Lions will be doing chasing
Steve McChesney and Henry Phelan are no strangers to each other. Last season the Newton South and Lincoln-Sudbury girls’ cross-country coaches, along with their teams, battled for bragging rights in the Dual County League, as well as the EMass and All-State championship standings.
Not much should change this year - except the order. The major meet season gets underway today at Franklin Park with the running of the McIntyre Invitational.
Although Newton South fell to Lincoln-Sudbury during the regular season last year, the Lions won when it mattered most, placing first at the division and state meets. But this year’s MSTCA coaches’ poll predicts a reversal of fortune.
“I’m calling his team the No. 1 team in Massachusetts,’’ said McChesney, putting the pressure on Phelan and company.
But his projection isn’t unwarranted: The Lions graduated star runners Bridget Dahlberg and Kelsey Karys, who finished third and fourth at states, respectively, as well as Olga Golovkina. They return All-Scholastic runner Madeleine Reed and junior Kathy O’Keefe.
The Warriors also graduated three, Jennifer Gossels, Ellie Hylton, and Rachel Potter, but return their top two performers at states, junior Andrea Keklak and sophomore Corey Stock, along with DCL all-stars Claire Arthur, Holly Clarke, and Leah Potter. Lincoln-Sudbury also has an ace in the hole in freshman Megan Broecker, who could give her team the slight advantage.
“Corey Stock held a record in Sudbury, but [Broecker] broke it by 30 seconds,’’ Phelan said. “So she certainly had some great credentials as an eighth-grader.’’
Haverhill, which placed third at states last year, returns all but one of its seven starters, and the veteran Hillies could also make a charge at the Northfield Recreation center, site of the state championship Nov. 21.
All-Scholastic and Merrimack Valley Conference Runner of the Year Julie Solimine will be back, along with seniors Christine McNaughton, Devin Tatro, Corinne Clifford, and Mary and Beth Fullerton.
Haverhill coach Mike Maguire said sophomores Jillian Meserve, Bridget Twomey, and Sam Kelleher are also in the mix.
“She was an outstanding runner and leader,’’ Sawyer said. “Her personality just created enthusiasm with everybody, and [she] really led the program for four years in a row. She will be hard to replace, obviously.’’
This placed the Generals second in the coaches’ poll behind Bishop Feehan, a team returning a strong nucleus: Anisa Arsenault, Jenn Thomas, Erin Murphy, Viviana Hanley, and Erin Svenson.
Dennis-Yarmouth, previously an EMass Division 2 team, moves down a notch to Division 3 this season, placing it at the top of the state competition. And the Dolphins are already returning a strong roster, only losing their No. 5 runner.
“On the squad that won the state meet, we’re returning four of the top five scorers, so we look very good on paper for that reason,’’ Collins said.
The Hornets, who return Patrick McGowan, Brendan Boyle, and Matthew Hernon to a team currently ranked No. 1, will bring a newcomer into the mix: senior Jeffrey Boyle, Brendan’s brother.
“He’s not returning from any of our previous squads, but he’s immediately going to be making an impact,’’ she said.
Depth appears to be the Hornets’ only weakness.
“Last year our pack was really six men strong,’’ Collins said. “So if one of the top five went down, the sixth man was already right there, so we were a lot more confident going into big meets. This year there’s a little bit of a gap between the top four and the fifth man so everybody’s got to stay very healthy.’’
Behind Mansfield is a hungry Lowell squad.
The Red Raiders finished eighth at states, but have key newcomers in sophomores Nathan McCarthy and Alex Andujar, whom coach Phil Maia believes could provide a spark.
“I think the coaches are trying to put a jinx on me by putting us right up there in the poll,’’ Maia joked. “Thankfully we don’t pay too much attention to that.
“The kids came into the season obviously having done some work in the summer, and I think if it all comes together and we avoid the injury demon, we should be in good shape.’’
But health is an issue, with No. 2 runner Evan Tuohy-Bedford recovering from a broken leg that he suffered two weeks into the spring season.
Dennis-Yarmouth coach Tom Lonergan said he plans on resting Tuohy-Bedford a bit to make sure he’s healthy when it counts most.
Seekonk returns six of its top seven, and most importantly, senior Johnny Gregorek, who placed second at states.
Warriors coach Eli Mello said the team trained this summer and started talking about preparing for Northfield Mountain as early as the end of last season.
Fall major meet schedule
■ Today: McIntyre Invitational, Franklin Park
■ Oct. 17: Bay State Invitational, Northfield
■ Oct. 17: Catholic Memorial Invitational, Franklin Park
■ Nov. 7: MSTCA Coaches Invitational, Wrentham
■ Nov. 14: MIAA EMass championships, Franklin Park
■ Nov. 21: MIAA state championships, Northfield
