Concord High’s Chris Beyer won the New England cross country championship as a senior in 1991, and he was the last Crimson Tide athlete to do so. Now, 33 years later, he has taken over the as the girls’ cross country head coach.

After falling short of a podium finish last season, Beyer hopes to propel the Concord girls to new heights. He has coached track and field for over 25 years and brings extensive experience to the table.

The opportunity to join Concord’s coaching staff had presented itself over the years. It was not until he took a yearlong break from the track and field world, after his daughter graduated from Merrimack Valley High School, that he decided to return to his alma mater.

“I said that if I went back, I’d like to go to Concord,” said Beyer. “That opportunity presented itself, so I acted upon it.”

Before returning four years ago, he started Bow’s track program when the high school opened in 1997 and then moved to Laconia High School, where he teaches English for speakers of other languages.

Now he will be mainly focused on cross country and will also continue coaching the triple jump, high jump and long jump for the CHS track and field team.

The Tide’s cross country team placed fifth by a narrow margin last season at the NHIAA Division I championship with a relatively less-experienced team. Pinkerton beat the competition by a long shot, but Bedford, Dover, Exeter and Concord were all within 15 points of each other.

The Crimson Tide fell short of the New England championships at the Meet of Champions, finishing seventh, just one place and nine points away from qualifying, but Beyer is very optimistic about the team’s chances of making a deep postseason run.

“The goal is to make a run for a top-two finish at states, to make MOC as well and eventually make the launch at a New England championship,” he said.

The incoming seniors are already stepping up to the challenge and making Beyer’s transition into the role easier.

Shelly Smith (17th in D-I, Concord’s top runner at the state championship) and Phoebe Dater-Roberts are both seniors with significant varsity experience.

Junior Bella Komorek and sophomores Mahalie Burdette, Quinn Doherty and Gianna Gualtieri all ran for the Tide at the D-I championship, while junior Madeleine Short also brings varsity experience.

“There’s a lot of good leadership there,” he said. “The underclassmen are certainly looking up to them. There’s some good potential coming in.”

As a student, Beyer ran nearly every season he could in the half-mile, 800 meters, mile and the 3,200 meters, and he competed in cross country all four years.

The team has 11 freshmen girls and even more upperclassmen that are first-time cross country runners, and they will benefit from the experience at the forefront and from Beyer’s own expertise.

Freshmen Izabela Thompson and Francesca Brown were the top runners on Rundlett Middle School’s team last year and could make an immediate impact.

Like the girls’ team, sixth-year boys’ head coach Zach Procek has a large ensemble of runners who could potentially be in the varsity seven.

Procek expects junior Josiah Conley (sixth in D-I) and sophomore Ian Mamos, the top two Concord runners at the state meet, to reprise those roles, but the rest of the spots are up for grabs and could shift throughout the season.

Freshmen Spencer Clemens and Max Jimenez Calderon stood out last year as eighth-graders on Rundlett’s team.

“In addition to those two, we have a lot of new freshmen who have a ton of potential,” Procek said. “Our numbers on both the boys’ and girls’ teams are up significantly this year, and the more kids we get, the more talent we’ll find in the crowd.”

The Tide boys finished 13th last year but return a lot more experience than last fall.

“I have a lot of confidence in our ability to move up the field as a team this year,” Procek said. “We’ve been trending down in overall team placement over the last couple of years as a bubble aged out and a new group came in. We had a very young team for a few years, and we still have a lot of freshmen, but the individuals on the team are really coming into their own now. The returners have a better vision of their own ability, and they have a strong drive to meet the potential they see in themselves. … The energy on the team is awesome, and I’m confident that it will play out in the results this season.”

Like the girls’ team, the boys hope to finish in the top five in D-I to advance to the MOC.

Beyer expects Exeter, Pinkerton, Bedford and Bishop Guertin to be the main competition on the girls’ side, while Procek expects Nashua South, Keene and Bishop Guertin to stand out both in the team standings and individually.

Concord opens its season on Sept. 7 at the Mount Washington Invitational and will host the Cofrin Classic at NHTI on Sept. 10.

BOW

Division: II.

Coaches: Kate Kretscher (boys, fourth year) and Dave Niemaszyk (girls, third year).

Last year: Boys fifth; girls sixth.

Top returners: Boys: Wyatt Worcester, jr.; Thomas Sargent, sr.; Zach Ingram, sr.; Jack Noce, sr.; Jack Kohl, sr. Girls: Hannah Pawlowski, sr.; Julia Hou, jr.; Lena Thompson, sr.; Lauren Oppold, sr.; Madelyn Fish, so.; Olivia Shippos, sr.

