It’s now time for Part 2 of the fall cross-country season. On Saturday, the best of the best from each division, from each sub division, will battle each other at their respective races at the MIAA Divisional Championships. We broke it down into capsules on who will be some of the top teams and athletes to keep an eye on this weekend.
We begin our previews with Division 3 boys, which includes Div. 3A, 1B and 1C.
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DIVISION STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
at Wrentham Developmental Center
Division 3A
Day/Time: Saturday at 11:45 a.m.
Top Teams: Weston, Greater Lowell Tech, Nashoba, East Bridgewater, Norwell
Runners To Watch: John Doherty, Norwell; William Cahill, Weston; Ben Levesque, East Bridgewater; Ben Tavares, Weston
Outlook: Don’t be surprised to see a lead pack of three or more runners still in this race at the horseshoe finish during the last 500 meters. Doherty and Cahill both broke 16 minutes on the lightning-fast 5K at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational with Cahill finishing third (15:49.15) and Cahill right behind in fourth (15:53.02) in the Small School race. Doherty’s most recent race was the South Shore League Championships where he was second overall with a solid time of 16:14.44 at Wrentham. Cahill hasn’t competed since Twilight, but ran a then-best of 15:54.29 at Wrentham on Sept. 21 when he took seventh overall at the Frank Kelley Invitational. Levesque comes in with a best of 16:28.77 from his third-place finish at South Shore. Tavares, who has 49-second speed for the 400m and a PR of 1:55.12 for the 800m, clocked his best of 16:33.13 at Twilight. On the team side, Weston holds the edge. The Wildcats have strength up front with the potential to have two or three harriers in the top 10. Weston currently ranks No. 2 in the MSTCA Coaches Poll.
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Division 3B
Day/Time: Saturday at 1:15 p.m.
Top Teams: Hamilton-Wenham, Frontier, Hampshire Regional
Runners To Watch: Evan Hedlund, Frontier; Ben Rich, Hamilton-Wenham; James Regan Hamilton-Wenham; Luke Howard, Frontier
Outlook: The favorite here is Hedlund. The talented sophomore ran a best of 15:47.87 at the Twilight Invitational, an effort that placed him second in the Small/Medium School race. A couple of weeks ago, he was also second at the WMass XC Championships where he was timed in 16:00.88 at Wrentham. Rich comes in with a PR of 15:58.89 from the Frank Kelley Invitational back on Sept. 21. The Merrimack-bound senior was also second at the Cape Ann League Championships where he clocked 16:04.18. Regan was third at Cape Ann with a time of 16:13.59 and has a best of 16:00.05 from the Kelley Invite. Howard’s most recent performance was his best of the season, a 16:13.67 effort at the WMass XC Championships. There shouldn’t be too much separation between our leaders in this one. In the team competition, it’s all Hamilton-Wenham, the state’s No. 1 squad. The Generals have a front five that could finish among the top-10, top-15 on Saturday. That’s tough to beat. Frontier and Hampshire should be battling for that coveted runner-up position.
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Division 3C
Day/Time: Saturday at 2:45 p.m.
Top Teams: Parker Charter, Bromfield, Mount Greylock and Lenox
Runners To Watch: Ben McWaters, Bromfield; Nathaniel Henshaw, Parker Charter; Benjamin Harwood, Lenox Memorial; Rafael Mellow-Bartels, Mount Greylock; Jake Leone, Ayer Shirley
Outlook: There appears to be no clear-cut favorite for individual honors with all of our above mentioned harriers (and potentially more) capable of winning and/or placing high. If we had to pick one that we feel could break the tape at the end, our choice would be Leone. Like most in this field, he achieved his best of 16:15.85 at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational. On a more challenging 5K, such as Wrentham, and particularly Stanley Park, the Ayer Shirley sophomore has posted times in the 16:30 range, not too far off from what he did on the flat and quick trails of Twilight. His times this year also show more than a minute improvement from what he did as a ninth-grader. His most recent race was a victory at the Mid-Wach League Championships where he was timed in 16:33.87 at Stanley Park. McWaters, another sophomore, boast the fastest time among the top entries. He’s the only one on the line that has gone under 16 minutes with a PR of 15:56.17 at Twilight, which was 20 seconds faster than Leone in the same race. McWaters won his race at Mid-Wach where was timed in 17:01.07 at the Lake Dennison Recreation Area. Henshaw (16:05.80), Harwood (16:14.38), and Mellow-Bartels (16:19.65) also attained best at Twilight and could be mixing it up with our leaders. Harwood was third at the WMass XC Championships less than two weeks ago with a best of 16:10.13 at Stanley Park. Defending champion Parker Charter appears ready for the repeat with a squad that could have most of its runners finish in the top 20. Bromfield, Mount Greylock and Lenox should be battling for the next three spots. All four teams are in the top 10 of the coaches poll with Parker Charter holding the No. 2 spot.
