RANKINGS: 2024 Preseason Boys Teams (2024)

RANK

TEAM

RATIONALE & NOTES

1

In 2024, State College will retain five of their top six from last year's PIAA Championship. That team finished third with a 36 second spread. Isaac Oppermann (Sr) will be the clear No. 1 for State College. He finished 12th at the PIAA 3A State T&F Championship with a 9:14.65 3200m. Behind him, Owen Coughlin(Sr) and Theo Oppermann(So) ran 9:28 and 9:40, respectively. They then have Stephen Fowler (Sr) who ran 9:54 over 3200m, and Luke Bradbury who ran 4:31 over 1600m. They have a full cast of support characters behind those five.

2

The depth of La Salle College HS is hard to compete with. They return four boys from the 2023 line-up that finished second at the PIAA 3A XC Championship. Those four are Nolan Yeagle (Sr), Sam Kelchner (Sr), Sean Higgins (Sr) and Ben DiCola (So). They have an additional three boys who broke 10-minutes in the 3200m this season; Brayden Perry (Jr), Ryan McCabe (Jr), and Aidan Twomey (Sr). Then you have to add in the young phenom, Bobby Franklin(So), who ran a 4:18 1600m as a freshman. Don't be surprised if La Salle ends up on top in Hershey.

3

Grove City's starting line-up will feature four boys who finished inside the top 20 points-paying positions at the PIAA 2A State Championship; MJ Pottinger (Sr), Isaiah Stauff (Sr), Colsen Frank (Sr), and Timothy Sabella (Jr). Grove City will be the heavy favorite in 2A this year and one of the best teams in the state, yet again.

4

Manheim Township finished seventh at the PIAA 3A Championship in 2023. They return five of their starting seven; including Cole Stevens(Sr), Adam Kingston (Sr) and Ethan Peffley (Sr). Realistically, Kingston could be in the hunt for an individual title. He was third at the PIAA 3A State Track and Field Championship this year in the 3200m. He posted an unbelievable 8:58. Cole Stevens has run 4:12 over 1600m and Peffley posted a 4:24. Behind them, they have about five boys looking to be weekly contributors.

5

North Penn, behind Achilles Shui (Sr), Justin Landis (Jr), and Joey Sharkey (Jr), has a very strong top three. Shui was 10th at the PIAA Championship in 2023, and Landis landed in 49th. Landis ended up running 9:12 over 3200m this past season as well. Owen Cary (Jr), Shane Myers (Jr) and Matthew Connelly (So) will complement those front three. Cary was on the PIAA Championship team last year that finished 13th.

6

For most, it may come as a surprise to see Carlisle in the Top 6. After all, they finished 10th at the PIAA District 3 3A Championship last season. So what changed?

Carlisle had a really strong season on the track. Rising junior Kolbin Heberligran 9:22 over 3200m and they had three other boys; Hudson Focht (Jr), Seth Reichenbach (Jr), and Grant Best (Sr) break 10-minutes in the 3200m. They also had Joshua Blanton (So) run 4:25 in the 1600m, and James Millare (Jr) run 4:15 over 1600m.

7

Methacton

Methacton has a lot of depth to offer. Brock Yoder (So) finished 20th at the PIAA 3A Championship as a freshman and will contribute a low-stick again this year. Behind him, they have seven boys who have run low-10 or faster over 3200m. That includes Colin O'Donnell (Jr) who ran 9:47 over 3200m and 4:27 over 1600m.

8

Penn Charter

Behind Nate Johnsonand T.J. Zwall, Penn Charter punches a crucial 1-2 punch. We saw glances of Penn Charter's potential in 2023, and they could be ready for a strong season in 2024. Johnson and Zwall both posed 3200m times in the 9:20's. Matthew Dunn (So), Peyton Burnett (Jr), Ben Berger (Jr) and Andrew Marrone (Jr) were all in the low 10's in the 3200m this season.

9

The Reigning 3A State Champs will have their hands full in 2024. They graduated four of their starting seven but still have juniorsMatt Gosling, Lucas Poliseno, and Jayden Neelsto fall back on. Notably, Poliseno ran 4:14 at the PIAA T&F State Championship this Spring. They still have the speed at the front, but they need a couple of boys to step-up in 2024.

10

North Allegheny took a step back in 2023 but still finished sixth at the PIAA 3A State Championship. They'll be in a similar situation again after losing a couple of boys to graduation. Jack Bertram will lead the team, and he will be a near guarantee as a low-stick. It is then a question of who fills in the holes. Look for Andrew Peigh (Jr), Jackson Beemer (Sr), Jack Curren (Jr) and Tyler Davis(Sr) to be the next men up for NA.

