We didn’t forget—we were just waiting for another week of competition to get a clearer picture.
For our final preview of the outdoor season, we feature the boys’ middle- and long-distance events, including the 800-meter run, mile and two-mile.
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800m
Last year was a strong year for the 800m. By season’s end, 12 broke 1:54, with another dozen under 1:55. Graduation took away eight from our top 10 and four of the first six finishers from the Meet of Champions.
Still, despite the losses, we’re expecting another strong season for the two-lapper, with plenty of competitors who should make this outdoor campaign a memorable one.
Among the returnees are Brookline’s Harry Flint and Arlington’s Nico Peukert, the respective third- and fifth-place finishers at MOC.
Flint enters with a best of 1:53.10 from that meet and is already closing in on that mark, winning the Nashua North Invitational this past Saturday in 1:53.72. A fierce competitor, he pairs speed and endurance with a range that spans from 23 seconds for 200m to 4:21 for the mile.
Peukert showed this past winter that he can deliver in championship races. He earned his first individual title at the MOC by capturing the 600m in a personal best 1:21.49. In the 800, he ran 1:53.03 last spring to win the Division 2 title and placed fifth at MOC in 1:54.94.
Newburyport’s Michael Mohoric looks ready to make a big push this season. After an indoor campaign that included bests of 2:30.03 (1K) and 4:15.46 (mile), the Clipper senior carried that momentum into the BSR Eagles Invite, where he cut three seconds off his previous best with a winning time of 1:54.88. That performance puts him firmly in the mix to dip into the low 1:50s.
There several others that you can’t count out to post some of our state’s fastest times. Among them, are Billerica’s Shane Leslie, Lowell’s Denzel Kisekka, and Boston Latin’s Ryan Collins
Mile
In the state’s rich history of distance runners, 21 have broken 4:10. We feel this season we have a chance to match 2024 when we saw three break the mark, including former Northbridge great Marcus Reilly, who set the current state record of 4:01.16 at the New Balance Nationals.
Leading the group are Natick”s John Bianchi, Billerica’s Shane Leslie and Falmouth’s Silas Gartner. Bianchi, the indoor mile titlist, is on the verge of going under the mark during his final high school season. He as run 4:11 three times, racing to an all-time best if 4:11.45 from the New Balance Nationals.
Leslie, a runner-up to Bianchi at the MOC this past winter, was a bronze-medalist at the outdoor championships with his current PR of 4:12.63. Leslie was the fastest for 1,000m during the indoor season where he blazed to a time of 2:28.98. Last week he ran a near best of 1:56.27 to win the 800m at the Ottaviani Haverhill Invitational. It’s only a matter of time before he runs his first all-out mile of the season.
Gartner ran his best of 4:12.92 to place fifth at the BSR Elite Scholastic Meet. The Clipper senior ran 4:13.77 to take runner-up honors at the Apple Bank Hispanic Games. While he’ll likely focus on the two mile at the Meet of Champions, look for Gartner to be teetering in the 4:10 range, too.
There are a few others that should figure in the mix, such as Brookline’s Theodore Butty and Mohoric. They were among a dozen runners that went under 4:20 on the indoor surface. Butty ran a PR of 4:14.73 to placer second at the MOC. Mohoric was third at the MOC with a top time of 4:15.46.
2 Mile
The talent is plentiful in the two mile, too. with Boston College High’s Greg McGrath leading the charge. The Eagles senior ran a limited number of races this past winter, having us believe that he’s saving his best for last. A few weeks after winning the Meet of Champions with a dominant 12-second victory, achieved his early-season goal of breaking nine minutes with a PR of 8:56.84 at the New Balance Nationals.
Could we see McGrath go sub 8:50 this season? He’s only ran six races this past winter. We believe it was partly by design to finish his high school career on a super high note. Thus far this spring. he’s only run one race, easily winning the two mile at the Catholic Conference Jamboree on April 11 in a solid time of 9:22.21. Keep an eye on McGrath in the bigger races this season, including the divisional state meet and MOC. Based on his past history, we can guarantee it will be fast.
After finishing eighth in this race as a sophomore with his current best of 9:07.95, Gartner hasn’t had much luck in this event at the MOC. He didn’t run it during the indoor season in 2025, and was 13th in the spring. This past winter, and expected duel with McGrath never materialized as a sickness prevented him from getting to the starting line. We’re expecting the tide to change this year. At his best, Gartner is capable of going under nine minutes.
Butty is the fastest returnee for last year’s outdoor season. He posted a best of 9:05.17 to take the Div. 1 title. The senior is coming off a very strong indoor season. He’s already run a quality two mile this spring, capturing the individual title at the Nashua North Invitational in 9:27.95.
