Around the BSC

Congratulations to the North squads on their lopsided wins against Norwood yesterday.

At the midpoint of the BSC XC schedule, the strong teams have come emerged, and most of the really interesting head-to-head matchups remain.

Girls
The three top girls teams in the league are Newton North, Wellesley, and Weymouth. NN and Weymouth are undefeated at 5-0. Wellesley lost its dual meet against Weymouth while missing its top two runners. On Oct. 5th, North takes on Wellesley at Walpole. On Oct. 18th, North runs against Weymouth at Cold Springs Park, a race that will feature a marquee individual matchup between Jess Barton and Becca MacDonald.

Current BSC girls standings:

Newton North 5-0
Weymouth 5-0
Wellesley 4-1
Needham 3-2
Natick 3-1

Boys
Five boys teams have separated themselves from the pack. They are Brookline, Needham, Newton North, Wellesley, and Weymouth. Despite their 2-3 record, Needham has been the most improved team in the league, running well in losses to Brookline and Newton, and coming within one second (ouch!) of tying Weymouth yesterday. Brookline looks very deep, with six runners at 17:30 or better for 5K. Wellesley is similar, with perhaps the deepest team in the league. Wellesley easily handled Weymouth, although the race was held at Elm Bank Park, which is very short and very flat. Weymouth might be better on a longer and hillier course. Newton North improves every day, with three of the league's best in Polgar, Brecher, and Jampol, and two future stars in Seb Putzeys and Ben Chebot. For other teams in the league who were hoping to take advantage of North's "rebuilding" year, don't start celebrating your victory yet. It will be a wild October for North, with three of their toughest meets coming on Oct 5 (Wellesley, at Walpole), Oct 18 (Weymouth, at home), and Oct. 25 (Brookline, at Larz Anderson Park).

Current BSC boys standings:

Brookline 5-0
Newton North 5-0
Wellesley 5-0
Weymouth 4-1
Natick 3-2
Needham 2-3