The 2010 MVC Boys Cross Country campaign was a showcase for Lowell and there standout senior class of: Mike Giardina (UMASS), Padraic Donovan (UML) and Mike Gendron (Stonehill). The Red Raiders marched to an undefeated regular season as well as a Championship at the MVC Meet in late October. At the MVC Meet, Lowell coach Phil Maia watched his harriers take home 5 of the top 7 places and 6 of the top 10 en route to a record setting performance of 22 team points.
Fortunately though, for the rest of the MVC, the nucleus of that great Lowell team has left to head off and run for their respective college programs and the remaining 9 other schools were not hurt nearly as much by graduation last June. When you add up the net losses and gains/improvements of all the teams it is pretty clear that the race to the top in the MVC for 2011 is going to be very competitive and a lot closer than last fall.
Traditionally the MVC produces some of the best teams in the state and this year should be no different. Despite Lowell’s losses to graduation they are still loaded and look to be a slight favorite heading into 2011. Andover & Methuen each lost a “big gun†in Simon Voorhees & Cam Kelley but even with that, they actually have closed the gap between them and Lowell. Chelmsford, which didn’t lose much at all, might be the team to watch as they have been building a very strong young nucleus and this could be there time to break through.
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Here is a pre-season breakdown and ranking of each of the 10 teams.
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LOWELL               Coach: Phil Maia              2010:    9-0, EMASS D1 Champs, AS Runner-up
The Red Raiders will look to re-load in 2011. Replacing last year’s senior class won’t be easy. However, a good place to start is with senior’s to be Alex Andujar & Nathan McCarthy. Both of these athletes are veterans and both ran well during the spring track season. Patrick Coppinger is also a strong returner and based on his late season success in XC and his development during track, it’s a pretty safe bet that Coppinger will be a major player for Coach Phil Maia this fall. Filling in the critical 4th & 5th spots is really anybody’s guess but this team was pretty deep with young athletes and the assumption is that someone from there great 10th great class will rise up. This is a big transition year for Lowell as they look to bridge the gap until there young athletes are ready for primetime.
KEY LOSSES: Mike Giardina, Mike Gendron, Padraic Donovan
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CHELMSFORD   Coach: Brian Crane         2010:    6-3, Qualified for AS
The Lions will boast their best team since at-least 2007 this fall. Rob Massey is perhaps the favorite to win the Individual title and he has a core of runners to back him up. Max Higson won the MVC Freshmen race in 2010 and had a big season on the track so he looks to be the #2. After that, talented juniors: Nick Arena, Robbie Sullivan, Todd Wilson and Matt Arsenault are sure to have Coach Brian Crane’s crew poised to dethrone Lowell and capture the MVC title. Massey is entering his senior campaign and will be looking to add to his already impressive resume of Track & Cross Country success. The MVC Meet will once again be run @ Chelmsford High School so that might be the edge to Lions need to reclaim past glory.
KEY LOSSES: None
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METHUEN          Coach: Bill James             2010: 7-2, 3rd @ EMASS D1, 18th @ AS
The Rangers will surely miss Cam Kelley (UML) but with a strong & dedicated senior class complemented by the great Mike O’Donnell, look for Coach Bill James to once again lead Methuen to a successful cross country season. O’Donnell came on strong at the end of last year’s XC season and led the Rangers to the AS Meet. O’Donnell parlayed his XC success into a breakout Track campaign in which he ran 1:57 for 800m and 4:22 for the mile. Just a junior, O’Donnell is sure to be a key player across the state for the next 2 years. Returning senior standouts for Methuen will include: Lucas Parsons & Conor Clark who both posses big meet experience. Another senior, football transfer & track all-star, Stephen Lilja is sure to help add depth along with Adam Neel and Josh Gangi. Look for the Rangers to be in peak form come November and to make a push for both the MVC Championship and a spot in the AS Meet.
KEY LOSSES: Cam Kelley, Casey Barnacle
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ANDOVER          Coach: Leo Laffond        2010: 8-1, failed to Qualify for AS
The Golden Warriors have experienced a recent resurgence in cross country and in 2011 they should keep the momentum going. Despite losing Simon Voorhees to graduation, Andover returns a vast majority of their varsity line-up and should be a force this fall. Coach Leo Laffond will be depending on Ryan Cooney to rise up and become the reliable front runner that all great teams need. Cooney is a talented runner who, based on his track success should be up for the challenge. Behind Cooney, Andover has a strong returning cast which includes: Evan Gaj, Will Klein, Mike Maldari and Charlie Schleifer. The Golden Warriors who posted a big win @ the Baystate Invite last fall as well as a stellar 8-1 record will be looking to take things to the next level. The Andover line-up will be put to the test right away as they face Lowell in the opening meet of the season.
