CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW- CENTRAL DIVISION I
BOYS PREVIEW
The Wachusett boys probably think that the wild card slot that Eastern Mass. Coaches lobbied for and got two years ago would have come in handy in 2011 CMass. At the “Big 9 Iron” in Gardner, despite Colin and Jeremy Bennie’s 2-3 finish, the Mountaineers ended up with 100 points and had to settle for 4th, watching Shrewsbury, St. John’s, and Nashoba duke it out in a epic battle, all three landing within 10 points. St. John’s snuck away with the victory, thanks in part to junior John Green winning the individual title, by only three points over Nashoba. Once again, it appears these will be the top four teams, but with heavy graduation losses by each, the order could change a great deal. One thing seems unmistakable- Bennie and Green are in for a duel that will be talked about for years to come.
INDIVIDUAL RACE
Almost certainly, the state’s two best runners come right out of this division- Wachusett’s Colin Bennie and St. John’s Jonathon Green. Green’s 25-second victory over Bennie last year makes him a seemingly prohibitive favorite, but a look to a week later at All States shows that, when the race got a little longer, that gap closed to just 5 seconds. Bennie had an impressive spring for Wachusett, running 9:07 at All States for the win in possibly the best 2 mile field ever put together. He will take aim for Alberto Salazar’s 9:00 mark, but that will be another story for a later date. Green was indoor 2 mile champion in 9:21 in 2012, so you have the two best distance runners in the state doing battle. Bennie’s hockey strength and toughness (if not the hair) should give him a boost on the rolling hills. Green will again be trying to lead a team to victory, something that can give a great runner another boost. The line- pick ‘em.
TOP 10 TEAMS
10. TANTASQUA- The Warriors hope to crack the top 10 on the backs of seniors Mike Dobos and Finley Simonds. Dobos was 34th in 2011, but ran the SWCL meet in 15:55, a great time for 2.9 miles. Simonds showed up in a big way on the track, going 4:42 at the Central Mass. Championship meet. A move up from this ranking will take a 3-5 pack getting it done, but it can happen.
9. MARLBOROUGH- The Panthers will ask Josh Daigle to lead the way in 2012, after his 40th place finish a year ago. Deeper in the pack, Robbie McCabe and Alex Sable ought to benefit from the huge graduation rate in CMass DI. They could each move up as many as 30 places, leaving Marlborough as a team primed for a huge move from last year’s 14th place finish.
8. SHEPHERD HILL- The Rams will be ruled by juniors, as Elijah Fossas, 25th in 2011 at the Big Dogleg, returns. Fossas went 4:36 indoors, so he’s showing signs of improving even from last fall. He needs help, and can expect it from classmates Jason Bangs, Hunter Schultz, and Brendan Pratt. I love junior-heavy teams, as I’ve said before, because the experience is there without some of the pressure and finality of senior year.
7. MILFORD- The Hawks return a nice nucleus from a team that placed 12th in 2011, with seniors and top-40 placers Matt Cicciu and Connor Rosenblatt leading the way. Alex Croteau, a nice looking sophomore, ran 18:18 at Brown, one of the fastest 5K times on that course by a freshman in 2011. A solid spring season from the young Hawks has them looking poised for a fast run up the ladder at Gardner.
6. NORTH MIDDLESEX- The Patriots were 5th a year ago, but have seen the departures of Mike Skelly, Garrett Ross, and Nick Barry- three top-4 runners. This will bring sophomore Chris Skelly into the forefront, hoping to move up from 26th a year ago. After being the #2 freshman to Shrewsbury’s Tyler O’Keefe, Skelly will hold together a pack that should include Nathan Alexander and Bobby Johnston. There is upside here, especially if sophomore Brian Spooner joins the fold.
5. ALGONQUIN- When you’ve got the #5 returner, Greg Palken, you’ve got a chance. Can the Tomahawks find a way to break into that top 3, that’s the question. This is a deep team, one that might have a better chance qualifying out of just about any division. But this is DI CMass, the grave yard in many ways. Palken will need juniors Adam Gilfix and Yahel Nachum and sophomores Declan Healey and Stephen Stastaitis to move on up, but watch out for Robert Kerstens, coming off a breakout track season, to contribute more.
