We Stampeded!

Great job by the boys in Alden yesterday! The JV Boys started things off with many solid runs to top the field of 26 schools. Although Elliot, Joe and Erik got a little too excited in the first mile (running 1-2-3 for a stretch), Joe was able to hang on for third, and Elliot 7th. Meanwhile, Trevor, Alex and Will moved from well back in the field (people were out way too quickly), to finish 9-14-16 and secure the victory with 45 points, to 53 for St. Joe's and 89 for East Aurora. The median improvement by the team was 1:19, despite the soft conditions of the course, which prevented most runners from matching their McQuaid times.

The Varsity Boys got off to a slow start, and had me nervous at the half mile mark. Our top 3 were back around 20th place, behind a couple of St. Joe's runners plus four from Lockport (could they be good again?), and the rest of the team seemed a little lost in the pack. The first mile did turn out to be slow for the top 3, but just a bit. A nice surge before the woods put them into position to go after some of the fading leaders. Steve also made a big move in the woods, and Adrian kept moving up afterward. We were then in a position where we could avoid sprints to the finish, leaving something in the tank for Tuesday, and still post a 63-82 win over St. Joe's, who has been ranked #2 in Section VI.

Since most of the girls (16 of 21) were unable to compete, there is not as much to say about their performance, but it was good overall, with Val having a breakthrough race, going out in under 6:10 and holding on to run 19:41 and finish 9th. Rachel also had a big PR, and I believe Lauren was under 30 for the first time, running 28:34.