The Next Great One

With the state meet taking place tomorrow, I keep wondering who will emerge next year as the next dominant Mass. high school distance runner. In other words, who will take up the mantle of expectations and achievements that attends the very best runners that Massachusetts produces? I'm thinking of runners like Jonathon Riley, Abdirizak Mohammed, Said Ahmed, Andy Powell, Franklyn Sanchez, Victor Gras, Chris Barnicle, and yes, Mark Amirault and Ryan Collins. Who will be next?

And before I take a beating for ignoring Massachusetts' girls, I want to point out that Emily Jones, Bridget Dahlberg, and Kristen Kasper are all sophomores. Even with the graduations of Jess Barton and Colleen Wetherbee (and Caroline O'Laughlin and Sydney Fitzpatrick and Colleen McNaughton), the ranks of fine distance runners who will be back next year is impressive.

But on the boys side, there appears to be a vacuum.

Well, there is Robert Gibson, and he seems poised to emerge as the dominant distance runner of his year, but I wonder if he will take the next step to become what we think of as a great runner -- someone who makes an impact on the national scene.

Are we in for a lull, or is the next great male distance runner, even now, planning out a summer of training that will have him winning big XC races in the Fall? Is it someone we already know -- a junior like Gloucester's Liam Anastasia-Murphy or a sophomore like Medford's Phil Galebach? Is it Hamilton-Wenham's Gabe Pacione? Oliver Ames' Mike Moverman? Is it Charlestown sophomore Omar Aden?

Or could it be someone we have never heard of, someone who has been playing soccer and is ready to give running a try? Could it be someone who moves into this area with an already-impressive resumé -- someone like Riley who was already a special runner when he moved to Brookline?

There is only one thing I am sure of, and that is that even if no national-class runner emerges next year, it is only a matter of time before a "great one" emerges and stirs memories and comparisons with great ones of the past.