The second season for area cross country runners will hit full gear this weekend, when runners take to the paths at Big Spring High School in Newville for the District Three championships on Saturday morning.
At stake? A prize harriers who have endured countless hours of pounding the pavement, lifting and conditioning have coveted — a trip to the PIAA championships on Nov. 2 in Hershey.
Saturday’s day of racing begins with the Class 3A girls lining up at 10 a.m., followed by the 3A boys at 10:45 a.m., the 1A girls at 11:45 a.m., 1A boys at 12:30 p.m., 2A girls at 1:30 p.m. and the 2A boys at 2:15 p.m.
The potential exists for five, perhaps even six, team champions from the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Manheim Township’s girls lead that contingent and are looking for a three-peat, and a seventh title overall. Last year, they bested Chambersburg 110-178.
The Blue Streaks’ Elena Barrall (13th, 19:34.2) led the way then, along with Kaila Atteberry (15th, 19:39.3) and Lexie Kaufman (19th, 19:53.2). Only Ava Shirk (14th, 19:35.7) has graduated from that contingent, and all the Streaks seem to do is retool, not reload.
Two other L-L teams have a chance at qualifying for one of the other four Class 3A team slots at states: McCaskey and Ephrata are looking strong, while Warwick could be a sleeper.
On the boys side in Class 3A, Manheim Township looks strong to capture the crown that’s eluded it since 2006. It could all come down to a battle with Hershey.
“I feel confident in all seven of our guys and trust them to race their best this weekend,” said defending champ Adam Kingston, who clocked 15:41.4 to win last year for the Streaks. “When it gets tough, I turn to God to give my team the strength to keep going. I also have a lot of confidence in my coach (Kevin Stover). It’s been nine points separating us from three district titles. Having four seniors this year helps.”
In Class 2A, Annville-Cleona should be the head of the class for boys and girls. Last year, the Dutchmen cruised to the 1A boys title behind Landon Hostetter, who crossed the line first in 16:23.2. Hostetter is back and has a seed time of 15:56.9, but it’s been Oliver Funck (15:45.8 seed time) making waves for the Dutchmen so far.
The A-C girls took third in 2023 behind MacKenzie Stellmach (sixth, 20:20.0). Stellmach, with a seed time of 19:17.2, is back, as is her sister Lucy (19:36.9), and they are looking to recapture a title A-C last won in 2022.
It could very well be a battle with Pequea Valley for the championship. The Braves finished second behind the the Dutchmen in Class 2A at the L-L meet, but Eastern York also has title aspirations.
“We obviously have our eyes on district and running in state,” A-C coach Caitlin Heller said. “I think the girls race with Pequea Valley will be worth your money.”
Lancaster Catholic’s boys won the Class 1A title at the Ben Bloser Bulldog Invitational at Big Spring this September. This is the Crusaders’ first year in the classification and they are favorites to duplicate what they did on the Bloser course at districts with A-C now in Class 2A. The Crusaders girls also should make a strong push for one of the two Class 1A team bids to states.
“Both the boys and girls are really excited to be racing at districts,” Lancaster Catholic coach Tom Simpson said. “However, the teams have been hit hard by illness in recent weeks, and we are not out of the woods yet. Our girls, in particular, are struggling to get well, but I still hope to field a team on Saturday. We will do our best!”
Veritas Academy also could sneak in, but will have to overtake a strong Catholic squad.
Individuals
Kingston is the defending Class 3A champ and is coming off a course-record league title with a 15:10.5 on Oct. 15 at Lebanon’s South Hills Park. He will have district competition in Hershey’s top-seeded Vinay Raman (15:07.0), but enters with confidence.
“The goal has always been to shine in October and November,” Kingston said. “It’s cool to come in as defending champ, but I don’t put any pressure on myself. I’ve had many District Three guys beat me this season. I always go into a race with the mindset that it’s going to be competitive. Obviously, the goal is to come home with two golds (team and individual), but I am not stressed.”
Township’s Cole Stevens (15:49.7 seed time) and Ethan Peffley (15:43.9), plus Warwick’s Cooper Hollinger (15:41.5) and Cedar Crest’s Travis Furmanski (15:53.7) should be in the mix at the finish.
In 3A girls, there’s another group of L-L runners, led by Barrall, who could all bring home the gold. The Blue Streaks senior has the top seed time of 18:12.6, just a three-tenths of a second faster than Carlisle’s Ana Bondy. Cedar Crest’s Eliana Schneider (18:13.7) isn’t far off that pace.
But don’t count out Lampeter-Strasburg’s Olivia Magagna (18:29.1), who placed second at the L-L meet despite having taken a hockey stick to the face earlier that day in gym class. Ephrata’s Ella Pfautz (18:37.1) has come on strong and loves challenges, while McCaskey’s Ruby Garner-Valle (18:56.3) is dangerous, as is Donegal’s Molly Myers (18:53.0), who is running with passion as of late. This one should be a fight to the finish.
Octorara’s Mya Trotty (18:55.6) leads the local contingent in Class 2A girls, with Pequea Valley’s Aubrey Ressler (19:16.9) also expected to be with the lead pack. Octorara’s Meghan McGinnis (19:37.0) could also do some damage.
Other than the A-C boys — Funck and Hostetter — Northern Lebanon’s Luke Hentz (16:40.5) is one to watch in the boys 2A race, as is Octorara’s Cody Lusby (16:27.0) and Pequea Valley’s Jonah Zink (16:44.8).
With A-C’s move to Class 2A, Hostetter won’t get the chance to defend his Class 1A crown, meaning Veritas Academy’s Henry Friedrichs (15:31.5) — second in 2023 — is the odds-on favorite to bring home the title. Look for Dayspring Christian’s Noah Huxta (16:43.0) to have a top-three finish.
Lancaster Catholic’s Leah Droter (20:27.5) is a favorite in 1A girls and could become just the third Crusaders champion after Lori Land (2A, 1987) and Christine O’Donnell (3A, 1983).
