Northwestern captured its first District 11 title since 2013 a year ago. The Tigers have the talent and depth to run for more glory this season.

Individually, Weatherly’s Scotty Zoscin - the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year - returns after winning a district title last season.

JIM THORPE

KEY LOSSES ... The Olympians will have to replace James Schwartz, Ben Seachrist, Logan Pachulski, Bradyn Thompson, Christian Bradley, Sean Soden, Ian Susko and Paul Onuskanich, members of a squad that went 12-6 overall and 9-5 in the Schuylkill League last season.

COMING BACK ... Marie Rosahac, in her second season in charge of the program will be looking for key contributions from returnees John O’Toole (Sr.), Georgiy Sakharov (Jr.), Ryan Bailor (So.), Nikolas Cinicola (So.), Jordan Remmel (So.), Ridge Snyder and Jasper DiSanto (So.) to lead the charge this season. “Ryan Bailor is looking to get back out there as our front runner after an injury left him out of our 2019 season,” said Rosahac. “He has such dedication and a tremendous work ethic that should help lead to a successful season for him. Talented sophomore Ridge Snyder is a natural strong runner and he and Ryan will lead our pack. Jordan Remmel returns and looks to improve after a solid freshman season. I expect Cinicola, Sakharov (who also is a soccer player), O’Toole and McClure to progress throughout the season and help the guys up front. Our freshmen are putting in the work but it may take a few meets for them to gain experience and confidence.”

KEEP AN EYE ON ... A group of newcomers consisting of Philip Cicchinelli (Fr.), Jonathan Flores (Fr.), Ethan McClure (Fr.) and Jayden Mantilla (Fr.) are expected to be in the mix this season. “We have a strong group of sophomore runners along with a very coachable and motivated group of runners,” said Rosahac. “We’re a mainly young and small team, with a lack of seniors and juniors as we lost some key runners from last year’s team, and will hope to remain healthy.”

OUTLOOK ... “Since we are a young team, I am looking for our strong core of sophomore runners to help lead the way to a competitive season and hope that our other runners continue to develop and keep the drive moving forward to see continued growth as the season progresses,”said Rosahac.

LEHIGHTON

KEY LOSSES ... The Tribe will have to replace Logan Lichtenwalner, Joe Adamcik and Matt Smith from a squad that went 9-5 overall a year ago.

COMING BACK ... Erica Pagotto, in her eighth season leading the program, will be counting on Brandon Hall (Jr.), Mitch Nailor (Jr.), Collin Wentz (Jr.), Levi Monk (So.), Nicholas Zeigenfuss (So.), and Darian Johnson (So.) to be team leaders this season.

KEEP AN EYE ON ... Underclassmen Jacob Hall (Fr.), Bradley Yenser (Fr.), Owen Serfass (Fr.) and Alex Thomas (Fr.) could also contribute this season. “The team is young, but the underclassmen are determined to succeed,” said Pagotto. “A few runners were unable to come out this season and they will be missed. But we are looking forward to a fall sports season where the runners have the opportunity to keep pushing themselves and improving.”

OUTLOOK ...” The boys have been running diligently throughout the summer and we are looking forward to watching their hard work pay off,” Pagotto said.

MARIAN

HOPING TO CONTEND ... If you think the Colts are not going to be a force in Division 2 of the the Schuylkill League, think again. First year coach Justin Huegel has a grip on things in the program and he likes what he has seen so far. Marian has some runner that can pick ‘em up and lay ‘em down.

BIG SIX ... Marian will return six letterwinners in Gavin Vercusky, Kevin Earley, Daniel Holincheck, Lliam Sanphy, Robert Jones and Maxwell Schwabe.

DEEP TEAM ... The Colts have a strong contingent of runners behind the six letterwinners. The Colts currently hav 14 runners on the squad which gives Huegel quite an arsenal to run out on the area courses. Other Colts being counted on to supply depth are Alex Porambo, Albin Petraschauer, Alex Cornmesser, Lachlan Segedy, Ryan Berube, Ethan Ristetter, Jakob Mummey and Johnny Malarkey.

NO EASY PICKINGS ... Huegel knows the competition in the boys division is keen.

“The Schuylkill League is one of the best leagues in the state and consistently provides the toughest competition,” Huegel said. “This year is no different. Each team presents a challenge and requires us to run our best. With the pandemic, this is even more true this season, because it has created an equalizing affect for all teams that wasn’t there before.”

