Oct 15, 2018
Team Race
York Suburban came into the season as the team to beat and nothing has changed throughout the season. They are our #2 ranked team in District III AA, behind only Berks County power Wyomissing. Suburban has 3 runners ranked in the top ten (and 5 in the top 20) of the YAIAA – #2 Cole Adams (fr, 17:02), #3 Jarrett Raudensky (sr, 17:03), and #10 Jordan Ohl (jr, 17:22). Adams is one of the top freshman in Central Pennsylvania this year. Raudensky is the top returner from last year’s championship where he was runner-up in 16:30. Ohl is the #3 returner from last year. Ohl’s season best comes from the PIAA Foundation Invitational. This is run on the state course in Hershey which is one of the toughest courses around. In fact, all of the YS athletes ran well at Hershey. Look for them to drop time at Gettysburg on Tuesday.
Central York will keep it close with York Suburban through their first 3 runners, but will likely not be able to keep up beyond that. Central has 2 runners in the top 10 of the YAIAA – #6 Brandon Baxter (jr, 17:07) and #8 Cole Harris (sr, 17:18). Gettysburg should battle Central York for team runner-up finish. They are led by the current #1 ranked runner in junior Andrew Hirneisen. Hirneisen ran a 16:49 at the Ben Bloser Invite on 9/15. He most recently ran 17:18 at the Gettysburg Invitational on 10/6 where he finished 8th overall. Northeastern and Dallastown are projected to finish 4th and 5th overall.
Keep an eye on two single A teams doing battle on Tuesday. York Catholic and Fairfield are currently ranked #1 and #2 respectively in District III A. The winner on Tuesday will be looking to ride that momentum into the District championships on 10/27. The top 2 teams from A will advance to the State Championship meet. Fairfield was our preseason pick to win the A title.
Predicted Finish
1. York Suburban
2. Central York
3. Gettysburg
4. Northeastern
5. Dallastown
In the A battle between York Catholic and Fairfield, look for Fairfield to take back their pre-season #1 ranking.
Individual Race
The current top 10 based on season best times in the YAIAA are,
1. Andrew Hirneisen (jr, Gettysburg) 16:49
2. Cole Adams (fr, York Suburban) 17:02
3. Jarrett Raudensky (sr, York Suburban) 17:03
4. Cole Perry (fr, Northeastern) 17:04
5. James Herman (so, Northeastern) 17:05
6. Brandon Baxter (jr, Central York) 17:07
7. Rory McCleary (jr, Dallastown) 17:17
8. Cole Harris (sr, Central York) 17:18
9. Collin Wolf (so, Kennard-Dale) 17:19
10. Jordan Ohl (jr, York Suburban) 17:22
It’s hard to pick against Jarrett Raudensky. He has run really well so far this year and his experience over the years prepares him well for a long post-season run. Gettysburg’s Hirneisen may have made the biggest jump from last year to this year and will also be in contention for an individual win. Two of the areas top freshman, Adams and Cole Perry (Northeastern), will also be in the mix. This is a very tight grouping and Tuesday’s race should be a good one!
Good luck runners!!