With Season Previews on the way and races not that far off, NHCC is getting excited for this upcoming season! It is always fun to assess our accuracy with “predictions” given all the variables which contribute to a high school cross country season! So, just how good are we here at NHCC with predicting Divisional Championships and MOC outcomes? Let’s find out! Below are the summaries of what we predicted in contrast with the real results of the 2021 XC season. Anyone can make predictions but we here at NHCC demand accountability from…ourselves!
Disclaimer: Many different people contribute to these predictions over the course of a given season, so is this a perfectly scientific breakdown of accuracy? Nope, it’s just for fun and we are happy to expose our inaccuracies (and brag about our successes too). Accurately predicting team success (especially before we’ve had any meets!) is incredibly difficult.
The number of teams in each category reflect the number of teams eligible to advance to the next level of competition.
Division 3 Girls
| Seasonal Preview Predictions | Divisional Championship Predictions | Actual Results |
| 1) Hopkinton | 1) Hopkinton | 1) Hopkinton |
| 2) Campbell | 2) Conant | 2) Monadnock |
| 3) Portsmouth Christian Academy | 3) Mascenic | 3) Conant |
| 4) Gilford | 4) Newmarket | 4) Campbell |
| 5) Mascenic | 5) Campbell | 5) Newmarket |
A rough start here with only two out of five (40%) correct in the always tricky Seasonal Preview, but a decent rebound of four out of five (80%) selection in the Divisional Preview. Hopkinton was correctly placed in both previews but the real hit to our reputation here is that Monadnock placed 2nd at D3s (well done!) and was mentioned exactly NOWHERE! Huge “whoops” from NHCC.
Grade: B
Division 3 Boys
| Seasonal Preview Predictions | Divisional Championship Predictions | Actual Results |
| 1) Mascenic | 1) Mascenic | 1) Mascenic |
| 2) Monadnock | 2) Conant | 2) Newfound |
| 3) Conant | 3) Fall Mountain | 3) Monadnock |
| 4) Hopkinton | 4) Monadnock | 4) Fall Mountain |
| 5) Newfound | 5) Trinity | 5) Conant |
Much better with our predictions in this category with four out of five (80%) correct in the Seasonal Preview and in the Divisional Preview as well. Mascenic as the winning team was the correct pick in both Previews but leaving out eventual runner-up Newfound in the Divisional Preview was a bit of an oversight.
Grade: B+
Division 2 Girls
| Seasonal Preview Predictions | Divisional Championship Predictions | Actual Results |
| 1) Coe-Brown | 1) Souhegan | 1) Oyster River |
| 2) Souhegan | 2) Oyster River | 2) Souhegan |
| 3) Hanover | 3) Coe-Brown | 3) Coe-Brown |
| 4) Lebanon | 4) Bow | 4) Kennett |
| 5) Kearsarge | 5) Hanover | 5) Windham |
| 6) Kennett | 6) Windham | 6) Bow |
Tough one here; not only did we have just three out of six teams (50%) predicted correctly in the Seasonal Preview, we also left out eventual winning team Oyster River! Not a great look. Some improvement/redemption with five out of six (83%) correct in the Divisional Preview. The placement order in the Divisional Preview was not up to the standard we’ve set for ourselves but four teams ended up only one spot way from our predictions and the 1-2 spots were merely transposed. But a glaring omission in the Divisional Preview with eventual #4 Kennett nowhere to be found in any preview. Well done Eagles; anyone who can put us to shame is always appreciated!
Grade: B
Division 2 Boys
| Seasonal Preview Predictions | Divisional Championship Predictions | Actual Results |
| 1) Coe-Brown | 1) Coe-Brown | 1) Coe-Brown |
| 2) Hanover | 2) Oyster River | 2) Windham |
| 3) Oyster River | 3) Windham | 3) Hanover |
| 4) Sanborn | 4) Hanover | 4) Oyster River |
| 5) Windham | 5) Sanborn | 5) Sanborn |
| 6) Souhegan | 6) Bow | 6) Bow |
We can only improve from that last section, and this one might be some of our best work. Five out of six (83%) correct in the Seasonal Preview with again the winning team predicted correctly. The Divisional Preview however; that was some good stuff. Six out of six (100%) correctly predicted and #1, #5, #6 right on the nose coupled with two one-spot transpositions means we are taking a victory lap here!
