center of the New Hampshire Cross Country universe when the NHIAA conducts the Division Championships this Saturday. NH has been conducting a cross country state championship for boys since 1930 and for girls since 1975, so the runners of NH Cross Country will be making history with their feet! For a complete history of the championships as well as Meet of Champions, check out “The History of New Hampshire Cross Country” courtesy of LancerTiming. As always they will be providing the professional timing!
We will be there in full force! We will be recording all races which will be posted on the NHIAA State Division Championships Meet Hub! 9 spots on the course! We will also be providing live instagram updates! Catch all the action! To wet your appetite, below are the previews!!! Good luck to all!
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**IMPORTANT – Athletes – NO WATCHES!
Division 3
By Mike Smith
Girls
With the loss of four seniors to graduation, one might think that Hopkinton would be in a rebuilding year, and they’d be half correct. Well out in front of the D3 crowd last year, scoring a low 30 points and beating the rest of the field by 41 points gave them some breathing room in relation to the other teams behind them. Other teams lost less bodies to matriculation, but in some cases, those losses were critical to their performances last season. Add in a few good new freshmen and who knows?
In the season preview I tagged Hopkinton, last year’s champion, as the team to beat. In the ensuing weeks nothing has changed about that prediction, however I wanted to clean up some of what wasn’t seen in that preview with regard to the strength of the team. In the preview I said that Maddy Lane and Maisie Emerson were going to be getting the services of Gwyneth Buelte and Hannah Clarner and all this is true. But left out was junior Rose Afflerbach who has been running as the team’s #3 most of this season. Add in freshman Ellison Gregory along with junior Lucy Beardmore and you’re looking at a very solid D3 crew. Not to mention the middle school girls won the D3 championship this past weekend. The Hawks have been ranked all season and if I had the money to bet I’d have to say my money is on the green team from Con-tooky.
Behind them I think I will have to tip my hat to another green team in the Newfound Bears of Bristol. Fronted by Ceili Irving this season, the Bears have a strong contingent of previous strong performers that if they can come on at the end of the season should have the upper hand over the rest of the field. Former all stars in Emerald Briggs and Addison “Annie” Alpers have been working through some injuries and have been running well of late. Couple that with the support of Charlotte Kaempfer and stalwart Reece Cutting, and potentially Sophie Drake, the Bears should have what it takes, if they can put things together on the day, to claw their way to the podium.
Behind them and left out of the season preview I feel is Pelham. Pelham has joined the D3 ranks and has been running pretty well. Led by Addison Martin, Kayla Bordonaro, Leah Silverwatch, the Pythons have a strong front three which had them finish in the next spot behind Newfound at Manchester. However if they are to move up, they will need to improve on their pack time to slither into the top two.
Behind them I see three teams vying for two spots to MOCs: Gilford, Newmarket and Campbell. Coming out on top of the rest from the Manchester merger was Gilford. I’ve been writing these previews for a long time and over the years I haven’t always given the Golden Eagles their due. I think that sometimes comes from the GEs splitting squads to allow their top athletes to race big while the rest of the crew is left to hold down the fort. This year they are fronted by a very able Maria Tilley, who has certainly doubled down over the past year to elevate herself into the conversation for the best behind Maddy Lane. Please don’t take this as any knock against Tilley. I’ve been very impressed with her ascension over the last year, but Lane is simply on a different level. The Golden Eagles will by supported by Kylie Kelly, Athena Booth, Allisa O’Brien, Bailey Juurlink-Gagne and Brooke Baron.
Newmarket is another squad that always seems to be hanging around the top five year after year; not an easy thing to do when you sit squarely in the D4 ranks. The Mules are led by Magnolia Redmond, with support from sister Sahalie Redmond, Rhiannon Lewis, Ella Carvalho and Ivy Patrick making a nice little pack. If things fall right, the girls from Newmarket might just be able to bootleg their way into a top three spot.
