Oliver Ames senior Landon Sarney, pictured here earlier this season in a dual meet at Borderland, won the D1 All State title by less than a second. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
By Ryan Lanigan || HockomockSports.com
In a dramatic final charge, Landon Sarney powered past John Bianchi and claimed the MIAA Meet of Champions Division 1 individual title right at the finish line.
Sarney entered the final stretch behind Bianchi, but as the finish line inched closer, so did Sarney. He made his move, passing Bianchi and leaning across the finish line to win by 0.26 seconds as seen in dramatic video captured by MetroWest Daily News reporter Tim Dumas.
“I knew he had a pretty sizable gap on me, but I knew from last spring track that I could kind of close a race pretty hard,” Sarney said in an interview with BayStateRun after the race. “I knew I had some leeway and I knew I could kind of close it up a little more and I was able to get it right at the line.”
“[Winning] was definitely a goal coming into it. I never really thought anything else, you know. It’s nothing to lose at this point in the season.”
It capped a dominant season for Sarney, who went undefeated in all five Hock dual meets, set three course records, took first place at the Hockomock League championship, and was second overall in the D1C race where the Tigers took first as a team.
“For an athlete like Landon Sarney, every day, he’s trying to find a way to get just a little stronger, a little faster,” OA head coach Kyle Sousa told HockomockSports.com. “He’s trading miles for inches — hours of training for a few precious seconds on the race course. There is something special about a moment where all those sacrifices add up to achieving something amazing. I watched him pay the price of that win a thousand times over, and it was a historic moment for the team to watch Landon put it all together into such an incredible race.”
Sarney (15:33.28) is the third Tiger all-time to win an all-state title, joining Andy Powell in 1998 and Mike Moverman in 2008, who both took first in the Division 2 All State race.
Oliver Ames finished seventh overall as a team with a score of 250. Brookline had all five of its runners finish inside the top 30 and won the team title with 67 points. Devon McStowe (16:22.64) took 30th while Lawrence Dear (16:54.17) was 72nd. Colin Donahue (17:03.45) and Jake Hauvuy (17:17.58) also scored for the Tigers.
North Attleboro junior Anthony Malakidis capped a strong season with a sixth place finish in the Division 1 race, crossing in 15:58.29. Sharon’s Alex Pinnix (17:02.61), Franklin’s Kyle Twomey (17:03.38), and Attleboro’s Owen Lacaillade (17:04.82) all cracked the top 100 in the Division 1 race at Fort Devens.
In the Division 2 race, Foxboro’s Timmy Chase (17:10.55) took 42nd overall and Canton’s Tristan Grant finished in 18:09.61.
On the girls’ side, Canton junior Lauren Raffetto secured fifth overall to lead the Bulldogs to a second place finish as a team. Raffettoclocked in at 18:28.08, sophomore Adileh Azar crossed in 19:49.51, Lexi Piazza was 35th overall in 20:31.48, Isabella Holland crossed in 20:47.21, and Madeleine Driscoll was the fifth Bulldog across the line in 21:39.46.
Boston Latin Academy took first with 115 points while Canton finished with 149 points.
Foxboro sophomore Emma Dorich capped an impressive season for the Warriors with a 26th place finish, clocking in at 20:06.01.
Junior Kathleen Beaulieu was once again the leader of the pack for Hock runners in the Division 1 race, clocking in at 19:48.58 for 44th overall. The Tigers finished 18th as a team with 454 points with Devin Thomas (20:31.29), Ashley Powers (20:52.08), Erin Reilly (21:42.76), and Norah Dupill (21:49.00) also factoring into the scoring.
Franklin’s Victoria Courtright-Lim capped her senior season with a time of 20:18.69 while King Philip junior Ashley Cleverdon crossed the finish line at 20:57.44.
Oliver Ames senior Landon Sarney continued his torrid run this fall with a second place finish while junior Devon McStowe followed up his impressive performance at Hocks with a sixth place finish to lead the Tigers to the Division 1C title over the weekend at the Wrentham Development Center.
