After missing out on New Englands by just one place last year, the Coe-Brown boys’ cross country team made its mission to qualify this season. On Saturday, the Bears achieved that goal.
The Coe-Brown Northwood Academy boys finished third at the Meet of Champions, held at Hudson’s Alvirne High School on Saturday, while the Hopkinton girls finished sixth, claiming the final qualifying slot.
The top six teams and 25 individuals in each race will compete at New Englands at Thetford Academy in Vermont next Saturday.
Pinkerton (49 points) easily topped the boys’ standings, with Hanover (105), Coe-Brown (129), Keene (161), Oyster River (206) and Londonderry (220) rounding out the top six.
On the girls’ side, Hanover easily won with 40 points. Oyster River (100), Exeter (101), Pinkerton (102), Bedford (190) and Hopkinton (209) were the other top-six girls’ teams.
Keene senior Sully Sturtz won the boys’ individual title, finishing the 5K course in 15 minutes, 18.25 seconds.
Exeter junior Alexis Paterna (17:05.13) won the girls’ crown, not far ahead of Hopkinton junior Maddy Lane (17:13.90).
Sophomore Patrick Youngs (18th, 16:12) led the Coe-Brown boys, followed by teammates freshman Samuel Youngs (26th, 16:24), junior Ben Jobin (34th, 16:38), freshman Broden Cox (35th, 16:38), sophomore Ben Larson (37th, 16:42), freshman Mateo Ferguson (38th, 16:43) and junior Gus Glaser (61st, 17:09).
Entering the MOC in the 18th and final qualifying spot, the Concord boys finished 12th (282) and beat Nashua North, a team that bested the Tide last weekend in the D-I championship. Senior Josiah Conley (sixth, 15:38) and sophomore Spencer Clemans (24th, 16:19) both qualified individually for Concord.
The Hopkinton boys were 14th (350), but had one individual qualifier – sophomore Max Goupil (25th, 16:22).
Sophomore Maisie Emerson (18th, 19:09), junior Rose Afflerbach (47th, 20:23), and freshmen Elli Gregory (94th, 21:33) and Hannah Clarner (99th, 21:50) joined Lane as the other scoring runners for the Hopkinton girls.
Junior Mahalie Burdette (22nd, 19:19) qualified for the ninth-place Concord girls (246).
Coe-Brown (272) was the other local team that competed, finishing 11th.