2006 Bay State Preview - Boys

In 2006, the Bay State league has one powerhouse team -- Brookline -- and four solid teams competing for second place. In general, however, the league seems weaker this year. At the top, Brookline has the first three returning runners, including likely league champ Robert Gibson. They also have by far the deepest pack. No one will touch them this year unless their quirky coach decides to rest his top seven at some unimportant dual meet (it has happened before).

It looks like Needham, Weymouth, Newton North, and Wellesley will make up the second pack, with the edge going to Needham for second and Weymouth for third. Wellesley and Newton North were both hit hard by graduation. Wellesley lost its 1-3-4-5 runners and will struggle to duplicate their 2005 success (10-1 record). North graduated their top three (league champ David Polgar, league runner-up Doug Brecher, and league all-star Noah Jampol). Ouch! It's asking a lot for North's underclassmen to fill the void completely. Weymouth also lost their 1-2 runners, but return a good group of underclassmen. Needham continues to improve, as returning all-star Sam Miller leads a pack of good young talent.

Among individuals, Robert Gibson should win the league championship, breaking the Newton North stranglehold on the top position. My pick for second is Gibson's teammate Eliot Lehane, who should come into his own this year and surpass his teammate Burnstein for third. Needham's Miller should be in the top five, and Seb Putzys should be up there as well.

TEAM-BY-TEAM CAPSULES

1. Brookline - Head and shoulders better than the rest of the league and picked by some to win the State Championship. Brookline has the top three returners in the league, plus steadily improving Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot (14th last year), JV race winner Matt Stewart, and rising sophomore Ryan Hardiman. All six are legitimate threats to be in the top 12.

2. Needham - Needham has the league's 4th faster returner in junior Sam Miller, and they are hungry. In a weak year, their pack of Kevin Potterton, Jacob Newfield, and Eric Morse might be good enough to take a distant 2nd behind Brookline.

3. Weymouth - They lost their 1-2 from last year, but return several underclassmen with varsity experience. They have no stars, but solid team depth. They should be led by Mark Jordan, Dan Pope, and Ben Chasen, who will surprise many this year.

4. Newton North - Junior Seb Putzys steps into the limelight as North's ace this year, and will be supported by Ben Chebot, Peter Sun (if he shows up!), Tim Abbot (likewise!), and Charlie Krasnow. I also expect Dan Hamilton and Alex Ribner to contribute. It's too soon to tell whether any of the incoming freshman will challenge for varsity spots. North should be good enough to beat Wellesley this year, avenging the infamous tie from 2005.

5. Wellesley - Seriously hurt by graduation, but still dangerous. Will Senior Tom Mayell regain the form he had as a sophomore? Will they find replacements for the loss of four of their top seven? A team full of questions...

6. Framingham - Framingham returns 5 of their top 7, including Alex Chmielinski (33rd last year), who improved a lot in indoor/outdoor track. I have a hunch they will be good enough to break into the top half of the league this year.

7. Natick - Lost 4 of tehir top 7 but might be able to re-load more effectively from an enthusiastic group of underclassmen. It was hard not to pick them ahead of Framingham, and they often improve a lot through summer training... they could make me look foolish if they do well.

8. Norwood - Returns 5 of 7 and should have enough talent to move up a place from last year. If only they didn't let all those hockey players run -- I swear, they slow the rest of the team down.

9. Walpole - Walpole graduated 6 of 7 from the 2005 team, which finished 6th in the Bay State league meet. I don't see reinforcements arriving any time soon, but you never know.

10. Braintree - Braintree clawed its way up to 8th in the league last year on the backs of five seniors. They fall back into the basement this year unless they can find some underclass magic.

11. Milton - A few returners, and home course advantage gives them the edge over Dedham. Actually, they might easily be better than Braintree and Walpole, but definitely a bottom third team.

12. Dedham - Dedham continues to sing the small school blues, struggling to find enough runners to field an effective team. They did not field a varsity team at the league meet last year. Calling Rex Radloff, where are you?