11

Like many teams in the top-10, Penncrest also has a solid 1-2 duo at the front of their squad. Rowan Carr (So) and Edomias Mulugeta (Sr) are two of the best runners in the state. Carr finished eighth at last years XC Championship, while Mulugeta finished 43rd. They both posted 3200m times in the 9:20's. Behind them, they have three experienced boys who also competed at the PIAA State Championship last fall; Nick Fante (Sr), Andrew Hausch (Jr) and Sean Holst-Rightley (So).

12

West Chester Henderson

In 2023, West Chester Henderson finished 10th at the PIAA District 1 Championship (3A) with a 1-5 split of just 23 seconds. They return five of their starting seven and have a deep team behind them. Samuel Good (Jr), Ezekiel Shappell-Smith (Jr) and Ben Pentz (Sr) will lead the team. Behind them, there are five boys who will competing for the starting seven positions. They are all capable of being right there in the mix with their top three.

13

The 2023 Council Rock South team makes its full return in 2024. That could spell danger for District 1 teams. They were seventh at the District 1 Championship last year. Jude Olsen (Jr) and Cain Lawler (Sr) will lead the team this year. Olsen ran 9:30 over 3200m and Lawler posted a 4:20 over 1600m.

14

Central Bucks East finished 16th at the PIAA District 1 Championship in 2023 and only sent one boy to the PIAA Championship, Tyler Tomlinson (So). Tomlinson finished 55th and went on to post a 9:20 3200m on the track. Behind him, CB East has four boys who have run 10:11 or faster over 3200m; Dan Walsh (Sr), Kyle Smith (Jr), Brody Mindel (Sr) and Jack Kille (Sr). Add in Dylan Borden(Sr), who ran 4:31 over 1600m and they have a solid starting squad.

15

Episcopal Academy is one of the bigger question marks in our Top-20. EA has the experience of Ethan Zhou(Sr), Eli Engelman(Sr) and Curtis Conner(Jr) leading the squad. They also have newcomer Kaleb Young(Fr) joining the fray. Young ran 4:04 over 1500m this summer at the AAU Junior Olympic games. Can he make the jump to 5K? Time will tell. Depth will be a challenge for Episcopal Academy... but if they have a solid No. 5 in the wings, then they could break into our top-ten before long.

16

The Mazzeo Twins will continue to be a difference maker for Lower Merion in 2024. Nicholas Mazzeo and Alexander Mazzeoboth had stellar seasons last school year. Nick was even the runner-up at the PIAA 3A State XC Championship. They can surely ride that momentum into 2024, but Lower Merion lacks depth behind them and that could spell trouble. Dylan Leone is a solid No. 3 for Lower Merion.

17

Chambersburg finished 12th at the PIAA 3A State Championship in 2023 and return five boys from that squad; Liam Kirkpatrick (Sr), Aiden Alleman (Jr), Kaden Rife (Sr), Julian Clark(Jr), and Sam Kinton (Jr). Truthfully, this could be the lowest that this squad is ranked all year. They lost a couple of key members to graduation, but return a solid line-up of boys with championship level experience.

18

Pennridge was 27th at the PIAA District 1 3A Championship in 2023, but things could be looking up for the Rams. Rising Sophom*ore Jackson Warfeldeveloped well over the year and even posted a 9:15 3200m at the SOL Colonial Division Championship in May. Right there with him is Daniel Lera-Lozano(Jr) who went 9:23 over 3200m and 4:23 over 1600m. Pennridge has a complement of boys behind them including Mason Pantalone (Jr), Andrew Davis (Sr) and Colin Woehr(So).

19

Souderton returns three boys from the 2023 squad that finished in fourth at last fall's state meet; Stephen Keller (Jr), Ben Wright(Sr), and Thomas Fedesco (Sr). They have experience in those three, but we'll see how Souderton can fill in the gaps behind them.

20

Fox Chapel was third at the 2023 PIAA District 7 3A Championship and retain five of their starting seven. They lose front-runner Rowan Gwin to graduation, but retain seniors David Black, Ethan Vaughan, and Nicky Clump. Black ran 9:25 over 3200m and was tenth at the District 7 Championship in the spring. Vaughan and Clump posted 9:43 and 9:44 3200m times this spring.

NR

Teams on the Bubble (NR)

Unionville, Quaker Valley, Downingtown East, Hershey