How do you follow up perfection? That’s a big question that will take a full school year for the Smithsburg Leopards to answer.
Coach Adam Rudy’s boys did the unfathomable last season, winning an MPSSAA Class 1A state title in cross country before duplicating the championship feat in both indoor and outdoor track. But after a summer of soaking in the glory of conquering Maryland high school running’s “Triple Crown,” it’s once again time for the Leopards to defend their domain.
Smithsburg will be wearing a target on its back when the cross country season starts this fall, but it’s not like the squad will be coming to the fight empty-handed. Led by senior Dylan Herbst, the top returning 1A runner in the state, and a strong supporting cast, the Leopards are in a great position to contend at every level of the postseason.
In Pennsylvania, Jim Boyer’s cross country squad at Chambersburg graduated some serious talent, but you can never count out the Trojans, espcecially with a deep group of returners led by Boston Vincenti and Cole Lehman.
In our cross country previews, we’ll take a closer look at the Leopards and Trojans, while also shining the spotlight on the five other teams in the LocalNews1.org coverage area: Waynesboro, Greencastle-Antrim, Fairfield, North Hagerstown, and South Hagerstown.
Stick with LocalNews1.org in the days and weeks to come as we continue to preview the fall sports seasson before it kicks off later this month.
Below are team-by-team preview capsules for the 2026 high school boys cross country season:
Waynesboro Tribe
Coach: Jennifer Atkinson
Division: Mid-Penn Colonial
Last season: 2-5
Top projected returners: Nate Snyder (Jr.), Noah Hoxie (Sr.), Mason Sensenbaugh (Sr.), Isaac Pappas (Jr.), Noah Hanegraaf (Jr.), Jason Imwald (Sr.), Julian Cook (Jr.), Noah Hartman (So.), George Oslik (So.), Carson Stitely (Jr.), Jonathan Powell (Jr.), Mason Biser (So.), Nate Pauselius (So.), Sean Morgan (Sr.).
Meet the Tribe: With the projected return of four Mid-Penn qualifiers, including a District 3-3A qualifier in Noah Hoxie, Waynesboro will be aiming to take steps forward in the Colonial Division this fall … Hoxie, a senior, is coming off a 2025 campaign that saw him take 69th in 17:59.15 at the Mid-Penn meet and 108th at districts in 17:27.4 … Nate Snyder, a district qualifier in 2024, is expected to be back for his junior campaign after taking 68th in 17:58.01 at the Mid-Penn last season … Noah Hartman (132nd, 19:16.43) and George Oslik (194th, 22:36.56) both competed at the conference championships as freshmen last fall and should give the Tribe a boost in 2025 … Look for Hoxie and Snyder to take over the leadership role vacated by the graduated Devin Barger, who ended his senior season with a 48th-place finish at Mid-Penns (17:26.29) and an 88th-place showing at districts (17:15.6) … Waynesboro graduated two other Mid-Penn qualifiers in Samuel Rea and Gavin Miller … The Tribe are expected to bring back a sizable group that will compete for the remaining starting spots in the lineup, a group which includes Mason Sensenbaugh, Isaac Pappas, Noah Hanegraaf, Jason Imwald, Julian Cook, Carson Stitely, Jonathan Powell, Mason Biser, Nate Pauselius, and Sean Morgan … If all goes according to plan, Waynesboro should be able to move up from last year’s sixth-place division standing and 20th-place team finish at the Mid-Penn meet.
Opener: Friday, Aug. 28, at Enos Yeager Invitational
Greencastle-Antrim Blue Devils
Coach: Rich Secrest
Last season: 3-4
Division: Mid-Penn Colonial
Top projected returners: Billy Bender (Sr.), Ryan Gearhart (Sr.), Conner Hurley (Sr.), John Rowan (Sr.), Ace Monn (So.), Bryce Troup (Jr.), Colin Thomas (So.), Gavin Cottrell (Sr.), Nate Emery (Sr.), Carter Gilliland (So.), Ayden Hoffmaster (So.), Kelson Wenger (So.), Colton Wilson (Fr.), Bradley Wolter (So.)
