Throughout the week, Bay State Running will take a quick look at some of our top teams and individuals that will be competing at this weekend’s divisional state championships. Here we feature the Division 3A, 3B and 3C boys’ races that will take place at Northfield Mountain
DIVISION 3
At Northfield Mountain
Division 3A
Day/Time: Saturday/11 a.m.
Teams: Greater Lowell Tech, Montachusett RVT, Tri County RVT, Lynn Vocational, Nashoba Valley Tech, Upper Cape Cod RVT, South Shore Voc/Tech, Taconic, Medway, Belchertown, Weston, North Reading, Swamscott, Triton, Norwell, Minutemen Regional, Pentucket, Nipmuc, Oakmont Regional, Hudson, Keefe Tech, Springfield HS of Sci. and Tech, Fairhaven, Sandwich, Norfolk County Aggie, Seekonk, Dennis-Yarmouth, Pathfinder RVT, Salem, East Bridgewater, Quabbin, Abington, Bellingham, Stoneham, Lynnfield, Pittsfield, Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter, Old County Regional Voc-Tech, Winthrop, Cape Cod Regional, Franklin County Tech, Joseph Case Tech
Teams To Watch: Greater Lowell Tech, Norwell
Outlook: In regards to the individual race, who’s battling for second? The clear-cut favorite in this race is Greater Lowell Tech’s Devin Moreau. The GLT senior is having his strongest season on the trails with victories at the Frank Kelley Invitational, Bay State Invitational, Twilight Invitational and the recent Massachusetts Vocational Schools Championships. Moreau has a best this year of 15:04, which he did to win the Small School race on a fast 5K at Twilight. He won the Voke meet in 15:40. Norwell’s Thomas Corbett appears to pose the biggest threat to Moreau, although he’s a long-shot for the win. He was the South Shore League victor in late October, clocking 16:08 at Wrentham. His best was 15:37 at Twilight where he was sixth to Moreau.
In the team competotion, it looks like Greater Lowell Tech and Norwell are the leading contenders with GLT having the edge over its rival. Both rank among the top 10 in the HOKA/BSR Power Rankings for Div. 3.
Division 3B
Day/Time: Saturday/12:30 p.m.
Teams: Granby, Nantucket, Ipswich, Rockland, Northbridge, Excel Academy Charter, Monomoy Regioonal, Wahconah Regional, McCann Tech, Monument Mountain Regional, Bristol County Agric., Hamilton-Wenham, Smith Voc, & Agric., Millbury Memorial, Westfield Tech. Academy, Randolph, Amesbury, Littleton, Lunenburg, Mashpee, Hampshire Regional, Gardner, Cohasset, Clinton, Leicester, Tyngsborough, Uxbridge, Sturgis Charter West, Sturgis Charter East, West Bridgewater, Frontier Regional, Oxford, Blackstone Millville, Carver, Easthampton, Bourne, Innovation Academy, KIPP Academy, Lynn Collegiate, Sutton, Matignon, Douglas, Greenfield
Teams To Watch: Hamilton-Wenham, Hampshire Regional, Littleton
Outlook: The race for the individual title could get interesting. It matches up Northbridge’s Marcus Reilly with Littleton teammates Timothy Rank and Bona Bradshaw. Reilly gets the favorite label here. He won the Div. 3C title last year and was second to Uxbridge’s Aidan Ross at the Meet of Champions. Ross has since graduated and Reilly looks ready to take over the throne. In his final tune-up for this weekend’s race, the Michigan-bound senior breezed to the individual title at the Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational this past Saturday where he was timed in 15:42.80. He was also the SWCL champion last month, clocking 15:52. With a 1:50 best for 800m and 4:06 for the mile, if this race is close, Reilly holds the definitive edge over his competitors. Right now those competitors appear to be Rank and Bradshaw. Rank is the bigger threat to his rival. He’s had a strong season that’s included a fifth-place finish in the Championship race of the Ocean State Invitational, a runner-up finish in the Small School race at the Twilight Invitational and a victory at the Mid-Wach League Championships on Oct. 28, his last race. He has a best of 15:06 from Twilight on a fast terrain that differs from the more challenging 5K that awaits him at Northfield. But Ranks a competitor and we expect he will be making the race honest with Reilly up front. Bradshaw is a legit No. 3 for this weekend. He has a best of 15:26.77 from Twilight and was third at Mid-Wach. A PR effort could put him in the mix, too.
Hamilton-Wenham, which is among the top five in the HOKA/BSR Power Rankings, and Hampshire, a top 10 pick, hold the edge over their competitors this weekend. Look for Littleton to also have a strong race.
Division 3C
Day/Time: Saturday/2 p.m..
Teams: Georgetown, Millis, Ayer Shirley, Mount Greylock, Quaboag Reg., Bromfield, Wareham, David Prouty, Mystic Valley, Springfield International Charter, Boston Collegiate Charter, Maynard, Hopedale, Mahar Regional, Narragansett Regional, Tahanto Regional, Bartlett, Holbrook, Rising Tide Charter, Abby Kelley Foster, Salem Academy, Murdock, Southbridge, Lenox Memorial, Hampden Charter, Parker Charter, Renaissance, Lee, Palmer, Saint Joseph Prep, Hoosac Valley, Pioneer Charter, University Park Campus, John J. Duggan Academy, Sizer School, Mount Everett Regional, Monson, Pioneer Valley Regional, Pioneer Charter, Hopkins Academy, Gateway Regional, Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter, Mohawk Trail Regional, Paulo-Freire Social Justice Charter, Collegiate Charter School of Lowell, Academy of Notre Dame, Cape Cod Academy, North Brookfield, Pioneer Valley Christian Academy
Teams To Watch: Parker Charter, Mount Greylock, Bromfield, Lenox Memorial
Outlook: We’re expecting a solid lead pack of at least four of five runners to be pushing the pace up front for a good portion of this race. Some of harriers we believe with be there are Monson’s Andrew Linkenhoker, Mount Greylock’s Ollie Swabey, Millis’s Ben McCarthy and Parker Charter teammates Henry Jacobsen and Caleb Hatlevig. There is potential for a 1-2 finish by Jacobsen and Hatlevig, who both went sub-16 at Twilight with times of 15:33.27 and 15:42.91, respectively at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds. But it certainly won’t be easy with the talent that’s expected to answer the gun. Linkenhoker, who has a best of 16:01 from Twilight, was fifth at the Mooney Invite with a time of 16:19.30, a race Jacobsen was ninth (16:35.80) and Hatlevig was tenth (16:35.90). Swabey and McCarthy are also sub 16:20 guys. This race could certainly get interesting in the closing stages.
Parker Charter, which averaged 17:30 by its top five in the Small School race at the Mooney Invite, appears to hold the edge in this one. Bromfield, Mount Greylock and Lenox, who along with Parker Charter, are all among the top 10 in our HOKA/BSR Power Rankings, are other teams you have to keep an eye on this weekend.