4. WACHUSETT- Colin Bennie very well could win the whole thing, but the graduation losses the Mountaineers faced, including brother Jeremy, could be a bit too much for them to make the medal stand. Sean Sampson, Eric Iacaboni, Tim Fitzgerald, and Cole Burgess are the type of pack you want to have with such a task ahead of you. This team is so well-coached, that anything they set their minds to, they can do. Remember when they ran 7:36 at Nationals in the 4x800 last spring? Go ahead, count them out. I dare you.
3. NASHOBA- Heartache a year ago was the Chieftains scoring 59 points, and finding out after minutes of deliberation that they were just three points short. They very well could get right back into this mix for the win, despite the loss of their top two runners. Brothers Forest and Jacob Hangen, as well as juniors Hayden Smith and Mark Pulio, return from the 2011 runner-up squad, with Forest Hangen the #3 returnee, behind only Bennie and Green. With a low score from him, and a tightening of that pack, they can run with the Stallions that are Shrewsbury and St. John’s. They just more if’s than those two right now.
2. SHREWSBURY- Imagine scoring 66 points at your class meet, and finding out that, not only didn’t you win, but you aren’t even coming home with a trophy. That was the scene for the Colonials in 2011, watching Nashoba and St. John’s celebrate on the trophy stand, knowing they very well could have won many other meets in many other years. Taking some of the sting out of that moment could very well only have to wait until November. With the returns of CJ Williams, Dan Mortimer, Dan Wentworth, and sophomore Tyler O’Keefe, this is the co-favorite, but might not end up being the best team in their own town. Add Will Shippman into the mix, and this might be the most complete team in the meet.
1. SAINT JOHN’S- So, why not Shrewsbury? Because just a few miles from their school lies a boys’ private school, the home of the Pioneers. They have the individual co-favorite in Jonathon Green, who just might be too much for anyone to take down. They have Alex Crowley and Connor Murphy, both outstanding top-10 type kids. And of the 45 guys on their roster from a year ago, 16 of them broke 19:00, and many of those return. Oh and one more thing, they have a tradition that is unsurpassed in Central Mass. So, until they are beaten, they have to be the pick. Let’s just say, looking over Shrewsbury’s roster, I’m not headed to a sports book with this call any time soon.
GIRLS PREVIEW
A year ago, Wachusett made mince meat out of the field in DI, scoring only 22 points to Nashoba’s 76. Taking the individual win and 5 of the top 7 positions, the Mountaineers would have dominated a dual meet if CMass got to bring all of the opposing teams together. This year will be a different story, as Wachusett graduates Laura Williamson, Rebecca Skodis, and Liz Reynolds from a team that won back to back runner-up trophies at All States behind Weymouth in 2010 and Whitman-Hanson in 2011. However, Sands and Williamson are the top two returners, and unless the class improves a good deal behind Nashoba, Wachusett should be heavily favored once again. Unlike the DII girls meet, this one was senior-laden, so expect a good deal of shuffling on the Red Tees in 2012.
INDIVIDUAL RACE
This ought to be more of a coronation than a race, as Colleen Sands of Wachusett, one of the fastest girls in the state since her freshman year, is the defending champion, and her next four competitors have graduated. In fact, teammate Amy Collins is the top returner who isn’t Sands, so the Mountaineers might have expected to boast the individual champ, even with a bad race from the junior. However, Shepherd Hill this spring decided to spoil that party, by developing two runners that look like potential champions- Stella Worters, who went 5:02, and Juleanna Schultz, who went 11:17. Another face to watch will be 8th grader Gianna Mastrometteo of St. Peter-Marian, who was 9th at Gardner a year ago in 18:50.9.
TOP 10 TEAMS
10. NORTH MIDDLESEX- The Patriots, 10th at Gardner a year ago, will look to star Chapel Guarnieri to lead the way. Guarnieri placed 11th in 18:59 on the 2.9 mile rolling hills course, and should be poised for a top-5 finish this time around. She will look for help from sophomore Nina Vogelsang and Marissa Amichetti, but NMHS could move up a great deal from this position if she gets it.
9. MARLBOROUGH- A true track and field powerhouse, some might wonder when the Panthers will translate that oval success onto the trails. This could be that year, but a depth move will be necessary. Alexandra Grimaldo is the leader of this clan, having placed 34th and looking like a top-20 harrier for 2012. Chrissy Fantasia and Shannon Coughlin are the anchors of the pack, but they need to tighten it up to move up from 16th in 2011.
