NE#1 Newton South girls nip NE#2 L-S again
Fifth runner provides final margin in Eastern showdown; Emily Jones blazes again in Central;
Galebach outkicks Aden for Eastern boys; 3rd win for Kasper, 4th for Lanois
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|  | Photos by Jeannette Seckinger
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Eastern Team Champs:
- D1 - St. John's Prep boys 91 over Methuen 110: Newton South girls 29 over Lincoln Sudbury 35
- D2 - Mansfield boys 94 over Whitman-Hanson 110; North Andover girls 119 over Masconomet 120
- D3 - Wellesley boys 73 over Oliver Ames 79; Bishop Feehan girls 62 over Wellesley 122
- D4 - Pembroke boys 109 over Seekonk 114; Hamilton-Wenham girls 27 over Newburyport 120
Central Team Champs:
- D1 - Nashoba boys 56 over St. John's 80; Wachusett girls 53 over Groton-Dunstable 96
- D2 - Whitinsville Christian boys 70 over Nipmuc 98; Bromfield girls 51 over Sutton 68
Western Team Champs:
- D1 - Amherst Regional boys 40 over Northampton 82; Amherst Regional girls 43 over Pittsfield 92
- D2 - Southwick-Tolland Reg. boys 62 over Mt. Greylock Reg. 81; Holyoke girls 27 over Mt. Greylock 81
Eastern Mass Highlights
- NE#1 Newton South girls again nosed out their rivals from NE#2 Lincoln-Sudbury in the D1 race, pulling away on the last two girls to score 29 to L-S's 35. The two teams placed 8 runners in the top 10, with South pulling out a 44-second spread. South's 29 was lowest ever for D1 winner. Haverhill followed with 90
- Lincoln-Sudbury soph Andrea Keklak nipped Newton South jr Madeleine Reed at the line, with both at 18:20, for the individual D1 girls crown
- The boys D1 individual race was just as tight, with Medford sr Phillip Galebach nipping Boston Latin Acad. sr Omar Abdi Aden, with both at 15:54.
- St. Johns Prep boys started 4-7 and scored a solid 21-22 for their 3rd and 4th en route to a 91 point total in D1, 19 better than Meuthen.
- The D2 girls race saw North Andover get a victory from senior Kristen Kasper and hold on for a 1-point win over Masconomet, 119-120. Kasper's 18:18 won by 35 seconds and was the best of the day. It was also 2nd best at Franklin Park this year and #20 all-time. She has won 3 titles, in 05, 07, and 08 (missed 06 with injury).
- Mansfield's Matt Hernon was the best 5th-man on the course, helping his team pull away with 94 points, 16 ahead of defending champ Whitman-Hanson in D2 boys. Mansfield also won in 2005 and 2006. Dennis-Yarmouth jr Max Darrah, a transfer from D4 Mashpee and just 3rd there last year, won with 16:16.
- The Bishop Feehan girls had a 53-second spread and rolled to its 3rd straight D3 victory with 62 points, almost doubling up Wellesley's 122. Oliver Ames jr Jenna Davidner was decisive individual champ, her first title, in 18:32.
- Wellesley surprised by using a 6-7-8 start and a strong 16th from their 4th to score 73 and hold off Oliver Ames in D3 boys (79). Ames sr Mike Moverman won by 45 seconds in 16:03, just five ticks off his best Franklin time of 15:58.
- Hamilton-Wenham's girls had the most dominant performance of the day, scoring 27 in D4 with 5 in the top 10 for their 4th straight title. It was the lowest point total ever in D4. They won by 93 over Newburyport and had the individual champ with senior Emily Lanois (18:37). It was the 4th straight title for Lanois, the only runner ever to accomplish that feat.
- Bedford’s Jon Gault won his first title (second last year) as he had a 12 second win over Sam Rakoc (Swampscott) 16:10 to 16:22 in D4. Pembroke boys won the schools first cross country title as they tallied 109 pts. to edge Seekonk (114) and Bedford (119).
Central Mass Highlights (2.9M)
- Westborough jr Byron Jones nipped Nashoba jr Brendon Aylaian, 14:38.0 to 14:39.4, for the D1 boys crown.
- Nashoba's boys put 4 in the top 11 for 56 points in D1, 24 better than Saint John's 80.
- Gardner jr Stephanie Ellis ran 17:21 for a 12-second individual win in D1
- The Wachusett girls put 5 in the top 18 for a decisive win in D1, scoring 53 to runner-up Groton-Dunstable's 96. Algonquin was another four points back in 3rd.
- In girls D2, 2-time Foot Locker Finalist and Bromfield sr Emily Jones ran 16:08 for a huge 1:42 victory, leading her team to a 51-point total, 17 better than Sutton. Bromfield has the best average time of either class.
- In boys D2, Grafton sr William Faden ran 14:49 to win by 13 seconds. Whitinsville Christian scored 70 to win by 28 over Nipmuc.
Western Mass Highlights
- Ludlow sr Zach Pietras took the boys D1 title in 16:55, 13 seconds better than Erik Dunn-Gaudet.
- Amherst Regional's boys put five in the top 13 to dominate D1 boys with 40 points, more than doubling up Northhampton.
- Taconic went 1-2 in girls D1, with freshman Harmony Edwards-Per topping soph Chandler Ortega, 20:02-20:13.
- Amherst Regional also controlled the girls D1 race, scoring 43 to Pittsfield's 92. Taconic was 3rd with 106.
- Holyoke Catholic sr Kristen Veit took the D2 girls with the day's best time, 19:36, winning by a minute. Holyoke ruled the team race with 27 points, tripling Mt. Greylock's 81.
- Southwick-Tolland sr Kevin Kersh won the D2 boys in 17:23, leading his team to victory with 62 points, 19 up on Mt. Greylock.
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