The site of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Championships in 2015 and 2016, the BPGC will bring together some of the top high school runners from Western New York to kick off the 2017 season.

For Maple Grove coach Steve Matteson, he can’t wait to get started.

“We’re up to about 47 (teams) now,” he said Tuesday night. “We are at about double what we would usually have for the Red Dragon. A lot of Buffalo schools are coming to support us and just check out the sectional course.

”It’s a privilege that (Section VI) thought this course was good enough for a sectional-caliber meet. … Number one, running on a golf course there is no pavement here, it’s all grass and running at Bemus Point Golf Course, it’s foundation is stone. We had so much rain in the last week, and if you went out … there are no puddles, there’s no mud. It’s going to be fast. The other great thing is spectators can see at least two-thirds of the course without moving more than like 100 yards.”

Maple Grove's Michael Peppy. P-J file photo

The Red Dragons enter Saturday’s season opener as the state’s No. 1 Class D boys team and the No. 2 Class D girls team, according to Tully Runners, fitting rankings for the perennial power.

The boys are the defending state champs and return four of their top six runners, including No. 1 and Class D co-favorite, senior Michael Peppy. Joining Peppy are sophomore Peter Auer, junior Frank Colburn, senior Shane Hetrick and sophomore Riley Auer.

Peppy finished third in Class D at the state meet last November. He also placed 27th at the Foot Locker Northeast Championship and placed 18th outdoors at the states this spring in the 1,600 meters.

According to preseason Class D projections by Tully Runners, Peter Auer is No. 8 in the state, Colburn is No. 13 and Hetrick is No. 27. Auer placed 20th at last year’s state meet, Hetrick was 32nd and Riley Auer was 113th.

The Maple Grove girls finished second at last year’s state meet to Greenwich. Both squads return all seven runners, but Tully Runners gives the preseason No. 1 nod to Greenwich, because it is the defending champ.

Maple Grove's Ava Crist. P-J file photo

Freshman Ava Crist is projected as the 11th-best runner in Class D by Tully Runners. Other Lady Red Dragons to earn spots in the top 50 in the state are freshman Christina Peppy (No. 12), senior Gracie Auer (No. 15), freshman Carling Lockwood (No. 25) and junior Bryn Mozzi (No. 45). Junior Kristin Kelemen, junior Riley Caskey, sophomore Ainsley Helt and senior Jenna Nocero round out the squad.

“It’s nice for the state to recognize us,” Matteson said. “I actually like being an underdog going in. We have the target on our back now and the boys and girls just have to rise to the occasion. So far, every time I’ve been with them they come to race, they come to give 100 percent effort every time, so I hope we can get up there and get back to the state meet. We have a long way to go to get to states. Anything can happen, so hopefully we start out with a good Red Dragon (Invitational) and move on from there with the league meets and the end of the season.”

The CCAA recognition isn’t reserved solely for the teenagers from the Dutch Hollow Road, however.

Among the boys, senior Matt Evans of Randolph is projected as No. 7 in Class D, while senior Ben DePerna (No. 18), senior Andrew Young (No. 36) and junior Collin Barmore (No. 48) — all from Falconer/Cassadaga Valley — are also in the state’s top 50.

In Class C, sophomore Eddie Scroxton of Southwestern is No. 15, and senior Lyle Warrior of Gowanda and junior Diego Rey of Fredonia are No. 22 and No. 33 respectively in Tully Runners’ preseason projection.

Randolph's Matthew Evans P-J file photo

The headliner for the girls heading into this season is Cattaraugus-Little Valley senior Abby Gostomski. A third-place finisher at states (Class D) last year, she is the third-rated runner by Tully Runners this fall. She finished 15th outdoors in the 800 meters and 16th in the steeplechase at the state meet in June.

Other Class D runners to watch, according to Tully Runners projections, include: senior Bailey Gostomski of Cattaraugus-Little Valley (No. 10), sophomore Kylee Odell of Clymer/Sherman/Panama (No. 26), freshman Acacia Barber of Frewsburg (No. 32) and sophomore Jaylah Cossin of Silver Creek (No. 38).

In Class C, sophomore Emily Brown of Fredonia stands at No. 38, per Tully Runners’ projections.

“The (CCAA) has definitely produced quite a few top-notch runners, especially at the small-school level,” Matteson said. “It’s nice that our small schools are showing that we can keep up, or at least be in the same contests, with the large schools throughout the area, and even throughout the state.”

NOTES: Saturday’s Red Dragon Invitational is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning with a two-mile community race. To register for that race, contact bemuspointtrackclub@yahoo.com or register at RUNSIGNUP.com and search Community Race, Bemus Point, N.Y. Concessions will also be available.

Southwestern's Eddie Scroxton. P-J file photo

From the left are Maple Grove’s Gracie Auer, Carling Lockwood, Christina Peppy and Ava Crist at last year’s Section VI Championships. P-J file photo