Everything went right for the Coe-Brown Northwood Academy cross country team. The Bears executed their race plan to a T, three freshmen exceeded their expectations to lead the way and everyone else did their job. It went as perfectly as it could have, but Coe-Brown still didn’t get the title.
Despite placing four runners in the top nine, the Coe-Brown boys’ team lost the D-II team title by a single point, 37-38, to Hanover on Saturday at Derryfield Park.
Freshmen Broden Cox (fourth, 17:07), Samuel Youngs (sixth, 17:15) and Mateo Ferguson (seventh, 17:17) had phenomenal races, and sophomore Patrick Youngs (ninth, 17:22) and junior Ben Jobin (12th, 17:23) were faster than Hanover’s fourth- and fifth-fastest runners, but Hanover junior Ben Groves claimed the individual title in 16 minutes, 39.15 seconds and sophomore teammate Isaac McNaughton (16:49) was runner-up, giving Hanover the slight edge it needed for its third straight championship.
CBNA finished second to Hanover for the third year in a row.
“Mixed feelings for sure,” Coe-Brown head coach Lucas Fisher said. “Our kids did everything we asked them to. They ran a great race all the way through, it’s just how the cards fell. Super proud of our kids.”
The Bears have proven to be a pack running team all season and Saturday’s championship was their closest pack yet, with just seven seconds separating the five scoring runners, and junior Gus Glaser (13th, 17:28) and sophomore Ben Larson (16th, 17:45) not far behind.
It’s been a fluid top seven all season, with a different group of leaders on any given day, but Saturday was Cox’s time to shine. Cox, who was typically fourth or fifth in the Bears’ lineup and previously never higher than third, is the son of longtime CBNA track and cross country coach Tim Cox and the younger brother of former champions Addison and Aidan Cox.
“We have a really great young core where we (typically) have Ben Larson and Patrick Youngs in the front, but those freshmen were right on their heels (throughout the season),” Fisher said. “The mark of a great team is that we never know who our top five are going to be. Broden Cox had a breakout race. Man, that was awesome to see him take off like that and lead it, and then Sammy and Mateo going right after him as well. It was so cool to have three freshmen leading the way and the rest of the team right behind them.”
The Coe-Brown girls also had a breakout day.
Every girls’ title since 2021 has been won by either Hanover or Oyster River, and it ended up being Hanover who defended its title with senior Megan Faris breaking the tape in 19:20.32 and five of her teammates filling in the top 10.
Hanover (25) and Oyster River (52) easily outpaced the rest of the field at the top of the team standings as expected, but Coe-Brown knew third place was a possibility and the Bears delivered.
Freshman Hilary Wennberg (16th, 21:14), junior Annabelle Lovett (20th, 21:52), sophomore Eloise Hill (21st, 22:05), freshman Lily Travis (23rd, 22:08) and senior Olivia Zadakis (39th, 23:49) scored for Coe-Brown.
This was the best that the Coe-Brown girls had finished in D-II since the Bears came in third in 2021. This is also the first time that the girls have made a return trip to the Meet of Champions since then, breaking their drought last fall.
“We had four girls in the top 25 for the first time in a while, and they’re all returning,” Fisher said. “It’s nice that they’re going back to MOCs for the second time and can start their own legacy.”
The boys’ team now turns its attention to next weekend’s MOC where the boys are hoping to finish in the top six to advance to New Englands. Coe-Brown missed it by one place last season.
“Our entire boys team ran exactly the way we wanted them to,” Fisher said. “They ran with heart, they never gave up. We’re really proud of our seven. I’m sure they’re not happy (with second), but this is the 11th year in a row we’ve been on that stage (accepting a top two plaque), so the fact that they can keep adding to that legacy, they should be proud of themselves.”
Boys
Hanover (37), Coe-Brown (38), Oyster River (83), Souhegan (114) and Hollis-Brookline (152) are the five teams competing at MOC.
Bow (197) missed the cut by one place, finishing sixth. The Falcons were led by two individual MOC qualifiers, senior Wyatt Worcester (20th, 17:53) and sophomore Sam Kohl (23rd, 17:56). Sophomores George Kohl (45th, 18:53), Ian Sandahl (54th, 19:20) and Gavin Simon (55th, 19:22) also scored for Bow.
Merrimack Valley (268) was eighth with Ben Geoffroy (33rd, 18:25), Nathan Bain (51st, 19:07), Jonathan Degges (56th, 19:26), Rohan Chevalier (60th, 19:41) and Westin Chevalier (68th, 20:03) leading the Pride.
John Stark (325) was 12th with Austin Patenaude (31st, 18:19), Luke Gajowski (65th, 19:57), Evan Furness (73rd, 20:20), Brendan Burke (77th, 20:33) and Shane Brunini (89th, 21:07) scoring for the Generals.
Pembroke (373) finished 15th and was led by William LeCain (50th, 19:06), Caleb Saturley (61st, 19:47), Hayden Petersons (64th, 19:56), Zachery Heichlinger (97th, 22:01) and Joziah Hosey (101st, 22:18).
Girls
Hanover (25), Oyster River (52), Coe-Brown (119), Hollis-Brookline (125) and Souhegan (177) were the top five girls’ teams.
Bow senior Julia Hou (22nd, 22:06) and Pembroke sophomore Caitrin Bergeron (25th, 22:13) qualified individually for MOC.
MV (221) came in seventh and was led by Reagan Jefferson (31st, 22:42), Emily Baca (34th, 23:02), Lily Moser (38th, 23:43), Brylee Flood (51st, 24:41) and Emma Geoffroy (67th, 25:57).
Pembroke (307) was 10th with Bergeron, Delana Girouard (49th, 24:33), Isabella DeLorme (60th, 25:21), Jasmine Blake (70th, 26:20) and Icesis Liska (103rd, 29:49) scoring for the Spartans.
John Stark (352) and Bow (366) came in 15th and 16th, respectively.
Nora Smith (30th, 22:38), Grace Meisser (65th, 25:41), Kayla Barriere (79th, 26:46), Milla Lunderville (80th, 26:47) and Rylee Barnard (98th, 28:40) scored for Stark, and Hou, Alexis Matheis (71st, 26:21), Maya Owen (87th, 27:34), Emma Bryant (92nd, 28:14) and Madelyn Fish (94th, 28:22) scored for Bow.