I had mentioned in the preview that behind the top four schools I had tapped for the podium spots at MOCs was Campbell. However that was before I realized Pelham was now in D3 and it would seem that the Cougars will be looking to snag a top five berth. Led by Calliegh Duncan and Brianna Flanagan, these cats will need to shore up their pack time if they are to slink into those top spots.
Individuals
As far as a prediction goes, this is a no brainer. While anything can happen, Maddy Lane is head and shoulders above anyone in D3 at this time. The next best returnees are the sisters O’Shea, Erin and Kaitlin and should be among the front chase pack. As I mentioned before I see Tilley as a challenger for the runner up spot along with Addison Martin. Teammates Emerson and Afflerbach should be among the front pack along with Emma Short of Monadnock, Hailey Watts of Moultonborough, Leah Unger of Raymond, Eloise Burns of Bishop Brady, Anna Fazelat of Derryfield, Kaitlin Stocker of Sanborn, Amelia Hill of Conant and Jenna Fillion of Fall Mountain.
Boys
In my season preview I always give deference to the returning champion, regardless of who graduated and the difficulty the current roster will have ascending to that top spot. With that said, the top two teams were going to lose some crucial firepower to graduation and were likely to have a difficult time getting back on top. And that seems to be the situation here. Mascoma lost five of their top seven, while Mascenic lost three of their top seven and haven’t seemed to find the replacements to finish where they did last season. Mascenic looks a little better off, with their top four as solid as most teams top four, however they really drop off after that and injuries haven’t helped. While Mascoma has a giant in Carl Russell, they’ve seemed to have a hard time building a squad behind him. With that said, the next three teams to be mentioned have done a great job prepping for the championship in 2025.
If I had to bet money at gunpoint I’d have to lay down the war bucks on Hopkinton. Led by Max Goupil, the Hawks have a solid group behind him and probably the biggest supporting cast in all of D3, and that certainly helps. With James Lavers, Finnegan Kovars, William Shepard and Michael Crosby rounding out the top five, the Hawks should have the firepower to take this one, with Crosby their fifth at Manchester, better than everyone else’s fifth. And with Coach Rothe with a hawkeye on what it takes to clutch the win, I see them in the driver’s seat.
Behind Hopkinton lurks both Monadnock and Portsmouth Christian Academy. Both squads boast a strong front runner in Monadnock’s Peyton Joslyn and PCA’s Christian Barnes, the third and second best returning athletes from last year. Monadnock has been sculpting a championship run by working hard to bring their freshman contingent of Jackson Ellis, Jason Lewis, Trevor Jones and Anthony Barassi along to compliment Jacob Brunjes and Chase Ruffo. The Huskies certainly put it together for Moonlight Madness, with Joslyn winning in an eye popping 14:44. If they can do the same come the end of October, they might be able to mush their way to the championship.
It appears that PCA recognized they had the potential pieces to make a run at the championships not long after last year’s championships. Using the who-do-we-have-left-after-graduation, the Eagles were looking pretty solid coming back in 2025 and it seems they have prepared for this championship. There is evidence they’ve been working to shore up their potential weak spots, much in the same way Monadnock has been looking to bring their freshmen along. With Barnes at the fore, and the crew of Brady Holt, Zack McKeown, George Stewart, Simeon Howard, Gabe Hamlet and Andrew James, PCA will look to circle the thermals looking for that strong updraft to take them to the top.
Behind these three frontrunners, I see Newmarket and Newfound, maybe not in the driver’s seat, but they might be in the gunner’s seat, meaning if they can put it all together they might find a way to work their way into a top three spot. Newmarket returns a solid squad after losing Jaron Labranche, and much like the ladies always seem to be lurking around the top five. (When a school can always be lurking around the top five per division that means they have a solid coaching situation, and in this instance, that coach is Blake Neri.) Led by Benjamin Patrick and Kinley McKenna, with support from William Clark, Sawyer Hill and Simon Hearthstone, the tight pack of Newmarket might just be stubborn enough to break into the top three.
Newfound finds themselves in a bit of a different situation, with 2024 “FASTER” star Colin Foster, and soccer convert Brady Harker searching for teammates behind them. They certainly found one in Connor Hemingway, but will need a bit more help if they are going to scratch their mark and climb into the top three.