The Tigers had 60 points to edge out Reading, who came in second with 64. Mansfield and Sharon, who came in seventh and eighth respectively, also placed inside the top 10. North Attleboro junior Anthony Malakidis crossed fourth overall and Sharon junior Alex Pinnix was seventh.
After storming to a first place finish at Hocks two weeks ago, OA’s top five runners placed in the top 21. Sarney (15:34.00) was just over four seconds behind first place while McStowe clocked in at 16:03.20 on the 5K course. Senior Lawrence Dear was third for the Tigers and 13th overall at 16:28.50, junior Colin Donahue took 18th overall in 16:42.20, and senior Douglas Smith clinched the win with a time of 16:47.60, good for 21st overall. Junior Jake Hauvuy also had a strong race, crossing the finish line in 17:18.
Pinnix set a new PR with a time of 16:14.30 to lead the way for the Eagles, who finished with 76 points as a team. Mansfield was led by senior Joey Federline‘s time of 17:17.20 (32nd overall) and the Hornets finished seventh overall to qualify for the MIAA Meet of Champions for the first time since 2018. Stoughton junior Matthew Pritchard crossed in 17:22.70 to set a new personal best for 39th, and Milford junior Benjamin Tetreault was right behind him at 17:25.20 for 40th overall.
In the Division 1A race, Franklin had the top finish for a Hockomock team at 12th overall. Junior Kyle Twomey paced the Panthers with a 47th place finish, qualifying for the Meet of Champions with a time of 16:59.50. Attleboro senior Camden Martin and junior Owen Lacaillade crossed the finish together shortly before, both clocking in at 16:52.70 to move on to the Meet of Champions. Junior Jordan Trucchi had the top race for the Tigers at 17:56.00.
King Philip was the lone Hock team that competed in the Division 1B race. Junior Michael Joseph led the way for the Warriors with a 33rd place finish in 16:54.30. In Division 2, Foxboro senior Timothy Chase took 15th overall in the 2B race at the Northfield Mountain Rec Center. Chase clocked in at 17:18.96 for 15th overall while classmate Eamonn Kelly took 36th in 18:23.97. In the 2A race, Canton sophomore Tristan Grant clocked in at 18:09.20 for 32nd place.
Canton, OA Girls Each Take 6th
After running away with the team title at Hocks two weeks ago, Canton took sixth overall at the Division 2A meet in Northfield. Junior Lauren Raffetto was well ahead of the pack but came up just short of first place, taking second (19:38.93) by less than a second to Boston Latin Academy’s Sara Blanco (19:38.16). Sophomore Adileh Azar clocked in at 20:55.82 for 13th overall, junior Isabella Holland was 24th in 21:44.82, and senior Madeleine Driscoll secured 40th overall with a time of 22:28.92.
Back in Wrentham, the Tigers took sixth overall with 189 points in the Division 1C race. Billerica dominated the race with all of its top five runners inside the top 10. Kathleen Beaulieu had the top race of any Hock harrier with a time of 19:57.10, good for 16th overall. Classmate Devin Thomas (20:26.70), seniors Ashley Powers (20:34.80) and Erin Reilly (21:50.10), and freshman Norah Dupill (22:16.30) rounded out the scoring for the Tigers.
Sophomore Cameron Ward clocked in at 21:56.10 to lead the way for North Attleboro, sophomore Iris Nolan was the top Sharon runner in 22:48.60, and senior Alex Leman (23:03.90) paced Mansfield.
In the Division 1A race, Franklin senior Victoria Courtright-Lim qualified for the MIAA Meet of Champions by taking 35th overall in a time of 20:21.80. Junior Annabelle Santiago also had a strong race for the Panthers, clocking in at 20:54.40. Taunton eighth-grader Rylee Levesque had the top time for the Tigers, finishing in 22:05.90, while Attleboro senior Alexa Frackelton clocked in at 22:20.10 to lead the Bombardiers. Over in the D1B race, junior Ashley Cleverdon was 31st overall with a time of 20:41.10. Freshman Lillian Almeida also finished in the top 50, clocking in at 20:57.00 for 42nd overall.
