Weekend Result Analysis 2/20-22

Hey guys, I’ve been really busy the past couple of days! This will be a pretty long post, so get ready. I’m going to try and just do result analysis here and then I’ll have a post up tomorrow that will be about the implications for the state meet of all the races.

State College HS Meet #3

State College showed how strong they were in the 800 as they dominated the open race going 1-3. Adams grabbed the win in 1:57.0; Post wasn’t too far behind running 1:57.2, while Golembeski finished the trio in 1:57.9. These boys are in really fantastic shape, that’s all I will say for now. Behind them Andy Miller of Wyomissing Area ran very strong once again hitting 1:58.8! He’s been dropping time all season and looks to be a real threat next weekend. Brett George had a breakout race for Altoona as the sophomore grabbed the SQS in 2:00.0!! It’s rare for sophomores to run ~2 flat, he might be Altoona’s next super star, watch out! Jon Carroll looked solid as well running 2:01.4 for 6^th place.

Will Cather dominated the Mile, running 4:20.5 for the win over Jeff Groh who ran just 4:27.2. I’m a bit surprised that Groh did not keep with Cather longer, but clearly Cather has the strength as well as the speed right now. The possibility was there after XC for a big breakout year and it is really coming to fruition for him. Groh is still coming off injury and I’m not too worried, I see him as a sleeper for next weekend as a medalist. He also must have had a monster split on there DMR, since they ran really quick.

Alex Milligan is another sophomore who grabbed the SQS running 4:30.9 for 3^rd place! Darien Knudsen of MC also got himself the standard in 4:32.3. Cole Nissley just missed it putting in a 4:32.9 effort to give himself some more speed for next weekend’s 3k. 

Griffin Molino gave the 3k another shot and it paid off as he ran a 5 second PB to get the state standard in 8:58.3. It takes some time to get used to indoors (these were his first two races) and I think he will only continue to improve come next weekend. Kyle Shinn looked strong running 9:03.3 as he placed second overall, while his teammate Jack Dicintio didn’t have as good of a day as he had at Kevin Dare, running just 9:11.1 this time. Either way he’s looking very strong, and I believe he’ll be a big sophomore to keep an eye on.

The Distance Medley was on fire at this meet with Altoona winning in a big performance of 10:29.1, but they were followed closely by Lower Dauphin who was 10:33.7!! I am so glad both teams ran this even, since they clearly have the pieces to be really successful. This brings us a few questions about what Nissley will do at states and what relay will Altoona will choose. These will be addressed tomorrow! These times are really big though.

State College’s 800m guys all came back for the 4x4 where they went 3:26.9 for a solo’d win.

Also to note is State College’s other breakout sophomore Kellin Valentine who is now 12^th on both the long jump and triple jump lists and has senior Bryce Williams as guidance going into the state meet. Lets see if he can drop big PR’s once again to medal…

TSTCA Indoor Track and Field Championships

So glad that they finally had a real meet and it turned out to be as big as I anticipated. In the 800m we saw 5 SQS’s and a big win from Dylin Wilhoite in 1:58.50. Altoona made the trip out west just a day after running 10:29 for the DM with Brad Foust coming in second in 1:59.18 while Mitch Endress placed 4^th in 2:00.25. Marcus Smail beat Endress out for 3^rd by just .01 while James Smith of Upper Saint also grabbed the standard in a 2:00.39 clocking. Wilhoite should be a threat for a mid-level medalist and is clearly the best 800m runner out west right now. Smail and Smith really came into their own last outdoor season, but it’s good to see them running quick indoors. Foust and Endress have a real question in front of them: Go open events or save up for the DMR/4x8?

James Smith looked really strong in the Mile as well winning in 4:24.33 over a pretty solid field. That double of his is really fantastic and he has definitely thrown his name into the Mile medalist conversation after this weekend. Cordon Louco was second in 4:28.55, a time I would have to suspect he is happy with. Ryan Lerda of South Fayette came out of nowhere and dropped a 4:29.13 to get the SQS, beating out the sophomore stud Mike Kolor who ran 4:29.55 this weekend. It’s his second time under 4:30 this season and I really like the consistency. Will he drop time at states? Jeff Van Kooten looked solid once again in 4:31.59, but nothing special for the young man who was a breakout star in XC. I am a bit surprised he didn’t move up in distance this weekend.

