In yet another impressive display of talent and determination, the Boys' Cross-Country team went "all in" yesterday to re-capture the ISL Championship trophy by dominating the water-logged and wind-swept terrain of Governor's Academy - along with the fifteen other ISL teams.
For the second year in a row, League All-Star Viraj Deokar '16 won the race. Despite the hostile elements, Viraj was on pace, midway through the race, to re-set the longest-standing course record in the league – 16:18 – established on a sunny and dry autumn day in 1982. But a slip-up in the mud and the recovery from a wrong turn, slowed him enough to cost him crucial seconds. So Viraj finished in 16:28, having maintained an average 5:18 mile pace through soggy fields, root-veined hills, and even some stretches of punishing pavement. And though the valiant Joey Mullen, Viraj's Roxbury Latin rival, made a strong effort to catch Viraj at the end, Viraj had no intention of yielding. Joey finished second at 16:31.
The Middlesex team total was 40 points, the sum of finishing places for the top five MX runners – and just one point higher than the score earned by the last Middlesex Champions in 2012. This low total (vs. the 76 points scored by 2nd - place St. Paul's) was achieved through astonishing performances by co-captain Lucas Estrada '15 and by Gavin Fujimori '16, who took the 3rd and 4th places in the race. Lucas's superb race might well have been expected, but Gavin had lost to Milton's Connor James just a week ago by 11 seconds, only to turn the tables yesterday and win that contest by 7 seconds.
The remaining two spots were captured by co-captain Miles Petrie '15 and by Will Fletcher '16, who gained 13th and 19th places, respectively, in the field of 112 varsity runners. Miles staunchly resisted the efforts of three St. Paul's runners who were bearing down on him during the last mile of the race, while Will managed, with a remarkable 3rd-mile thrust, to outpace a dozen league competitors who had finished ahead of him in regular-season races.
Matt Kafker '15, in his varsity debut, earned his stripes as a competitor by gaining 34th place, well ahead of some veteran runners from Milton and Belmont Hill, while Gabe Smith '15 struggled into 46th place despite a nasty fall.
The JV team took 5th place in a very competitive field. Eric Dolce '15 led the race for almost two miles but a tumble in the mud cost him the lead. Nevertheless, he "got up again" and finished 6th. Newcomer (this season) Ryan A. Ewing '16 finished in 16th place, just one step – and one second – out of "medal [actually, ribbon] standing."
The boys travel to Vermont Academy next week (Sunday) to defend their title as New England [Division III] Champions. They will again face a few ISL competitors, but the home team, along with such perennial contenders as Canterbury, The Masters School, Greens Farms, and Holderness – to say nothing of the mountainous course at V.A. – will no doubt present new challenges. Then again, this team is again ready to be "all in" for a challenge.