Oliver Ames boys cross country Oliver Ames boys cross country Oliver Ames boys cross country Oliver Ames boys cross country Oliver Ames boys cross country
Canton junior Lauren Raffeto raved away from the pack, winning the girls title at the annual Hockomock Cross Country Championships by more than 30 seconds, helping the Bulldogs win a first team title since 1978. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)
The Hockomock League held its annual cross-country championships on Saturday morning at the Wrentham Development Center. Below are the Hockomock Cross-Country Championship team and individual results.
The Attleboro boys won their third straight Hockomock League championship meet in 2025. (Courtesy photo)The Oliver Ames girls won their first Hockomock League championship meet in over a decade. (Courtesy photo)
The Hockomock League Championships were held at Mansfield High on Saturday morning. Below are the team results and the top eight finishers for each event. You can find the full results here.
1. Josy Brown-Wright, Sharon – 49.23
2. Usman Yusif, Taunton – 49.44
3. Brayden Blennau, Taunton – 50.16
4. John Arruda, Milford – 50.37
5. Aidan Moriarty, Stoughton – 50.60
6. Douglas Smith, Oliver Ames – 52.13
7. Sami Ettahiri, Milford – 52.50
8. Taylor Feliciano, Milford – 52.56
800M
1. Walter Stock, Mansfield – 1:58.29
2. Jonathan Pink, Franklin – 1:59.54
3. Cooper Lawson, Foxboro – 2:00.19
4. Marco Geminiani, Mansfield – 2:00.20
5. Jonathan Tracey, Attleboro – 2:01.04
6. Timothy Chase, Foxboro – 2:01.30
7. Colby Quersher, Mansfield – 2:01.75
8. Eamonn Kelly, Foxboro – 2:02.21
1 Mile
1. Landon Sarney, Oliver Ames – 4:29.19
2. Alex Callanan, Oliver Ames – 4:29.86
3. Ryan Love, King Philip – 4:29.98
4. Matt Sullivan, Mansfield – 4:31.94
5. Kyle Twomey, Franklin – 4:32.37
6. Alex Blumen, Sharon – 4:35.19
7. Lawrence Dear, Oliver Ames – 4:39.37
8. Camden Martin, Attleboro – 4:46.61
2 Mile
1. Landon Sarney, Oliver Ames – 9:35.81
2. Anthony Malakidis, North Attleboro – 9:38.22
3. Joseph Federline, Mansfield – 9:56.24
4. Oscar Feodoroff, Oliver Ames – 10:06.98
5. Alexander Fioravanti, Franklin – 10:08.64
6. Nikita Cherapukha, Mansfield – 10:16.64
7. Marcus Florindi, King Philip – 10:17.53
8. Jordan Trucchi, Taunton – 10:17.56
1 Mile
1. Emersyn DePonte, Taunton – 5:17.53
2. Emilia Smith, Attleboro – 5:21.92
3. Raegan Gagne, North Attleboro – 5:30.91
4. Madeline Barry, Oliver Ames – 5:31.71
5. Hannah Dupill, Oliver Ames – 5:33.27
6. Ashley Cleverdon, King Philip – 5:36.35
7. Molly Galgoczy, North Attleboro – 5:36.80
8. Victoria Courtright-Lim, Franklin – 5:37.28
2 Mile
1. Emilia Smith, Attleboro – 11:02.20
2. Molly Galgoczy, North Attleboro – 11:15.37
3. Raegan Gagner, North Attleboro – 11:35.73
4. Hannah Dupill, Oliver Ames – 11:46.18
5. Ava Picard, Foxboro – 11:50.88
6. Madeleine Stewart, Oliver Ames – 11:55.70
7. Stella Nappa, Franklin – 12:06.71
8. Ashley Powers, Oliver Ames – 12:10.19
100M Hurdles
1. Chloe Dubuisson, Canton – 15:09
2. Ella Chandaria, Franklin – 15.43
3. Hannah Patrick, Oliver Ames – 16.04
4. Madeline Hill, King Philip – 16.28
5. S’staarr Parham, Attleboro – 16.28
6. Sarah Glaser, King Philip – 16.77