Top newcomers: Boys: Ian Sandahl, fr.; Sam Kohl, fr.; George Kohl, fr.; Gavin Buxton, jr.

Outlook: The Falcon boys graduated three key seniors from last year’s team, including their top two runners at the D-II championship, but have a large group of seniors, plus talented rookies that could keep Bow in MOC contention.

“We have several freshmen; we are excited to see what they do,” Kretschmer said.

The girls’ squad only graduated one senior and returns its top three – Hou (19th in D-II), Pawlowski and Thompson. The Falcons hope to build some depth and make a return trip to the MOC.

“This team has been really bonding between last season and this one and are becoming a great group of teammates who care about each other,” Niemaszyk said. “They are a smart, positive, hard-working group that is starting to reach their potential individually and as a team. They want to challenge themselves and compete out on each course while having fun along the way.”

Teams to beat: Oyster River, Hanover, Coe-Brown.

COE-BROWN

Division: II.

Coaches: Lucas Fisher (boys, second year) and Brooke Laskowsky (girls, second year).

Last year: Boys D-II runner-up; girls ninth.

Top returners: Boys: Luc Kerouac, sr.; Ben Jobin, so.; Keegan Sousa, jr.; Landon Graveline, sr.; Quinn Froburg, sr. Girls: Paige Murdough, sr.; Meredith Kerivan, jr.; Mary Bergeron, jr.; Annabelle Lovett, so.

Top newcomers: Boys: Patrick Youngs, fr.; Benjamin Larson, fr. Girls: Olivia Zadakis, jr.

Outlook: The Bear boys finished second in D-II and third at MOC to qualify for New Englands but graduated individual champion Jamie Lano.

“Our boys’ team is young and hungry to prove to themselves that they can compete with the best in Division II and the state,” Fisher said. “They are excited to get their feet wet and race. We look forward to building throughout the season to hopefully make an impact during championship season.”

Similarly, “Our girls’ team is rebuilding and excited to compete this season,” according to Fisher. “They are excited to race and gain confidence and experience with each race.”

Teams to beat: Hanover, Oyster River, Souhegan.

JOHN STARK

Division: II.

Coaches: Joel Kress (boys, third year) and Christine Anderson (girls, 18th year).

Last year: Boys 12th; girls 7th.

Top returners: Boys: Austin Patenaude, jr.; Shane Brunini, so.; Gavin Arel, so.; Evan Furness, so.; Austin Freeman, jr. Girls: Anna Chasse, so.; Kayla Barriere, jr.; Rylee Barnard, jr.; Amanda Leonard, sr.

Outlook: The Stark girls’ team was just seven points behind Bow for the sixth and final Meet of Champions qualifying spot and return their top three from last year – Barriere (18th in D-II), Chasse (30th) and Barnard (40th). Those three, plus Leonard, are all seasoned runners and will look to newcomers to fill in the remaining varsity spots. The boys’ team is without last year’s top runner Eli Lemire, who graduated in the spring, so Patenaude “will be taking the reins and setting the pace for this young squad of runners,” according to Anderson.

MERRIMACK VALLEY

Division: II.

Coaches: Brian Reynolds (boys, third year) and Dave Irving (girls, 22nd year)

Last year: Boys seventh; girls 10th.

Top returners: Boys: Mychal Reynolds, sr.; Nate Bain, jr.; Ben Geoffroy, so.; Tony Wang, so.; Ben Newton, jr.; Jonathan Degges, so.; Chris Bode, so. Girls: Lily Moser, jr.; Madison Geddes, sr.; Emily Baca, so.; Keira Cote, jr.; Kendra Davidson, sr.; Nicole Geoffrion, jr.

Top newcomers: Girls: Raven Garfield, fr.; Emma Geofroy, fr.

Outlook: The MV boys return their entire varsity roster from last year’s D-II championship, when the Pride missed out on Meet of Champions qualification by one place.

“We’re still pretty young,” coach Reynolds said. “The bulk of our team is sophomores, so we are hoping to build some depth this year.”

The Pride girls return two of their top three, Moser and Geddes, who are in the hunt for an individual MOC qualifying spot (top 25).

“The success of the team as a whole will depend on the development of depth behind (Moser and Geddes),” Irving said. “Baca, Cote, Davidson and Geoffrion all returning from last year’s divisional meet, but the team will need to continue to improve to give the team another top-10 finish. A return to full health and racing form from (Reagan) Jefferson and (Jessi) Thompson-Weeks could be the key to success. While the team is small, it is an experienced squad.”

