NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Chalk another league title up for the defending boys and girls Hockomock League cross-country champions.
Once again, the Mansfield boys reigned supremacy finishing first with 42 points and won the league title for the ninth consecutive year – finishing 37 points ahead of second place Oliver Ames – while the Franklin girls earned its fourth straight Hockomock League championship in a very close race with 59 points Saturday afternoon at Borderland State Park.
The Hornet boys’ had two in the top 5, from Val Lendvai-Madonna (4th, 16:34.14) and Dan Caughney (5th, 16:36.44), while Mike Duggan (7th, 16:38.88), Dan Romano (9th, 16:42.81), and Mike Yang (17th, 17:16.73) rounded out the scoring. Oliver Ames (79 points) finished second while Taunton (133) narrowly edged Sharon (135) for a third place finish, and North Attleboro (139) rounded out the top five.
For the second straight year, King Philip sent a runner atop the podium as junior Owen Gosner – the favorite coming into the boys race – finished first with a time of 16:07.14. Fellow classmates Dan Moverman of OA (second, 16:23.62) and Ian Flanagan of North Attleboro (third, 16:33.58) rounded out the top three.
Paul Flemming of Sharon (6th, 16:36.83) and Taunton's Jason Henrich (8th, 16:42.32) Attleboro junior Elliot Kelly (10th, 16:44.05) rounded out the top 10.
Much like the Mansfield boys, the Franklin girls did not have a runner finish in the top three, and only had two runners in the top 10 – senior lauren Hagen (4th, 19:38.43) and junior Caroline Knous (8th, 19:55.53). The Panthers also earned solid performances from Sarah Vetrano (14th 20:35.46) and Elaina Rebello (16th, 20:35.46), and freshman Nicole Mucciarone sealed the league title with her 17th place finish (20:53.03) to help edge OA (68 poinys) by nine points. King Philip (112), Mansfield (128) and Stoughton (133), rounded out the top five.
Individually, sophomore Liz Holmes of Foxboro came into the race as the overwhelming favorite and easily took home her first league title with a time of 18:39.15. Attleboro senior Shelby Cuddeback finished second with a time of 19:19.56 and Mansfield junior Sami Carey (19:33.43) rounded out the top three.
Other top 10 finishers included Sharon senior Caroline Sun’s fifth place run of 19:45.41; Mansfield’s Emily Sarkisian (sixth, 19:48.15); OA’s Megan Fitzgerald (seventh, 19:52.33) and Emily Newman (ninth, 20:03.04); and Stoughton sophomore Amy Kelly (20:08.67).