Top 50 Edition #3

It seems like we get very weird results every year from the Carlisle Invitational and frankly I’m not sure exactly what to do with a lot of the results. Runners like Sappey, Delany, and Foust killed it, while Gebhart, Wilt, Tidball, Knapp, and Kachman majorly under performed. Wasko just beat out Quigley on the line at Lehigh, but lost to him by 27 seconds at Carlisle… I just wanted to preface this list with that, because I’m probably more confused than all of you are and I’ve poured over these results for at least 15 hours in the past 2 days.

1. Colin Abert (Sr) – Easton Area – 11AAA – I think Abert has proved himself as the clear number 1 runner in the state after beating out Hoey, Power, and Molino at Paul Short. I am unsure if his time is a Course Record or not. I’ve heard accounts that the course was changed after 2006 when Springer ran 14:47 and Weller ran 15:54, but frankly I wouldn’t be shocked if those two ran that quickly at Lehigh. Either way it is the same course Russell ran on last season when he hit 14:59. Abert is looking scary good right now and is showing no signs of slowing down. (Note: Tully Runners Marks Abert's 14:55 as a SR of 193.67)
2. Andrew Marston (Sr) – Conestoga –1AAA – Yes. It's true. Marston is second on my list, why might you ask, well let me tell you: He ran the #2 All-Time race at the McQuaid Invitational with a time of 14:30. Last season Mickey Burke (NEFL Champion and 4^th place finisher @ FL Nationals) ran the CR of 14:25 with a win by 20 seconds. Maybe Burke could have gone a bit faster, but clearly Marston is looking like a total stud. Not even factoring in the difficulty of McQuaid, his 14:31 transfers to a 15:07 (that's 36 for the last 200m, which would just continue his 4:52 pace). No question in my mind he would have taken down Molino this weekend at Lehigh.(Tully Runners would have him PA #1, since the SR of his win was a 194.57 -- Just something to think about)
3. Griffin Molino (Sr) – South Williamsport –4A – He won a smaller invitational in 15:43 two weekends ago and this week he placed 3^rd at Paul Short in 15:18. Molino looked really solid the whole race and I think he’ll destroy the Hershey hills. Clearly in really great shape Molino has moved up this list. (SR of 186)
4. Jaxson Hoey (Jr) – Malvern Prep – IND – Hoey lead over Zach Brehm by a decent margin until he collapsed 4 times due to dehydration, but still managed to finish 6^th. He was clearly affected by this once again at Paul Short where he fell off the pace big time in the last 600m. This being said Jaxson, in my opinion (obviously), is the 3^rd runner in the state right now. He’s got time to recover over the next 6 weeks.
5. Paul Power (Sr) – Spring Ford – 1AAA—HUGE statement win @ Foundation with the #5 All-Time run in 15:50. He beat out studs James and Brophy in the race. Power has clearly taken it up to the next level and has made it a 7 man run for the top guy in the state. I think he was pretty impressive at Lehigh as well with his time of 15:24. He doesn’t have the best speed, but hills really seem to work to his advantage. I think 4^th is a solid spot for him as of now.
6. Kevin James (Sr) – Cardinal O’Hara – 12AAA – Placed second @ Foundation with a 15:54 time that ties Abert and Molino from last season. He looked great on the hills of Hershey, but he also looked strong last weekend with a big win in 15:11 @ the DCXC Invitational. James has continued to look strong, so I have bumped him over Brophy.
7. Jake Brophy (Jr) – Central Bucks East –1AAA – 3^rd place finish at Foundation in 16:01. Brophy loses to James and Power, but is still a clear threat for the state title. I don’t think we’ll see him race big again until leagues. In my opinion runners 2-7 are almost equal.
8. Dominic Hockenbury (Jr) – Lake-Lehman –2AA – Hockenbury proves his is the real deal out of AA with an impressive solo performance of 16:10 on the state course after going out in 4:40 for the first mile. I would have loved to see what he would have done in the faster heat where Brophy ran 16:01. No matter though, because Hockenbury moves up to #8 on this list for his performance.
9. Casey Comber (Sr) – Hatboro Horsham –1AAA – Comber is one of two undefeated runners in PA this season. He grabbed 3 more Invitational wins: The Chris Fretz Invitational in a sub 16 clocking; Council Rock North Invitational in 15:44 (a second off the course record on a very hot day), and then a 16:44 clocking at Salesianum. I’m really impressed by what Comber is doing this season so I’m moving him up.
10. Matt Mcgoey (Sr) – North Allegheny –7AAA – He ran 16:17 at Foundation for 4^th place. He wasn’t brilliant, but he’s continued to look great and I have no reason to move him down on this list just yet. Realistically he’ll probably around 7^th in AAA at the state meet.
11. Zach Brehm (Sr) – Carlisle –3AAA—I really like what Brehm has been doing so far this season. He won his home invitational and just ran very well at Salesianum for another victory.