7. Kirsten Alexson, Stoughton – 16.99
8. Phoebe Cuneo, Franklin – 17.00
400M Hurdles
1. Alex D’Amadio, King Philip – 1:04.15
2. Chloe Dubuisson, Canton – 1:04.49
3. Julianys Rentas, Milford – 1:08.67
4. Phoebe Cuneo, Franklin – 1:08.70
5. Jordan Egan, North Attleboro – 1:08.75
6. Kirsten Alexson, Stoughton – 1:10.82
7. Sally Hoban, Canton – 1:11.22
8. Renee Leao, Taunton – 1:11.83
4×100 Relay
1. Oliver Ames (Julia Hansen, Grace Okocha, Gabrielle Antebi, Lavender Kozaka) – 49.11
2. Sharon (Imani Vaughn, Linda Jenner, Dharma Trivedi, Nina Kyei-Aboagye) – 49.58
3. Franklin (Jossie Camp, Clara Loukota, Jennifer McLaguhlin, Penelope Brady) – 51.21
4. Milford (Iyanna Correa, Juliana Senna, Madison Ateawung, Julianys Rentas) – 51.38
5. Stoughton (Kirsten Alexson, Anna Nakanwagi, Roudya Barron, Layori Bernardez) – 51.40
6. Mansfield (Ayah Elazzouzi, Aly Fernandes, Avery Gardner, Kayla Warren) – 51.96
7. Taunton (Chloe Blanc, Nevaeh Young, Sophia Hall, Trinity Wilson) – 53.13
8. North Attleboro (Rylie Souza, Madison Bearer, Haleigh Branconier, Genesis Stevenson) – 53.22
4×400 Relay
Hockomock League Outdoor Track Championships 2025
1. Canton (Adileh Azar, Grace Martinek, Chloe Dubuisson, Lauren Raffeto) – 4:06.04
2. Foxboro (Lauren Share, Keira D’Arcy, Lauren Bober, Makayla Donoghue) – 4:11.01
3. Franklin (Lainey Costa, Phoebe Cuneo, Meghan Griffith, Madison Bruno) – 4:11.44
4. North Attleboro (Jordan Egan, Avery Parkinson, Julia Smith, Peighton Gagne) – 4:12.79
5. Oliver Ames (Julia Hansen, Grace Okocha, Katelyn Lemanski, Ryleigh Maher) – 4:13.13
6. Taunton (Sieraa Obazuaye, Sophie Almeida, Renee Leao, Bella Coughlin) – 4:18.42
7. Attleboro (Sophie Grant, Kayden Matlock, Joslyn Lacaillade, Allie McNamara) – 4:22.12
8. King Philip (Ella McDonald, Madelyn Ghostlaw, Ava Quintin, Dani Lomuscio) – 4:23.12
4×800 Relay
Hockomock League Outdoor Track Championships 2025
1. King Philip (Ella McManus, Ashley Cleverdon, Riley DoRosario, Dani Lomuscio) – 9:54.52
2. Oliver Ames (Kathleen Beaulieu, Erin Reilly, Kensie Graham, Hannah Dupill) – 10:00.28
3. Franklin (Savannah Copeland, Victoria Courtright-Lim, Stella Nappa, Annabelle Santiago) – 10:15.55
4. Canton (Isabella Howard, Sofia Anastasiou, Elena Silva, Madeleine Driscoll) – 10:24.72
5. Foxboro (Emam Dorich, Hayden Emerson, Ava Picard, Julia Luck) – 10:31.56
6. North Attleboro (Avery Garand, Wenona Cook, Molly Galgoczy, Raegan Gagne) – 10:35.03
7. Attleboro (Jamie Riley, Josilyn Lacaillade, Daphne Bono, Kenna DiBastiani) – 11:15.69
Shot Put
1. Ella Chandaria, Franklin – 34-00.50
2. Keren Aldana, Attleboro – 33-05.00
3. Abby Baker, Franklin – 31-08.75
4. Isabella Houghton, North Attleboro – 31-07.25
5. Sally Hoban, Canton – 30-09.00
6. Allie Brown, Franklin – 30-05.00
7. Sophia Olaniyan, Taunton – 30-04.00
8. Emme Norgren, King Philip – 29-10.00
Javelin
1. Max Cassinelli, Taunton – 113-10
2. Madeline Hill, King Philip – 105-04
3. Rory Bresson, King Philip – 101-11
4. Isabelle Milot, North Attleboro – 97-10
5. Sally Hoban, Canton – 97-05
6. Colie McGilvray, Attleboro – 95-04
7. Abby Baker, Franklin – 93-06
8. Shayne Dugan, King Philip – 90-07
High Jump
1. Jordan Egan, North Attleboro – 5-00.00
