Top 50 Update #1 - 9/16/14

1. Colin Abert (Sr) – Easton Area – 11AAA – After an astounding PTXC course record with a time of 15:21, Abert tops our list after a few weeks of competition. Abert has proved himself a force to be reckoned with before on hills and flats and his time of 15:54 at Hershey along with placing 12th as a sophomore (along with other course records) gives him extra credentials to be the top dog.

2. Jaxson Hoey (Jr) – Malvern Prep – IND – Hoey had by far the most impressive race thus far in the season with a 15:30 dominating win over Jake Brophy and Kevin James at Briarwood. People speculate that this could be a faster equivalent time to Joe Rosa’s 15:19 from a few years ago. None the less, Hoey is a total stud who is improving at an obscene rate. Will he even slow down? Hopefully not. This is his first massive XC season and Abert’s previous years credentials are barely putting him over the edge on Hoey. Luckily we get to see them battle at Paul Short in 3 weeks.

3. Griffin Molino (Sr) – South Williamsport –4A – I feel so bad for Molino right now. The guy has no training partners like the other two on this list and he hasn’t run against any big competition. He dropped a solid 15:43 this weekend at Spiked Shoe for a cruise victory. I can’t believe he’s at 3 right now and frankly might still be better than these other two guys. We’ll get to see him unleash more as the season progresses, but DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT sleep on Griffin Molino. (Even if 15:43 is his currently PR… LOL)

4. Jake Brophy (Jr) – Central Bucks East –1AAA – This kid is a heck of a stud. I love his season opener at a big invitational is him dropped a 15:39 bomb on Briarwood only to be outshined by fellow junior Jaxson Hoey. Brophy is so scary and I have no doubt he’ll be looking to challenge Abert when it comes time at Hershey (And hopefully the NE Footlocker Regional meet).

5. Kevin James (Sr) – Cardinal O’Hara – 12AAA – Kevin James seems to have the worst luck. First guy to run 9:03 at the state meet in 3200m and not win… and not only did he not win, he placed 4^th. Now he’s behind 2 of the top juniors this state has ever seen (yes, watch out Tony Russell) and two fantastic seniors. His 15:51 shows that he has improved by 5 seconds from last year, and I have no doubt that James will make a big comeback from this race. He’s right up with these guys and won’t be letting go. This is only motivation for the future and might be good for him after losing Belfatto and Smart.

6. Andrew Marston (Sr) – Conestoga –1AAA – I really love what Marston has done in the first few weeks. We haven’t seen a full 5k however. 8:51 3k on grass followed by a 9:29 3200 isn’t bad at all for a guy with a 9:17 PR in the event on the track. He’s clearly making some big strides this season.

7. Matt Mcgoey (Sr) – North Allegheny –7AAA – I’m buying everything that Mcgoey is selling this season. This young man is on a roll and he’s bringing Hunter Wharrey for the ride, which is even better. Opening the season with a new PR of 15:27 (and a win) and then running 15:41 at Boardman for a second place finish that beats times by Gil, Steiner, and Jaskowak. You’ve got my attention. Mcgoey wants to bring NA home a title this fall and a top 5 finish at states from him might be needed, and I think he’s ready to do that.

8. Zach Brehm (Sr) – Carlisle –3AAA—He’s really yet to run a 5k all out this season, so I am withholding judgment for the time being. I did like his low 12 minute 4k race over Daniel Green to open the season. Stay tuned.

9. Sam Webb (Sr) – Pennsbury –1AAA – I have no idea why Webb has yet to race this season. If anyone knows, please post on the blog. I hope he’s okay.

10. Aaron Gebhart – (Sr) – New Oxford –3AAA— Another guy who is yet to race. Gebhart usually opens his seasons pretty late, so again, withholding judgment for now.

11. Hunter Wharrey – North Allegheny – (7AAA) – How can you not be stoked about Wharrey right now? The guy came out of nowhere last season to be a top runner for NA’s squad and he was so consistent. His 9:28 PR on the track worried me a bit, especially since Mcgoey ran 9:12, but he clearly knows how to maneuver an XC course. He dropped a 15:32 bomb for second place at RW&B (5 seconds behind Mcgoey) and then finished 3 seconds behind Mcgoey a week later at Boardman for a 3^rd place finish. This 1-2 punch is clearly the best in the state. Nothing more to say about that.

12. Dominic Hockenbury (Jr) – Lake-Lehman –2AA – I’ve been impressed with Hockenbury’s two races this year. He opened with a PR of 15:51 at a small invitational, but then backed it up with a 15:58 second place finish at PTXC. Nobody was going to touch Abert, but Hockenbury had a nice finish and ran a second faster than Abert ran last season on the course. I think he’s a stud of a runner and is the favorite in the AA scene.

