Girls cross country falls in Davenport title clash

It was a championship showdown on Tuesday, October 10, at Pequitside Farm as the CHS girls cross country team welcomed regional powerhouse Oliver Ames for a dual meet to decide this year’s Hockomock Davenport champion.

Unfortunately, the lady Bulldogs fell to Oliver Ames 43-20 and had to settle for the runner-up spot — still quite impressive and their best finish in decades.

Freshman Lauren Raffetto (Mike Tureski photo)

On Tuesday, Pequitside Farm was packed with hundreds of fans ready to see a battle between the hometown harriers and perennial powerhouse Oliver Ames. Some consider the Tigers to be one of the best girls cross country teams in the entire state. Both squads came into the meet with a perfect 4-0 record.

From the opening gun, standout freshman runner Lauren Raffetto quickly broke away from the pack along with the reigning league MVP, Katie Sobieraj of Oliver Ames. Raffetto went toe to toe with the veteran, countering her every move.

With about 800 meters to go, the Canton rookie began her kick and when she came out from the woods towards the finish line she was all alone. Raffetto went on to secure first place and bested her course record with a time of 19:54 over the 5km rolling hills course.

Fellow freshman Sojo Dennis (ninth), Elena Silva (14th), Natalie Hales (16th), and sophomore Maddie Driscoll (17th) rounded out the scorers for the Bulldogs.

The boys team also put up a valiant effort but fell to the Tigers 16-47. Captain Luke Darling was again the top Canton harrier, finishing fifth overall with a new course-best time of 19:09. Also having solid races for the Bulldogs were Minh Hong, Austin DiBiasio, and Nick Chiulli. The boys finished the dual meet season with a record of 2-3, doubling their win total from a year ago.

“[Pequitside Farm] was electric and brought out the best in both teams,” remarked senior captain Sam Vail. “The fans showed up to cheer us on and we couldn’t ask for a better way to cap off our senior night and the end of the regular season.”

On Friday, October 13, both Bulldog teams traveled to the Cape Cod Fairgrounds to compete at this year’s Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA) Twilight Invitational. The meet brought together the best teams from across the state to compete on a fast course.

Raffetto got up near the top of the pack and pushed past the first mile with a sub-5:50 pace. She went on to place sixth overall while recording a career-best time of 18:14 — setting a new record in the process with the fastest 5 km time in the history of Canton High girls cross country.

Dennis finished 42nd overall with a time of 20:22, followed by Silva (21:52) and Natalie Hales (22:02). Also scoring for the Bulldogs and running career bests were Klara Redquest (22:12), Evey Dwoske (22:29), and Driscoll (22:33).

The girls placed 10th overall at the meet and positioned themselves to be in the mix for a spot at next month’s All-States.

“Throughout the night our girls team worked hard to gain new personal records, push our competition, and push ourselves in the process,” noted captain Maggie Dervan.

On the boys’ side, Darling had another quality race (17:44) and was the top Canton finisher. Also having solid runs were teammates Jack Masciarelli, Aidan McCloskey, and Max Mateo.

“It was a fantastic night for the Bulldogs,” said head coach Brian Gotsell. “We had virtually every runner come away with either a personal best or season best.

Gotsell said both the boys and girls teams are positioning themselves nicely for the upcoming Hockomock League Championships, which is set for this coming Saturday, October 28, at 9 a.m. at Milford High School. Then it’s on to the postseason, beginning with the MIAA Division 2 state qualifying meet on November 11 and later the state championships on November 18.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Oct 20 2023. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.