Moonlight Madness Meet Hub – Meet Info! Past Results! Course Map!
As I sit down to write this we are on the cusp of October and soon will be headed towards the divisional championships slated for the last day of October. Turning the corner on the first half of the season, we have two great in-state meets this weekend in Alvirne’s Battle of the Border and Monadnock’s Moonlight Madness. Growing from a mostly D3 meet with Keene along for the ride, this year’s version has grown, with 33 teams interested in attending. In this fifth year, we might hit capacity, with full JV and Varsity fields. Not to mention we will see teams from across the border as well, with teams making the trip from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont. Full fields, a fast course and strong competition should make for some great racing up front. Let’s dig in a bit.
Girls
In the girls race we have three ranked teams attending, #2 Hanover, #6 Oyster River and Keene. Our top returner, Aria Deeb of Hanover, should lead the field in this one, followed by members of her own squad along with the Oyster River front trio of Olivia Kavanough, Haley Bezanson and Maddy Cook, looking to disrupt the perfect score Hanover put up last year. Fresh off a perfect score at the Kennett Invitational the ladies from Durham should be keyed up for this one. Hanover will counter with Ari Hirschler, Mia Sverrild, Grace Stewart, Alice Bell and Olive Hanissian. Hanover is the clear NH favorite here but Oyster River is going to be looking to close the gap here in October.
Keene will be fronted by Abigail Pinegar, Aubrey Desroches and Gemma Doty and should be in control of the third spot but like OR, looking to make some inroads as we head into championship time. Other schools to keep an eye on here will be Coe-Brown, Nashua North, Winnacunnet, and Londonderry from NH, and Bellows Falls and Green Mountain Union from VT, Mohawk Trail and Northfield Mount Hermon from MA, and Notre Dame (West Haven) from CT.
Individually the top returner is Deeb and she’s quietly been having a great year. Deeb might find her strongest competition from her teammates but be sure that the OR trio will be right in there looking to break up the pack. Add in Londonderry’s Anna Laufsweiler, Nashua North’s Rosalie Neveau, PCA’s Elizabeth Stewart, former winner Desi Broadley of Green Mountain Union, the trio from Keene, and any of the front runners from the out of state teams. Don’t overlook the host school’s Emma Short, who made some great strides in outdoor and will be looking to defend home turf.
Boys
The boys race is even better on paper, with four ranked teams competing. Hanover is ranked #1, but was upset while being short staffed by #3 Coe Brown at Black Bear. Oyster River currently holds down the #4 spot and Keene sits in #7. Also teams to watch would be host school Monadnock, Winnacunnet, along with our out-of-state schools. One of the fun things to see will be is both Hanover and Coe Brown at full strength and if so, which team is better right now. Coe-Brown ran great as a pack at Black Bear, with a pack time less than twenty seconds. Led by Patrick Youngs, and supported by brother Sam Youngs, Broden Cox, Ben Jobin and Gus Glaser, Hanover will need to be firing on all cylinders. With that said, Hanover has the best one-two punch among teams listed with Ben Groves and Isaac McNaughton, so it will be interesting up front. Throw in names like Dylan Faris, Teddy White as well as Oliver and Alexander Collins, and Hanover has to be given the title of favorites Friday.
Oliver Lehman and Levi Clapp will be looking to break up the fun and lead the Oyster River crew around the Cheshire Fairgrounds for their first visit as well. This past weekend like the girls, they easily won the Kennett Invitational and will be running on all cylinders here. Keene will look to Tristan Woodbury and Sawyer Kress to do the same, looking to upset the D2 apple cart. As mentioned before home team Monadnock, who showed their cards for the first time last year on their way to the D3 championship, will look for Chase Ruffo, Jackson Ellis and Jason Lewis to surprise unsuspecting larger schools like Merrimack and Winnacunnet. And of course we have the out-of-state teams, who will be looking to take advantage of the lightning-fast course in Swanzey. Keep an eye on the Northfield Mount Hermon “hoggers” a name I just learned about at the Manchester Invitational.
Individually, Groves is the top returner but let’s not forget D3 runnerup and previous champion, and the guy who made the MOCs last year, Fall Mountain’s Elijah Bodanza. Absent from racing until this past weeks Mascoma homecoming race where he ran for the win. I anticipate he will go with the lead no matter what. I also expect McNaughton to be in that lead pack, along with Coe-Brown’s top five. Toss in Lehman and Clapp, Woodbury and Kress, Newfound’s Colin Foster, and the top runners from the out-of-state schools and you should have a crowded front of the field.