Colin Martin won the 3k in dominating fashion as he cruised an 8:49.64 which helped get Matt Mcgoey to the SQS in a solid time of 8:54.58. I bet Mcgoey has a bit more in him for next weekend, but it’s pretty clear that Martin is the class of the state in the 3k right now. The real shocker was 3^rd place finisher Will Loevner of Winchester Thurston. His PR is 4:31 for 1600m and he barely broke 18 minutes at the state meet in XC, but he ran 8:55 for 3k yesterday!! I had hoped we would get more 3k qualifiers, but never would I have believed this was in store. He did run 9:08 earlier this season, but I had brushed it off then. This second performance show’s he is the real deal and is ready to play, oh and did I mention he’s just a sophomore?? This sophomore class is so strong, it’s ridiculous. I will be updating that sophomore post and doing a freshman one this coming Tuesday.

Altoona also ran the 4x8, but all the racing must have got to them as they went just 8:15.28, but it got them the win. They have had 3 runners go 2 flat in the past 2 days and could clearly break 8 flat at the state meet if they choose to run it. Seneca Valley was helped by their tired legs as they put together a nice 8:17.85 to get the state standard. They’re a young team and it’s great to see them getting the chance to race at the state meet.

Did I say Altoona also raced the 4x8? Because they ALSO raced the DMR and won in 11:05! Obviously not a stellar time, but Foust and Endress on the triple while Stroh was doubling. Endress also ran on the 4x4! These boys got a great workout in and should be in amazing shape for next weekend. Canon-McMillan put together a solid DM of 11:11.11 which is just awesome. They’re only a ‘A’ team and I’m impressed with what they put together.

Bible Baptist College HS Invitational Last Chance Meet

In the 1600m Tyler Vella and Matt Kravitz went at it for the 3^rd time this season, this time Vella got the win in a very impressive time of 4:27.20 to Kravitz 4:29.97. Those conversions get both of them the standard. Just a few weekends ago they tired in 4:36.00 and now they’re running some really solid times. Thought both would just sneak in, but Kravitz is another sophomore right around the 4:30 mark! Speaking of sophomores around the 4:30 mark, Dominic Hockenbury was 3^rd place in 4:30.44 which converts to 4:32.2 giving him the SQS! It will be good to see the youngster at the state meet. I’m also impressed with how much speed he has.

Kravitz came back to win the open 800m in 2:01.07, just missing the SQS.

In the boys 3k it seems the rumors of West Chester Henderson entries were false, and Jack Tidball ended up solo’ing a 9:04.32. He’s made some great improvements this season and if he had competition I bet he would have been able to get the SQS which is a real shame. I am excited to see how he does outdoors.

And now what most of you have probably been waiting for

TFCA of GP 49^th Meet of Champions

This was one of my favorite meets in high school and it’s great to cover it. First off in the 400 we saw some interesting figures as Frank Brophy was a strong second in 51.03. I really hope he runs the open 8 at states since he’s clearly got great speed. Right behind him was Joe Logue getting his legs rolling in 51.05. I believe he’s been focusing more on distance this season so a bit less speed giving more weight to this race. It’s clear he’s ready to roll next weekend.

In the open 800 we saw a rematch between Wiseman and Lewis from earlier in the season with Wiseman getting the win and the meet record from indoor state champion Jamar Jones with a very strong 1:54.71 to Lewis’ 1:55.49. I am glad we got to see Lewis try out the 800 once again before states, but it seems that the 400m is where he’ll be taking his talents. They’re quick pace helped a slew of guys (7) grab the state standard: Eli Mercado (1:58.06), Graham Allen (1:59.60), Billy Caldwell (2:00.11), Tre Williams (2:00.42), and Dan Ferraiolo (2:00.48). Most of these guys already had the SQS, but it was a nice tune up. Eli Mercado finally had his breakout race which we’ve all been anticipating after some quick 400’s the past few weekends. He’s got the be in the conversation to medal at this point. Billy Caldwell seems to have been tuning up for the Mile, as he didn’t run that well, but still was solid with his 2 flat effort. I was hoping he would be in 1:57 mid shape by this point in the season. Allen seems to be holding on to fitness he had in December and isn’t fading too much, while Ferraiolo looks to throw down a good relay leg next weekend for Malvern Prep’s DMR.

