Girls Divisional Meet Recap
Central Division I
As the season moved forward, it was becoming clearer and clearer that the stronghold Wachusett had on the CMass girls DI title might be slipping away. Nashoba had Rylie Gillen, and a good deal of momentum coming into the Big Fairway at Gardner. With Gillen (17:32) outdueling Wachusett's Colleen Sands (17:49) for 2.9 miles, Wachusett would lead for the final time when freshman Katie Gobi (5th; 18:20) crossed just ahead of another Nashoba freshman, Grace Dempsey (7th; 18:27), But when Nashoba brought in #3 Natalie Bettez in 9th, and teammates Kara McCormack (15th) and Taylor Brady (19th) posted top-20 finishes as well, a 44-66 minor upset was in play. Quabbin took the 3rd and final spot for All States thanks to the 1-2 punch of 8th place Stephanie Halfrey (18:28) and Miriam Wood (14th; 18:59). Shepherd Hill added two top-10 finishes from Julianna Schultz (3rd; 17:59) and Stella Worters (6th; 18:26), and St. Peter Marian 8th grader Gianna Mastrometto took 4th in 18:08. In all, CDII featured 4 sophomores and 4 freshmen (or younger) in the top 10, making the future here very fun to speculate on.
Central Division II
Just as youthful as its larger school division, CMass DII brought the middle schoolers and freshmen, and a refusal from those kids to give an inch. Tyngsboro (43 points) never sweated the win, as their top challenger on paper, Narragansett, actually took 3rd in 140, with Notre Dame (Worcester) sneaking in for 2nd in 110. Kerri Keohane (17:05) outlasted Sutton's Jesse Cardin (17:13) for the win, putting Tyngsborough into the early lead, and 8th grader Jaylen Fraser-Mines (7th; 17:54) and a triumvirate of 7th graders (not a misprint) followed in the top 20. Jessica Gendreau, Lexi Casey, and Makenna Hunt all broke 19:00, and the team was on to a dominant win. NDA's Emily Knox (18:24) and Jane Clark (18:39) were 13th and 14th, and the NDA pack was able to survive an impressive 3rd-6th run from sister act Renee (17:25) and Anna Capps (17:39) of Gansett. Mackenzie Cyr of Douglas (4th; 17:39) and 8th grader Angie DiDomenica (5th; 17:47) were each impressive in their top-5 placings as well. I feel like a broken record, but here goes. With four sophomores and an unreal 8 middles schoolers in the top 20, this class simply can't be anything but fun to watch for the next several years.
Boys Divisional Meet Recap
Central Division I
Some good team was staying home from Northfield next weekend, and unfortunately for Nashoba, they were it. St. John's was the favorite coming in, and they simply did a workmanlike job in accomplishing their mission that began in August. Jonathon Green set the course record in 13:50, stealing it from Shrewsbury's Jon Murray (14:04 in 2010). Green's 36 second win would be impressive all by itself, but when his closest competitor, Colin Bennie (14:26) is factored in, this effort is simply Herculean. Green truly does look unbeatable now, although a kid from Methuen might have something to say about that in a week. Shrewsbury's Dan Wentworth (3rd; 14:48) gave the Colonials a dog in the fight, but the floodgates were only starting to get opened up for the Pioneers. Alex Crowley (4th; 14:51), Kyle Johnson (7th; 15:14), and Connor Murphy (8th; 15:17) put St. John's in position to win, until Shrewsbury counterpunched with a foursome of its own in the top-15. Tyler O'Keefe, CJ Williams, Jake Starvaski, and Dan Mortimer sealed Shrewsbury's public school with 48 points, and both teams had to hold their breath. And then a young freshman by the name of Harry Malloy (15:32) crossed the line in 15th and the Pioneers could breath easily with a 35-48 win under their belts. Wachusett qualified as well in 3rd, with 95 points, thanks to Bennie's runner-up romp and a pack of five more in the top-30. Forrest Hangen of Nashoba (5th; 15:10) and Chris Skelly of North Middlesex (6th; 15:11) were the top individuals to move through as well. Some in this region have chirped that SJS doesn't get enough love, but I for one have been impressed by this group all season, and will say right now that they are the favorite on the mountain after what they did on the rolling hills this afternoon.
Central Division II
It always seemed that it would be Hopedale to come through in CMass DII, and they certainly did not disappoint. With five top-15 finishes secured, they simply destroyed the field, scoring 40 points, and easily escaping Whitinsville Christian (95) and Bromfield (170), a team that out leaned Parker Charter by just a point for the final All State qualifying spot. After Bromfield's Price Day (15:11) took the individual win away from the field, Hopedale began its title quest with a solid 2-3 placing, with Paul Maurias (15:20) and Matt Doran (15:25) doing the honors. Sophomore Yaroslav Borodenko (15:44) was close behind in 7th, and teammates Anthony Tandy and Ryan Wollensack rounded out the top-5. Whitinsville got top-10 finishes from youngsters Jamieson Koeman (4th; 15:31) and CJ Paine (10th; 15:55) to secure its own berth, and Parker Charter freshman Zach Rolfe (5th; 15:36) did all he could for his team, but a bid to All States was just out of the cards. Hopedale could be a dangerous team next week, since they seem to have a great deal of strength, given their results all season long, and might fly under the radar en route to a top-5 finish.