The state was loaded with talent in boys’ cross-country last year. By season’s end, nearly 100 runners had broken 16 minutes for 5K, with almost two-thirds recording their PRs after mid-October.
Early signs suggest another big year could be in store. Twenty runners dipped under the 16-minute mark in the Small and Medium School races Saturday night at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational. Several hours earlier, Gardner’s Sokari Jenkins joined the sub-16 club for the first time, earning an impressive victory at the Devens Pre-Championship Classic, presented by Marathon Sports and New Balance.
Jenkins covered the moderately challenging terrain at Willard Park in Fort Devens — site of the MIAA Division 1 Championships and Meet of Champions — in 15:58.3. The Gardner senior won convincingly, finishing more than 150 meters ahead of runner-up Liam Rand of North Andover, who crossed the line in 16:32.4. Peabody’s Luke Murphy was third in 16:37.0.
Based on his performances from 2025, Jenkins’ effort should serve notice to the rest of his top competition in Div. 3. The Gardner harrier’s time was 33 second faster than what he did last year at the Devens Classic where he was 17th overall. Jenkins was eighth at the Div. 3 meet at Willard in 17:15.0, and improved with a 16:39.4 at the Meet of Champions.
Team-wise, it was North Andover — currently ranked No. 3 in our New Balance Power Rankings — that walked away with the coveted hardware, scoring just 32 points. Bishop Feehan was a distant second with 77. The Scarlet Knights packed all five scorers into the top 11 and, for good measure, placed all seven varsity runners among the first 14 finishers.
North Andover’s scoring five consisted of Rand, Luke Radivojevic (fifth, 16:37.2), Tristan Rand (sixth, 16:40.8), Tucker LaRosa (eighth, 16:52.9) and Cameron Riccio (11th, 17:03.0). The dominant showing further strengthens the Scarlet Knights’ case as a legitimate threat heading into championship season.
It was a nail-biter in the girls’ race, with Winchester escaping with a narrow 46-50 victory over Bishop Feehan. The 1-3 punch of individual winner Julia Ramsay and third-place finisher Millie McDonald proved crucial to the outcome. Feehan placed its top four runners ahead of Winchester’s third, but the Red and Black’s front-running duo helped secure the four-point victory.
Ramsay broke the tape in 19:10.8, with McDonald crossing in 19:24.5. Sandwiched between the Winchester teammates was North Andover’s Julie Kroon, who finished second in 19:23.0.
Winchester, ranked fifth in our Power Rankings, counted Ramsay, McDonald, Caroline Lanz (12th, 20:02.2), Chloe Walker (20:18.5) and Abigail Bastien (17th, 20:46.2) among its scorers. The Red and Black had a 1:32 spread between its first and fifth runners, a compact scoring group that proved decisive in the close team battle.
Bishop Feehan, ranked 11th in our Power Rankings, had four runners finish in a tight pack. Sophie Shaw placed seventh in 19:53.4, followed by Grace McGahan (eighth, 19:54.9), Amelia Burgess (10th, 19:56.2) and Quinn Kotch (11th, 20:01.5).
