Cross country invitationals highlight a Saturday schedule that also includes football games, a first-place showdown in girls soccer, an interesting non-league battle in boys soccer and more.
A one-time racing calendar adjustment put the 27th annual Lackawanna County Commissioners Invitational at McDade Park on the same day as the 15th annual PIAA Foundation Meet where many top programs like to test themselves on the Hershey Parkview Course as a preview to the state championship meet in November.
Both events begin in the morning.
There are schools that have signed up for both and could have runners entered at both locations, although some of those cases will also be junior high teams competing locally with high school teams in Hershey for the high school-only event.
Berwick, Dallas, Delaware Valley, Dunmore, Elk Lake, Hazleton Area, Holy Cross, Holy Redeemer, Lake-Lehman, Mid Valley, Mountain View, Riverside and Scranton all have registered for the PIAA Foundation Meet, which has race start times from 9 a.m. through 12:45 p.m.
The White race for Class A girls teams gets it started. After the three girls races, the boys races follow with the smallest schools first. Blue races are for Class 2A teams and the Gold races are for Class 3A.
More than 20 schools are expected to have runners at McDade Park in Scranton for the Commissioners Invitational, which, other than the season-opening Cliff Robbins Invitational is often the largest in-season event within the confines of District 2.
The varsity boys run at 10:30 a.m., followed by the varsity girls at 11:15.
In addition to those two races, Crestwood is headed to the 28th annual Carlisle Invitational.
The football schedule includes a Lackawanna Football Conference Division 1 opener with Delaware Valley at Abington Heights at 1 p.m.
Mid Valley is at Holy Cross in a 1 p.m. non-league game between LFC schools that are both 3-1 after combining to go 8-34 over the past three years.
Pittston Area plays Wilkes-Barre Area at Wyoming Valley West’s Spartan Stadium at 2 p.m.
First place in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 girls soccer is on the line when Lake-Lehman (4-0 in the division, 6-4 overall) plays at Holy Redeemer (4-0, 7-0) at 11 a.m. Lake-Lehman is the fourth-ranked Small School girls team and Holy Redeemer is No. 1 in the Riverfront United Super Six Soccer Power Rankings of District 2 teams.
The current Small School boys No. 1 travels to face the former Big School No. 1 and current third-ranked team in a 1 p.m. non-league game. Wyoming Area (8-0) is at North Pocono (7-1).
Wyoming Valley West is hosting the Spartan Classic, an all-day girls volleyball event.
The Saturday schedule also includes field hockey and girls tennis.