12. Jeff Van Kooten (Sr) – Pittsburgh Central Catholic –7AAA – Van Kooten gets a big win over Wharrey at his home PCC invitational in 15:52. It’s 8 seconds faster than Ean Disilvio ran two years ago before his 25^th place finish at states. The way Van Kooten finishes his season makes me even more excited about this result. This comes a week after he placed 10^th at Carlisle. I give him a lot of credit to travel across the state for this meet, but it didn’t really work to his advantage. I’m not placing a lot of weight on it for him. He also grabbed a win at the Sharpsville Blue Devil Invite in 15:45, which was 22 seconds in front of Zach Skolnekovich.
13. Hunter Wharrey – North Allegheny – (7AAA) – Ran 16 flat at PCC, which is exactly what Disilvio ran a few years ago before his state medal. Wharrey may not have been able to hang with the speed of Van Kooten, but hey keys off of McGoey very well.
14. Sam Ritz (Sr) – Germantown Academy– IND – Off-Weekends
15. Zach Seiger – (Jr) – Red Land –3AAA – Finished 3^rd at the Carlisle Invitational with a fairly impressive time of 15:40. He didn’t kill it as I had hoped, but he’s slowly getting into good shape. He also ran 15:49 to place second at the Gettysburg Invitational where he beat out District 10 stud Sebastian Curtin by 8 seconds.
16. Sam Webb (Sr) – Pennsbury –1AAA – Ran fairly well at the McQuaid Invitational with a 14:58 clocking over 3 miles. Webb has some ground to make up to get back into the top 10, but he’s looking strong this season.
17. Daniel Green (Sr) – James Buchanan – 3AA – A nice win for Green who wasn’t pushed too much in the Championship race at Carlisle. His time of 15:55 was only 6 seconds faster than he ran the season before, but this time it was solo’d.
18. Sebastian Curtin (Sr) – Mercyhurst Prep –10AA – Won the Midwest Catholic Championships by over 10 seconds. Curtin followed up his win with a 4^th place finish at Gettysburg with a 15:57 clocking. Looking very solid so far this season. He’s one of the few guys I don’t have any complaints about.
19. Billy McDevitt – Malvern Prep – IND – McDevitt is one of the few guys in the state who has been consistent and I’m very happy for that. His 15:40 at Lehigh is really impressive and he’s been able to succeed on hilly and flat courses.
20. Matt Kravitz (Jr) – North Pocono – 2AAA – Super excited about Kravitz race at Lehigh this past weekend. I think the course layout is perfect for him, which is why he ran so quickly in 15:39. I think we’ll continue to see big things from Kravitz as the season continues, and although this was a breakout race for him I think there are bigger things to come for him.
21. Aaron Gebhart – (Sr) – New Oxford –3AAA— He started off his season at the Blazers Invitational with an 8 second win over the 2x MD state champion Chris Heydrick (4:17/1:55). He then placed 12^th at Carlisle in 16:02, which is 25 seconds slower than he ran the year before. I’m slightly worried, but I’m not going to move him down too far just yet, because well he’s a state medalist.
22. Ryan James (So) – Cardinal O’Hara – 12AAA – Ryan James has had some very impressive races so far this season, but no way would I have guessed he’d get under 16:30 at Hershey. That’s a scary good time from the sophomore and I think he’s the top sophomore in the state right now and is basically a lock for a state medal. Maybe I’m putting too much pressure on the sophomore, but if O’Hara is going to win that state title this year they’re going to need medals from him and Pastore. His 16:43 was also 3^rd at the DCXC Invite for sophomores.
1. ** Drew Pastore (Sr) – Cardinal O’Hara – 12AAA – It’s the first time I’m trying this, but I thought it would work nicely. Pastore has had a tough start to his season, but he did beat James at the DCXC Invitational by 5 seconds (although they were in different sections). He’s not #’d on the list, because there isn’t a true place for him just yet, but it’s a prediction of what is to come.
23. Nick Dahl (So) – Germantown Friends School – (IND) – Dahl has completed his first two 5k races and I must say he’s really got my attention. A 15:29 down in VA and then coming pack to PA he ran 15:41 at Lehigh. As I mentioned in my earlier post Dahl is clearly still figuring out how to race, but he has impressed me none-the-less.
24. Jonathan Perlman (Sr) – Lower Merion – (1AAA) – I’m really happy to move Perlman up this list. He’s always had a lot of potential, but his 16:30 was big time at Pre-States. I think this is an appropriate spot for Perlman right now, who is looking like a medal contender no question.  
25. Jacob Heinauer (Sr) – North Hills – 7AAA – I’m giving Heinauer some props here for his consistency as well. He placed 3^rd at the PCC Invitational and has continued to look great this season. He’s got a great coach and his training partners McNally and Burchlaw are starting to come around, which is nice to see. Look for continued success from him in the post-season.
