PCL Boys: Tom Coyle or Dan Savage

Yeah I'm going out of order here, sorry kids, take it up with my lawyer, I got save the good stuff for later.

Tom Coyle has quickly become the AAA favorite to win the state title in XC. He was arguably a tactical error away from winning in 2011 and now he boasts state gold in the 1600m and 4:11 and 1:51 PRs. He also bested Savage on the track in Savage's best events, the 3000m and the 3200m. In fact, Coyle's only head to head loss to Savage all year came at the state meet in XC.

But Savage ran his best race when it mattered most. He took a "smarter" race strategy and had a great day on a very tough Hershey course. He is built for the state's course and Coyle, in theory, is better suited for flatter, faster courses.

I know people tend to jump on to bandwagon's pretty quickly after track seasons, sometimes overhyping solid seasons and putting too big of expectations onto the XC season, but Coyle was a top runner at the state meet in his first state level competitive year. He gains experience of the big race, experience of winning, and experience of running with and for a team with guys like Magee and Stone trying to help the squad get to states. That's a powerful piece of motivation. Just ask Dan Savage, who ran his heart out for his O'Hara team each and every race last year, and will do so again this season as they make another title push.

I think Savage ran an outstanding race at states last year, definitely his best race of the season. That has to give him confidence. But Coyle beat him twice in a row at Belmont Plateau, a pretty tough course in its own right. He made a tactical error that I doubt he will make again. In a kicker's race, it's Coyle's to lose.

I have a ton of respect for Savage and I think he will have a great season and another top 5 finish at the state meet in an extremely competitive field. He will put in the mileage and he will work hard. But Coyle has all the momentum right now, he has all the confidence, all the speed, all the doubling strength and all the top level experience.

The only advantage I see Savage having is the fact that he probably doesn't have a target on his back in any locker room besides O'Hara's (because teammates are always chasing the guy in front of them). Coyle, on the other hand, is a household name (or as much of a household name as possible) and every single competitive runner will pick him out of a race and give everything to beat him. He has some pressure of expectation.

All the same I think Coyle is ready to handle it and right now he is the favorite for the AAA state title.