2018 NH Middle School State Championships! Recaps and Results!

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Complete Results – Courtesy of LancerTiming

By Jim MacKenzie

Division 1 Girls

Woodbury Middle School successfully defended their state title by placing three 7^th grade runners in the top 4 places.  Led by Gabriella Martiniello of Woodbury’s first place finish in 12:44, Cooperative Middle Schools Meadow Gregory (2^nd 12:49) prevented Woodbury from sweeping the top three places as the girls from Salem settled for third and fourth with Lily Thomas  (12:56) and Allyson Martinello (13:04) doing their part for the successful team effort.  Mia Koning of Keene was fifth in 13:12 ahead of Hood’s Emily Hood (6^th 13:15).  Londonderry’s Kiara Edmunds was 7^th in 13:15 for the Lancer hosts while Fairground’s Emeley Melendez placed 8^th in 13:17, Hillside’s Devon Booth was 9^th in 13:19 and Molly Nyhan of Rundlett secured a top ten finish running 13:23.

Woodbury scored 79 points locking up the victory.  Hillside who won state titles in 2015 and 2016 had to settle for second place just like last year scoring 108 points.  Rundlett was 3^rd with 118 points, Londonderry placed 4^th with 128 points, and Ross A. Lurgio of Bedford was 5^th with 149 points.

Woodbury will return every member of their second State Division I championship team in 2019 led by the Martinello sisters, Thomas, Mary Olsen (18^th 13:53), Sophia Rozumek (55^th 14:37), and Marina D’Amico (56^th 14:38). They will certainly be the favorites next October.

Division 1 Boys

Rundlett of Concord put the final exclamation point on the end of a great 2018 season.  The Blue Dukes crushed the competition by placing all seven runners in the top 30 scorers ending Londonderry’s bid for five straight Division I Titles.  Londonderry’s Sean Clegg did win the individual title by running 11:38 in his backyard to outdistance Rundlett’s Quinton Pincoske who came in at 11:50.  Keene’s Fitsum Visser brought home 3^rd clocking 11:52, Jesse Bordelon of Elm St. placed 4^th in 11:58, Windham’s Logan Carter was 5^th in 12:00, Woodbury’s Brock James placed 6^th in 12:05, Rundlett’s William Chorlian was 7^th in 12:09, Hudson’s Armand Prescott finished 8^th in 12:15, Fairground’s D’Sean Coffie was 9^th and Rory Olsen of Elm St finished 10^th in 12:18.

Rundlett’s point total of 56 was a “full deck of cards” better than runner-up Keene’s score of 108 which narrowly beat McLaughlin 3^rd with 110 points.  Hillside finished 4^th amassing 146 points ahead of Woodbury (149 points) and defending champion Londonderry (156 points). Rundlett’s winning team was Pincoske, Chorlian, Liam Gleason (13^th 12:28), Read Merrill (18^th 12:37), Griffin Norwalt (20^th 12:40), Jacob Ryder *(12:40( and Wesley Thompson (12:53).

Girls Division 2

Hampton Academy 7^th grader Kate Burrus looks to have a very bright future ahead of her. She was by far the fastest girl on the Londonderry course capturing her first Division I Championship in 12:22.  Sophia Rebenciuc of Merrimack Valley place second in 12:42.  A pair of Bobcat 6^th graders from Oyster River also had a fine day of running.  Haley Kavanagh 3^rd 12:56 and Mackenzie Cook 4^th 12:57 beat out Ginia Rufo 5^th 13:03 of West Running Brook.  Stephanie Svendsen (6^th 13:03) and Masho Primmer (7^th 13:08) got the scoring started for Amherst in defense of their title.  Molly Ellison of Kearsarge placed 8^th in 13:08, Oyster River’s Tessa Brown was 9^th in 13:14 making it three in the top ten for the girls from Durham while Pennichuck’s Isabel DiVernieri placed 10^th with a time of 13:16.

Oyster River almost pulled off the upset by having 4 girls in the top 15 scoring positions, but in the end Amherst got its three-peat State Championship by placing all 5 of their scorers in the top 19 places. Amherst tallied 61 points to Oyster River’s 71 points.  Merrimack Valley was 3^rd with 115 points, Hampton Academy placed 4^th in 138 points and Bow Memorial wound up 5^th with 151 points.

Amherst’s 2018 State Championship Division II team members were Svendsen, Primmer, Audrey Littlefield (14^th 13:38), Anna Brammer-Depuy (18^th 13:56), Ava Bawell (9^th 14:02), Emma Jarnagain (32^nd 14:24), and Ashereka Primmer (42^nd 14:50).

