always contenders. All three have enjoyed solid starts to the outdoor season.
COA BOYS MILE FIELD
| SEED | NAME | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drew Griffith | Butler High School (Butler, PA) |
| 2 | Brian DiCola | Hatboro-Horsham Senior High School (Horsham, PA) |
| 3 | Conner Rutherford | Blacksburg High School (Blacksburg, VA) |
| 4 | Justin Pretre | Menlo School (Atherton, CA) |
| 5 | Matt O'Brien | Susquehannock High School (Glen Rock, PA) |
| 6 | Logan Schaeffler | Sanford H. Calhoun High School (Merrick, NY) |
| 7 | Ryan Pajak | Ringgold High School (Monongahela, PA) |
| 8 | Aidan Hodge | Hempfield High School (Landisville, PA) |
| 9 | Akshay Vadul | Edison High School (Edison, NJ) |
| 10 | Parker Broderick | Fairfield Warde High School (Fairfield, CT) |
| 11 | Jack Czarnecki | Council Rock North High School (Newtown, PA) |
| 12 | Liam Davis | East Stroudsburg South HS (East Stroudsburg, PA) |
| 13 | Matthew Schutzbank | Nyack High School (Nyack, NY) |
| 14 | Connor Hitt | Roy C. Ketcham High School (Wappingers Falls, NY) |
| 15 | Drew Zundell | University High School (Morgantown, WV) |
| 16 | Tyler Dailey | Dulaney High School (Timonium, MD) |