Year in and year out, the Eastern Massachusetts region is home to some of the toughest competition in the state. Fall 2016 is shaping up to be no different, as we will be having top squads looking to defend their legacies and new teams out to shake up the establishment. Below you will find a run down on all the teams in the D4 through D6 regions.
D4 Team
Despite the polls having Melrose boys sitting pretty at the top of the small school team ranking, we hope they aren't counting their chickens before they hatch.
Certainly the Melrose squad is a strong force, but as of now that squad only looks to be their top three runners: Wheelock, Cook, and Conlan. They lost their #4 man to graduation and their returning top five should be filled out by Griffin Barriss and Steve Stromski. They're two solid runners, but they appear to be a bit off their top three teammates.
That sizable gap really opens the door for Wakefield boys to do some damage and possibly take the team title and/or the #1 small school ranking from Melrose. The Warriors finished right behind Melrose last fall and return four of their top five from last year's squad, which posted a very impressive 23-second spread at Eastern MA Champs. Despite losing a crucial #2 man, Wakefield appears to have the pieces in play to easily fill in those gaps.
There is obviously a lot of racing to get underway over the next few weeks, so the battle for top D4 team is still very undecided. Though be sure to keep a close eye on Melrose's #4-#5 runners and the tight Wakefield pack, as those will become game changers in mid-November.
| # | Team | Score | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wakefield Memorial High School | 51 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 20 | - | - |
| 2 | Melrose High School | 96 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 54 | - | - |
| 3 | Nauset Regional High School | 104 | 2 | 17 | 19 | 29 | 37 | - | - |
| 4 | Duxbury High School | 126 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 46 | 48 | - | - |
| 5 | Tewksbury Memorial High School | 130 | 10 | 27 | 28 | 31 | 34 | - | - |