The Top Tier: Noah Affolder (Carthage) is the easy choice to repeat his Class B title in 2015. He showed dominating performances at both McQuaid and Manhattan, and stands as the only undefeated athlete in the entire meet, both in merges and head to head. The question is whether or not that will remain true after Saturday. He'll have a goal time to shoot for, as the Boys Class A race goes off first, but he will also have the Class C race behind him to worry about. Affolder is the current course record holder, which would give him a solid idea of where he needs to be to remain undefeated in the merge. Affolder hasn't had to race hard in quite some time, and the race may be the perfect way to break off the rust, heading into the Fed Meet next week, if he so chooses to attend.

Behind Affolder, there are plenty of athletes ready to capture the title if those signs of rust appear. Dan Schaffer (Maine-Endwell) and Nathan Lawler (Pittsford-Mendon) both have precious team points on their mind, and the exchange between the two of them could make a big difference. Lawler has been steadily improving all season, and looks primed for a breakout appearance. Schaffer, despite a misstep at Manhattan, looks to have been ready for competition at every turn. The right race could bring out a season best speed rating from the senior. Peter Rindfuss (Hamburg) has been dealing with strong competition all season, and Eion Nohilly (John Jay-Cross River) has been another athlete on the up-swing as of late.

The Top-Ranked Class B Runners Entering States
1   Noah Affolder         11   03-B    Carthage               193
2   Nathan Lawler         10   05-B    Pittsford Mendon       188
3   Dan Schaffer          12   04-B    Maine-Endwell          187
4   Peter Rindfuss        12   06-B    Hamburg                185
5   Eion Nohilly          12   01-B    John Jay CR            183
6   Sam Affolder          9    03-B    Carthage               181
7   Kevin Hazelwood       12   01-B    Brewster               181
8   Paul Dellinger        11   05-B    Brighton               180
9   Isaac Goodman         12   05-B    Pittsford Mendon       180
10  Erik Engstrom         12   11-B    East Hampton           179
11  Jackson Tate          12   05-B    Honeoye FL             178
12  Caleb Covell          12   05-B    Eastridge              178
13  Chris Nowak           11   06-B    Sweet Home             177
14  Griffin Hess          12   05-B    Pittsford Mendon       175
15  Kevin Gideon          12   02-B    Burnt Hills            175
16  Ethan Carey           11   02-B    Queensbury             175
17  Luke Robbins          12   05-B    Pittsford Suth         174
18  Mitchell Marlow       12   10-B    Franklin Acad          173
19  Henry Burton          12   05-B    Pittsford Mendon       173
20  Matthew Young         12   03-B    East Syracuse-Minoa    173
21  Grayson Hoteling      12   04-B    Maine-Endwell          172
22  Ryan Scanlon          12   11-B    Harborfields           172
23  Liam Lyle             11   05-B    Honeoye FL             172

State of the Action: Reigning Champs Pittsford-Mendon has looked to be the class of the field in Class B all year, however lately, Maine-Endwell has been creeping up into that territory. The two teams have strong front runners, with a pack behind. There is enough variability on both squads that things could swing drastically. And as with East Aurora, the merge will be ever important here for a look into Feds, and the possibility of Regionals success.