Marblehead’s dynamic duo of senior Isaac Gross and sophomore Merri O’Connell showed Saturday why they’re widely considered two of the best cross country runners in the state.
Gross, a senior captain for the MHS boys, and O’Connell, the sophomore dynamo for the Magicians’ girls team, each finished in second place in the State Cross Country Championships at Fort Devens.
Gross was just the third Marblehead male to place in the top three in this race in the last 25 years. His 16:04.50 time trailed only winner Adam Balewicz of Nashoba Tech.
As a team, Marblehead placed third in the Division 2 boys race with 146 points. Like Gross, it was just the third time in the last quarter-century that the Magicians had finished that high at states.
Nate Assa crossed the finish line in sixth place (16:13.12), with fellow junior Will Cerrutti (8th, 16:21.66) close behind. “They had their best races of the season,” coach Brian Heenan said.
Sophomore Henrik Adams (73rd, 17:48.95), Will Cruikshank, Jonah Potach, and senior Ryan Blestowe added to the Magicians’ depth.
“Our senior group led the team to a terrific year in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season,” said Heenan. “That is a testament to their work ethic and leadership.”
In the Division 2 girls race, O’Connell concluded a spectacular 10th grade season on the trails for Marblehead with a second place time of 18:43.89. That was just five seconds off the top spot recorded by Holliston’s Maggie Kuchman, and a 31-second improvement on this same course from a year ago..
“It was a difficult week of practice for the young runner,” head coach Will Herlihy said of O’Connell, “but our greatest triumphs are often born from great adversity, and this was the best race of her already impressive career. She pushed the lead pack throughout the race, and was starting to pull away from the second and third runners when the eventual winner made a move with around 600 meters to go.
“Marri had the fastest time for any sophomore in all three divisions, the sixth-fastest time on the course across all three divisions, and the best individual finish for a Marblehead runner since Shalane Flanagan won the meet in 1999,” Herlihy added.
As a team, the Marblehead girls placed 18th overall, with senior Cat Piper (87th, 22:01.33) and junior Maren Potter (22:04.49) running well.
Also in the Division 2 girls race, freshman Emily Sullivan (59th, 21:31.98) had a solid showing for Danvers.
Another third place team showing was turned in by the Hamilton-Wenham boys in Division 3. The Generals, who finished with 140 points, trailed only Parker Charter Essential (63) and Weston (118).
Junior Ben Rich led H-W with a ninth place finish (16:30.95), followed closely by classmate James Regan (16:35.51) in 11th. Freshman Cole Regan also had a fine day in his first state championship race, placing 31st overall (17:20.30). Junior Clark Glidden (42nd, 17:30.23) also earned valuable points for the Generals.
Hamilton-Wenham’s girls finished fifth in Division 3, thanks in large part to great races freshman Grace Rich, who took ninth place overall in 19:30.23; fellow ninth grader Asa Labell, who crossed the finish line 12th overall in 19:57.08; and junior Charlotte Madden, who finished 13th overall in 20:03.21 for the Generals.
The Division 1 boys race saw Beverly place 18th as a team, led by senior Riley McGoldrick (77th, 17:02.22) and sophomore Jason Provost (82nd, 17:03.12). St. John’s Prep finished 20th overall, with junior Daniel Padley (66th, 16:54.78) and freshman Mateo DeOrio (87th, 17:07.62) paving the way.
Eighth graders Ella Braz (84th, 20:44.59) and Lauren Foley (92nd, 20:51.31) were the top two finishers for Peabody in the Division 1 girls race. Junior Leah Buckley (99th, 20:56.73) also ran well for the Tanners.
Theia Giantis acquitted herself quite nicely for Swampscott in the Division 3 girls race, taking 67th overall (22:00.19).