Meet: A-AA Boys State Meet Predictions
Location: Cabell Midland High School
Date: To be held October 27, 2007
Predicted A-AA Boys Team Results
Can Ravenswood make it 8 in a row? They're actually going to be pressed more this year
than in any year since 2003. They've been at least 30 point favorites for the past three
years. This year, it's only 22. They're still a very solid favorite, but they're more
fallible than they've been in quite a while. Berkeley Springs is the team that can
provide the challenge. They've closed the gap all season and are within striking distance.
A great deal rides on the performances of the 2-5 guys for both these teams. Weir is
very strong through the front three with a solid # 4, and that should be enough to harness
third place. Winfield and Ritchie will battle for 4th. I have it coming out a tie with
Winfield taking the spot on the 6th man. Both these teams could move into the top 3
as they both have more room for error than Weir.
1. Ravenswood 64
2. Berkeley Springs 86
3. Weir 134
4. Winfield 144
5. Ritchie 144
6. Shady Spring 157
7. Doddridge 164
8. Richwood 183
9. Tucker 186
10. Wheeling Central 192
11. Grafton 216
Predicted Boys A-AA Top 25
Last year's Champion returns, but this year, he's only a slight favorite. Coming off a
lost track season, Levi Grandt is rounding into shape and has re-established himself as
the one to beat. However, Lenny Roach is close behind. Roach actually knocked Grandt
off at the Geico Classic, but Grandt turned the tables two weeks later at the Berkeley
Springs Invitational and then again at the Regional Meet. Last year, I felt like this
race was a done deal. This year, it's tight. Stewart Jones is the third pick. He's
been solid all year long and had a very good track season. His only drawback is that
he hasn't run against any of the top dogs in A-AA since September 1st, when he finished
7 seconds behind Grandt. He has run against AAA's Ryan Beabout a couple times since then,
but finished over 30 seconds back each time. Ben Wise could upend Jones as Wise has always
performed well at the State Meet. Skyler McCoy is a bit of a question mark in the mix.
He was injured at the beginning of the season and has admitted to slacking on his training.
Still, he's won most of his meets, and there's talent to spare. Lucas Warner appears to
have a solid grip on 6th place. He did beat McCoy at the Forest Festival on September 15th
giving him hope to move up. It gets very tight after that. Nathan Rees has been very
consistent and solid all season. Nick Lucento has been solid and finished close to McCoy
in a pair of meets. Ronald Read has overcome a rough start following his track season
injury to claim a place in the top 10. Like Jones, though, he hasn't been matched up with
the A-AA top dogs. Dustin Wood has beaten Lucento on a couple occasions. Cuylor Edgell
nearly pulled off an All-State performance last year and looked good at both his Conference
and Regional Meets. Mundey has beaten Edgell a couple time.s Kyle Harris beat Edgell at
the West Virginia Insurance Invitational and is a returning All-State performer. Rob
Bonenberger just beat Read soundly at the Regional meet. Like in the girls meet, anyone
inside the top 25 really has a shot here. Not that much separates them.
1 1 Grandt, Levi 12 Doddridge
2 2 Roach, Lenny 11 Berkeley Spr.
3 3 Jones, Stewart 12 Weir
4 4 Wise, Ben 12 Ravenswood
5 X McCoy, Skyler 11 Webster
6 5 Warner, Lucas 12 Tucker
7 6 Rees, Nathan 11 Ravenswood
8 7 Lucento, Nick 12 Shady Spring
9 8 Read, Ronald 11 Weir
10 9 Wood, Dustin 12 Richwood
11 10 Edgell, Cuylor 11 Doddridge
12 11 Mundey, John 10 Berkeley Spr.
13 12 Harris, Kyle 12 Ritchie
14 13 Rhodes, David 10 Tucker
15 14 Bonenberger, Rob 11 Wheeling Cent.
16 15 Cole, Alex 11 Ravenswood
17 16 Webb, Josh 12 Weir
18 17 Wise, Jake 9 Berkeley Spr.
19 X King, John 11 Philip Barbour
20 18 Gray, Kurt 12 Ravenswood
21 X Dolin, Robert 11 Scott
22 X Nelson, Chase 10 Scott
23 19 Lafferre, Jacob 12 Ritchie
24 20 Steadman, John 12 Winfield
25 21 Murray, Derek 11 Ravenswood