IN THE HORNET'S NEST

ME Cross Country Readies for Postseason Meets

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The regular season is over for the Manchester Essex cross country teams, and now comes the postseason push.
Both Hornet squads will compete in the Cape Ann League Championships at Wrentham Developmental Center on October 26, followed by the MIAA State Divisional Meet in Fort Devens on November 9. If successful there, then the next step will be the State Championship at Fort Devens on November 16.
The girls’ team should be particularly encouraged for the postseason after finishing up with a winning record.
“The girls’ team with a 3-2 record has had a good season so far,” explains Manchester Essex cross country coach Steve Whittey. “Sabine Cooper has been running well all season and hopes to make the All-Star team for CAL again this year. River Silva has improved greatly over last year and had a personal record (PR) at Twilight, and Kalin Bennett has been an awesome surprise as a freshman running fourth on the team. Whitney Turner And Hayden Remmington had season bests at Twilight.”
While the boys’ team hasn’t had quite the same level of success as a team, the Hornets have come close in a number of meets this season, including tight losses to Ipswich and Lynnfield to open the season.
“The boys’ team with a 1-4 record are underrated,” says Whittey. “After losing the first two meets by one point, it was going to be tough to have a winning season. Hamilton Wenham has been dominating the CAL and Amesbury has a good team.
Despite the overall regular season record, the boys’ team has seen some impressive individual performances in 2024.
“Henry Stevens has been having a great year and has been competitive in every meet,” says Whittey. “Lyall Cunningham has been a solid second run and just ran a PR at the Cape Cod Twilight Invitational. Gus Hall and Isaiah Nicastro have contributed greatly as freshmen.
Another encouraging development for the Hornets is that reinforcements could be on the way just in time for the postseason meets.
“Getting a solid fifth runner will be key in the championships we have going forward,” explains Whittey. “Senior tri-captain Henry Chadbourne has been injured most of the season but is now healthy and ran a PR at Twilight. Matt Ala and James Aloi have both performed well as fifth runners in different races and also both had PRs at Twilight.”