Girls cross country takes silver at Hock Championships
By Mike Berger
Members of the CHS girls cross country team receive their second-place medals: (l-r) Coach Christine Sullivan, Lauren Raffetto, Lexi Piazza, Natalie Hales, Addy Azar, Klara Redquest, Nishka Baduamanda, Honesty Johnson, Athena To, and coaches Brian Rota and Brian Gotsell. (Photo courtesy of Louis Raffetto)
On Saturday, both Canton High cross country teams traveled to the Wrentham Developmental Center to compete in the Hockomock League Championship meet. When all of the results were tallied, the lady Bulldogs came away with the silver medal, posting an impressive team score of 77. Only Oliver Ames was better (38), with Franklin finishing in a distant third (107).
Lauren Raffetto, continuing her stellar season, quickly joined the lead pack of runners, and with 200 meters to go, she began her signature kick to move up a spot to secure fourth place (18:54). Other top finishers for Canton included Lexi Piazza, who placed eighth with a personal-best time of 20:07, and Natalie Hales, who took 16th and also set a new PR with a time of 20:52. Head coach Brian Gotsell said all three girls earned league all-star recognition for their performances.
Other standouts for the Bulldogs included freshman Addy Azar, who surged past runner after runner over the last mile to secure 19th place in 21:15 — more than a minute better than her previous best.
Rounding out the varsity medalists were Klara Redquest, Honesty Johnson, Nishka Baduamanda, and Athena To.
“I am beyond proud of how we ran today,” said Redquest, a team captain. “We knew we could do well. We just had to believe in ourselves and run our races. We did just that.”
The Bulldogs also came away with the victory in the JV race with Margot Swearingen taking gold, Madeleine Driscoll taking silver, and Natalie Mallei securing bronze.
“The future is definitely bright,” said Gotsell. “Placing second in the varsity race and winning the JV race is a testament to our depth. We have a lot of great harriers who still have room to grow and improve.”
The Canton boys team may not have gotten the team score they wanted, finishing 12th, but individually they had several strong performances.
Freshman Tristan Grant (18:28) and senior Tyler Baird (18:40) both had solid runs and well-deserved personal bests. Also having great runs were Minh Hong, Max Mateo, and Nicholas Murphy.
The Bulldogs will now prepare for the MIAA Divisional Championship meet scheduled for November 9 at Fort Devens. The girls will compete in Class 2A while the boys are in Class 2B.
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Posted by Mike Berger
on Nov 1 2024. Filed under High School, Sports.
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