The Boys Mile was also quick with Wilson and Hoey leading back and forth until Ross took the lead with 700m to go. Francis was sitting back, while Hoey made a pass on Wilson with 300m to go. In the last lap Francis blew everyone’s doors off closing quickly in his last 400m to run 4:19.03. Hoey was second in 4:19.96 and Wilson held on for a strong 3^rd place in 4:21.34. Now Francis has a real qualm on his hands. He could run the Mile where second place looks to be almost on lockdown for him after beating two of his biggest competitors this past weekend. I highly doubt he’d be able to beat Russell unless the pace was very slow. In the 800 the competition for the win is steep and Francis could realistically come in anywhere from 1^st to 4^th. Does he go for the more solidified 8 points in the Mile or take the risk but go for a state record and the win in the open 800? No matter which way you slice it, Kyle Francis is one of the best mid-distance guys in PA with fantastic range. Hoey continues to look like an animal, breaking 4:20 for the second time this season, now on a flat track. He is scary good. 

Austin Cooper had himself another strong race running 4:25.77 for 4^th place, beating out some solid competition behind him. Ryan Grace of NP was 5^th and seems to be fading a bit. We haven’t seen him drop much time recently, he only ran 4:28 this weekend. David Folwer stepped up and had a big race getting the SQS in 4:29.40 for 6^th place. Right behind him were two strong sophomores in Jake Brophy (4:29.91) and Colin Wills (4:30.28). Brophy’s speed keeps improving and he’s going to be a real threat in the 3k. Colin Wills will be great on the 1200 leg for Malvern Prep after running another PR this weekend. He an Hoey are going to run train on PA in two years, boy the thought of that DMR is scary. . . but I’m getting ahead of myself. These two are doing work right now and that’s what matters.

Kardish was 4:30 in the Mile, leaving further questions about what he’ll do at states. Perlman continues with his speed training in 4:30.8. The last time he ran the Mile twice in a row he dropped sub 9 afterwards and he is just getting faster; I think he’ll be dangerous in the 3k at states. Diestelow also grabbed the SQS, while James Hare and Casey Comber just missed it.

The 3k was quite an odd race with Wilson and Comber doubling back so they went out in 3:04 for the first 1k. Arita lead Mason through the first 2k before dying off. There were only 8 guys in the field and it was difficult to grab the time, but Arita’s effort helped lead Scott Mason to a PR of 8:56.73, helping him get a spot for states instead of a bid in. Wilson closed very strong after going out slow winning with a time of 8:56.00. Comber also picked up the pace finishing his last 2k in 6:02, finishing in 9:06.

LaSalle solo’d a strong 8:05.44 4x800m team victory. With some competition (states) they could go sub 8. Will they choose this over the DMR? Behind them was a group of teams getting the SQS who didn’t have it yet: Twin Valley (8:19.53), Downingtown West (8:19.94), Central Bucks West (8:21.09), and Bonner (8:21.49). North Penn and Bensalem also went under the mark, but they’ve done that before. North Penn seems to have peaked early which is really surprising for them,  and Bensalem confirmed that they are better in the DMR. I’m really happy that young squads like TV and Dtown West got the SQS.

Cardinal O’Hara blew everyone out of the water in the DMR with a PA #2 time of 10:22.00. Kevin James anchored in 4:21. This throws another wrench in the relay scene which I will attempt to answer tomorrow. I like O’Hara better in the DMR, but the 4x8 might make more sense for them. We shall see. Ultimately, they threw down this weekend and could give Henderson a real run for their money. I hope we see them at least race each other at Nationals in the DM. 

Radnor finally got the SQS which I am really excited about, as they ran 10:46.98 beating out Saint Joseph’s Prep who put together another really strong relay in 10:49.10 getting the standard again. CB South just missed the Q running 10:50.11 beating out strong teams like Upper Darby (10:53), Bonner (10:55), and Great Valley (10:56).

More to come tomorrow!!

--ForrestCRN