Arlington boys cross country team gearing up for big playoff run

This season, the team has nine seniors ready to make a long journey in November.

“As I come to the end of high school, I realized I only have a few races left to play on this team,” Uy said. “We know what we have to do to make All-State.”

The Spy Ponders thought last year was their chance. Coach Kevin Richardson said his team had all the raw talent needed to contend for the division title. But they lacked one key ingredient: balance.

“When one aspect of our life is out of balance, whether it’s social, family, school or sports, it disrupts everything,” said the coach of 17 years.

The main difference between this year and last is the team’s refined approach to execution in all areas of life — and that showed during those hot summer races in New Hampshire a few months ago.

In May, Richardson asked his college group to run about 40 miles a week, pushing seniors like Mori Finlayson-Johnecheck And Andy Cheung to the next level.

To keep their teammates in a championship-caliber mindset, captains Uy, Moir and Belanger held early morning practices nearly every Sunday last summer.

“(The workouts) meant a lot to me because having those brief moments with my teammates and being reminded that we are here for the same reason was a great boost every week,” Uy said.

The moment Richardson hosted the first varsity meet on the Arlington track — a 5K he dubbed “the Varsity Invitational” — he immediately saw a reality in which his team could win the division championship.

After a resounding season-opening win over Burlington, Richardson is confident his top two riders, the seniors Sam Davis and junior Daichi Collinscan compete with anyone in the state, especially No. 3 Lexington.

In Tuesday’s dual meet against the Minutemen at Lincoln Park, Davis (16:47) was the individual winner.

Arlington suffered a narrow loss, but the Spy Ponders came away with one major takeaway: They know they can compete with the best teams in the state.

“Lexington is a big rock that stands in our way and we’re going to have to work together to beat them in November,” said Moir, who completed the entire 5K course against Lexington despite losing a shoe 400 metres into the race.

“I wouldn’t even say it’s a surprise, because I expect it to happen. We will beat them.”

Arlington also has another date with Lexington on its horizon: the All-State meet in Devens. To get there, the team will have to take care of the division championship, a topic the Spy Ponder seniors have been discussing since their trip to New Hampshire in July.

“I know we all feel like our time has come,” Moir said. “We’ve seen this team at its best, we’ve seen it at its worst; so it’s time we put it on the back burner.”

“Do it yourself.”

Setting the pace

▪ The MSTCA will honor the 2024 Coaches Hall of Fame class at its annual awards banquet Sunday at the Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center.

Of the five inductees this year, four are active coaches: the Cambridge coaches Scott Cody (boys) and Prince Jamalh (girls), Bishop Fenwick Coach Fred Doylewho previously founded the girls program at Swampscott and is a longtime Weymouth girls coach Mike Miller.

Additionally, the MSTCA inducted longtime Dedham coach Frank Barbutowho retired in June after 52 years of training in various roles.

The honor is particularly notable for Cody and Prince, who were both inducted into the MSTCA Hall of Fame for their respective running careers at Cambridge in the late 1980s. Both have now coached at their alma mater for more than two decades.

“I never thought I would get an honor like this,” Prince said. “It’s an honor for me to have these kids believe in me and to be given the opportunity to work with them as part of their lives.”

▪ The Barnstable girls cross country team has finished in the top 20 at All-State the past three years, but is without its top three runners, including two-time All-Scholastic Ava Bullockwho transferred to Phillips Exeter for his final season.

Now, the Red Hawks will look to continue their program’s momentum with one of the youngest teams in the state. Since the eighth-graders attend Barnstable High, MIAA rules allow them to compete on the varsity team.

Freshman Eleanor Bullock — who started in eighth grade last season — will headline this year’s lineup, alongside top juniors Sophia Murphy. Eighth grade students Holly Rittel And Grace Wilson will also be key contributors in the immediate future.

“They’re very coachable when they’re in eighth grade, they’re really eager to learn,” the coach said. Shauna Briggs“This year it’s really about developing those younger girls who are really willing to train hard and look up to those older girls.”

Correspondent Matty Wasserman contributed to this articley.

---

You can contact Aiden Sprole at [email protected].