The weather may be cold for Saturday’s Catholic Memorial Invitational, but the competition promises to be red-hot across the four varsity races at Franklin Park. Here’s a breakdown of the two girls’ and two boys’ varsity races at the 65th annual meet.
Girls ‘A’ Race
Whitinsville Christian’s Emily Flagg will be going for a three-peat this weekend. The Crusaders senior defended her title in 2025 with a Franklin Park best of 17:37.50 and has given every indication that a third consecutive crown is within reach Saturday.
Flagg is coming off a sub-17-minute performance at the recent Twilight Invitational, where she clocked a personal-best 16:59.70 on the lightning-fast 5K course at the Barnstable Fairgrounds. With strong wind gusts expected this weekend, breaking 17 minutes again could be a tall order. But the consistent senior will be tough to beat.
Her biggest threat could be twin sister Abby Flagg, who finished third at Twilight with a season-best 17:54.30.
Newton North, ranked No. 4 in the New Balance Power Rankings, has several runners capable of challenging for top-10 finishes. The Tigers’ senior duo of Maggie Abely (18:30), Esther Dudnik (18:35.0) and Esty Dudnik (18:50) will be ones to watch.
Other contenders include Notre Dame Academy’s Kathryn Ford, Olivia Kavanagh of Oyster River (N.H.), Whitinsville Christian’s Inez Smith and Weymouth’s Sonia Souto, all with times in the mid-to-high 18-minute range. Twelve runners in the field have broken 19 minutes.
Newton North, Needham and Whitinsville Christian look poised to battle for the team title. If all three squads are at their best, the competition could be tight enough that single digits separate the top three teams.
Girls’ ‘B’ Race
There’s no denying that Exeter is the cream of the crop in this race. The top-ranked team in New Hampshire boasts a formidable tandem in twin sisters Alexis Paterna and Brianna Paterna.
Alexis is the individual favorite after winning the recent Hopkinton XC Festival in New Hampshire with a personal-best 16:54.60. She also captured last month’s Manchester (N.H.) Invitational in 17:56.70 and has the 4:42 mile speed to make her tough to beat.
Brianna Paterna is one of four runners in the field who have broken 18 minutes. She finished fourth at the Hopkinton race, clocking a personal-best 17:51.60.
Look for Canton’s Lauren Raffetto and Boston Latin Academy’s Sara Blanco to contend up front. Raffetto finished second at the Bay State Invitational with a 15-second personal best of 17:45.30. Blanco owns a best of 17:52.30, which she recorded while placing third in her race at the Bay State Invite.
With the potential to place all five scoring runners among the top 20, Exeter is a heavy favorite to capture the team title. Barrington (R.I.) and Boston Latin Academy are among the teams that could contend for runner-up honors.
Boys’ Red Race
The individual race shapes up to be a competitive one, with 12 runners boasting season best under 16 minutes and separated by just 22 seconds in the seeded section. The No. 1 seed is Boston Latin’s Bradon Spiess, who finished third in the “B” race at the Bay State Invitational two weeks ago in 15:34.0.
With so much talent packed into such a tight window, picking a winner will be difficult, and no single runner stands out as a clear favorite. Benjamin Barron of Whitinsville Christian clocked a best 15:34.10 at the recent Twilight Invitational. Samuel Youngs of Coe-Brown Academy (N.H.) is another contender after finishing third at the Hopkinton XC Festival with a PR of 15:43.40.
Other runners to watch include Newton North’s Ryan Costello (15:36.0), Boston Latin Academy’s Adam Kramer (15:46.0), Lincoln-Sudbury’s Josh Gamel (15:50.7), and Pinkerton Academy (N.H.) teammates Oscar D’Amelio (15:51.70) and Jason Robie (15:51.90). With so many runners separated by so little, expect a sizable lead pack, potentially six or more runners, to remain in contention for much of the race.
The team competition should be just as compelling. Three of the state’s top 10 teams in the New Balance Power Rankings are scheduled to compete – No. 3 Newton North, No. 4 Concord-Carlisle and No. 5 Lincoln-Sudbury.
New Hampshire will also be well represented, with Coe-Brown, Pinkerton Academy and Oyster River holding the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 spots, respectively, in their state’s rankings. Based on results this season, Coe-Brown appears to have the edge in the team competition. Still, don’t be surprised if one of the Bay State squads makes a run at the team title.
Boys’ Silver Race
Like the Red race, this could be decided in the closing stages, perhaps even in the final stretch. Triton’s Cassidy McBee headlines the field as the No. 1 seed after breaking 16 minutes for the first time at last week’s Twilight Invitational. His personal-best 15:54.80 earned him ninth place in the Small School race.
Catholic Memorial’s Gerard Stock and Daniel Kaleba are also among the top seeds, entering with times of 16:05.70 and 16:08.50, respectively. The Knights’ teammates clocked those times while finishing second and third at last month’s Vineyard XC Invitational. They’ll have the advantage of racing together, potentially working off each other throughout the race. Both could factor into a potential 1-2 finish.
Archbishop Williams’ Nick Antonellis is another contender after running a PR of 16:08.60 at the Bay State Invitational two weeks ago.
Other runners who could finish near the front include Marshfield’s Conor Rightmire (16:27.60), Braintree’s Kyle Koca (16:27.80), Catholic Memorial’s Theo Fitzpatrick (16:35.40) and Marshfield’s Archie Meberg (16:36.20).
The team competition appears close, with Boston College High, Catholic Memorial and Marshfield all possessing the talent to contend. BC High could have an edge, thanks to a smaller gap between its scoring runners.
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SCHEDULE
9 a.m. – Boys’ and Girls’ Freshmen 3K (combined start)
9:30 – Girls’ Junior Varsity 3K
10:00 – Boys’ Junior Varsity 3K
10:30 – Girls’ Varsity ‘A’ 5K
11:00 – Girls’ Varsity ‘B’ 5K
11:30 – Vincent Catano Boys’ Red 5K
12:00 p.m. – Brother Barry Boys’ Silver 5K