2. S’staarr Parham, Attleboro – 5-00.00
3. Riley Buckley, North Attleboro – 5-00.00
4. Ella McManus, King Philip – 4-10.00
5. Faith Ihenetu-Ehigie, Stoughton – 4-08.00
5. Avery Rivers, Oliver Ames – 4-08.00
7. Ciara Pina, Taunton – 4-08.00
8. Clara Loukota, Franklin – 4-08.00
Long Jump
1. Lavender Kozaka, Oliver Ames – 18-02.75*
2. Chloe Guthrie, Mansfield – 17-11.00
3. Julia Smith, North Attleboro – 16-10.00
4. Gabrielle Antebi, Oliver Ames – 16-03.50
5. Frankie Spagna, Mansfield – 16-01.75
6. Haleigh Branconier, North Attleboro – 15-11.25
7. Julianys Rentas, Milord – 15-05.75
8. Rylie Souza, North Attleboro – 15-02.50
Triple Jump
1. Alex D’Amadio, King Philip – 35-08.00
2. Frankie Spagna, Mansfield – 34-11.50
3. Grace Martinek, Canton – 34-10.50
4. Jossie Camp, Franklin – 34-01.25
5. Bella Coughlin, Taunton – 33-09.50
6. S’staarr Parham, Attleboro – 33-08.50
7. Aida Sfeir, Canton – 33-07.75
8. Julia Smith, North Attleboro – 33-01.25
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History was made last season when Oliver Ames followed up a dominant showing at Hocks with the program’s first-ever Division 1 state championship.
While there will be a new leader of the pack after two-time Hocks champ and MVP Katie Sobieraj graduated, the Tigers are still looking like the team to beat.
OA had six runners in the top 10 and a total of nine in the top 16, six of which are set to return this year: seniors Braelyn Graham, Hannah Dupill, and Madeleine Stewart, juniors Iole Apostoli and Ashley Powers, and sophomore Devin Thomas.
But as the Tigers try to set the pace at the top, they have two potential challengers in an up-and-coming Canton squad and division newcomer North Attleboro, who comes over from the Kelley-Rex after taking first in that division last year.
The Bulldogs are coming off one of their best seasons in recent history after a huge boost from a talented group of newcomers. Sophomore Lauren Raffetto highlights Canton’s strong group of returners, which includes its top 12 athletes from last year. Raffetto is coming off an undefeated dual meet season as a rookie and took fourth overall at Hocks. Captains Klara Redquest, Nishka Baduamanda, and Madeleine Driscoll will provide key leadership for the team while sophomores Elena Silva, Natalie Hales, and Libby Silvasy are key runners looking to take the next step this season. Senior Evey Dwoske and cross country newcomers Lexi Piazza and Athena To give Canton the depth it needs to compete at the top.
“Last year we kind of flew under the radar, but now everyone knows that we can compete,” said Canton head coach Brian Gotsell. “With the spotlight on us, I’m excited to see how we respond.”
Another runner who went undefeated throughout the dual meet is North Attleboro senior Katie Galgoczy. The Rocketeers swept the regular season as a team, too, for their first division title since 2017. Now with the new enrollment alignment will look to challenge five-time reigning division champs OA. Sophomore Molly Galgoczy also had a strong fall, taking 11th at Hocks, and also impressed in the distance events in the winter and spring, and that duo will give North a chance to make a push for the title.
