CC teams finish middle of the pack at D5 meet

By Mike Berger

Both Canton High cross country teams finished in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Mass. Division 5 Cross Country Championships, held Saturday, November 12, at Franklin Park in Boston. The boys finished 13^th out of 30 teams and the girls finished 14^th out of 27 teams.

According to boys’ head coach Chris Elgar, the MIAA changed the Eastern Mass. divisional system last year and the divisions are now based on student enrollment figures. Canton is the only Hockomock League team that competes in Division 5.

A total of 213 runners competed in the 3.1-mile boys’ race. Canton’s top seven runners finished 50^th, 66^th, 83^th, 88^th, 89^th, 114^th and 156^th.

The Bulldogs’ top runners were all seniors: Jake Fruci (18:23), Dave Rosenberg (18:45), Kevin O’Donnell (18:59), Mike Vartanian (19:04), and John Whittemore (19:05). Junior Mike Rota finished sixth on the team in 19:39, followed by senior Ethan Eastwood with a time of 20:54.

“Our performances were about consistency with our Hock times,” Elgar said. “Between the Division 4, 5, and 6 classes in all of Eastern Mass., which makes up the small school championships, the boys finished 34^th out of 84 teams. Personally, I think that is pretty solid for a team that was ninth out of 10 at Hocks not so long ago.”

Elgar said Rosenberg had the most notable run, improving his time on a more difficult course at Franklin Park by around 10 seconds.

The girls’ team’s top runners were almost all underclassmen. A total of 194 runners competed in the race and Canton runners finished 54^th, 70^th, 83^rd, 92^nd, 94^th, 97^th and 98^th. Junior Kelsey Sayers was Canton’s top finisher with a time of 22:08, followed by sophomore Michaela Kelley (22:31), sophomore Courtney Loughnane (22:46), and junior Katherine McClintock (23:00).

Senior Mairead Bagley also finished at the 23-minute mark in the 94^th spot. Senior teammates Micaela Nannery and Isobel Heck finished 97^th and 98^th at 23:08 and 23:12, respectively.

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