Division Favorites – Pinkerton, Souhegan, Trinity
Individuals to Watch – Matthew Giardina (Bishop Guertin), Jacob Redman (Bedford), Sullivan Sturtz (Keene), Jamie Lano (Coe-Brown), Jonas Teeter (PCA), Daniel Byrne (South), Ben Daniels (Hopkinton), Peyton Joslyn (Monadnock), Brodie Chisholm (Salem), Finn Christensen-Kraft (Pinkerton)
2023 marks a potential changing of the guard both regarding teams and individuals. While we penned something similar last year, since it also took a huge hit to graduation, the impact this year is towards the top of the results. The best teams and individuals have mostly graduated! There will be new stars to follow. And then you never know who is coming back from the various teams and how much some runners have developed.
Annually we pen a preview based upon information available to us. To try and figure out what we can expect, all the graduating seniors from the Division meets and Meet of Champions were removed. We also attempt to consider JV State Championships and Middle School State Championships. Even with all available data, generating a preview is difficult, so if you know of anything you would like to add, please comment below. That said, there are always a few breakout stars who throw a wrench in the formula of any guess for an upcoming season and that’s what makes the whole process fun! Special thanks to those who contributed to this post. Year after year we are reminded as to how incredible and unique our state is!
Note: All times referred to in Division previews are from the 2022 Divisional Championships at Derryfield, while times referred to in the MOC preview are from the 2022 MOCs.
Division 3
Last year Trinity won the D3 title with 61 points, 88 points better than runner up Gilford. They did so with just Aidan Palmeter in the top ten, but then put their scoring five in the top 27. The Pioneers will feel the loss of seniors Palmeter, Max Scharr, and Matt Nardone, however one would have to lose their way to think the Pioneers weren’t going to blaze a path to the championships. Trinity will be led by senior Nathan Donovan and sophomore Nick Lenti, and will have help from their supporting cast who became the first D3 team to win the D2/D3 JV championship. The Pioneers are deep like the Mississippi and I expect them to keep the wheels on the wagon and once again sit at the top of the D3 ranks.
Behind them, there is a lot of space for teams to carve out their own success. Gilford was second last year, but without the low stick of Patrick Gandini, maintaining their height among the thermals will be a bit more difficult. Led by seniors Alden Townshend and Aidan Bondaz the Golden Eagles will be looking for that warm updraft to help elevate them within the division.
Right behind Gilford was St. Thomas Aquinas. The Saints will be led by junior Luciano Barbini and sophomore Oliver Schartner, and might have the best returning group behind Trinity. Paramount for their success will be to bring along their pack and shave a minute average off their cumulative time. If the Saints can do this, they might find their prayers answered and themselves in contention for another trip to MOCs.
The only other team that might have a better returning group would be Fall Mountain. The boys from Alstead return their entire roster and are led by senior Bens, in Tetu and Fritthsen. I suspect if the crew from the Connecticut Valley can formulate some strong pack running they might have what it takes to scratch their way towards the top of the D3 heap. This is my sleeper team and I think we’ll get a sense well before the end of October.
Snagging the last MOC berth last year was Mascenic. With the loss of seniors Drew Traffie and Ryan O’Shea, the Vikings will need to find new leaders if they are going to right the ship. With a strong junior class that won the Tri County championships when they were eighth graders, this group has the talent to run with the best but the question is can they find the desire?
Other teams to keep your eyes on would be Monadnock, Hopkinton and Portsmouth Christian. PCA has the division’s top returner in Jonas Teeter and if they can create a nucleus around him they could be dangerous. Hopkinton might have the best 1-2 punch in Ben Daniels and Matt Clarner and will be looking to build on that foundation. And Monadnock might have the best 1-2-3 punch in the Joslyn brothers (Peyton and Jace) and Carlton Lampinen. Any of these teams figure out how to fill out their rosters and they could be in the hunt as well.
Individually, expect Teeter to lead the field this fall with the Joslyns of Monadnock, Daniels and Clarner of Hopkinton, Tetu of Fall Mountain, Gunner Currier of Mascoma and Donovan of Trinity in hot pursuit.
