Massachusetts Division 1 Cross Country Overview:

Underclassmen will prevail again.

By Jake Klim

The state meet, it is the most important race of the year and few teams know how to run it.  It is all about running the right race at the right time of the season.  Some teams are naturally good at it, their coaches know how and when to peak them while others picked favorites fall apart near the beginning of November whether it be by injury, senioritis, boredom or lack of care.  It seems that every year David Dunsky’s Fisherman of Gloucester are able to pull through in the end and excel in the races that count the most; the class meet and of course the all state meet.  It is a team that always seems to be in the spotlight, this was their 6^th consecutive State Championship and they will most likely have more to come being a young team where only 2 of the top 7 will be lost to graduation.  The other Division One champion has never won a state championship in the sport of cross country.  Barnstable High School known for its always competitive football program and its 4 peat (going on 5) state champ volleyball squad, has a new team to cheer for.  The dark horse band of primarily underclassman set the stage and bested Amherst by a miniscule 2 points, proving the old saying that “every runner counts.”

Gloucester is equipped with 4:15 miler Tristan Colangelo and held together by a depth that includes 9:40 2-miler junior Josh Palazola, top of the state sophomore Sean Murphy, senior Shawn Milne and junior Eric Smith.  The top 7 loses the likes of Colangelo and Milne but looks forward to the successes of underclassman Ross Thoms and promising frosh Joey Brancaleone.  There middle school program is one of the finest, year in and year out Gloucester always seems to have great freshman that right off the bat compete and usually triumph in the Bay State Invitational freshman race.  Colangelo’s next mission is qualifying for Nationals in Florida at Van Cortland Park this Saturday, a feet that no Gloucester runner has done thus far-(to my recollection). 

Barnstable is a team that is rarely associated with cross country.  Both boys and girls squads have improved over the past few years from losing dual meet records to state qualifiers.  This year a band of underclassmen led on the trails by superfrosh Amy Lyon, took it to the top by becoming the first cross country squad in Barnstable history to be crowned state champions. Only the boy’s team back in 1997 ever had a better placing at the state meet-5^th.  Like Gloucester the Red Raiders will not lose many varsity runners to graduation, only three, Co-captain Jaime Brocato, Maia Sauro and Connie Upton.  The other captain Kate Klim will return as will Lyon’s older sister Kate.  Along with Klim and the Lyon sisters, Barnstable boasts the talents of Audra Callo another freshman that will be sure to step it up a notch in her three years to come.  The younger Lyon bested all her Old Colony League rivals by finishing 14^th in the 136-girl race with a time of 20:08, just over a minute off race winner Kate Polizzotto from Nashoba Regional.  Her sister followed in 23^rd with the remaining point scorers finishing in a tight wrapped pack (42^nd 48^th and 51^st).  Coach Keith Caldwell made his team train all season for the special day by running repetitive hills at the local golf course and alongside powerlines.  An exuberant team cried with joy when hearing of their triumph but their success does not end here.  Look for the fairly young team to shed more tears next year at Franklin Park-home of the 2000 MA Cross Country Championships.