Meet the Blue Devils: Life in the Colonial Division will be a little tougher for Greencastle following the graduation of three District 3-3A qualifiers in Logan Bohrer, Abric Coy, and Noah Parks … With Bohrer, a 95th-place finisher at districts in 17:18.6, leading the way, the Blue Devils claimed fourth in the division last fall and 15th at the Mid-Penn meet … To build back from these losses, Greencastle will be leaning heavily on the legs of senior runners Billy Bender and Ryan Gearhart … Bender took 102nd at Mid-Penns (18:40.16) and 223rd at districts (18:42.2) … Gearhart nailed down 87th at the conference meet in 18:19.01 and 194th at districts in 19:54.11 … The Blue Devils will be keeping their fingers crossed for a level-up from Ace Monn, who qualified for Mid-Penns as a freshman in 2025 and finished 152nd in 19:54.11 …
Opener: Friday, Aug. 28, at Enos Yeager Invitational
Chambersburg Trojans
Coach: Jim Boyer
Last season: 5-1
Division: Mid-Penn Commonwealth
Top projected returners: Boston Vincenti (Sr.), Cole Lehman (Jr.), Aaron Goshorn (Jr.), Noah Jacobs (Jr.), Tobias Willson (Sr.), Hayden Pereschuk (Jr.), Gavin Wenger (Sr.), William Price (Jr.), Andrew Bankert (Jr.), Liam Coy (So.), Logan Bert (So.), Abram Blacker (Jr.), Hunter Boone (So.), Levi Brantner (Jr.), Archer Dice (So.), Liam Gillman (So.), Ben Lin (So.), Josh Wratchford (So.).
Meet the Trojans: Chambersburg graduated a laundry list of quality runners — including two of District 3-3A’s best in Julian Clark and Aiden Alleman — but strong roster numbers and a solid group of returning talent have us believing that coach Jim Boyer’s could once again be in contention this season … The first order of business for the Trojans will be compensating for the loss of Alleman and Clark, the latter of whom claimed 10th at Mid-Penns (16:11.58), third at districts (15:44.0), and 33rd at states (16:47) … Those two runners spearheaded a Chambersburg squad that tied for first place in the Commonwealth and took sixth at Mid-Penns and fifth at districts, before finishing 17th in the team race at states … Look for Boston Vincenti and Cole Lehman to carry the load for Chambersburg this fall … Vincenti, a senior, is coming off a 2025 campaign where he took 43rd at Mid-Penns (17:16.89), 54th at districts (16:49.0), and 141st at states (17:38) … Junior Lehman posted a similar resume, taking 40th at Mid-Penns (17:09.75) and 66th at districts (17:01.9), before finishing 187th at states (18:11) … Two other starters from Chambersburg’s state-qualifying squad, Tobias Willson and Liam Coy, are also projected to return … Throw in the expected return of junior district qualifier Aaron Goshorn, and it’s easy to be optimistic about the Trojans prospects this season.
Opener: Friday, Aug. 28, at Enos Yeager Invitational
Fairfield Knights
Coach: Sarah Skoczen
Division: South Central Athletic Conference Division III West
Last season: 1-18, 1-5 YAIAA III
Top projected returners: Wyatt Murphy (Sr.)
Meet the Knights: While rosters haven’t been officially announced just yet, Fairfield is projected to return just one runner this season … That runner is senior Wyatt Murphy, who guided the Knights to a dual victory last fall before taking 119th in 23:45.69 at the YAIAA meet and 64th in 22:20.5 at the District 3-1A Championships … The current and future prospects for Fairfield’s cross country program will hinge on the team’s ability to recruit new runners for this season.
Opener: Wednesday, Sept. 2, at home for SCAC Meet
N. Hagerstown Hubs
Coach: Anthony Robinson
Classification: 3A West Region
Top projected returners: Lucas Moore (Sr.), Nolan Kocher (Sr.), Gideon Williams (Sr.), Avi Patel (Sr.), Elliott Moore (So.), Jacob Morrison (Jr.), Lasse Strand (Sr.), Swarit Upadhyay (So.), Nolan Call (So.)