Boys Division 2

Sanborn’s Jared Khalil capped off a fine scholastic middle school cross country season by winning the Division II State Championship posting the fastest time on the Londonderry course finishing in 10:54.  Hollis Brookline’s Luke Laborde ran to a second place finish in 11:24 but more importantly led his team to their first ever NH Division II Boys State Championship.  Karison Anderson was a close third place running 11:25 to finish in front of Portsmouth’s Avery Crowell  (11:31).  Oyster River’s Chris Jernigan was 5^th in 11:53, Matthew Barnes of Kearsarge placed 6^th in 12:03, Hollis Brookline’s Ryan Burgher was 7^th (12:08), Sanborn’s Tyson Khalilfinished8^th in 12:09, Hollis Brookline’s Emerson Wallace was 9^th in 12:11 and Tyler Wallace of Merrimack grabbed the tenth spot in 12:12.

By placing five runners in the top 14 slots Hollis-Brookline 40 points easily defeated Amherst 40 to 85 while defending champion Oyster River was 3rd with 102 points.  Sanborn Regional was 4^th with 113 points and Bow Memorial placed 5^th with 152 points.

Hollis-Brookline’s winning team is comprised of all 8^th graders.  The hardwork and effort paid big dividends when the chips were down. They were led by LaBorde, Burgher, Warren, Ayden Finnegan (12^th 12:20), Charlie Hale 14^th, Brian Putney (57^th 13:54) and Gavin Knudsen (64^th 14:07).

Division 3 Girls

A strong summer of running catapulted Strafford’s Mallory Taylor 1^st 12:08 to put it all together in the fall to win the 2018 NH Division III Championship. She battled right to the end with her friendly rival Brianna Malone 2^nd 12:11 of Barrington. Reagan Hoy 3^rd 12:34 of Surry Village used a late surge to pull away from the battling Shaylee Murdough 4^th 12:39 of Hopkinton and Deerfield’s Bella Lemay 5^th 12:39. Newfound’s Zoe North 6^th 12:45, Marlborough’s Abbie Switzer 7^th 12:47, Strafford’s Sheldyn Fisher 8^th 12:48, Christina Juris of Presentation of Mary was 9^th 12:50 and hometown Mary Joy of Northwood got the 10^th place medal running 12:51.

Deerfield fulfilled their quest to win back to back championship by scoring 91 points. Presentation of Mary was the runner-up scoring 131 points edging out Hopkinton (137 points).  Strafford was 4^th with 144 points and Auburn took 5^th place honors with 183 points.

Deerfield graduates all of its winning team except 7^th grader Lemay. The championship members include Sophie Hopkins (11^th 12:52), Christina Mallette *22^nd 13:38), Ava Woodman (28^th 13:46), Rowan Carr (29^th 13:48), Tristen Crotty (37th 13:57), and Rose Layton (79^th 14:59).

Division 2 Boys

Northwood’s Aidan Cox became the first boy to win three straight individual NH State Championships.  His time of 10:00 was a new course record on the Coe-Brown course. Plymouth’s Nathaniel Gervez placed 2^nd overall and looks to be the heir apparent to the Division III title.  His time of 10:37 is the second best ever by a 6^th grader on this course.

Patrick Gandini of Gilford was third in 10:40, Eben Misavage 4^th 11:05, Northwood’s Caleb Adams 5^th 11:23, Portsmouth Christian’s Luke O’Halloran 6^th 11:27, Northwood’s Tyler Tkaczyk 7^th 11:28, Strafford’s Jamie Lano 8^th 11:31, Nashua Catholic’s Bobby Canaway 9^th 11:37 and Payton Noble rounded out the top ten in a time of 11:44.

Even with placing three runners in the top seven Northwood just came up short for their quest of a second state title.  Deerfield defended their 2017 Championship despite not having a singlerunner in the top ten.  Deerfield’s depth overcame the upfront disparity to score 99 points to Northwood’s 109 points.  Presentation of Mary was definitely in the hunt placing 3^rd with 118 points.  South Meadow (4^th 186 points) looks to be the early favorite for the 2019 title.  Boynton was 5^th with 212 points.

Deerfield’s winning team members were Boden Rand )11^th 11:52), Sam Hopkins (15^th 12:01), Trent Kinsvater (19^th 12:14), Jacob Comrie (21^st 12:18), Max Scharr (33^rd 12:35), Shaun Fifield (38^th 12:42) and Max Lemay (52^nd 12:55).

Since 2011 Deerfield has amassed nine Small School and Division III Championships tying Hampstead for the most. Londonderry leads all divisions with 30 titles!!!