Bay State Conference Championships: Needham, Newton North Best of the BSC !

Bay State Conference Championships
Mike Miller
 
 
NORWOOD- There was something in the air at Coakley Middle School on Saturday. Maybe it was the moisture-free course that runs around the fields and woods of Norwood. Maybe it was the perfect temperatures in the low 50's. Maybe it was the pre-race meals everybody ate.
 
Or maybe it's just that the Bay State Conference is becoming just that good.
 
Boasting the #6, #12, #17, and #18 boys teams and the #3, #4, #14, and #15 girls teams, the BSC is considered by most the state's deepest league. Given the elite status of its individual champions, Needham's Margie Cullen (18:01) and Newton North's Gabe Monatgue (15:13), the story of the meet can be told in one word- fast.
 
The girls race was considered a battle between #3 Needham and the field, with the field a decided underdog. After Cullen set the tone with a 5:35 opening mile, she had plenty of company, with teammate Sarah Armstrong in tow, as well as Weymouth's Ashley Betts and Kelly and Kacie Higgins, Wellesley diaper dandy Grace Rademacher (that's a freshman, for those who don't speak Dick Vitale), Walpole standout Allie Morris, and Natick star Sarah Lagan. The early pace didn't scare of the chase pack either, as another 12 runners battled for spots 9-20. While the Wildcats held an advantage, with three runners in the top 8 early, Needham was taking control of the chase pack, burying the field with another 5 runners in the top 22.
 
At the race's halfway point, Cullen was taking control, easily en route to a course record, a record that was sure to be broken when the sun came up in the morning. Lagan followed suit, and stayed close until the final mile, finishing second in a personal best time of 18:16. The races began immediately after, as Sarah Armstrong gave Needham an insurmountable lead in 3rd (18:25), but Weymouth's pack started flooding in, with Betts in 4th (18:30), Kelly Higgins in 5th (18:32), and Kacie Higgins (18:51) outlasting Rademacher (18:53) for 7th, just behind Allie Morris (18:33). The Needham train began rolling in at this point, with first time harriers Kaleigh Hughes (18:55) and Sammy Lerner (18:57) leading tough as nails Katie Horton (19:06) to a 5 in the top 10 scenario. As good as the Rockets were, the scary thing is that Julianna Donovan, returning from early season injuries, hasn't shown her best just yet, although her 14th place finish (19:12) bodes well for what's to come. Needham's 34 points was an incredible feat, given the strength the league has sown all year long. Weymouth (66) was 2nd, furnishing a 19:06 team average, thanks to an 18th place personal best finish from Katie Leahy (19:30). Walpole, led by Morris, Jackie Applin (19:18, 15th), and Kristen Coyne (20th, 19:33) was 3rd with 108 points. Rounding out the top 5 were Wellesley (4th, 115), and Newton North (5th, 130), who edged Brookline by 3, thanks to great races from Evie Heffernan (13th, 19:11) and Sonya Jampel (16th, 19:22). Another standout effort came from Milton's Colette O'Leary (12th, 19:07), a freshman, and sophomore Mairead Dambruch (16th, 19:23). A final thought... in 2012, a year in which 3 BSC girls teams made the All State meet, exactly 8 girls broke 20:00 at the BSC Championship. This year, 10 girls broke 19:00, showing the growth this league has made in just one calendar turning.
 
Weymouth won the JV race, thanks to a 1-2 punch from Sara McIsaac (20:51) and Alycia Carney (21:01), each seniors who took off from the field at the mile marker. Walpole's Steph Forester (10:28) outlasted Nina Carr (10:31) of Brookline for the freshman girls title, but Brookline used four in the top 10 for the team win.
 
The boys race had a similar feel to the girls, with Gabe Montague shaking off his defeat by Owen Gonser and Christian Stafford at last weekend's Twilight Invite, by simply dominating the field, crushing yet another course record, one that has seen harriers like Steve Sollowin in recent years tearing up the Coakley grasses. Montague attacks courses like a lineman at a buffet, he starts out fast and ends faster. #6 Newton North has been far from a one-man sideshow in 2013, as Mike Scholicting (15:24) is the yin to Monty's yang, often sidling him until the race's bitter end. Nobody expected that twosome to be broken, and an early surge by the two ensured that. That 1-2 punch simply wouldn't have been enough, so Jared Freedman (8th, 16:10) and Max Brandl (11th, 16:14) did their jobs, giving North four seniors in the meet's top 11, making them nearly unbeatable. But, in this league, Brookline, Wellesley, and Needham do something the nearly flawless North doesn't do quite as well- they pack in 1-5. There were 35 seconds separating Brandl and freshman sensation Fred King (30th, 16:48), enough to open the door for the Rockets and Warriors to displace the future star.
 
North's Jim Blackburn knew 52 points should be enough, with so many teams battling behind him, but Chris Van Cott's Needham team gave the Tigers a scare for the ages. Adrian Amaya (4th, 15:47) has returned from a hip injury to best ever form, and battled Tom D'Anieri of Wellesley (15:42) for the 3rd spot. John Benner (7th, 16:05), Drew Khalaj (13th, 16:17), and Tommy Kelley (16th, 16:28) make up Needham's horrifying sophomore class, one that CVC feels could bring Needham good fortune in two weeks. Remarked Van Cott, "all year we've been pointing toward the conference championships to set us up for the post season. Our team is really coming together at the right time and yesterday the boys went out there and competed very well."
 
Needham (63) edged Brookline (75), a typical full-team effort from Mike Glennon's band of lesser known, under the radar Warriors, who like their namesake, will be waiting in the weeds for anyone who fails to take them seriously in Wrentham. Emmanuel D'Agostino (5th, 16:01) led the way for Brookline, but the surprise came in the names of Ben Pollack (14th, 16:26) and Noah Lindeman (15th, 16:27). Ben Griswold (6th, 16:05) and Danny Palladino (9th, 16:12) joined D'Anieri to bring Wellesley to a 4th place finish with 89 points. Other top finishers included 10th place Weymouth junior Zach Prescott (16:14), and 14th place Framingham's Michael McDonald (16:15).
 
Needham's future was on display with a dominating 35 points from its freshman team, led by an eye opening 8:33 torching of the 2500 meter course by Matt Mahoney. Brookline, always the league's deepest program, thanks to Mike Glennon's next man up approach, expectedly dominated the JV race, one that featured a ridiculous 24 runners under 18:00. Evan Baker (17:01) and Hal Triedman (17:14) were the first two Warriors to cross the line.
 

Comparisons to other courses, leagues, seasons, or teams aside, the Bay State Conference is simply flying right now. 

Bay State Conference Championships

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Girls Highlights

Boys Highlights

 

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