–Mike Smith
Division 2
#1. Souhegan It looks like a changing of the guards at the top of the DII rankings! Souhegan was the epitome of quality pack running last year, and will certainly be back leading the charge this year as well. They return 6 of their top 7 from last year’s runner-up squad, with their top 5 all projected to be top 15 finishers! Look for a group of yellow and black Sabers singlets at the front of the pack. They’ll be led by Taloosh Anderson (12, 16:53), Finley Irvine (12, 17:14), Dallen Noorda (11, 17:15), Owen Stine (12, 17:20), and Baxter Paulini (12, 17:29). Mix in a number of quality athletes from their DII middle school championship program, and this could be one of the best Sabers teams in school history.
#2: Hanover will again return the majority of their varsity crew from last season and will use their pack
running to get all of their team through the line in a hurry. Like Souhegan, they return 6 of 7, but also expect to have winter/spring track stud Lucian Gleiser, who didn’t compete at DII’s last year, leading the way. With their top 5 all expected to find their way to the top 20 overall, they could be the one squad in the mix that could put some pressure on Souhegan. Look for Will Parker (12, 17:20), Ryan Faris (11, 17:42), Ben Hourdequin (10, 17:53), and the Valentino brothers Alexander (11, 17:56) and Andrew (11, 18:14) to pack up and hammer those Derryfield hills!
#3: Coe-Brown is in the middle of a rebuild (on paper), but there is no doubt that they’ll be prepared to battle it out for the hardware 10+ weeks from now on Championship Saturday! Returning just 3 of 7 from last year’s state championship squad, there are some stellar JV runners including Sanjith Nomula (see outdoor track season), who will definitely make an immediate impact. Oh, and those 3 returners all happen to be potential top 15 finishers. Jamie Lano (12, 16:40) will certainly provide a low stick and challenge for the overall victory, while we’d expect Max Lemay (12, 17:25) and Luc Kerouac (11, 17:54) to make their presence felt from the chase pack. With that solid top 3, and a plethora of younger runners looking to step up, this team could make some noise at the end of October, and beyond!
#4: Bow is poised for another solid season, returning 5 strong from last year’s crew, and should be in for an exciting season. The dynamic duo of Owen Miller (12, 17:20) and Aidan Betterley (12, 17:32) will provide the firepower up front, while Aiden Ciminesi (12, 18:30), Thomas Sargent (12, 18:31), and Wyatt Worcester (10, 18:55) will provide the depth the Falcons need to punch their ticket to the next round! If this squad progresses like Bow teams of the past, look for a tight pack time and a possible podium finish when things are all said and done!
#5: Milford looks in position for a repeat berth to the MOC’s, as they return an impressive 1-2 punch of Daniel Sixon (12, 17:03) and Logan Korthals (10, 17:22). The Spartans seem to be lacking in depth (at least based on varsity returners), but should have enough to carry the team back to MOCs.
#6: Again this year, the final MOC berth seems wide open! Right now, it looks like Plymouth is the favorite to move on, as they return 3 solid runners from last year’s varsity squad in Leo Ebner (12, 17:23), Tate Hayman (10, 18:19) and Nicholas Ring (11, 18:24). If they develop runners 4 and 5 over the course of the season, they could be battling Milford or even Bow for a higher position.
In the mix: Oyster River is a team that can never be counted out. Despite seemingly in a rebuilding phase (just 3 varsity returners), they will no doubt draw on their strong middle school and JV programs to fill in the gaps. Don’t be surprised to see them make a run at one of these top spots as the leaves start to turn this fall!
Goffstown is also a team that could make some noise when Championship Season rolls around. They return 5 from last year’s varsity, and with some natural progression of those athletes, may find themselves racing toward a top 6 finish.
Individuals:
This could be the first time in a few years (pre Cox and Harriman) that we see a crowded lead pack with no clear cut favorites. On paper, CBNA’s Jamie Lano is the top dog, but you can expect to see a handful of others pushing the pace up front as well. Fighting their way to the front in that lead pack should be John Stark’s Eli Lemire, Hanover’s Gleiser, Milford’s Sixon, Sanborn’s Jake Pitre, Con-Val’s William Simard, and Souhegan’s Anderson, Irvine, Noorda, and Stine. If I had to pick a winner right now, my money’s on Lano!