Meet the Hubs: With the graduation of its Top 4 runners, North Hagerstown will certainly face a challenge in duplicating its success from 2025, which included a seventh-place team finish at the 3A West Region Meet and a runner-up showing at the Washington County Championships … Walker Mason, a state champion in track and field, has moved on from the program, as has Landon Call and Carson Wilt, both of whom secured Top 25 finishes at states last fall … Factor in also the graduation of the Hubs’ No. 4 runner and regional qualifier Allen Anderson, and it’s clear North will be facing an uphill battle this season … To counter these losses, the Hubs will be putting their chips behind a quartet of region qualifiers in Lucas Moore, Nolan Kocher, Elliott Moore, and Jacob Morrison … Moore took 16th at the county meet (18:53.0) and 67th at regions (20:19.60), while Kocher took 21st in the county (19:16.9) and 54th at the region meet (19:33.80) … This group will be supported by a group of county qualifiers that includes Gideon Williams, Avi Patel, Lasse Strand, Swarit Upadhyay, and Nolan Call.
Opener: Saturday, Sept. 5, at Interstate Classic
S. Hagerstown Rebels
Coach: Mady Welsh
Classification: 4A North Region
Top projected returners: Rehan Singh (Jr.), Antonio Moriole (Sr.), Semaj Redman (Jr.)
Meet the Rebels: South Hagerstown will be building its team around three projected returners in Rehan Singh, Semaj Redman, and Antonio Moriole … Singh was the Rebels top performer last season, a campaign that saw him take 26th in 20:23.3 at the Washington County meet, before landing a 31st-place finish in 22:08.39 at the 4A North Region Meet … Redman, a region qualifier in 2024, took 39th at the county meet in 23:47.5 … Moriole is expected to return for his senior campaign after taking 45th in the county (26:04.3) and 53rd in the region (27:57.43).
Opener: Saturday, Sept. 5, at Interstate Classic
Smithsburg Leopards
Coach: Adam Rudy
Classification: 1A West Region
Top projected returners: Dylan Herbst (Sr.), Luke Gentzel (Sr.), Braden Hunt (Sr.), Kyrian Wassell (Sr.), Drake Cool (Jr.), Grayson Wynkoop (So.), Dylan Lowe (Jr.), Jax Santiago (So.), Connor Morris (Jr.), Micah Lewis (So.), Mason Hughes (So.), Nethanel Lowery (So.)
Meet the Leopards: Fueled by a deep stable of elite runners, Smithsburg pulled off the ultimate trifecta last season, winning MPSSAA Class 1A state titles in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track … In cross country alone, the Leopards ran over the competition to win the Washington County, 1A West Region, and MPSSAA meets … Three seniors — Michael Wynkoop, Camilo Mellott, and Charles Higgins — were crucial to Smithsburg’s historical run. Wynkoop led the way with a fifth-place finish at states in 17:08.50, while Mellott (16th in 17:45.83) and Charles Higgins (58th in 19:37.06) gave chase … With that trio of runners lost to graduation, the 2026 Leopards now face the unenviable task of trying to follow up perfection … Of course it helps that Smithsburg is projected to bring back a potent group of distance standouts, including the state’s top returning Class 1A runner … Dylan Herbst is back for his senior season after nailing the podium at the county (3rd in 16:18.7), region (2nd in 16:25.31), and state (2nd in 16:42.52) levels … Herbst will be flanked by fellow seniors Gavin Gross and Luke Gentzel, as well as Grayson Wynkoop, the state’s No. 3 returning Class 1A sophomore … Last fall Gross posted Top 15 finishes at the county (7th in 17:31.7), region (11th in 17:32.37), and state (14th in 17:42.27) meets … Wentzel finished 12th at the county meet in 18:11.8 and 21st in the region in 18:20.98, before capping his season by clocking a 19:08.61 for 48th place at states … It’s easy to get excited about the potential of the young Wynkoop, who is following a freshman campaign that included Top 15 finishes at the county (5th in 17:00.5), region (9th in 17:13.67), and state (15th in 17:44.37) meets … Depth will be a strength for the Leopards, who are expected to return a group of Washington County qualifiers that include Dylan Lowe, Jax Santiago, Connor Morris, Mason Hughes, Nethanel Lowery, and Kyrian Wassell … Defending a state championship won’t be easy for Smithsburg, but with the group it has returning, the Leopards will certainly have a fighting chance.
Opener: Saturday, Sept. 5, at Interstate Classic
