Teams competing: Bellows Falls, VT, Campbell, Conant, Cushing Academy, Fall Mountain, Hanover, Hinsdale, Hollis Brookline, Keene (boys), Londonderry (girls), Mascenic, Mascoma, Merrimack, Monadnock, Mount Hermon, MA, Moultonborough, Newfound, Newmarket, Newport, Portsmouth Christian
Over the four years Monadnock has hosted its Moonlight Madness Invitational at the Cheshire Fairgrounds, word has gotten out that the event is two things, lightning fast and whole lotta fun. That’s why this year, with twenty teams looking to battle under the lights and through the shadows, the event has expanded to include JV races as well. With a great vibe, spectator friendly course and a finishing straight with stadium seating, it was only a matter of time before the event grew. And while many of the top ranked teams will be competing the next day at Battle of the Border (the only drawback to the timing of this meet) there will still be some great competition under the lights. Let’s take a look at the racing.
Girls
While there is only one ranked team on the girls side, it’s a doozie in #1 ranked Hanover. Hanover not only has a top two that can run with anyone in Aria Deeb and Megan Faris, the supporting cast of Millie Larrick, Lila Muirhead and Alice Bell all ran under 21 minutes at Derryfield Park (ok, Bell ran 21:01) and finished only behind nationally ranked Champlain Valley. I expect their top five to easily be in the top ten here.
Londonderry will be bringing their girls squad to Moonlight and while not currently in the rankings the Lancers were ranked earlier in the year and are still a top team. Led by Anna Laufersweiler, the Lancer’s will be looking to hold that runner up position.
Behind these two, look for Hollis/Brookline to lead the non Division 1 teams. Led by Edith Butler, Quinn Hardy and Sarah Bauer the Cavaliers should be looking to upset Londonderry with a good run.
Another team looking to capitalize on the fast course and solid competition will be Newfound. Led by Ceili Irving and a healthy Emerald Briggs the Bears will be looking to trend upwards over the second half of the season and will using Moonlight as the test piece to measure their improvement.
I’d like to mention Bellow Falls, Cushing and Northfield Mount Hermon but I cannot comment on them as I never see them or results from their racing but they also could be in the mix.
Individually, I see the Hanover crew populating the front pack, with Faris and Deeb at the point. In the top group also should be the O’Shea sisters, Erin and Kaitlin of Mascenic, Hailey Watts of Moultonborough, Laufsweiler, home team Monadnock’s Emma Short, Fall Mountain’s Jenna Fillion, Cushing’s Olivia Richards and Candace Maple, Newmarket’s Magnolia Redmond, Conant’s Amelia Hill, and Irving and Briggs looking to fill the gap.
Boys
We have two teams that are currently in the rankings; Hanover at #2 and Keene at #7. Hanover comes in after finishing 4th at Manchester Invite in the large school race, only behind #1 Pinkerton for NH schools. Led by Ben Groves and Isaac McNaughton, both finishing in the top ten at Manchester, the Bears (who knew?) should be the team to beat at Moonlight.
However Keene, led by two time winner Sully Sturtz will be looking to give them a challenge. The Blackbirds are familiar with the course, having participated since the inception, will need their supporting members behind Sturtz to step up in order to upset the apple cart.
The battle for third should be between Division 3 school Portsmouth Christian and D2’s Hollis Brookline who were within 13 points coming out of the merge from Manchester. Portsmouth Christian, with a low stick in Christian Barnes, is well matched, with their fifth finishing Manchester in 20:06. Hollis/Brookline, led by William Scott and Jacob Hoesch are equally matched and this pairing should be fun to watch.
Hoping to use the cover of darkness to surprise everyone for third place will be host school Monadnock. The Huskies did not run Manchester, looking to keep their powder dry (though it would have been hard to find a drier and dustier day) and are looking at the bigger picture, October 25th and the divisional championships. I expect we’ll see Peyton Joslyn challenging for the front as he’s done before in an effort to bring it on his home course. I expect the Husky pack to be rolling.
Again, I’d like to mention Bellow Falls, Cushing and Northfield Mount Hermon but I cannot comment on them as I never see them or results from their racing but they also could be in the mix.
Individually there should be a great battle up front between Sturtz, Joslyn and last year’s D3 champion and Manchester Small School champion, Elijah Bodanza. Sturtz has yet to show his form from last year and Joslyn and Bodanza have not met yet so it should be quite a show. I don’t want to leave Groves out on this one either as he was the third fastest finisher from NH coming out of the merge. Behind them expect Barnes, Newfound’s Colin Foster and Brady Harker, Mascoma’s Carl Russell, potentially Conant’s Aaron Graham (back from injury) and Newport’s Bryce Palmer looking to take advantage of a fast course. Toss in the rest of Keene’s elusive lineup and expect a great race to end the evening from the southwest part of the state.