Mansfield senior captain Sierra Wojick has provided some great leadership for a team that has a strong mix of returners and newcomers. After graduating its top two runners from last year, the Hornets will lean on its returners which include Wojick and fellow senior Emily MacDonald along with a talented group of juniors Alex Petrova, Cally Amara, Ava Hickey, and Caroline Cardosa. An influx of new talent could turn Mansfield into a dark horse in the Davenport division. Senior Frankie Spagna will join the squad after some successful indoor and outdoor track seasons, juniors Alex Leman and Anabel Sanchez provide good depth, and sophomores Sarah Farley and Morgan Ferrari along with freshman Marlene Moore will look to make an immediate impact with the squad.
“I am looking forward to seeing what they can do this season,” said Mansfield head coach Carolina DiBiase. “The girls look strong and they are ready to run and improve each week. As a team we hope to work together and pack run, in hopes of bringing along our team members. While we have lost a few key runners from last year, we hope to build on our newcomers. With hard work and injury prevention, we can be competitive.”
Over in Foxboro, the Warriors have the largest roster the program has seen in a number of years. Adriana Alberts, Brenna Hoyt, Elizabeth Brancato, and Shiza Hussain highlight an experienced group of returning runners for head coach Matt Smith. Foxboro’s also picked up some new multi-sport additions to bolster the team’s depth this year including Lauren
Bober, Faith Bober, Chloe McGarry, Liliana Brancato, and Emma Dorich.
The Warriors, who call Payon Field’s 2.5-mile course home, will cover a lot of miles beyond the meets as they will compete at the Martha’s Vineyard Invitational and the Manchester Invitational at Derryfield Park in New Hampshire.
This year our team is coming in with a strong group of returners, as well as several people coming into their first XC season who have the potential to make a big impact,” Smith said. “We’re looking to further build on the foundation we were laying with the incredibly young team we had last year.”
With North Attleboro now in the Davenport division, there will be a new champion in the Kelley-Rex. One of those potential challengers is Franklin, who boasts a talented and deep senior class. Fiona Morrison, Abby Baker, Emma Pruitt, and Carli Walbert are the captains this year and all have a ton of varsity experience on the courses in the Hockomock League. Morrison and Walbert were both Hock all stars in 2022 and will be looking to break back into the top pack of runners this year.
Junior Victoria Courtright-Lim is coming off a strong outdoor track season and could make an instant impact as a newcomer to the Panthers’ cross country team.
“The key to Franklin’s success will be the leadership provided by the senior captains,” said longtime head coach Paul Trovato. “The team will have to run as a pack and utilize the depth of the team.”
One familiar face in the cross country and track world is Taunton senior Emersyn DePonte, who has competed for the Tigers since eighth grade. DePonte is coming off a 13th place at Hocks last fall and then had a terrific spring season, taking first at Hocks in both the 800M and 1 Mile race. Junior Maddie Dias, who also ran distance this past spring, is another returner who will look to build on her first season of cross country last year.
The Kelley-Rex also features some of the top individual runners in the league. Attleboro senior Emilia Smith was second at Hocks last year and will be a contender to win the race this time out.
Senior Sara Lessard will lead the pack for Sharon this year, one of 15 returners for the Eagles. Fellow seniors Sophie Foulger, Jackie Leybovich, Sameera Sarin, Ankita Varigonda, and Amaya Zibrak will let set the tone and provide key leadership for first-year head coach Sara Barbera. Sophomore Selena Wackerle has impressed early on this preseason and has been a consistent runner for the Eagles, and Sharon’s freshman class has shown some potential for the future.
HOCKOMOCK BOYS CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW
While Oliver Ames rolled through the regular season, Sharon pulled off the upset at Hocks and took home first place.
While the longtime rivals won’t go head-to-head during the regular season because of the enrollment realignment in the league, that will only build the anticipation for the league championship meet at the end of the regular season.
Sharon enters the season with high expectations and has every intention of defending the title they won at Hocks last year. The Eagles had eight runners in the top 22 spots and six of those athletes are back this year. Senior Alex Blumen is the top returner in the league after a third-place finish at Hocks and seniors Karthik Pisupati (fifth) and Jacob Slavsky (ninth) give Sharon a three-headed monster that will set the pace at the front of the pack.