13. Casey Comber (Sr) – Hatboro Horsham –1AAA – I wasn’t sure what to say about Comber’s performances since he was clearly chilling for a win at PTXC in the Blue race, but looking at the Centaur Invitational, which is usually pretty muddy, Comber is the first person to break 16 minutes since Brett Kelly back in 2010 who ran 15:48. Meaning studs like Hibbs and Quinn weren’t able to accomplish such a feat. And for all you young guys, Kelly placed 3^rd at the state meet the next year. Comber is ready to play.

14. Sam Ritz (Sr) – Germantown Academy– IND – I’m really happy for Sam Ritz right now. Last year he had a hard time finding his XC chops in the Independent league, but maybe with Malvern Prep’s squad on the rise he’s got a bit more urgency in his training, which is great. This is why competition is key. Ritz opened with a 9:03 second place finish over 3000m to Marston. I was a bit skeptical, since he is a track guy, but he backed it up this weekend with a very impressive 16:05 time for 4^th place at Briarwood. I heard he stuck with the pack of Hoey, Brophy, and James for around 3000m and continued to hold on as best he could. A valiant effort against 3 of the top 5 guys in the state and it clearly paid off. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for Ritz.

15. Jeff Van Kooten (Sr) – Pittsburgh Central Catholic –7AAA – I know I’m going to get a lot of hate for this, but I’m keeping Van Kooten in the top 15 despite his 5^th place finish at RW&B. 15:50 is a solid time and this weekend he added a victory at the Red Dragon Invitational where he ran 15 seconds faster than he did last year. He’s clearly improving and peaks so well that I can’t bring myself to put him any lower on this list.

16. William Kachman (Jr) – Bedford –6AA – So excited about Kachman this year. I had a feeling he would be a breakout stud after a very strong sophomore year and so far he’s proving me right. Opening his season with a big win over Foust, Stroh, and Milligan, by 13 seconds no less, at Big Valley, and he followed it up this weekend with a 17 second win at the Forest Hills Invite. Dominic Hockenbury better not let his foot off the petal, because Kachman is coming. We’ve got 2 years of this potential AA battle, so strap up everyone and get ready for what is shaping up to be a great ride.

17. Billy McDevitt – Malvern Prep – IND – Wow, Billy McDevitt is killing it this season. I mean the guy has absolutely brought it. On a team shooting for a bid to nationals, what more could you want than your only senior on varsity to come into the year in great shape. He placed second at Abington in 16:02, which is a PR, and then he hung tough in no man’s land to place 5^th at Briarwood in a very respectable 16:19. I can’t help but sing his praises right now.

18. Daniel Green (Sr) – James Buchanan – 3AA – I really love how Green has started his season. He ran 12:19 over 4000m to place second behind Zach Brehm (according to http://calculators.hillrunner.com/raceconversion.php this converts to a 15:36 for 5k). That of course is not what is informing me here, but I just wanted to throw that info out to the public. He also impressed me this weekend at the Interstate Classic where he ran 16:05, which is an official PR, and he won by just over 45 seconds. AND it was the fastest time on the course in 3 years. Green brings a lot to the table and is another AA guy to watch for.

19. Zach Seiger – (Jr) – Red Land –3AAA – Not going to lie, I was pretty underwhelmed by my man Zach Seiger in his opening race. I really think he has the ability to at least challenge Hockenbury for 4500m or so and then fade, but instead he ran with a different pack and settled for 3^rd place in a time of 16:19. I really want to see more from him, but his 28^th place last season and 9:30 3200m time is keeping him up here for now.

20. Elias Graca (Sr) – Fox Chapel Area – 7AAA – Graca drops down from an unranked position to 20^th place on this list after just one race. I’m pretty hesitant about doing this, but I’ll walk you through my thinking. Graca made huge jumps last season on the track over 800m including a 1:53.97 time that I frankly don’t think anyone could have seen coming. He didn’t struggle during XC last year, but he wasn’t a stud by any means. Fox Chapel has a great coaching staff, and faster courses, like RW&B, clearly favor him. For now I believe he’ll have a tough time at Hershey, but running 15:44 and beating Van Kooten is no joke, so I’ve got to give the young man some props.

21. Paul Power (Sr) – Spring Ford – 1AAA—Yet to race, and I don’t want to move him down the list too much just yet.

22. Sebastian Curtin (Sr) – Mercyhurst Prep –10AA – Yet to race, so I am holding off judgment on Curtin as well. I’m actually really pumped for the AA race this season.

