| Team | Final |
|---|---|
| Andover | 0 |
| Newburyport | 0 |
| at Pentucket | 2 |
Yes, the Pentucket boys cross country team would have loved to place first in Saturday's Division 2 All-State Meet at Wrentham.
But, in perspective, placing second to Parker Charter is certainly somethng to be proud of.
"Finishing second is a little bitter sweet, but we can't be disappointed," said Pentucket coach Darrel Cox. "We ran well but our fifth man was back just a little too much. And he ran better than last week (on the same course).
"It was a tough battle between three teams. Just a few seconds made a big difference."
Parker Charter finished with 90 points, followed by Pentucket (95) and Hopedale (98).
Looking back at the start of the season, Cox said: "Even when my kids told us we were ranked No. 1 in the state (for small schools), I'm thinking 'No way!' I was thinking that third place would be awesome."
Of course, back then, Cox could not have predicted that his three sophomores would progress so quickly.
Peter Lopata led the sophomores Saturday, placing 12th overall in 16:36.64 on the 5K Wrentham course while classmate Sam Stys was close behind in 16th with a 16:43.85. Another soph, David Gangemi was the fourth man, taking 39th with a 17:27., 18 seconds faster than he ran on the same course a week earlier.
The lone senior, Nick Murphy, was Pentucket's No. 3 man, taking 23rrd in 16:52.98. He was up much closer to the front early on but he slipped and fell under slick conditions and was forced to make up for lost ground and time.
Finishing fifth and sixth for the Sachems were junior Will Coppola (59th) and freshman Colin Costa (60th).
"David Gangemi probably had the best race of the day, but all my kids ran hard and did their best," said Cox. "That's all you can ask for."
If it's any consolation, the Sachems return six of their top seven runners while Parker Charter graduates its top three and Hopedale will lose three of its top four.
Individually, Newburyport's Sam Acquavia took top honors, pulling away late to finish first in 15:58.81.
Lowell runner-up in D1
Lowell's boys gave it their best shot in Division 1 but fell short of a strong St. John's of Shrewsbury team. It was the fifth time the Red Raiders have been the D1 runner-up. They've placed first three times.
St. John's Prep senior Tristan Shelgren was the individual winner, taking first in an excellent time of 15:15.82.
All-State Meets
at Wrentham (3.1 miles)
Division 1 All-States (20 teams): St. John's Shrewsbury 81, Lowell 104, Wellesley 116, 10. St. John's Prep 269
Top 3 finishers and top local finishers: 1. Tristan Shelgren (SJP) 15:15.82, 2. Andrew Mah (Newton North) 15:37.94, 3. Lucas Aramburu (Brookline) 15:45.86
Division 2 All-States (20 teams): Parker Charter 90, Pentucket 95, Hopedale 98, Triton 158, Norwell 177, Newburyport 203, 14. Amesbury 304, 20. Georgetown 511
Top 3 finishers and top local finishers: 1. Sam Acquaviva (Newburyport) 15:58.81, 2. Zach Conant (Westwood) 16:06.77, 3. Nico Agosta (Parker Charter), 12. Peter Lopata (Pentucket) 16:36.64, 16. Sam Stys (Pentucket) 16:43.85, 19. Liam Gay-Killeen (Triton) 16:48.86, 23. Nick Murphy (Pentucket) 16:52.98, 37. Tyler Stranc, (Triton) 17:08.10, 39. David Gangemi (Pentucket) 17:09.57, 44. William Sydlowski (Amesbury) 17:15.90, 49. William Hunt (Newburyport) 17:17.46, 50. Diego Fernandez (Triton) 17:17.93, 57. John Lucey (Newburyport) 17:22.46, 58. Colin Brennan (Triton) 17:26.36, 59. Will Coppola (Pentucket) 17:26.55, 60. Colin Costa (Pentucket) 17:26.75
.......................................................................................
2017 Boys Cross Country All-Stars
Name School Yr.
*Joe Gagnon, Pinkerton Jr.
Spenser Sawyer Windham Sr.
Keith May Haverhill Jr.
Peter Lopata Pentucket Soph.
Sam Stys Pentucket Soph.
Nick Murphy Pentucket Sr.
Cam Leonard Central Sr.
Evan Fagan Central Sr.
Jake Huberdeau Timberlane Jr.
Alex Fleury Phillips Soph.
* Eagle-Tribune MVP
Boys teams:
Whittier — 10-0, CAC champs
Gr. Lawrence 10-1
NA — 5-5
Central 7-3
Methuen 8-3
Lawrence 5-6
PMA 7-7
Andover 3-7
Haverhill 1-9
Phillips 5-0, NE Prep champion
Pinkerton — 2nd in Div. 1
Salem — 11th in D1
Pelham — 21st in D2
Timberlane — 16th in D1
Windham — 8th in D2
Sanborn — 6th in Div. 2
Pentucket — 10-0
*******************************************
2017 Girls Cross Country All-Stars
Michaela Jones Phillips Academy Jr.
*Meghan Cross Pinkerton Soph.
Jordan Vaillancourt Pinkerton Jr.
Ciara April Pinkerton Jr.
Britney Johnson Pinkerton Sr.
Sara Fragione Methuen Jr.
Siobhan O’Keefe Pentucket Sr.
Sarah Cain Andover Jr.
* Eagle-Tribune MVP
Girls records:
Whittier 5-6
Gr. Lawrence 8-4
North Andover 5-5
PMA 8-6
Haverhill 2-8
Central 9-1
Andover 6-4
Methuen 4-7
Lawrence 0-10-1
Pinkerton — 1st in D1, 1st in New ENgland
Timberlane — 16th in D1
Salem — 10th in D1
Windham 9th in D2
Sanborn 17th in D2
Pelham (incomplete team)
Pentucket 5-5
Phillips 4-1, NE prep runner-up
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