PICS!
Yesterday, we certainly got a taste of what we have been missing. Concord and Coe-Brown! Both top ranked in their Divisions and State. Two of the states top
programs battling head to head on both the girls and boys sides. While Coe-Brown won both rather comfortably, don’t let the scores fool you. Both of the races yesterday were ultra competitive and tight. In dual meets, a couple runners improve on either side and scores tighten up in a hurry. Since these 2 programs meet 3 times over the course of this season, one could say Coe-Brown only has the lead at the mile using a cross country race analogy.
Onto the racing! In the girls race, CBNA’s Addison Cox continued her hot start to the season taking the lead immediately with Concord’s Katherine Kennedy giving chase while the rest of Concord’s and Coe-Brown’s varsity formed a pack gearing up for some gritty cross country racing! This remained the same through the mile, but over the second grinding mile Coe-Brown began to take control of the race. Sophomores Mallory Taylor and Sheldyn Fisher pushed over the middle mile with Concord’s Sophie Hopkins and CBNA’s Tessa Millette and Bella Lemay in tow. In the end, with Taylor threw down a great last 800 to catch Kennedy and secure a 1-2 CBNA finish. After a gutsy effort, 
Kennedy wound up third with Coe-Brown’s Sheldyn Fisher 10 seconds back in 4th. Hopkins was 5th, eleven seconds up on CBNA senior leader Millette and the freshman Lemay. Amelia Edmonds (CBNA) ran a great second half to place 8th with Concord’s Katie Watt and Alexis Christie winding up the top 10.
The boys race was a barn burner indeed as Concord’s Eben Bragg, CBNA’s Luke Tkaczyk and Aidan Cox blazed the first mile in 4:45. Concord’s Brayden Kearns gave chase as Coe-Brown’s pack of Wyatt Mackey, Logan Mihelich, Lars Hogne, Carter Sylvester gave chase. After the mile sophomore Cox made a hard move gapping the seniors in Bragg and Tkaczyk. Cox opened up about a 10 second gap, but the experienced Bragg and Tkaczyk were not done yet as they closed it to 5 seconds entering the single track section with about 800 meters to go. In the end, Cox broke the proverbial tape in 16:03 (new course record) holding off Bragg (16:06), who eventually cut the lead down to 3 seconds, with Tkaczyk just 5 seconds behind Bragg clocking 16:11. This marked the fastest for a top 3 in the history of the course!
Meanwhile, over the final 2 miles of the course, Coe-Brown’s pack caught Kearns, with Sylvester placing 4th, Hogne 5th just in front of the hard charging Kearns who had outbattled Mihelich on the track 16:56 to 16:59. Mackey wound up 8th in 17:08. Rounding out the top 10 was Concord’s Sam Hilts (9th, 17:17) and CBNA freshman Jamie Lano (10th, 17:34).
The great news is, these programs meet 2 more times prior to Division Championships and Meet of Champions!!! We will see this get even tighter! Great job to all!
-NHCC