Obviously I feel this will make up the top five teams however in D3 all you need is a poorly timed flu or injury bug and with small teams it can be hard to substitute back in. If these five teams don’t make up the fabric of the MOC qualifiers I expect to see Saint Thomas Aquinas fronted by Oliver Schartner, Mascenic fronted by Dylan Callahan and Donovan Griffis, or Holy Family Academy fronted by Max Williams looking to sneak into one of those spots.
Individuals
In the early goings of the season I was saying that I’d find it hard to see anyone taking down last year’s champion in Fall Mountain’s Elijah Bodanza, and I still feel that’s a solid comment. Undefeated through the first half of the season and the Small School champion at Manchester, Bodanza certainly has what it takes. However I was also saying if I was Peyton Joslyn of Monadnock I’d work to stay in Bodanza’s back pocket and use the jets to pull away late if I could. And I’ll stand by that comment as well. Either way this is going to be an exciting race up front.
It would be silly to not consider Christian Barnes in the equation either, certainly as the second best returner in the field. There should be a great chase pack with Foster, Harker, Hemingway, Goupil, Williams, Russell, Shartner and any number of teams #1 and #2 runners stacking them in.
Division 2
By Tim Cox
Girls
Since 2021, Hanover and Oyster River have taken turns winning the NH D2 State Championship with Hanover taking the title last year. Hanover will be looking to break the trend as they have been on fire all season long and undefeated against NH competition. To their credit, the Bobcats have been trending lately, and while Hanover has to be considered the favorites as they are NH#1, expect NH #2 Oyster River to make them earn it. Matter of fact, these teams also entered last year’s D2 Championships when OR was #1 and Hanover was #2. Hanover ended up winning. Will this year see history repeat itself?
Hanover continues to to do Hanover things this season, but perhaps in a more dominant fashion as they have been undefeated v. NH competition and have run quite fast. Once again they have 2 low sticks with Megan Faris and now Aria Deeb, who could very well finish 1-2. Add in senior Millie Larrick who could also be top 5, Hanover seems even more potent than last year. Think their scoring back end is susceptible? Think again as they have consistent veterans in Lila Muirhead and Alice Bell who both could crack the top 10. Yep that’s right Hanover could have 5 in the top 10. Oh and don’t sleep on freshman Lila Marchetti as she was their 5th scorer at Moonlight Madness when they completed the clean sweep of the top 5 places scoring the xc shutout.
Oyster River continues to be the thorn in Hanover’s side if-you-will. Yes they were 2nd to Hanover on the merge at Manchester but that was without Olivia Kavanagh. She has been back since Manch and along with Neely Roy and Maddy Cook the Bobcats sport a trio of low sticks who should join the top 10 with Hanover. Don’t overlook their 4-5 scorers either as Haley Bezanson continues her come back season seemingly getting stronger each race, while senior Jahrie Houle is the consistent #5 scorer. Yes we are in for a treat…round 5 of Hanover v. OR.
Vying for the 3 remaining auto qualifying positions for the MOCs should be Souhegan, Plymouth, and Coe-Brown. NH#8 Souhegan has Samantha Swanbon, who continues to provide the low number and be a strong individual contender in D2. Their history shows they always have a solid pack by state meet time so look for Brynn Siska to have a big day as well. Plymouth continues to have the most potent weapon courtesy of their own the low-stick Elli Englund. They have also developed Abigail Furlan who could crack the top 15 herself.
One point behind them in the MI merge was Coe-Brown. At full strength, these Bears are a seemingly pack running team as their top 4 Annabelle Lovett. Hilary Wennberg, Lily Travis and Eloise Hill had a top 4 pack time of just 13 seconds. If these four could finish all in the top 20 and their 5th could inch closer, CBNA should be in the top 3. Seemingly outside these three, but certainly should be mentioned as a contender for an MOC berth is Hollis/Brookline, led by Mae Butler. They have the potential to crash the top 5 MOC qualifying party.