23. Alex Knapp (Sr) – West Chester Henderson – 1AAA – Knapp has had two solid races this season over 3000m and 3200m this season, but nothing overly impressive. The longer the distance the better Knapp is, so I’m not too worried about him, but for now he’s at #23. I think he’ll move up this list as the season progresses.

24. Nick Dahl (So) – Germantown Friends School – (IND) – Nick Dahl was a stud this outdoor season with a PR of 9:19 over 2 miles as a freshman. He started off his XC campaign this year with a 9:09 3000m placing that bested Knapp by 10 seconds. We still need to see him run faster than 17 minutes over 5000m, so this might be pushing it a bit, but I have to give that 9:09 some credit.

25. Sean Hilverding (Sr) – Waynesburg Central – 7AAA—A lot of people were predicting big things out of Hilverding so I jumped on the bandwagon for my first top 50 list and he’s looking really good so far with a season opening time of 15:51 at RW&B. I can’t wait to see more from him.

26. Jacob Heinauer (Sr) – North Hills – 7AAA – Heinauer is the second District 7 guy who I didn’t have on my top 50 list who jumped into the top 30. His 15:55 at RW&B really impressed me, and he followed it up with a win at Slippery Rock this weekend in 16:26 to beat Ian Baun by around 10 seconds. He is clearly going in the right direction and I love the coaching over at North Hills. They always pop out some great individuals. Will Heinauer be another state medalist for North Hills?

27. Nathan Morgan (Sr) – Lakeland – 2A – I really like Morgan as a runner and I think he runs really smart. He started off the season placing second to Hockenbury at the Cliff Robbins invitational in 15:43. He obviously let him go, but still beat the 3rd place runner by 13 seconds. I think he has a lot more to offer than we’ve seen yet and he retains his top 30 spot on this list.

28. Zach Skolnekovich (So) – Quaker Valley – (7AA) – Skolneckoich did exactly as expected entering his sophomore campaign. He placed 7^th overall at RW&B and now holds a great PR of 16 flat. He’s a total stud and I can’t wait to see what else he accomplishes this season. He’s another AA runner to throw into the mix.

29. Brad Foust (Sr) – Altoona Area –6AAA – Brad Foust has started off his season fairly unimpressive with a 3^rd place finish at Big Valley where he lost to Alex Milligan and then a 10^th place finish at PTXC. He came back to win over Kiski in a dual meet, but I’m a bit worried about Foust. He did come on very strong at the end of last year and because of that I respect him enough to keep him in the top 30. I do want to see more from him soon or we’ll see him fall further in the rankings.

30. Josh Hoey (Fr) – Malvern Prep –IND – I didn’t put Josh on the Top 50 list going into the season, because I wanted to give him a clean slate with no expectations. He has thrust himself right in the thick of things this XC season. He placed 5^th at Abington right behind Sappey and Diestelow and then he beat out my man Brian Arita at Briarwood in 16:27! Who also ran 16:27 as a freshman on Briarwoods XC course, oh right, that would be Joe Rosa… the course record holder at 15:19.2 as a junior. If the course really is longer than both Hoey brothers broke both of Joe’s record. The potential here is actually insane.

31. Seth Slavin (So) – Pleasant Valley High School – (11 AAA) – I may be jumping the gun a bit here with Slavin, but he ran 16:16 at the Centuar Invitational to place second behind Casey Comber. It’s a PR for him, and the best time since 2010 (other than Comber’s time from this year). He beat very solid runners like Joe Espinal from Wilson by over 20 seconds, which really impressed me. In 2010 Zach Greth ran 16:20 and went on to place 3^rd in District 3 and 12^th at the State Championships. Not saying Slavin is there just yet, but he is a man to watch out for.

32. Jack Tidball (Sr) – Tunkhannock Area – (2AA) – I really like how Tidball opened his season with a pretty gutsy race at the Spiked Shoe Invitational. He ran 9 seconds faster than his opener last year and he seems to get out of the gate really well (I totally forgot he beat Cather here last year). Hopefully he can keep his fitness up this season, but I like what he brings to the table and he has earned this placing early in the season.

33. Henry Sappey (Jr) – Downingtown West – 1AAA – I’ve been extremely impressed by what Sappey has brought to the table this season. He didn’t show too much this past spring, but he opened his season with a great time of 16:20 at Abington to place 3^rd over Diestelow and Josh Hoey. He then ran a solid 9:54 for 3200m at Cheokee, just 4 seconds behind Knapp, which is a PR for him over the distance. He’s a great leader for this young DTW team and I think he’s going to be a key runner this season for them.

