PSAL Preview
In a year of city restrictions that kept all the PSAL teams hunkered down in NYC and devoid of invitationals except for the conference-only Marty Lewis meet, the conference just had to make due. The final result for the top two teams in the championship was about as close as could be, and this year there should be a big surge of younger runners joining the fray as conditions return to near normal.
2021 Recap
Susan Wagner had by far the best top 4 in the PSAL, but the old XC adage about the fifth guy being the most important one on the team pretty much proved true. Except it was the sixth guy that had to be appealed to for a decision in the championship last year after the Falcons tied with Brooklyn Tech at 71-71. Engineer sophomore Elijah Gentry made no doubt about it for BTech as he came in one place behind 5th-guy teammate and fellow soph Samuel Dultsin, making previous finishers Jonah Reisner, Travis Wolfe-Thompson, Dylan Zhao, and Andres Orbegozo happy. Wagner's top four of Joseph Perazzo, Keith Connelly, Fernando Diaz, and Michael Rodriguez-King put on a great showing as they placed between 2nd and 13th. Hunter, Stuyvesant, and Bronx Science were in 3rd through 5th.
John Jay Campus's Nathaniel Boutin won by about eight seconds over Perazzo, with Connelly, Reisner, and Beacon School's Alexander Brown filling out the top 5. Perazzo was the top PSAL guy at the Federation meet two weeks later as he placed a strong 16th and Boutin was close behind in 19th. Brooklyn Tech also had a very nice showing with a 14th to lead the PSAL teams.
Teams
All of last year's top six teams had key losses to graduation, which is why 7th place team John Jay Campus can make the big move up to the second spot in the preseason ratings. Champ Brooklyn Tech had the deepest team last year and also has its top two of senior Jonah Reisner and junior Travis Wolfe-Thompson back from top-6 PSAL places last year, so the Engineers look set to run well with a fairly young squad. Last year's tie-breaker runner-up Susan Wagner falls back a ways after the heavier losses of Keith Connelly and Michael Rodriguez-King, and the Falcons will have some work to do to fill out the squad behind Joesph Perazzo and Fernando Diaz.
John Jay Campus is the team that in preseason looks like it could pose the biggest challenge to BTech. The Jaguars have all of their varsity back from last year's 7th place team headed by champ Nathaniel Boutin and 10th-place finisher Lucas Simpson on a senior-heavy squad, and if some young guys can be recruited to bolster the back of the lineup, JJ Campus could be strong. 2021's 3rd place squad Hunter could also be a top challenger with a younger squad primed for good development behind junior 8th-place PSAL guy Shane Murphy. 2019 Champ Bronx Science could be in the running for one of the top four team spots that qualify for the Federation meet.
Top Runners
Seniors Nathaniel Boutin and Joeeph Perazzo appear primed to reprise their battle at the top again.Of the rest of the top six returners for 2022 -- Jonah Reisner, Lucas Simpson, Fernando Diaz, and Travis Wolf-Thompson -- all but the last are seniors.
Top 7 Teams at 2021 PSAL Championship
Top 5 Teams from Last Year's Speed Ratings (TR) and Compression
Top Returning Runners by Last Year's Speed Ratings (TR)