Individually this could look like a duel meet at the front. Look for the Hanover top 3 to all potentially come in the top 5. Faris would have to be the favorite with her teammate Deeb perhaps being her largest competition. Expect OR’s Kavanagh and Roy to attempt to break those top 2 up with Hanover’s Muirhead and Marchetti to battle Cook for top 5 finishes themselves. Add Englund and Swanbon as the interlopers to this battle in the front pack and you have 9 of your top 10.
Boys
After snapping Coe-Brown’s 5 year win streak in 2023, Hanover will be looking to extend their own streak this Saturday. The last 2 years, they have claimed D2 honors and have been one of the best programs in the state. Yes they graduated key seniors last year, but new names have risen to comprise the NH #2 and they remain the favorite to win their third consecutive D2 crown. Now a junior, Ben Groves certainly will be looking for the individual title which obviously buoys Hanover’s chances. This is especially true as he has sophomore teammates Isaac McNaughton and Alexander Collins seemingly nipping at his heels from time to time. Along with freshman Dylan Faris, Oliver Collins and Ben Hourdequin, they have competed well against out-of-state competition this season and collectively ran unbelievably fast at Moonlight Madness. They are a complete team, worthy of their ranking and will be very tough to beat.
If there is a team which has a shot, it has to be NH#3 Coe-Brown. Led by sophomore Patrick Youngs, these are the new look Black Bears with nary a senior. Along with Youngs they sport juniors Ben Jobin and newcomer Gus Glaser, sophomore Ben Larson, and 3 freshmen in Samuel Youngs, Mateo Ferguson and Broden Cox. They are so young, only one of them actually has their license to drive; however, they have also built quite the resume this season. While they have not raced Hanover head to head, in the process of winning the small school division of MI50, the Bears boasted a 19 second pack time and came out ahead of Hanover on the merge. While it should be noted, Hanover’s freshman Faris was in the freshman race, this stat could prove somewhat significant. With Patrick Youngs battling for a top 3 finish, they have that low stick, and if their 1-5 pack time is under a minute, watch out.
NH#6 Oyster River is the solid #3 team in D2 despite losing their number 1 runner, Oliver Lehman, to injury (we wish him a speedy recover). They certainly have the depth to crash the top 2 teams as well with Levi Clapp and Brendan Banafato being potential top 5-10 finishers. Add in Garrett Sellers, freshman Jace Dinnan, and Ryker Anderson along with Siddharth Sanjay, and one can see the Bobcats still have the juice as a complete team. Expect to see the white and blue make their presence felt Saturday.
Three teams seemingly vying for the last 2 MOC auto qualifying slots look to be Souhegan, Bow and Hollis/Brookline. I would giveNH#9 Souhegan the edge to claim an auto MOC qualifying spot. They always seem to step up when it matters, and have a potential top 10 finisher in sophomore Jacob Spencer. Ryan Quinn adds experience and along with Drew Rigaut could both add top 20 finishes. Expect their 4 and 5 to finish a tad closer pushing the Sabers through to next weekend.
The final qualifying spot looks like a war between 2 pack running teams, Bow and Hollis/Brookline. Bow will have a trio in a pack racing together in Sam Kohl , Wyatt Worcester and Ian Sandahl while Hollis/Brookline should see William Scott potentially finish in the top 15-20. This will come down to each teams’ back end scoring courtesy of their 4 and 5 scorers to punch the final auto ticket to MOCs.
While there seems to be a gap, if any one of the aforementioned 4-5-6 teams falter Merrimack Valley, Lebanon, and/or Milford could capitalize!
Individually, similar potential here as with the girls race as Groves and McNaughton could claim 1-2 honors. However, this is the D2 championships so look for names like Patrick Youngs, Plymouth’s Tate Hayman, and potentially OR’s Clapp to potentially break this up. Then it should be a CBNA pack led by Jobin and who knows which ones as they continue to mix up their scoring 5. Along with the Black Bears should be Hanover’s Alexander Collins, Milford’s Grant Skorupan, Banafato, Souhegan’s Spencer, OR’s Sellers & Dinnan, and HB’s Scott.