Sophomores Alex Pinnix and Matteo Lozano had terrific rookie seasons and will look to build upon them this fall and senior Joe Thomas (22nd at Hocks) gives Sharon great depth as they look to compete for the Kelley-Rex title in their first year in the division. Head coach Ben Stoller is also looking to get contributions from Julian Hoemke, Riley Newbold, and Levi Mostrom throughout the year.
“Our goal is to go 5-0 in the Kelley-Rex, win Hocks, and do some real damage at divisionals and all-states,” Stoller said.
Sharon’s main competition in the Kelley-Rex will be Franklin, the defending champs and a program that has won the title in five of the last seven seasons. The Panthers enter the season looking to build off of last year’s success, which included a third-place finish at Hocks. With one of the largest teams in the league (~50 athletes), leadership will be important and Franklin has four good captains to guide the way: seniors Jonathan Pink, Jack Halter, Alex Fiorvanti, and Manuel Romero. On top of some strong juniors and sophomores eager to make an impact this year, there are some newcomers in the freshmen class who have already shown some great potential.
“The four captains were integral in organizing captains practices over the summer and have helped set up this team for a potentially great season,” said Franklin head coach Nick Bailey.
Youth will be key for King Philip this season after the Warriors have just two of their top seven runners from last season back. Senior captain Noah Lerner and junior Marcus Florindi were among KP’s top runners last year and they’ll be leading the way this season. Head coach John Berdos will be looking at the trio of sophomores Michael Joseph, Cam Murk, and Liam Keleher to take the next step this season after picking up some valuable experience as first-year runners last year.
“We’re also excited to welcome many new rookies to the roster this season as numbers are back up and energy levels are high,” Berdos said.
The boys side will also feature a new winner after the graduation of OA’s Brendan Thomas. The Tigers also lost senior Brody Lake but five other top 21 finishers could help the squad stay at the top of the Davenport division.
Mansfield has a rich program history and this year’s squad features a number of veteran runners. Senior captains Ben Dury and Sean Benvissuto provide head coach Danny Horgan with crucial leadership and juniors Owen DiGregorio, Kiernan Hoff, and Joey Federline are all eager to build off impressive sophomore campaigns. Dury and DiGregorio are coming off top 10 finishes in the 2 Mile race at Hocks this past spring, and Federline and Hoff were both in the top 11 in the same race in the winter so Horgan is expecting key points throughout the season from those runners.
“Half of our roster to start the season consists of first-time cross country runners, so there are a lot of unknowns going into our first few meets,” Horgan said. “However, I’ve been very encouraged by our first few practices and I expect a lot of our newcomers to be scorers for us at some point this fall.”
Canton continues to see a rise in its numbers and this year’s squad, which is the largest in recent history, has 35 harries. Head coach Brian Gotsell will lean on captains Riley Swearingen and Justin Ngan to help incorporate a lot of new faces after graduating half of the squad’s top 10 runners from last year. Sophomore Minh Hong has the potential to be a top runner for the team this year after a strong rookie season, and the Dogs will also look for contributions from Max Mateo, Andrew Kurchak, Tyler Baird, Declan Monahan, Bharat Ramanathan as well as sophomore Lucas Scully, who showed some promise throughout the 2023 season.
“We may be young, but our guys are motivated and excited to learn, grow, and embrace the true meaning of team cross country,” Gotsell said.
Foxboro brings back its top two runners from a season ago as the Warriors look to continue to improve. Juniors Timmy Chase and Eamonn Kelly both have a ton of experience between cross country and track and will lead the pack from the front this season. Head coach Matt Smith is also expecting improved performances from seniors Jack Gilmartin and Cooper Lawson as well as sophomores Henry Thies, Cam Lightbody, and John Anderson.
“This entire group has been hard at work all summer training and logging miles, and everyone is excited to get the dual meet season underway starting next week with a home meet against Canton,” Smith said.
Over in Stoughton, the Black Knights will feature a relatively inexperienced group but one looking to improve on last season. Senior James Bettencourt is one of five seniors on the team but the only one with cross country experience. Senior Will Borges has traded in his cleats from soccer and picked up cross country and could make an immediate impact for the Black Knights.
