Above* - Last year's Red, White and Blue Classic saw a tight team battle between North Allegheny, Grove City and Hampton in the 3A race.
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The first big weekend of the season is underway. What should you be keeping an eye on this week?
1. PTXC 15 Features 8 Ranked Teams
PTXC 15 is set for Saturday, September 7th and some big hitters will be in attendance.
On the boys' side we'll see three ranked teams; PA No. 4 Manheim Township, PA No. 9 Council Rock North, PA No. 17 Chambersburg and NY's Monroe Woodbury.
For Manheim Township, we expect to see a more complete squad on the course. They finished 10th at the Riverside Kickoff Classic in Ohio two weeks ago, but they were missing key runners. We also expect to see the defending state champions, Council Rock North, in full form. It'll be an early season battle between some of the states top talent.
On the girls' side we'll see No. 5 Manheim Township, No. 10 Dallastown, No. 14 Downingtown East, No. 15 Pennridge, and No. 18 Chambersburg in competition.
With five ranked teams on the course, we could see fireworks. The team competition is much more in the air on the girl's side, with a lot of freshmen expected to make an impact for their respective teams. Keep an eye on the competition in Kutztown.
Update - Manheim Township is expected to be down 1 or 2 key runners. These absences are related to college visits.
2. The 22nd Red, White and Blue Classic... the Battle of the West
The 22nd annual Red, White and Blue Classic at White Oak Park starts today. 1A competition is scheduled for today, with 2A, and 3A teams slated to compete tomorrow.
With a bulk of the teams in attendance hailing from District 7 or District 10, RWB provides a great litmus test for which teams in the west are particularly strong. Mix in some teams from Central Pennsylvania and you have a boiling pot. 101 teams are registered to compete.
On the Girl's side we'll see PA No. 1 North Allegheny, PA No. 9 Saint Marys Area and PA No. 12 Norwin. We're eager to see how strong North Allegheny truly is. Some of their team battled injury during the Spring season, but we expect that they are closer to full
On the Boy's side we'll see PA No. 3 Grove City, PA No. 10 North Allegheny, and No. 20 Fox Chapel. We expect to see Grove City dominate their respective race.
We'll also be keeping an eye on some fringe teams like Hershey (boys) and North Catholic (girls). Both teams were ranked in 2023 and will be looking to jump back into the state rankings. Quaker Valley (boys) and South Fayette (girls) should also be in the mix.
3. The Unionville Two Mile Bash, A Clash of Two of the Best
The Unionville 2 Mile Bash will also feature some of the state's top teams and individuals.
Ranked Girls Teams - PA No. 2 Haverford Township, PA No. 3 Owen J. Roberts, PA No. 16 Downingtown West, NR Exeter, and Delaware's Tatnall
Ranked Boys Teams - PA No. 11 Penncrest, PA No. 12 West Chester Henderson, and PA No. 16 Lower Merion