The Plot Thickens

Every so often I am struck by how appropriate it is that scholastic running events are called "meets."

After a certain amount of running and preliminary racing, a deep curiosity sets in among competitors and fans alike wanting to see what will happen when every team that hopes to attain glory arrives at the same place at the same time to battle it out for the highest prize.

We're not there yet.

Early season meets were noted but served only to whet speculation, the Bay State Invitational was missing some of the top teams and athletes (SATs, you know), and yesterday teams scattered to the Catholic Memorial Invite, the Brown Meet, or the Wachusett XC Invitational. And even then, top teams were missing top runners.

So anticipation builds towards the regional championship meets and the All-State meet, with some interesting plot twists:

The Boys D1 race looks very interesting all of a sudden. Newton South has been sitting atop the MSTCA polls, but yesterday 2nd ranked Mansfield won the Championship race at Brown averaging 16:17 for their top five. Not far behind was 3rd-ranked Amherst, averaging 16:20. Brookline was 5th (with David Wilson finishing 2nd in 15:10), and unranked Acton-Boxborough ran well, placing 7th. Meanwhile at Franklin Park, Methuen (ranked way down in 12th) ran an impressive race to finish tied (after five runners) with St. John's Prep as the top Massachusetts teams, and ahead of Newton South (minus top runner Andrew Wortham). Experience counsels: never count out Methuen.

Out West, St. John's (Shrewsbury) dominated the Wachusett XC Invite, placing 5 runners in the top 9 of the large schools race. Nashoba won their division, but with a two-minute spread between 1st and 5th.

As for the girls, Lincoln-Sudbury absolutely crushed the competition at the Brown meet, placing five runners in the top 14, averaging 18:15. Senior Ellie Hylton led the Warriors, running 17:56 for 3rd overall. Back at the CMI ranch, Newton South was calmly placing four runners in the top six, led by Kelsey Karys. The Lions did not field a complete team, however, and Haverhill gladly took the team title with 5 of the top 13 finishers (averaging 19:37).

I admit my Division I bias here, but I can only follow so many threads at once!

Newton North was on the sidelines this weekend, with a dual meet on Tuesday, the league meet next Saturday, and the final league contest against Brookline on Oct. 28th. Then it's on to the EMass meet and, for some, the All-State meet.

But for now, and until teams truly meet when all are present and accounted for and the race really matters, we don't know nothin'.