DIVISION 3 BOYS
Championships Dates: Nov. 11 – Division State Meet at Northfield Mountain. Nov. 18 – Meet of Champions at Willard Field, Devens.
Top Teams: Div. 3A – Weston, Norwell, Greater Lowell Tech. Div. 3B – Hamilton Wenham, Uxbridge, Littleton. Div. 3C – Mount Greylock, Parker Charter. Bromfield, Lenox, Hopedale
Runners To Watch: Div. 3A – Devin Moreau, Greater Lowell Tech; Thomas Corbett, Norwell; Seamus Tully, Greater Lowell Tech; Carsen Valenta, Weston. Div. 3B – Bona Bradshaw, Littleton; Tim Rank, Littleton; Marcus Reilly, Northbridge; Div. 3C – Henry Jacobsen, Parker Charter; Caleb Hatlevig, Parker Charter; Andrew Linkenhoker, Monson; Emmett Johnson, Mohawk Trail
Predictions (Team/Individual winners): Div. 3A – Weston and Norwell appear to be the frontrunners for the team title. Weston is the defending champion and will be minus one from last year due to graduation. The Wildcats’ top three – Carsen Valenta, James Osborn and Quinn Garry – are coming back and were all top 10 finishers last fall. Norwell was the 2C champion last year and moved down to 3A with the new realignment. The Clippers lost three to graduation from 2022, but return a solid nucleus, including their No. 1, Thomas Corbett. Moreau, a runner-up in 2A last year with a 5K best of 15:42.6, is the early-season favorite for the individual crown. He’s coming off a track season where he ran 9:25 for two miles. Corbett was second in 2C and the South Shore Championships in 2022. He went 15:53.40 at South Shore. Div. 3B – The clear-cut favorite for individual honors is Reilly. The Rams’ standout won the 3A title last year and was second to recent Uxbridge grad Aidan Ross at the Meet of Champions. We all know about Reilly’s excellence on the track where he’s one of our nation’s best in the 800-meter run and mile with PRs of 1:50 and 4:06, respectively. For the 5K, he’s capable of a low 15-minute effort in his final season. The Michigan-bound runner has indicated to us that his postseason goal is to earn a trip to San Diego for the Champs National X-C Championships. The Littleton tandem of Rank and Bradshaw are capable placing high on the podium, too. Our sleeper pick is Everett Pacheco of Monument. In his first year of running last year as a sophomore, Pacheco was 23rd at the MOC in 17:14. We feel he’s capable making big strides this fall with a year under his belt. What leads us to believe this is what he did on the track where he ran a best of 4:27.92 for the mile. Hamiton Wenham, ranked No. 1 in the BSR and MSTCA preseason polls, is our pick to hold that position here. The Generals were fifth at the 3A meet last year with a team that was comprised of all sophomores. Uxbridge appears to be Hamilton Wenham’s biggest threat with Littleton and Gardner also among the top squads. Div. 3C – Of all our top returnees, Jacobsen was the only runner to break 16 minutes, clocking 15:57.10 on the lightning-fast 5K at the Twilight Invitational. The Parker Charter junior was sixth at the MOC with a 16:26.65 effort at Fort Devens. Hatlevig gives Parker Charter a strong 1-2 punch. The talented senior was seventh at MOC and ran his best of 16:05 at Twilight. Parker Charter and Mount Greylock, who were second and third, respectively, in Div. 3C in 2022, are the leading contenders for team honors. Mount Greylock holds and edge over its rival, losing just one to graduation from last year. Parker Charter is minus three from a year ago. Meet of Champions – Team-wise, this one could be close with Mount Greylock, Parker Charter, Weston and Norwell capable of striking it rich. Individually, Reilly is our pick to captures his first title at the MOC. The question is who will be No. 2. Moreau, Corbett, Rank and Bradshaw could be battling for that spot with Moreau getting the edge.