NORTHERN LEHIGH

BUILDING BLOCKS ... Head coach Dave Oertner enters his 39th year leading the program and will be looking to Jared Thomason (Jr.) and Hunter Zehner (Sr.) to be the team’s leaders.

KEEP AN EYE ON ... Oertner also has freshman James Stock to contribute to the squad this season.

OUTLOOK ... The Bulldogs, who had an 0-24 mark a year ago, will need to overcome low numbers if they want to pick up some wins this season. The Bulldogs’ main focus will be to achieve individual goals and improve throughout the Colonial League season.

NORTHWESTERN

LOOKING FOR MORE ... Few programs have experienced as much success as Northwestern in recent years. The Tigers doubled down in 2019, with both the boys and girls winning District 11 titles and qualifying for states. It was the boys first district title since 2013. “Our teams have been training hard and they have been running well together,” said head coach Chris Stitzel. “I know they’re all chomping at the bit to get out there and compete, because all they’re doing is training with each other. They’re training hard, and they just want to get out there and compete. Our boys team lost only one senior on varsity. Hopefully we have a postseason, but we’re ready for leagues and districts if we have them, and we’re hoping to get back to states.”

COMING BACK ... Stitzel is excited about the boys’ prospects for 2020 with experience and depth as two of the squads biggest advantages. “My top senior last year was my No. 6 or 7 runner, so I’ve got my top five back,” he said. “And they’ve been pounding out these workouts. They’ve been working hard together and have been making sure they’re training together every day, really strong.”

Matt Santana, Sam Bower, Cole Chukoskie, Nate Vincent, Joe Chukoskie will likely be the Tigers’ top runners this season. RJ Zack will also be in the mix. “And then I have a couple of middle school guys that also moved up, so they might be in the mix.”

BUILDING BLOCK ... Stitzel is hoping the boys can continue their success and start a run similar to the one the girls have been on recently. “They saw the success the girls had and now they’re just so excited to get back there,” he said. “It was a great experience for them, too. Now they know they can do it, and we’re young ... so they’re looking to get back to that level again.”

INFLUX OF TALENT ... In addition to a deep and talented high school roster, Northwestern also has 28 middle school runners combined between boys and girls. Between high school and middle school, the Tigers have over 65 kids in the program. “I’ve just been blessed, trying to keep kids healthy,” said Stitzel. “They come out and they work hard for me. But we certainly don’t take anything for granted. All it takes are one or two kids to go down and that can affect the whole team. I’m just blessed that the kids are willing to work hard for me, and that we’re staying healthy most of the season.”

PALMERTON

KEY LOSS ... The Blue Bombers will need to replace Trent Geist from a squad that went 9-15 in the Colonial League a year ago.

COMING BACK ... Second-year head coach Bill Zeky will be counting on Mike Noyola (Sr.), Brance Fronheiser (Jr.), Owen Hibell (So.) and Trey Sterling (So.) to lead the way this season. “We have a well-balanced top-seven runners,” he said. “But training wasn’t as consistent for our team because of COVID restrictions. I wish we could have had more team time leading up to the season.”

SCRATCHING THE SURFACE ... In addition to the group of returnees, Zeky is also hoping freshman Bryce Marino will contribute to the Blue Bombers’ success this season. “The team is still very green,” he said. “The top seven from a year consisted of five rookie runners and one boy in his second season. Last year’s mark of 9-15 was impressive considering the lack of varsity experience. Now that they have a taste of running at a high level, they could be a top-five team in the league. I see the team as a dark horse in the race for a states qualification.”

OUTLOOK ... “Senior captain Mike Noyola has been thinking about this season since track was cancelled in the spring. When we were restricted from voluntary team workouts, Mike made sure to stay focused and keep the rest of the boys motivated remotely. I asked a lot of these boys this summer and they dedicated themselves to running more and running harder. I have no doubt we will deliver Palmerton a winning record this season. My hope is we can stay healthy and keep improving each race. By the end of the season, we should be primed to really shake things up at leagues and districts,” said Zeky.

PANTHER VALLEY

MAKING A RUN ...The Panthers will have two runners competing as independents this season, seniors Alex Janner and Matt Kokinda.

“Both of Panther Valley’s independent cross country runners are looking forward to this fall season since their spring track and tield season was cut short due to the COVID pandemic,” said Panther Valley Athletic Director Kristin Black.