Division 1
Girls
By Amy Sanborn
With six Division One teams in the top ten, the five automatic spots seem to be guaranteed with many fighting for the “at-large” bids. However, we all know it is about who is healthy and performs on that day and anything can happen.
As for the front of the team competition, it should be a similar situation to 2024 with Exeter and Pinkerton battling for the crown. Exeter is ranked #3 and Pinkerton is ranked #4 so it should be quite the battle. Exeter has the strongest 1-2 in the state in the Paterna sisters which gives them a huge advantage early. Alexis will be battling for the individual title and Brianna will be looking for the top 3 which will give two small numbers to start their scoring. After that Molly Kells, Izzie Bremer and sophomore Ashleigh Maceachem round out the scoring five potentially all in the top 20 making it a tough score to beat.
Pinkerton is led by some strong upperclassmen that have been in this position before and hoping to once again upset the favorite and repeat as Champions. Junior Sookie Folsom is having a great season and will be looking for a top five finish to lead the Astros. Seniors Kalisan Marzolf, Gabrielle Bedard and Parker Knowlton give them a strong top 4. Add to the group freshman standout Naomi Ebhaleme and they have a solid top five to make for quite the battle..
Bedford has had a very good second half of the season and continues to get stronger. Led by senior Mikita Barry, who will be fighting for the individual title, gives them a very low number to start their score. The Bulldogs need to go back a bit for their remaining scorers but the have a strong pack in Mia Moranti, Grace Boll, Julia Malnar and Brooke Gilroy who all ran under 22:00 at the Battle of the Border. If the pack can close the gap on Saturday, they could find themselves fighting for the podium.
Bishop Guertin has two strong leaders new to BG in freshman Zoe Coler and sophomore Jaylyn Paul. Add the veteran leadership of seniors Lyla Masson and Anna Sinclair with sophomore Shannon Forsyth they have the experience of performing on a big stage. Don’t count them out to sneak into the top three and maybe even the top two if anyone faulters.
Concord and Windham have come on the second half of the season to get them into the top ten state rankings putting them in a great position for the automatic qualifying positions for Meet of Champions. Concord is led by Mahalie Burdette and Windham is led by Hazel Perks.
Typically at least 2 of the 3 at-large bids will come from Division One so after the top 6 there will be a battle for those final positions. Winnacunnet, Londonderry and Keene should be the ones fighting for the chance to run another week. Winnacunnet and Londonderry are not currently ranked but were earlier this season, and Keene has been coming on strong the second half of the season. Winnacunnet is led by freshman Hannah Curtin, Londonderry is led by sophomore Anna Laufersweiler and Keene is led by Junior Abigail Pinegar. However the battle will not be won by their top girl. It will come down to who has the strongest pack in the middle of the race.
Individually it will be Exeter’s Lexi Paterna and Bedford’s Barry fighting for the individual title. Paterna has gotten the best of Barry throughout the season, but Barry is the defending champion and will not let her take it from her without a fight. After that there will be a battle to round out the top five. Exeter’s Bri Paterna and Pinkerton’s top 3 of Folsom, Marzolf and Ebhaleme will be trying to clench a top five position. However, Bishop Guertin’s Coler and Paul will be hoping to push them out. Concord’s Burdette, Bedford’s Moranti, Keene’s Pinegar, BG’s Masson, Exeter’s Kells and Londonderry’s Laufersweiler will all be fighting for the all important top ten positions.
Boys
By Ian French
#1 Pinkerton Academy
The Astros came into this season looking like a team which was set to absolutely dominate this fall. Did it work out that way? Yes. Maybe the most interesting thing about the team has been the revolving door at the top spot, where Trainor Mailloux, Oscar D’Amelio, and Jason Robie have all taken turns as the team’s leader while putting in definitive sub 16:00 performances. Any one of these guys could challenge for the top spot in Division I, but the Astros are truly stacked through five. They have an insane 34-second spread, so there’s an actual possibility that Pinkerton could put five guys in the top ten of the race, which is something I’ve never seen before. Watch for the Astros to score under 40 points and win by a sizable margin.