Division 1
Some years the Division I preview writes itself as I sit down to look at the previous year’s results and see an obvious leader on the spreadsheets we make to do this stuff. This is most definitely not one of those years. In fact, this is ramping up to be an incredibly exciting year with a number of teams in the mix to take a run at the team championship including the defending champions Pinkerton. Let’s dive in the rankings though and see what everyone brings to the table.
1. Pinkerton Academy
The Astros won last year with an outstanding pack attack approach that saw them place only one runner in the top ten with top returner Finn Christensen-Kraft placing ninth. After that? They have a top five that was all within the top 25. While they did lose two of those five, they do return their second and third placers in Nathan Binda and Noah Daigle. That top three will all look to be top ten returners so they’re definitely going to be stronger up front than they were last year. The question is can their fourth and fifth returners back up the leaders the same way they did last year? Fourth runner Cody Santomassimo is also a top 25 returnee, so if they can get a fifth in there, they’ll likely find themselves standing on the podium as defending champions.
2. Nashua South
The Panthers are right on Pinkerton’s heels with only a few points separating the two teams. South has an excellent leader in the #4 returnee Daniel Byrne but he’s far from alone. In fact, South has four returnees in the top 25 matching Pinkerton’s depth with Camden Brien and Andrew Byrne looking to place in the mid teens and Aidan Besada finishing just inside the top 25. South maybe has a wild card to play in the champion of last year’s JV state meet Cameron Patronick. If he builds on that, he could quickly turn the tide in South’s favor and he wasn’t alone with South taking first, second, and fourth in that race. Pinkerton may have their hands full with South’s enviable depth.
3. Bishop Guertin
Not far behind Pinkerton and South, BG should most definitely not be counted out. First of all, they have the top returnee in not just the Division but the state of New Hampshire. Matt Giardina had an outstanding sophomore campaign and won the Division I meet in convincing fashion, pulling away from Ryan Fortin late in the race. Now, he’s the clear man to beat this season. Similar to Pinkeron and South, he’s not alone with four top 25 returnees giving them some solid depth. Carson Fischer, Samuel Prescott, and Noah Guarrera all look ready to place somewhere in the 10-20 range giving BG arguably the strongest top four of the teams mentioned so far but their gap to their fifth is the largest. They had a couple of freshman run very well in the JV state meet last year so keep an eye out for those guys to try and make the sophomore leap. As a private school, we also have no clue who they could get for new freshmen so watch their early meet ninth graders.
4. Salem
The top three teams were very close points wise and I’d say depending on the meet, we could see any of those teams come away with a win versus the other two. Salem is a little further back, but I think they’re maybe closer than they look on paper to the top three. Their top returnee is freshman Brodie Chisholm who is ranked fifth and really helps the team with the upfront leadership. Thing is, I think he’s going to have his work cut out for him holding that top spot from their second runner Brock James. James had a solid fall cross country season, but really seemed to break out in the spring. If his spring performances were an indication of things to come, he should be way ahead of his 20th place returning rank and in any case, this really helps Salem’s strength. Their third runner, Samuel Scala is right on the bubble of top 25 placement, so if they can get some help at 4-5 they could absolutely be right in the mix with those top three teams. It’s worth noting that Salem’s middle school is coming off a Division I championship, so they might be getting some help from the rookies.
5. Bedford
Bedford may be the most interesting team to watch because I think they’re a lot better than they look on paper. Jacob Redman is the number three returner, but with the year he had as a junior, I don’t think it would shock anyone if he beat the guys ahead of him. Not a knock on Giardina or Sturtz, but watching Redman’s track seasons he just seemed to find a new gear. That’s where things get a little speculative. Bedford picks up the definitive winner of the Middle School State Meet, Jack Mortimer. As a seventh grader, Mortimer beat a current top 10 returner so is it fair to estimate that he’s a potential top 10 guy? Maybe? Like I said, speculative. They have a top 20 returner in Patrick Fish and their third guy, Jared Bekkering is another one who had an outstanding spring and seemed to improve significantly. Keep your eye on the Bulldogs to make some noise this season.
6. Exeter
This is where things start to space out a little bit more points wise and these teams would need some surprises to join the above teams. Exeter is strong at the top with Gavin Malark the #7 returner overall and Spencer Mann also looking solid at #13. They unfortunately lost their third returner to a transfer to a private school and losing a top 25 guy is always going to hurt your cause. They do have some solid guys after that who will look to come in the top 50 but they’re in a solid place to make the Meet of Champions with the squad that they have.