Grade: A+
Division 1 Girls
| Seasonal Preview Predictions | Divisional Championship Predictions | Actual Results |
| 1) Concord | 1) Keene | 1) Keene |
| 2) Keene | 2) Dover | 2) Concord |
| 3) Exeter | 3) Concord | 3) Dover |
| 4) Pinkerton | 4) Pinkerton | 4) Bedford |
| 5) Bishop Guertin | 5) Winnacunnet | 5) Winnacunnet |
| 6) Bedford | 6) Bedford | 6) Exeter |
| 7) Dover | 7) Bishop Guertin | 7) Bishop Guertin |
Nice work here in the Seasonal Preview with six out of seven (86%) accurately predicted. In the Divisional Preview we were again six out of seven (86%) with the #1, #5, and #7 teams perfectly ranked and the 2-3 teams transposed. Shout out to the Exeter team for crashing the D1 party after not being ranked in the Divisional Preview!
Grade: A
Division 1 Boys
| Seasonal Preview Predictions | Divisional Championship Predictions | Actual Results |
| 1) Concord | 1) Bishop Guertin | 1) Bishop Guertin |
| 2) Bishop Guertin | 2) Concord | 2) Concord |
| 3) Pinkerton | 3) Pinkerton | 3) Pinkerton |
| 4) Londonderry | 4) Keene | 4) Londonderry |
| 5) Exeter | 5) Londonderry | 5) Exeter |
| 6) Nashua North | 6) Nashua South | 6) Keene |
| 7) No Prediction | 7) Dover | 7) Nashua South |
Some early season slippage with only six out of seven teams even ranked in the Seasonal Preview but a solid five out of seven (71%) correctly predicted. A very nice six out of seven (86%) correctly predicted in the Divisional Preview and #1, #2, #3 perfectly predicted as well as a another one-spot transposition. Yet again an Exeter team puts us to shame making it to MOC but not ranked in the Divisional Preview. Go Hawks!
Grade: A
MOC Girls
| Seasonal Preview Predictions | MOC Predictions | Actual Results |
| 1) Souhegan | 1) Keene | 1) Dover |
| 2) Bishop Guertin | 2) Oyster River | 2) Oyster River |
| 3) Exeter | 3) Concord | 3) Keene |
| 4) Keene | 4) Dover | 4) Concord |
| 5) Pinkerton | 5) Souhegan | 5) Bishop Guertin |
| 6) Dover / Coe-Brown | 6) Hopkinton | 6) Hopkinton |
Very tough to predict category here in the pre-season but 2.5 out of six predicted correctly (42%) in the Seasonal Preview. Tremendous work in the MOC preview article however, with a strong five out of six (83%) teams accurately predicted and two perfect calls on placement in the #2 and #6 spots. Great work by BG to shoot to #5 after not being ranked in the Divisional Preview
Grade: B+
MOC Boys
| Seasonal Preview Predictions | MOC Predictions | Actual Results |
| 1) Coe-Brown | 1) Coe-Brown | 1) Bishop Guertin |
| 2) Concord | 2) Bishop Guertin | 2) Coe-Brown |
| 3) Bishop Guertin | 3) Concord | 3) Concord |
| 4) Londonderry | 4) Pinkerton | 4) Pinkerton |
| 5) Pinkerton | 5) Windham | 5) Hanover |
| 6) Windham | 6) Londonderry | 6) Londonderry |
Finishing strong is what we strive for in races, seasons, and this article! Five out of six (83%) correctly predicted teams from the Seasonal Preview qualifies as such for sure. In the MOC Prediction article, five out of six (83%) correctly predicted teams again and perfect placements with the #3, #4, and #6 teams qualifies as a pretty good outing. And as for 1-2, it came down to an unprecedented tie-breaker (team with the best 6th runner) for the top spot so we were SO CLOSE to getting that pair right as well. Well done Hanover for appearing on exactly zero predictive MOC lists yet performing big when it counted the most!
Grade: A+
Thanks for reading, and please understand that our grading system may have been inflated to soothe our delicate egos.
Good luck and good health this season; as always please try your best to prove as many of our predictions wrong as possible!