KEY LOSSES: Simon Voorhees, Andrew Newcombe
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CENTRAL CATHOLIC       Coach: Rob Benedetto 2010: 4-5, failed to Qualify for AS
The Raiders will be looking to bounce back from a rare off year in 2010. Coach Rob Benedetto will surely be molding his troops for a late season push that could result in them maintaining their place amongst the top half of the MVC. Central should be led by senior Adam Gidley who has steadily improved in each of his previous 3 seasons of running cross country. Behind Gidley, rapidly improving Simon Serrano should make a push for the 2nd spot along with returners Tim Allen & Chris Vasquez. Central Catholic is always a dangerous team and is only an athlete or 2 away from being a serious contender. I suspect continued growth and for them to have their best races at the end of the year.
KEY LOSSES: Mike Vitulli, Conor Habib
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TEWKSBURY                      Coach: Peter Molloy      2010: 1-8, failed to Qualify for AS
The Redmen are sure to be a stronger more balanced team in 2011 and are a good pick to be one of the most improved teams in the MVC. The Track campaign was kind to Tewksbury and Coach Peter Molloy has to be impressed with the improvement of his harriers. Brian Amaral is a logical choice to be the top gun for the Redmen. Amaral ran well in Track and proved he wasn’t afraid to challenge the best in the conference. His teammates surely took notice and will likely attempt to do the same in cross country 2011. Sean Foley, Kip Horohan and Corey Thomas will provide depth behind Amaral and allow Tewksbury to make a strong push for the MVC D2 title in 2011.
KEY GRADUATES: Craig Tino, Nick Parsons
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DRACUT                              Coach: Phil Coddairre    2010: 2-7, failed to qualify for AS
The Middies will be relying on a collection of young & talented athletes in 2011. This isn’t a bad thing as the sophomore class did very well as freshmen last year and are on the verge of making some noise in the MVC. Coach Coddairre is sure to rely on teamwork and a razor thin pack to win some meets this fall. The core of the team is sophomores and they should gain momentum & confidence as the season progresses. Look for Kyle Litteral to lead the way but be closely followed by classmates Tim Poitras & Matt McKinnon. Dracut is a team to watch for the future but if they stay healthy and progress ahead of schedule they could be a sleeper in 2011.
KEY LOSSES: Matt Reynolds
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HAVERHILL                         Coach: Mike Maguire    2010: 3-6, failed to qualify for AS
The success for the Hillies this coming fall might be most dependent on how many runners they can get out for the team to support senior All-Conference stud Mike McNaughton. Haverhill was working hard to develop some athletes during the track season and Coach Mike Maguire is surely monitoring the progress of his young & rising runners. In McNaughton, the Hillies have a reliable front runner who can help lead and mold the future stars of this storied program. McNaughton, after an incredible track campaign should be amongst the elite runners in the MVC and he will be looking to run down the individual title at the conference meet in October. Joe Sherlock looks to be the best bet to help bridge the gap between McNaughton and pack.
KEY LOSSES: Will Cuneo, Garrett Hammond
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BILLERICA           Coach: Catie Button       2010: 5-4, MVC D2 Champs, failed to Qualify for AS
The Indians could be in a tough spot for 2011. Coming off a stellar 2010 season in which they won the MVC D2 Title, teams will now be focused on knocking them off and Coach Catie Button will have a lot of work to do in replacing her departed senior class. Billerica was a very competitive team in 2010 and will be looking to use that as a foundation for future success. Pat Burns & Eddie Stokes will be faced with the challenge of leading a pack that is aiming to stay amongst the top half of the MVC. The Indians ran well during spring track and the signs are there that they will be able to make up for the losses of standouts Kyle White & Ryan Deroshier. If the Indians can get there young guys going, they have a chance to run well at the MVC Meet in October.
KEY LOSSES: Kyle White, Ryan Deroshier
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LAWRENCE        Coach: Anthony Ellis      2010: 0-9, failed to qualify for AS
The Lancers lost ace runner Luis Cruz to graduation and those are going to be tough shoes to fill. Coach Anthony Ellis was working hard during track to create some enthusiasm and generate the numbers needed to maintain success in cross country. Lawrence always runs hard and improves as the season progresses and we expect much of the same in 2011. Look for the Lancers to add some athletes & become a team to watch in the future.
KEY LOSSES: Luis Cruz
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RUNNERS TO WATCH
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LOWELL: Alex Andujar, Nathan McCarthy, Pat Coppinger
CHELMSFORD: Rob Massey, Max Higson
ANDOVER: Ryan Cooney, Mike Maldari
METHUEN: Mike O’Donnell, Lucas Parsons, Conor Clark
CENTRAL CATHOLIC: Adam Gidley, Simon Serrano
HAVERHILL: Mike McNaughton
TEWKSBURY: Brian Amaral
BILLERICA: TBA
LAWRENCE: TBA
DRACUT: TBA