Don’t believe everything you read.
While this past weekend’s divisional state championships gave us a good glimpse of what to expect on Saturday at the MIAA Meet of Champions, don’t be fooled. It’s not uncommon for teams to hold back, for coaches to have their athletes run just enough to win or place high enough to qualify for this weekend’s competition at Fort Devens. If you’re doing some kind of virtual meet based on results from the division states, you also still have to factor in where they ran, did they compete on the moderately-challenging terrain of the Wrentham Developmental Center or the treacherous and hilly 5K at Northfield Mountain? Only the Division 2 meet gives us somewhat of a clue on the potential that can unload at the MOC, considering that Fort Devens was their home last Saturday.
Either way, regardless of the stats, regardless of what happened previously, one thing is always clear about the season-ending meet, at least for those not competing at the upcoming northeast regionals of Nike or Footlocker, we’re going to have some exciting competition, probably the best we’ve seen this fall. Why? It’s kind of the way this meet always seems to turn out. It’s evitable.
So, what should we expect on Saturday? Here’s our take on what will happen in the Division 2 boys’ meet.
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DIVISION 2 – BOYS
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Qualifying Teams: Amherst-Pelham, Archbishop Williams, Ashland, Bishop Stang, Boston Latin Academy, Dartmouth, Dover-Sherborn, Duxbury, Groton Dunstable, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Marblehead, Masconomet Regional, Medfield, Melrose, Newburyport, Pembroke, Plymouth South, Wakefield Memorial, Walpole, Wayland, Whitinsville Christian, Wilmington. Other Teams Represented: Apponequet Regional, Bedford, Brockton, Danvers, Dedham, East Longmeadow, Falmouth, Foxboro, Holliston, Lowell Catholic, Martha’s Vineyard, Middleboro, Nashoba Regional, Norton, Old Rochester, Revere, Shawsheen Valley Tech, Shepherd Hill, Silver Lake Regional, Somerset Berkley, Southeastern Regional, Stoughton, Westwood, Whitman-Hanson Regional,
Runners To Watch: Silas Gartner, Falmouth; Nathaniel Assa, Marblehead; Will Cerrutti, Marblehead; William Conklin, Danvers; Caleb Barnes, Melrose; Joseph Keroack, Ludlow
Teams To Watch: Longmeadow, Wakefield Memorial, Ludlow, Plymouth South, Groton Dunstable
Outlook: This could certainly turn into one of those races where we still have a large lead pack still together late in the race. Gartner comes in with the fastest time from last week’s divisional championships, winning the Div. 2B race with a strong 15:43.0 effort. The talented junior appears to be taking a careful and well-calculated approach to the season with only a limited amount of all-out efforts to prep for peak performances during championship time. He ran mid 15:30s for 5K at the season-opening Frank Kelley Invitational and the Twilight Invitational, Other than that, most of his other performances, which were all victories, were on the slower side. We’re sure that was by design. Behind Gartner, Conklin (second, 15:53.05) and Barnes (third, 15:55.21) also went under 16 minutes last weekend. Like they’ve done throughout the season, Assa and Cerrutti will more than likely work together and challenge with the leaders. The two teammates were separated by just four hundredths of a second in the Div. 2A race with Cerrutti taking the gold in 16:15.44. Both harriers are capable of getting that time faster this weekend with the strong field expected to toe the line. There are plenty more runners that can figure in the mix. In all, 10 have broken 16 minutes this season with a few more on the cusp. We’re not expecting a runaway winner in this one. We’re giving Gartner the favorite nod, but only slightly. This one could be close. Speaking of close, the same could be said for the team battle where Longmeadow, Ludlow, Wakefield and Plymouth South all appear to have a legit shot at taking home the banner.