PEMBROKE

Division: II.

Coach: Alaina Larochelle (second year).

Last year: Boys 19th; girls DNS.

Top returners: Boys: Caleb Saturley, jr.; Hayden Petersons, jr.; Zachery Heichlinger, jr.; Dacota Hewitt, so.; Matthew Palleschi, jr.; Girls: Jasmine Blake, jr.; Alayna Maguire, so.

Top newcomers: Boys: Josiah Saturley, fr.

Outlook: “Our team is small and young with no seniors, but we have a strong core of returning juniors led by Caleb Saturley, Hayden Petersons and Jasmine Blake,” Larochelle said. “The addition of Josiah Saturley and other newcomers brings fresh energy and potential. Our goal is to build on last season’s progress, and develop our young talent for future success and a love of running.”

 

BISHOP BRADY

Division: III.

Coach: Bill Heath (23rd year).

Last year: Boys 20th; girls 15th.

Top returners: Boys: Calen Chaudhari, sr.; Jorge Guerra, sr.; Jessie Putnam, sr.; James Harangic, jr.; Lee Putnam, jr.; Earl Mitchell, so. Girls: Avery Sahr, sr.; Elizabeth McKinney, sr.; Aleah Ryan, sr.; Sophie Chimienti, so.

Top newcomers: Boys: Ben Matseas, sr.; Tyler Mooney, so.; Jason Condodemetraky, so. Girls: Tess Lavoie, jr.; Eloise Burns, fr.

Outlook: “Two more small teams, but both should better (last year’s) finish in Division III,” Heath said. “A top-10 finish would be a major accomplishment.”

Teams to beat: Hopkinton, Mascenic.

HILLSBORO-DEERING

Division: III.

Coach: Sydney Eccleston (second year).

Last year: Boys DNS; girls DNS.

Top returners: Boys: Elijah Bodanza, so.

Outlook: The Hillcats haven’t fielded a scoring team at the D-III championship in a number of years, but H-D does have Bodanza, who finished fourth in D-III last year and is the top returner in the entire division.

HOPKINTON

Division: III.

Coach: Rob Rothe (ninth year).

Last year: Boys D-III champs; girls D-III runner-up.

Top returners: Boys: Adrian Whiteknact, jr.; James Lavers, so.; Girls: Maddy Lane, so.; Shaylee Murdough, sr.; Reese Bove sr.; Amelia Walsh, sr.

Top newcomers: Boys: Roman Finlayson, sr.; Max Goupil, fr.; Michael Crosby, fr. Girls: Maisie Emerson, fr.

Outlook: The Hawks shocked D-III by winning last season’s boys’ championship, but only two runners from that team are returning.

“The boys’ team has seen some big changes this year, with much attrition due to graduation,” Rothe said. “However, they have a really good, fresh supply of nine additional freshmen to add some great depth. They also added a top newcomer, senior Roman Finlayson, from track and field, for his first XC season. It’s early in the season, but this is a group I’m really excited about. … There is much potential in this highly motivated group.”

On the other hand, the girls return most of its varsity lineup plus the individual girls’ champion in Lane. Murdough finished sixth last year, and Bove and Walsh cracked the top 40. Emerson will make an immediate impact as a scoring runner.

“Beyond that, the roster is a little thin this season with a total of just nine girls currently running,” Rother said. “However, they are a strong and resilient group with great dynamics that always put in 100%. They should continue to be a very competitive team within the division and beyond. Staying healthy for the season will be key for this group.”

KEARSARGE

Division: III.

Coaches: Peter Hattan and Trevor Pauling (first year).

Last year: Boys DNS; girls 11th.

Top returners: Boys: Daniel Dalbec, sr.; Girls: Riley Raynes, so.; Annelise DelGrosso, so.

Top newcomers: Boys: Cooper Hedderig, jr.; Blake LaMothe, so.; Clay Perreault, fr.; Zach Hattan, fr. Girls: Aniyah Mobley, fr.; Anaiah Miranda, fr.; Anna Lizotte, fr.; Daphne Henrichsen, fr.; Ainsley Frenkiewich, jr.; Austyn Hoegler, fr.; Lillian Holl, fr.

Outlook: The Cougars are a small team and young team but are eager to improve over the course of the season. Dalbec finished 11th in D-III last year and is one of the top returners in the division.

“Our top runners hope to inspire our team to outdo themselves,” Hattan said. “They can’t wait to compete.”