WRENTHAM - It looks as though there's another Rocha ready to make his mark on the cross country trails in Massachusetts.
Cross country fans and junkies sat up and took notice when Peabody's Marcelo Rocha destroyed the Div. 1 freshman field by almost 40 seconds over 1.9 miles. at last year's Frank Kelley Cross Country Invitational. And Rocha really opened eyes in the spring when he knocked off a superb 9:38 in the all-state 2 mile.
So it was hardly a surprise when the super talent put up another solid performance yesterday in running away with the Div. 1 varsity race over the dusty 3.1-mile Wrentham Developmental Center layout in this fall's edition of the Frank Kelley meet.
Racing in unseasonably warm conditions, the heat didn't seem to bother Rocha as he took the lead from Billerica's P.J. Garmon just before passing 2 miles in 10 minutes, 21 seconds and extended it over the final mile-plus for an easy 16:11.53 victory. Garmon, last spring's state 800 champion, was more than 20 seconds back in 16:32.41.
Rocha, the younger brother of two-time state champion and current Providence College harrier Catarina Rocha, who was on hand to watch him run to victory, wasn't overly confident he was entirely in the clear after surging into the lead. "I wanted to open up a little bit of a gap," he said. "I know he's wicked fast. They took it out really fast. I knew when I reached the 2-mile mark I had to go. I looked back at the end and didn't see anyone."
Cambridge captured the team title with 43 points on the strength of four runners in the top 10. Sam Ingersol was fourth in 16:38.1 and was followed by Daniel Aschale's sixth-place finish in 16:52.88. Sam Stubbs took eighth in 16:59.61 and Esu Alemseged clocked a 17:06.21 for 10th.
Rocha had the fastest time of day in averaging 5:12-per miles over the rolling, grass course. Marblehead's Andrew Ernst turned the Div. 2 race into a runaway with his 16:20.77 win. Tewksbury's Mike Famiglietti was second in 16:41.35 and Seekonk captured the team competition with 63 points.
Ernst was in complete control of his race and surged into the lead just past 2 miles to leave Famiglietti and Alex Lanzi of Seekonk (fourth, 16:49.60) behind.
Defending Div. 1 state champion Kaley Richards of Lowell let Walpole's Allie Morris handle the pace for the first 2 miles of the varsity race and made up the eight-second gap over the final mile for the 19:20.22 victory. Morris never faltered as she finished just nine seconds back in 19:29.28 ahead of Woburn's Gina D'addario (19:32.81), who led her team to victory with 74 points.
Richards said the 80-degree temperatures affected her race, but she still had enough for a hard kick with 800 left. "She (Morris) went at the mile and I just didn't have it," said Richards. "I usually rely on my kick, but it was tough today because it was such a hard, hot race. My coach wanted us to run conservatively. I tried to go out easy, but I went out way too fast."
Richards has increased her mileage and is focused on defending the state title she captured at Gardner last November. "I think there's definitely more pressure on me, but it pushes you," she said.
Freshman Stephanie Casaletto of Austin Prep collapsed just after the finish line in the Div. 2 race, but she was all smiles sitting in the shade 10 minutes later. Casaletto never trailed as she clocked a 19:55.22, outlasting runner-up Erin Grela of Ursuline, who checked in at 20:05.84. Ursuline had three runners in the top 20 to clinch the team title with 60 points.
Casaletto, who has been running varsity since the seventh grade, really began to feel the effects of the heat with 800 left. She fell to the ground after exiting the finish line chute and at one point asked a teammate what place she got.
She was able to talk about her race a few minutes later, holding a bag of ice on her neck. "I felt really good until 2-1/2 miles, but I knew I really had to push it the last half mile," said Casaletto. "I wasn't really confident when I went by them (pack) at the mile because they were all older than me."
Westford Academy's Jason Dolan needed every bit of his strong finishing speed to edge out Quinn Gangadharan of Brookline to capture the Div. 1 freshman race. Dolan's 10:18.18 was a hair in front of Gangadharan's 10:18.41 on the 1.9-mile course. Dolan's teammate Sean Doherty took third in 10:26.25 in front of Lowell's Chris Galarza, who took fourth in 10:36.71. Robert Roosa of Lincoln-Sudbury rounded out the top five in 10:45.56.
Dolan decided early he was going to let the early going play itself out and make a strong move when he felt ready. "I didn't really know what I wanted to do," said Dolan. "There wasn't one person out there so I decided to take the lead. That's (5:30 first mile) what I was shooting for. I think my kick is pretty strong and I really needed to push it. I was worried. He (Gangadharan) sort of tried to pull away up the hill. I was really tired, but I felt pretty good."
Norwell captured the top two spots in the Div. 2 freshman race as Steven O'Driscoll ran to a 10:29.99 victory. The Clippers' Andrew Corbett was second in 10:47.29 and Will Bittrich of Duxbury sprinted to a third-place finish in 10:58.70.
"I was thinking to get as much distance as I could and finish strong," said O'Driscoll. "I was hoping to come in the top five."
Norton's Katie Bradley assumed the pacing duties at the mile and captured the Div. 2 freshman girls' event in 11:51.93. Dennis-Yarmouth eighth grader Carly Coughlin was a strong second in 12:03.41 and Christina Jones of Gloucester took the bronze in 12:09.25.
"I didn't have a plan," Bradley admitted. "I just went out to do the best I could. I was kind of looking around and I could hear their coaches telling to them they were closing on me so I really picked it up."
Julia Curtin of Beverly looked to be in late-season form as she powered away from the Div. 1 freshman girls' race with her 11:42.29. That time put her well ahead of Westford Academy's 12:19.26 and third-place finisher Maddie Kelleher of Haverhill, who crossed the finish line in 12:42.81.