Newton North's Gabe Montague felt sluggish and fatigued like he knew he would. Gearing up for the EMass championships next Saturday, the Bay State Conference champion had been putting the work in and training through races so feeling less than 100% was to be expected. So when Montague stomped past the opening mile in 4:52 of yesterday's Div. 1 Junior/Senior race at the State Coaches Cross Country Invitational at the Wrentham Developmental Center, the fatigue was to be expected.
Montague, though, didn't let it affect his race as he held off teammate Mike Schlichting down the stretch of the grassy 3.1-mile course for an impressive 15-minute, 30-second victory. Schlichting also ran extremely well, checking in at 15:37. North Quincy's Mike Mullaney was a distant third in 16:15 followed by Martin Conrad of North Andover in fourth (16:19) and Mansfield's Dan Romano in fifth (16:21).
The solid victory further proved to Montague that he is ready for the championship races in the coming weeks.
"Today I didn't feel that good. I've been doing a lot of workouts this week and it's been really tough," he said. "I felt a little worse than at the Bay State (Invitational) when I went out in 4:49. I went through 2 miles today in 10:02 and that was a wakeup call. This race didn't feel as good as my last couple of races. Near the third mile I found the strength inside of me and was able to take it harder."
It helped, Montague said, to have Schlichting alongside over the maze-like 5K layout. "We sometimes talk, but we didn't this time," Montague said. "That's one of the first races where Mike didn't say anything. We like to run as a team so we can get the pace right. We didn't know how to work as good together sophomore and junior year as do now. I think that's why our times are improving."
Legendary Newton North head coach Jim Blackburn used the meet as a tuneup for the EMass championships, giving his harriers a final look at the course before next Saturday. Blackburn expects the Div. 1 race to be a battle against the likes of Cambridge, Lowell and Peabody.
"Next week is the one that counts,"Blackburn said. "We've been running hard and he (Montague) has been looking good."
Whitinsville Christian's Jamison Koeman went into the Div. 2 Junior/Senior race with the plan of running hard the first and third mile while backing off the pace in the middle section. The junior's strategy earned him a win as he took the lead for good shortly past 2 miles from Bromfield's Price Day and crossed the finish line in 16:09.6. Day finished strong in 16:22.9 and Hopedale's Paul Maurais was third in 16:31.8.
Koeman felt extremely comfortable through a 4:55 opening mile and was content to let Day set the Price over the second mile. Koeman had plenty left entering the final mile and when he surged one final time, he put the race away.
"I was able to put a surge on," Koeman said. "I went hard the first mile, easy the second mile and then hard again. I felt very comfortable. I had a little left, even at the end. It was great. I knew I had it won."
The girls' junior/senior races turned into complete runaways for the two winners. State 800-meter champion Karina Shepherd continued to establish herself as a fearsome harrier by leading from start to finish in the Div. 1 race in her 18:16 victory. Danvers' Catalina Dominick owned her race as well in Div. 2, tearing away from the pack and winning by more than 35 seconds in 18:00.5.Dominick decided well before the mile mark that it was time to push and she was well clear of the pack when she passed the mile in a quick 5:45. The strategy was somewhat of an anomaly for Dominick who generally runs conservative the first mile.
"I never really go out hard," she explained in the finish area. "I hang with the pack for a mile and see how the pace is. If it's good, I stay there a little longer. I felt really good befor the mile so I went. I just tried to stay strong. I was getting really tired the last half mile."
Dominick registered the fastest time of the day with her effort, leaving Sutton's Jessie Cardin behind in 18:36.4. Triton's Liz Willmonton was third in 19:34.3 and Lauren O'Neil of Falmouth took fourth in 19:42.7. Elizabeth Lomardo of Austin Prep rounded out the top five in 19:45.3.
She's expecting a strong race at EMass. "I was training through this meet for next week," said Dominick. "I didn't feel tired, but I'm looking forward to going into the meet fresh. I haven't tapered yet. I'm going to start in a little bit."
Shepherd got a great start in the Div. 2 race and blazed through the first mile alone in 5:39, nearly 30 seconds quicker than she planned. Shepherd never faltered and ran unchallenged to the finish. Track may be her first love, but Shepherd is determined to continue proving on the trails.
"I wanted to prove people wrong," she said. "I've been told I'm an 800 runner and not to worry about cross country and that kind of bothered me. I was supposed to go out more controlled. I'm really bad at pacing. I was supposed to go out about 30 seconds slower. I try to be controlled, but because I run the 800 I'm used to going so quick at the start. I'm still learning to pace myself in cross country."
Shepherd took her training exremely serious over the summer and is hoping to reap the benefits of her strength work over the next two weeks. "I got really disciplined in my training with the program my coach gave me," she said.
Bromfield's Nick Steele tucked in at the back of the pack through a quick 4:50 first mile in the Div. 2 Sophomore race and meticulously moved his way up and running away with a 17:01.3
win. Steele finished well ahead of C.J. Paine of Whitinsville Christian who ran 17:15.
"My goal was to run with the pack, but I was a little behind them at the mile," Steele said. "I didn't really think I'd stay with them. I just kept my pace. After the mile mark I think everyone sort of freaked out. I kept going with it and it turned out well."
Melrose's Elizabeth Hirsch never looked back in the Div. 2 Sophomore race and ran by herself from the start on the way to a 19:39.4 win. "I went out and tried to pick it up gradually," Hirsch said. "I was a little worried because I could hear people cheering for runners behind me. I didn't really know what to expect."
Jillian Howard relished the chance to race in an all-freshman event and the Weston ninth-grader took full advantage, capturing the Div. 2 race in 11:19.6 over the 1.9-mile route. "I usually don't get to run against just freshmen," Howard said. "I was excited because this was my last freshmen race."
Freshman Abigail Walsh of Beverly had one of the most impressive performances of the day. Walsh moved up to the Div. 1 Sophomore race and turned it into a rout. Walsh finished in 19:00, nearly a full minute in front of second-place Abby Fisher of Billerica (19:54). Walsh wasn't the least bit intimidated taking on a sophomore field after capturing the freshman race at the Twilight Invitational.
"I wanted to stay with the leaders and see how I felt," she said. "I took the lead in the first 800. I actually wasn't sure where I'd be. I've been doing the freshmen races. I've never run against sophomores in a big competition. I wasn't sure of what kind of lead I had. I didn't look back. I knew there'd be a lot of competition."
Anthony Rodriguez of Lowell hooked up with Attleboro's David Seybert in the Div. 1 freshmen race and settled the outcome over final 75 meters, sprinting to a 9:55 win. Seybert was five meters back in 9:59.
Rodriguez never found the pace taxing throughout. "The beginning was easy," he said. "I kept a steady pace and was 5:10 at the mile. After that I picked it up a little. The kid back there (Seybert) was tough. When I got to the mile I didn't really look behind me."
Jacob Zuch of Winchester won the Div. 1 Sophomore race in 16:47 and eighth-grader Nico Agosta of Parker Charter edged Adam Cook of Melrose in 10:07.5 for a win in the Div. 2 Freshman race. Plymouth North's Katie Fisher clocked an 11:29 to best Elizabeth Concannon of Lincoln-Sudbury in 11:36 in the Div. 1 Freshman event.