26. Aidan Demko (Sr) – Hershey – 3AAA – Never forget. Solid runners as sophomores sometimes fall off like Demko did and it’s tough to get back into it, but I never lose hope with these guys. Demko rolled this weekend at Paul short with a 9^th place finish in 15:40! Oh boy did that come out of nowhere. Hershey’s team is starting to look scary and Demko’s continued success as a front man with Sponaugle (15:52 for 15^th) is going to be needed for this team to make it to Hershey (ironic… maybe). (He’s behind Dahl, since it’s his only strong result of the season)
27. Sean Hilverding (Sr) – Waynesburg Central – 7AAA—Still has yet to race since RW&B.
28. Griffin Mackey (So) – Sewickley Academy (7A) – Mackey started his season nicely, but he really made a big jump this weekend with a 4^th place finish just a second behind Heinauer. It’s a real shame he and Skolnekovich don’t get to race each other at WPIAL’s. These two D7 sophomores a big time.
29. Zach Skolnekovich (So) – Quaker Valley – (7AA) – Placed 3^rd at the Blue Devil Invite in 16:07. Nothing stand-out for the sophomore, but I have faith he’ll continue to do big things.
30. Henry Sappey (Jr) – Downingtown West – 1AAA – DTW wanted to do some big things this season and although their team hasn’t come together as well as many had hoped Sappey is looking like a total stud. 15:56 at Carlisle is very impressive and I think we’ll only continue to see him improve. This team will be scary if they can begin to catch up with the blazing pace Sappey has set for them.
31. Brian Delany (Jr) – Manheim Township – (3AAA) – Big time race for the junior who placed 8^th at Carlisle in 15:57. We haven’t seen much from him this season but the time is impressive enough to hold his resume up and he beat some very impressive runners.
32. Simon Smith (Sr) – Towanda – (4AA) – PTXC wasn’t Smith’s day, but the Towanda senior bounced back and ran well at Paul Short. His 13^th place finish in 15:43 really shows off his potential for success on the AA level.
33. Jake Susalla (Jr) – Plum – (7AAA) – Winning the Grove City invitational as a none Grove City athlete seemed almost impossible before this weekend, but Susalla did it by beating out Budnik, Benka, and breakout senior Maxwell. His time of 16:08 isn’t crazy fast, but the field was very solid behind him.
34. Ian Baun (Sr) – Mount Lebanon – (7AAA) – Baun needed a spot on this list for his steady improvements all season long, but more than that, he ran 16:38 at Foundation! I know, it was 3 weeks ago, but Baun has done some big things for Mt Lebo as the teams senior leader.
1. **I’m continuing to work with this star thing, because I’m quite proud of myself for thinking of it. Here I’d like to talk about Baun’s teammate Todd Gunzenhauser. Gunz was 23^rd at Foundation, but this past weekend he beat Baun out in Ohio. He was Lebo’s top guy last season and the junior could very well be up with Baun on this list.
35. Josh Hoey (Fr) – Malvern Prep –IND – Josh looked like his brother this weekend. Very tired. Hopefully he’ll get a break as well and can pick it up, because his 16:17 I don’t think has any ground in how he has raced this season.
36. Kevin Lapsansky (Jr) – Easton Area – (11AAA) – Big strides from Lapsansky (who has a BIG stride) this weekend. The at least 6 foot tall junior is attempting to follow Abert as best he can. His 15:48 helped bring Easton a 3^rd place finish. I think he’ll only continue to succeed in the post-season.
37. Sean Weidner (Sr) – Lower Dauphin (3AAA) – He’s been killing it this season. His most recent result is from Foundation where he ran 16:41.
38. Rob Morro (Jr) – Cardinal O’Hara (12AAA) – A really great race from Morro at Foundation where he ran 16:44 for a 12^th place finish. He’s still got ways to go and hopefully will begin to catch up with James. He’s potential is really high.
39. Gabe Allgayer (Jr) -- Mercersburg Academy -- (IND) -- A big win in 15:50 at Paul Short. He's been making very impressive improvements this season.

Group 1: The solid boys. – Here’s to runners who have been solid all season. Soliman just jumped into this list, but I know he’ll be with Wasko the rest of the season. They looked great together. All of these runners could make it into the Top 40 with a stand out race and I know they’re all capable of it.

Scott Seel, Will Sponaugle, *Yahya Soliman, Quinn Wasko, Daniel Quigley, Alex Milligan, Eric Diestelow, Rock Fortna, Brian Arita, Brady Wilt, Drew Wilkinson, and Andrew Maxwell.

Group Two: The Odd Balls: Here’s to all the runners who have tons of Potential, but are all over the place. Any one of these runners could be in the top 25 if they continued to have strong results, but they seem to bounce back and forth. Maybe I was too high on Slavin and Pisacano may not have that potential, but he’s been a bit all over the place, so I had to put him here.

Seth Slavin, Jack Tidball, Aaron Benka, Alex Knapp, William Kachman, Elias Graca, Brad Foust, Joe DeAngelo, Ryan Tung, Nathan Morgan, Joseph Pisacano, Ryan Budnik, Kyle Shinn, and Ben Szuhaj.

*** The Conestoga Boys are not on this list, but a lot more will be said about them in the coming team post.

That's all for Now Folks!
--ForrestCRN