7. Keene
Rounding out the Division I teams, who look poised to make it to the Meet of Champions, we have Keene. Keene just seems to always have a guy who’s got his eyes on a potential individual championship and this year is no different with #2 returner Sully Sturtz. He had an amazing freshman year and looks to build on that with a shot at breaking 16:00 at Derryfield as a sophomore. Impressive stuff. Keene has some solid depth with all of their placing returners in the top 50 overall, but being the bubble team for the MOC meet can be a scary place to be. Everyone wants that last slot so they’ll have lot of teams looking to move them to the outside.
I’m really excited to watch these top teams battle it out. Dark horse to move into this list? Londonderry had four freshman in their top five returners. It’s not uncommon to see freshman make a big jump after adjusting to the high school training level so keep an eye on those guys as the season gets rolling.
How about the individual champion? This part is easy this year since last year’s winner, Matt Giardina, will be in the race and he definitely only seemed to get better as the year went on. He’s got an 18 second lead over number two returner Sully Sturtz, who had an outstanding freshman year but will have a challenge running down Giardina. Bedford’s Jacob Redman on paper is 36 seconds behind Giardina, but anyone who watched his indoor and outdoor track seasons know he had some clear improvement as the year went on and if it comes down to a sprint between him and well, he’s going to win. That said, if you’re picking against Giardina, I think you’re crazy. He ran a 15:09 on the track for a 5K in April and was 2nd in New England in the two mile in the spring. He’s the guy to beat this fall.
–Ian French
MOCs
Last year at the Meet of Champions Coe-Brown won rather easily without their top runner. This very well may have been the culmination of their dynastic run over the past several years. Looking at this crop of teams, which school seems to have the best potential to take the mantle? D2’s Souhegan seems to be in the best position to be the top team in NH in 2023. As mentioned in the D2 preview, they return 6 of their top 7 which formed an incredible pack time of less than 30 seconds. Add in the fact that their number 4 had a breakout race at the CT Distance Festival last spring where Owen Stine dropped a 15:45! Combine him with Anderson and/or Noorda provides the Sabers a potential for a 2-3 low sticks giving them the edge on paper entering the season.
A similar pack running team which could very well wind up as the top team is D1’s Pinkerton. Led by the aforementioned Christensen-Kraft, the Long Red Line will be looking to do the exact same thing as Souhegan. How each team comes together will determine the outcome in November.
Teams looking to make it a party of three or more include D2’s Hanover, D1’s Nashua South and Bishop Guertin. Hanover will be battling Souhegan the entire season and frankly they are quite similar. Watch out for the impact Gleiser will have this season however, as the senior acquired valuable experience and success over the indoor and outdoor seasons. Where he goes, Faris and Parker will likely follow.
As mentioned in the D1 preview, South will assuredly be giving Pinkerton all they can handle. Expect Byrne to be even further along in his development as one of the best in the state giving South a necessary low stick. With preseason favorite to be the majordomo of New Hampshire Cross Country in Giardina, BG will be a factor here as well. Fellow junior Fischer and sophomore Prescott will only be faster as well. The Cardinals could return to the top as they did in 2021.
Defending champs Coe-Brown will be looking to grab a New England qualifying spot. Led by their low-stick in Lano, their fate will be determined by how his supporting cast does behind him. Exeter will be vying for the final qualifying slot along with potentially Winnacunnet, Windham, Concord and Trinity. There will be a surprise team as always!
Individually, Giardina off his continued consistent development is the favorite. Only a junior, Giardina is already a state champ and also gained valuable experience across distances, running fast last track season. He will of course be battling
Redman all season from his own division. Don’t sleep on CBNA’s Lano coming off his first indoor and outdoor seasons as well as a fine summer of training. Also look for D3’s Teeter. If healthy, he has the talent to contend for a top 5 placing as well. Don’t be surprised if Byrne, Daniels, Joslyn, Chisholm, Stine, Christensen-Kraft are all in the top 10 as well. Learn these names as well as others!
Regardless, last year’s MOCs put NH’s talent on display. Look for something brand new this year, but still just as competitive! Good luck to all and stay healthy!