34. Aaron Benka (Sr) – Grove City – (10AA) – As most of you know I love the coaching staff out at Grove City. I think they do a fantastic job over there and Aaron Benka is another product of that. He started off his season really well with a 16:06 time to place 7^th at RW&B and I think it’s only going to get better from here. He’s a gusty runner and brings a great dynamic to the AA scene.

35. Kyle Gonoude (Sr) – Salisbury – (11AA) He’s yet to race and I think it’s respectable to keep him in the top 35.

36. Brian Arita (Sr) – Council Rock North – (1AAA) – Brian Arita. My man. I really like the way he started his season with a solid low 16 minute race for CRN’s Friends Alumni meet that was better than Ross Wilson ran last season. He got caught in no man’s land at Viking but still placed second in 16:41. He won Mill Street in a conservative effort of 16:15 for a road race, and he just finished 7^th at Briarwood in 16:31. Previously we’ve seen Emery run 16:17 and Zingarini run 17:06, and Emery was 16:31 as a junior. I think Arita is setting himself up very well for a top 30 finish at the state meet for AAA.

37. Jake Susalla (Jr) – Plum – (7AAA) – I’ve been a fan of Susalla’s for a while now and he took a big step to begin his junior year with a great 16:07 at RW&B. I always get caught up adding a bunch of these quick times onto the list, but I think he’s going to make a name for himself this year and stay on the list.

38. Alex Milligan (Jr) – State College – (6AAA) – To be honest, I almost forgot to put Milligan on this list. He had a great effort of 16:24 to place second at the Big Valley Invitational where he beat out Brad Foust. I have to give him some major props for that race. He ran really tough and I think he’s going to leave State College to some big things this season out of District 6. Will Cather set the president for this team during XC last year and I think Milligan will continue that tradition.

39. Sean Weidner (Sr) – Lower Dauphin (3AAA) – Not exactly sure where to place Weidner just yet. He was good last year and had a bit of a breakout track campaign. His 16:24 at PTXC is pretty impressive and I’m excited to watch him develop this season. This might be a bit low for him, but I’m not totally on the bandwagon just yet. Not exactly sure what is holding me back here, but he is a name to watch for who could easily move up.

40. Eric Diestelow (Sr) – West Chester East – (1AAA) – Diestelow had a really solid opening meet where he ran 16:22 at Abington for a 4^th place finish. He just beat out Josh Hoey at the line, but Josh is ranked 30^th, so what’s up with that? Diestelow followed that result with a disappointing 5^th place finish at Rose Tree behind a field that he should have been able to fend off for the victory. Plus he ran 16:27, which is a bit slow for that course. He can make his way up this list no question, but he’ll need to be more consistent in the future.

41. Jonathan Perlman (Sr) – Lower Merion – (1AAA) – Yet to race this season.

42. Kevin Lapsansky (Jr) – Easton Area – (11AAA) – He’s got a great training partner in Aber, and he started off his season with an impressive 5^th place finish at PTXC in a time of 16:28. He sneaks onto the list, but I think he’s a good talent who we’ll see more of this year and could be a surprise medalist.

43. Griffin Mackey (So) – Sewickley Academy (7A) – After placing 12^th as a freshman in the WPIAL ‘A’ meet, Mackey went on to finish 29^th at the PIAA state championships in a time of 17:24 where he was the 5^th place finisher out of District 7 runners. He ran 9:50 on the track last season, and somehow continued to fly off the radar. He’s finally found his way onto it though with a big 16:11 clocking at RW&B, and I’m excited to see where he goes from here.

44. Brian Delany (Jr) – Manheim Township – (3AAA) – Opened his season up this past week with a 4 team meet win by 53 seconds in a time of 17:10. Nothing overly impressive but he got the job done.

45. Brady Wilt (Sr) – Biglerville – (3A) – Yet to race this season

46. Joe DeAngelo (Sr) – Carlisle – (3AAA) – DeAngelo has done some big things thus far this season on a Carlisle team that has reloaded very well. His 16:21 is a second faster than Will Cather ran last season at Spiked Shoe and he beat out an up and coming Quinn Wasko quite handily at a dual meet earlier in the week. His team is going to need continued success from him this season if they want to place top 10 in the state again, but he’s off to a great start.

47. Scott Seel (Sr) – North Allegheny – (7AAA) – Don’t get me wrong, Seel has not totally impressed me this season. Last year he ran 15 seconds faster at RW&B and 10 seconds faster at Boardman. That being said Seel is a really strong runner. He’s got time to get back into it and his teammates Wharrey and Mcgoey will help push him back to where he was before.

