This weekend will be the true first test for quite a few athletes and teams as they square up at Oatlands. One of the things we will be looking at is how underclassmen react and perform on this high stage. Below are some of the underclassmen that jumped out to us on the entries list.
As always, the most important person to keep an eye out for is the person we don't list that has the best race of their life Saturday.
Boys
Michael Tafe (Loudoun County) (So.): He has already run 15:33 this season, 23 seconds faster than last year, and is trending in the right direction. He is used to the Oatlands course being local so should know how to attack it in all conditions. He finished 6th last year at states on this very course.
Preston Spangler (Patriot) (So.): He ran 16:07 at Great Meadow which should equate to a similar, if not faster, time here at Oatlands. That type of time should place him higher up even with this stiff competition. He finished 21st at states a year ago at his previous school but already looks stronger and faster than last year.
Rivers Matthews (Blacksburg) (Fr.): He holds the spot as one of the most anticipated runners this season. Last year he was our state runner-up at middle school states running 13:02 for 4K. Already this season he has run 16:14 and looks to just be getting started.
Riley Gallogly (Urbana - MD) (So.): He enters the weekend ranked second amongst all sophomores in Maryland and holds the top spot for consistency. 16:10-16:20 seems to be his sweet spot so far this season and this weekend he will look to continue that trend in a much larger, more competitive field.
Girls
Petra Gruendel (James W. Robinson) (Fr.): Petra is going to be a force so buckle up. She has already run 17:55 for 5K and 17:59 for 3 Miles at Burke Lake. Couple that speed with a stellar team to continually push her spells for a superstar in the making. The goal for her and her teammates this weekend is likely team oriented but that could still mean a fast time.
Lola Olsen (Blacksburg) (Fr.): She has already run 18:56 this season and just like Petra, will be team focused this weekend. When you take the pressure off of the clock and just focus on running with your team that can mean some fast times.
Juliana Pierce (Charlottesville) (Fr.): The younger sister of Elaina Pierce, Juliana is quickly making a name for herself having already run 19:28 on the season. That time was put down at FUMA which is not known to be a blazing fast course. That means we can expect even faster times this season and maybe even this weekend.
Ruthie DeLapp (Blacksburg) (Fr.): Ruthie and her teammates have already run very well this season to position Blacksburg as one of the dominant teams in the state yet again. Already on the season she has clocked a 19:25 and a 4th place finish making for a strong opening half to her freshmen campaign.
Noelle Cates (Loudoun Valley) (So.): Noelle has run 18:56 already this season and has improved 46 seconds year over year on the same course. Ultimately she would run 20:47 at States here at Oatlands. If she continues that trend of improvement she could run sub 20 at Oatlands which equals to a high position on this tougher course.
Catherine Moschera (Tuscarora) (So.): We have seen over two minutes of improvement year over year from this sophomore and her season best of 19:09. She is very familiar with this course and just like many of her Tusky teammates, thrives on the hillier courses. She ultimately ran 19:52 last year at States and finished 18th, just outside of an all-state finish. This weekend her goal will be to attack the course and if she finds herself in a good spot, could be one of the top finishers.