#2 Londonderry
After Pinkerton, things are going to get fun. Londonderry has their work cut out for them if they want hardware, but they absolutely have the guys to make it happen. Carson Fitzgerald has had an amazing season, consistently placing in one of the top spots in every meet he’s attended and is likely going to be right at the front of the individual race from the gun. Fellow senior Josh Twomey came alive in the second half of the season and has been nipping at Fitzgerald’s heels. Sophomore Patrick Ramsey has also been outstanding and has become one of the best sophomores in the Division. Londonderry will need their four and five guys to have strong days, though, if they’re hoping to hold off the other contenders.
#3 Keene
Keene is hoping to start its scoring with a one, and with Sully Sturtz breaking 15:00 for the second season, they certainly have a capable guy. Sturtz alone isn’t what got them here, though. Keene’s young runners have made a huge leap and really helped them climb the rankings. The team saw Tristan Woodbury and Sawyer Kress find their way under 16:00 at the Moonlight Madness meet, and they finished just behind the state’s number two team, Hanover. If they can match that performance, they could find themselves taking the runner-up spot from Londonderry.
#4 Bishop Guertin
Guertin is another team hoping to see the individual champion come from their squad. Ethan Fischer has had an outstanding sophomore campaign that saw him stick with a nationally ranked Bocelli Howland-Vlahakis at the Hopkinton Cross Country Festival. Freshman Michael Studer has run the best time in the Division for any freshman, helping BG move into the runner-up discussion. Guertin’s biggest issue is they start to fall back pretty quickly after their four, and if anyone is off or missing, they don’t really have anyone to pick up the slack.
#5 Nashua North
Little divergence here from the state rankings, as this past weekend saw a really excellent performance from the Titans down at Catholic Memorial Invitational. Most of North’s varsity seem to have run season bests at a course that really isn’t particularly fast. Cole Burns has had a great season, and he’ll be eyeing a sub 17:00 run at Manchester. Owen Gagnon and Tom White kept it close with Burns and are likely hoping to place in the top 30. The Titans are definitely a step back from our top four, but they should definitely punch a ticket to the Meet of Champions next weekend and be in the mix for a New England’s berth!
#6 Exeter
Our fifth, sixth, and seventh teams should have a pretty good battle for the fifth spot. Logan Poteet has had an outstanding sophomore year and should crack the top twenty with a good race. Seniors Ian Cottrill and Marcus Clark have had strong seasons as well, running in the low 17s. While they may not have anyone competing for the top spot in the meet, Exeter does bring an enviable sub-one-minute top-five spread that should help them keep their score down.
#7 Nashua South
The last of our state-ranked teams, South is led by Matthew Motherway, who has run well this season and is looking at a top 20 finish. South’s biggest issue is the large gap between Motherway and the rest of their varsity, which unfortunately sets them up for some high scoring numbers after he finishes. If those guys can keep it a little closer, it’s very possible for them to climb up to the fifth spot.
The individual race should be a fun one, with several runners having run statement races during the season, which should have them in consideration for the win. That said, Ethan Fischer is probably the guy to beat overall. He was awesome at this meet last year, and his win at a hilly Thetford course has him looking tough to beat. If anyone is going to take him down, it’s Sully Sturtz, who dipped under 15:00 at the Moonlight Madness race and has been one of the best runners in New England for three years.
The Pinkerton crew shouldn’t be counted out. Mailloux’s win at Nashua North saw him run away from Fischer over the final K of the race. D’Amelio has been Pinkerton’s top runner multiple times, and he has been in the top 10 of all the invitationals this season. Robie seemed to find a new gear this past weekend at CMI, running in the 15:40s and only losing to the nationally-ranked Mazzeo brothers from Pennsylvania. Don’t forget about Concord’s Josiah Conley; he’s flown under the radar a bit this fall, but when he’s on, he’s one of the best out there. Fitzgerald should also find himself in with all these guys, and on the right day, he’s got the speed to take down any of the guys mentioned.