PAIRING UP ... Panther Valley’s independent cross country runners follow the Jim Thorpe Schuylkill League schedule and also compete in invitations throughout the fall season.

OUTLOOK ...”Both runners want to improve their times and places from last year’s leagues and district meets. Also both runners are looking forward to pushing themselves for their senior season,” said Black.

PLEASANT VALLEY

KEY LOSSES ... The Bears will need to replace Evan Fisher-Perez, Mark Edgar, Owen James, Vignesh Ramachadran and Kyle Murphy from a squad that went 7-10 last season.

COMING BACK ... Pleasant Valley will have Cody Coman (Sr.), Nathan Makowski (So.), John Weichand (Sr.) and Eddie Lauritsen (So.) back and looking to build on last year’s experience in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

KEEP AN EYE ON ... Freshmen Owen Hedgelon and Andrew Ryals should also play a big role on the team this season. “We should be strong returning four of our top seven,” said head coach George Fair, who is entering his 22nd season. “But we still lost depth in our varsity top seven.”

OUTLOOK ... “With such a young team, freshmen and sophomores will have a significant impact on our team’s success. If the seniors are able to set the tone for the inexperienced and young runners, our season will be a success,” Fair said.

TAMAQUA

HIT ME HARD ... The Blue Raiders are going to have come big shoes to fill. Tamaqua took a big hit with the loss of stars Brandon Fogarty, Chris Osenbach and Charles Kabana graduating from last year’s squad that finished second overall in the league and had a sterling 15-3 record.

WE’RE HERE COACH ... Kanger always finds a way to field a competitive team, so even with the graduating losses expect that to continue this year. Among the top runners returning are seniors Tait Ehrig, Andrew Fiorilla and Nathaniel Kovalchick; junior Alec Hummel and sophomores SeanWall and Brandon Long. All six lettered a year ago.

RISE UP ... Tamaqua also has plenty of newbies are on board with six freshman and a sophomore making their debuts this season. Alec Hill is the sophomore, while Adam Bachert. Jared Hartranft, Jathan Krall, Jesse Gormley, Ryan Lusch and Stephen Keiffer are the frosh.

TEAMS TO BEAT ... Kanger knows he needs his team to come around fast to compete with the league favorites.

“Blue Mountain is the team to beat and North Schuylkill has talent,” Kanger said. “The individual title is up for grabs in my opinion but the early favorite is probably Scott Zoscin of Weatherly. although both North Schuylkill and Blue Mountain have several outstanding runners.”

WEATHERLY

SOAR LIKE AN EAGLE ... Expectations are soaring high for the Weatherly boys this season - and why not?

For starters, the Wreckers return the swiftest of all their runners in four-year veteran Scotty Zoscin - the 2019 Times News Boys Cross Country Athlete of the Year. His athletic ability not only shines on the course, but in the gymnasium and the track. The three-sport athlete is the defending District 11 Class 1A champion.

MAN I’M LUCKY ... Ryan Kately takes over for Paul Schertrumpf as the Wreckers’ coach. Kately is taking over a program that has shown steady improvement over the last few years and is primed to continue that success this season.

“It is a good situation for me,” Kately said. “Anytime you take over a program that has veterans who are natural leaders and know how to show the way, makes the job easier. That’s the situation I’m stepping into with our boys team.”

CAN’T HELP BUT SMILE ... Kately is definitely smiling about this season’s potential. The Wreckers not only return a potential Schuylkill League and District 11 champion in Zoscin, but they have depth as well.

Weatherly has seven runners quality runners - which might make it the “team to beat” among small schools at both leagues and districts. Zoscin is joined by familiar names like Ricky Ray, Jacob Parker and Michael Berger t form the nucleus of the squad. it’s very conceivable that this quartet could sweep the top four positions in most meets.

“With these type of runners coming back, we’re definitely excited about the season,” said Kately.

BUILDING OFF LAST SEASON ... The 2019 team finished with 14-3 record - the best ever in program history. That success continued into the postseason where the team finished third overall in the league meet (competing against both Division 1 and 2 schools), and third at the district meet.

TAKING NOTHING FOR GRANTED ... The Wreckers might be entering the season as the Schuylkill League Division 2 favorite, but they aren’t overlooking anyone. Kately expects Shenandoah to be one of several teams that Weatherly will have to be at its best against. “Shenandoah has a strong program,” he said. “They have veterans returning as well. We’ve got to be ready from the start.”