|
Rebounding from a debacle one week earlier, the Bishop
Brady boys' cross-country team qualified for the New
Hampshire Meet of Champions for the first time in a
quarter-century with a fourth-place finish at the Class I State Meet
on Saturday.
Bitter, howling winds at Manchester's Derryfield Park
- giving rise to gusts sufficient in strength to level some teams'
tents - slowed times by an estimated 20-25 seconds from the norm,
but weren't enough to dampen Brady's spirit or slow the Green
Giants' implacable march toward a goal that seemed impossible
fourteen months ago, when Brady boasted just one runner who had
broken 20:00 on a legitimate cross-country course.
The Giants' 172-point effort -- just two points shy
of the third-place Comanches of Coe-Brown -- trailed heavy
favorites Con-Val (55 points) and Hanover (70) by a wide margin, but
put to rest any thoughts Brady was effectively done for the year
after its poor showings at the Plymouth Invitational on Oct. 13 and
the Capital Area Championships on Oct. 20.
Tyler Matzke, a converted running back and
early favorite for the 2001 state title, spearheaded the Green
Giants' effort with a 13th-place finish in his first season of
competitive running. He ran much of the race in tandem with team
leader and spiritual icon Jeremy Huckins (15th), who gutted out a
solid placing in bouncing back from untold ailments suffered in a
serious fall a week ago.
Andrew Milne, rising to the occasion when
needed as always, cranked out a 31st-place finish, while Mike
Walsh, taking his captain's role to heart, ran himself into
virtual oblivion in taking 48th. The team's standing was cemented by
rugged junior Jeff Samson, who turned in the best race of his
life to place 68th in 19:13.
On the girls' side, freshman Ruby Weldon -
patching together a fearless and perfectly executed tactical race -
rose to the occasion with a sixth-place finish. It was the best Lady
Giant effort since Beth Clark's improbable dash to the New England
title back in the 1970's and a sure sign of spectacular things to
come from this gutsy prodigy. Junior Captain Alice Field charged
home in 20th, advancing her to next week's contest and giving
the Brady girls' team two slots in New Hampshire's premier
cross-country showcase for the first time ever.
|
Kevin Beck is
the coach of the Bishop Brady High School Cross Country team.
Kevin is the former CMS Newsletter editor and continuing member of the CMS elite running team. |
