While most events seem to be wide open in Boys AA, there are a few that could be considered virtual locks... in sprints, relays, distance and the field.
The 4x800 doesn\'t have a team as dominant as Lewisburg was in 2004, although Springfield Montco is as close as you can get. They ran 7:54.6 at the SOL American Conference meet earlier this month... and that was without all four legs running their best. Should they falter, Greenville, with Jed Christiansen, or Lakeview will be more than happy to take their spot. The 4x400 is a toss-up, with top seeds Trinity, Southern Columbia, Christian School of York and Danville, all coming in with two seconds of each other. Good handoffs will make the difference. The 4x100 belongs to Tommie Campbell and his Aliquippa mates. Milton Hershey appears to be their closest competition.
Campbell should get one of two individual titles, and maybe take both the 100 and 200. He\'ll be running trials in both and the 4x100, but his closest competitor, Brad Kanuch of Westmont Hilltop, will be competing in the tiring Long and Triple jumps as well. In the 200, Holy Name\'s Chris Muvdi should be there for the win as well.
Scrape a hurdle in the 110, and it could cost you. The four with the best shot of winning are Windber\'s Nate Kiss, South Side Beaver\'s Andrew Gergen, Mohawk\'s Mike Butera and Brandon Lane of Engineering & Science. The call here is Lane. Lane is also one of the top seeds in the 300 Hurdles, although the only one in AA to crack 39 has been Mike Mitchell of Smethport. Bedford\'s Troy Harris, and Bible Baptist\'s Brandon Tress should also be in the mix.
The 400 is really Joey Wagner\'s to lose. The Biglerville star has been getting better each week. He has focused on this one, and knows that it\'s a fellow district 3 runner - Phil Leineweber of Christian School of York - who poses his greatest competition.
In the two, four and eight-lap races, there are some records that could fall, most likely in the 3200. McGuffey\'s Jeff Weiss will be chasing the 8:53-point mark set in 2004 by Lewisburg\'s Chris Spooner. The PIAA state meet mark is 9:04.09 which was set by fellow Foot Locker finalist Chris Dugan of Southmoreland in 1997. Giving chase will be Ellwood City\'s Jacob Walker. Don\'t be surprised if that record falls, or if Walker is the one to do it. Although with the 1600 on his plate, Walker could be a bit tired. His competition in the 1600 will be Jed Christiansen of Greenville. It\'s Christiansen\'s last meet, and he probably won\'t waste the opportunity. Both have broken 4:19, so it\'ll be fast. The 800 could be a test of lasting power as much as speed. Two of the top seeds, Ben McConnell of Danville and Mike Malizia of Springfield Montco are also running in the 4x800. That leaves Tim Majewski of Mercyhurst Prep with the fastest seed and the freshest legs. But whoever possesses the best 600-750 strength could take this one.
The field events provide some great matchups. Sprinter Kanuch is also Jumper Kanuch. He is the top seed in the Long Jump, with Northwestern Lehigh\'s Deerek Stellar his closest competition - and the top seed in the Triple Jump - at 47-04 - by a lot. Colin Dugan of Springdale and Joe Tuzze of Lakeland are the top Shot Put seeds in the mid-50\'s. Tuzze will be challenging Johnsonburg\'s Chad Yurchick and Forest Hills\' Ben Baderia in the Discus. In the Javelin, South Park\'s Chad Radgowski is the top in the state so far, going 211-06. In the wings looking for big throws will be Lake Lehman\'s Brandon Burkhardt and Annville-Cleona\'s David Burrell. The two top seeds in the High Jump and Pole Vault should leave Shippensburg as State champs. Ryan Fritz is the only one in the state to clear 7-00, either AA or AAA. He had an off day at Districts. Don\'t expect a repeat of his 6-08. And defending champ Eric Sparks is jumping well. He has been over at 16-00 this month.