48. Jeff Kirshenbaum (Jr) – Methacton – (1AAA) – I’ve got to give props to Kirshenbaum for a nice win over Scarpill and Diestelow this past weekend at Rose Tree. He’s a really nice talent and although I doubt he’ll stay on the list he’s a name to watch out for out of District One.

49. Ryan James (So) – Cardinal O’Hara – (12AAA) – Ryan James is going to need a big year for O’Hara if they want to grab a state title away from the NA tandem of Hunter and Wharrey. Both runners are looking top-notch right now and won’t be too far away from Kevin James, especially in terms of team scoring. He has already stepped it up in his first big meet running 16:44 for 8^th place at Briarwood. Now he’s just waiting for his training partner Drew Pastore to get back on track.

50. Ryan Tung (Sr) – North Penn (1AAA) – Tung opened up his season with a nice win in 16:11 at a new invitational in Delaware. I honestly don’t know what to do with that information since I’ve got no historical evidence to discuss the time. He has had success in XC in the past and I think he’s going to be a stud this year, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt that it was a good race and a full 5k.

Just Missed List

Alex Fitch (Sr) – Freedom – (11AAA) – Fitch ran a very solid race to open his season with a PR of 16:20 at the Lions Invitational. I couldn’t find results from last year, but Abert ran 16:14 two years ago at the course and medaled at the state meet and my current teammate Jaryd Flank ran 16:23 and placed 15^th in AA that year. He’s got some real upside if he keeps rolling. Also he beat a solid competitor in Joe Espinal from Wilson.

Joseph Pisacano (Jr) – Saint Joes Prep – (12AAA) – He place second at the PLC first meet to beat out all of O’Hara’s runners other than Kevin James and then placed 4^th at Rose Tree. He could be a name to look out for.

Rock Fortna (Jr) – Central Bucks West – (1AAA) –  Big shout out to Rock Fortna for some very quality races so far this season. He placed 3^rd behind Brophy and Arita at Viking and more recently placed 9^th overall at Briarwood in 16:49. Hopefully his season will continue to see big jumps.

Josh Smith – Avon Grove – (1AAA) – Injured/Returning from Injury

Jacob Connors – Wilson – 3AAA – Tough season starter placing 17^th at Spiked Shoe

Kyle Shinn (Sr) – Wyomissing – (3AA) – Brutal season starter placing 24^th at PTXC.

Domenic Peretta (Jr) – Beaver Falls – (7A) – Yet to race this season. Etrain is big on him, but he had a long track season since he went to Junior Outdoor nationals. Will he be able to make it back for XC.

Connor Holm (Sr) – Radnor – (1AAA) — Started off his season finishing in 9^th place on a fast Rose Tree course. Slightly disappointed.

Ryan Budnik (Sr) – Grove City – (10AA)— Placed 32^nd at RW&B. He’ll really need to pick up his game and get back up front with Benka if he wants to get back on this list anytime soon.

Simon Smith (Sr) – Towanda – (4AA) – Began his season with an 8^th place finish at PTXC. Not a bad spot, but after finishing 9^th last season in a bigger field I projected him to be top 5.

Mark Arzie (Sr) – Lakeland – (4A) – Opened up his season with a 12^th place finish at the Cliff Robbins Invitational

Alek Sauer (Sr) – Pennsbury – (1AAA) – Opened up his season with a 22^nd place finish at Cherokee Invitational in a time of 10:08. Pennsbury will need to see some big improvements from him this season if they want to get back to the state meet.

Ben Wilson (Sr) – Central Dauphin – (3AAA) – Yet to open his season.

Jack DiCintio (Jr) – Wyomissing – (3AA) – Opened up his season with a 16:59 5k time for 16^th overall at PTXC.

Ben Szuhaj (Sr) – Penn Charter – (IND) – Yet to open his season.

Matt Kravitz (Jr) – North Pocono – Kravitz opened up his season with a nice win in 16:06 at the Lackawanna County Invitational, but we’ve got to see him against some competition before I can swing him up to any place on this list.

Mike Kolor (Jr) – Seneca Valley – (7AAA) – Nothing great from him to start off the season with decent finishes at RW&B and Slippery Rock.

Matthew Scarpill (So) – Central Bucks South – (1AAA) – Second place @ Rose Tree with a very solid PR of 16:18 to start off his season.

Kyle Perry (Sr) – Scranton Prep – (2AA) – Not a bad opener with a 7^th place finish at Spiked Shoe Invitational in 16:25. A name to watch for the future.