8. GROTON-DUNSTABLE- Just about the entire Crusader squad form 2011 returns this year, with senior Katie Lienhard and sophomore Caitlynn Berube each coming off top-50 campaigns at CMass in Gardner. It doesn’t really end there either, as Olivia Box and Delaney Coveno each show promise in the new year. Look for a top-10 finish from G-D, and maybe even better.
7. SHREWSBURY- The Colonials’ depth may have taken a smack, with four top 5 runners lost to graduation, but they hung on to Brittany Laramee, who was 18th for the 3rd place team from 2011. This pick has a wait and see element to it, as kids like Mariah Boisvert are going to be asked to fill new roles, and often kids like that step right in to new expectations. Another junior, Jillian Banach, had a standout track season, going 5:52, and could give the squad another boost.
6. ALGONQUIN- The Tomahawks will dearly miss top runner Caroline Severo, but have just about everybody else coming back from a squad that went 6th in 2011. Kyra Shreve and Paige Casey were top-40 finishers, so there is some true upside from this hold-pat prediction. On the track, freshman Megan Walsh went 5:37 and 11:50, and would fit right in as a true #1 harrier. But, as I’ve said before, I don’t assume anything, and I don’t start rumors.
5. WESTBOROUGH- Another team that brings back their nucleus, the Rangers have Caroline Dennett to lead their talented pack. They, too, will be in the chase pack on Wachusett, as All State qualifier Dennett is joined by a tight group featuring Rachel Harris, Erin Reynolds, Helen Gross, and Claire Gitkind, a foursome that ran just 40 seconds apart on the rolling hills. Stay that close, and move the pack forward 30 seconds, and your season is a week longer than a year ago.
4. QUABBIN- The Panthers have the goods to make a real run at All States, but if things shake out just right, who’s to say they couldn’t win this whole thing. When 4 of your top 5 runners are freshmen, Timbuk3 had it right- the future’s so bright, you indeed, do, got to wear shades. All State qualifier Steffany Halfrey leads the way, having placed 15th in 2011. She’s not alone either, with classmates Miriam Wood, Maureen Whitney, and Alanya Morin all capable of putting up low scores. If these kids did their summer work, they could shock the midsection of the Commonwealth.
3. SHEPHERD HILL- The Rams are led by outstanding junior Stella Worters, whose resume grew early on with a 19:45 time at Amherst, and capped off with an 18th place finish at CMass. She should move up from there, if her 5:02 4th place mile is any indication. Teammate Juleanna Schultz also had a breakout spring, running 11:17 at the All State Meet. These two need help from Aleta Dam and Brooke Packard, but that kind of 1-2 punch can go a long, long way and, sometimes, inspire a pack to do more.
2. NASHOBA- Losing Abby Hurd will hurt the Chieftains, but their depth coming back might just be better than anybody’s. Wachusett is still the favorite, but Nashoba might be able to get it done with their 3-7 runners, someplace where their rival could be vulnerable for the first time in a long time. Kara McCormack and Madison McMullen are a nice 1-2 punch, going 12th and 13th in 2011. If these two can somehow break up the dominating position of Sands and Collins, this meet is very much in the balance. Key races will come from Taylor Brady and sophomore Natalie Bettez, who will be tasked to offset the 3-4 runners fo Wachusett. Far from a dual meet, with Quabbin and Shepherd Hill lurking, this is still the meet’s most intriguing matchup.
1. WACHUSETT- Colleen Sands is the retuning champion and an All State runner-up type talent (that sounds like a dig, but with Cat Rocha still in the state, it’s the highest possible compliment). Amy Collins could be 2nd, if she gets by the Shepherd Hill duo. You see, they have mile and 2 mile chops, but Collins has 58 second speed and 5’8 high jumping ability, so she has the strength to win on the Gardner fairways. Sydney Hauver and Brittany Charlonne are a nice 3-4 punch. But, for the first time in a long time, there’s no great #5 to speak of. Then, Erin Simpson came along this spring and broke 6:00 and 12:45. If she stays on this trajectory, Wachusett has their 5th, and they will continue the winning tradition.