Junior Jack Stahl finishes his race, claiming third place. (Photos by Kate Wool)
The Bromfield boys and girls cross-country teams are the Midland-Wachusett Division C champions following their first-place finishes against five competing schools Saturday afternoon, Oct. 22, at Pierce Tree Farm in Lunenburg. For the boys, the Mid-Wach C trophy was its second in two years. Both teams were undefeated in regular league play.
Saturday’s sky was cloudless, the sun ablaze, and temperatures close to 70 as the two races, the last of the afternoon, got underway. The event drew dozens of parents and well-wishers, many from Harvard, some gathering on a centrally located hill that offered a 360-degree view of the race, while others waited near the finish line to cheer the runners home. Bromfield captains Jack Stahl and Molly Squire said the warm day made the race more taxing than expected. Both agreed that a half-mile ascent midway through the two-loop course was the toughest, especially the second time around. The 5K packed-dirt trail wound through plantings of Christmas pines, through open fields, and around a pond, before finishing near the farm’s entrance.
First to finish for the Bromfield boys was junior and captain Jack Stahl, who placed third among the event’s 43 runners with a time of 17 minutes, 37.29 seconds. Eighth-grader Ben McWaters (17:44.63) was fourth, freshmen Harrison Binnick (18:28.56) and Christian Johannesen (18:32.88) placed seventh and eighth, and junior Liam Kemeza (18:56.53) was 11th, the last of Bromfield’s top five.
In high school cross-country competition, the places of a team’s top five finishers are added to determine its score. The lowest score wins. Bromfield’s score was 33 points, followed by Tyngsborough (56), and Littleton (62). Littleton junior Bona Bradshaw won the boys race with a time of 16:23.98. Littleton junior Timothy Rank was a close second with a time of 16:27.09. The pair, running side by side until the final 50 meters, dominated the race, as they have every league meet this season.
First for the Bromfield girls was sophomore Evelyn Wool, who placed second with a time of 20:24.30. She was followed by freshman Rosie Bradley (21:30.44), who finished sixth; senior Molly Squire (21:41.20) in seventh place; sophomore Isabel Jackson (22:12.75) ninth, and sophomore Camille Bradley, (23:46.14) 16th. With a team score of 40, Bromfield easily beat the second-place Littleton Tigers (59), a traditional rival, and the identically named third-place Tyngsborough Tigers (86). The race winner was sophomore Avery Murphy of Murdock with a time of 19:55.68.
Bromfield entered 10 boys and girls in the meet and every runner finished. Bromfield Athletic Director Dave Boisvert presided over the awards ceremony, handing out medals to the top 10 boys and girls, as well as the championship plaques to Trojan team captains. Afterwards the teams posed for photos; the boys gathered around the pirate flag that has been their team standard since a Bromfield runner found it lying on the ground at a 2015 meet and the team adopted it.
Bromfield runners Evelyn Wool, a sophomore (second from left), and Rosie Bradley, a freshman (third from left), race against two runners from Tyngsborough. The girls went on to take second and sixth places, respectively.
For the next two weeks, boys coach Marisa Steele and girls coach Matt Lynde will be preparing their teams for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 3 state meet, which gets underway Nov. 12. With more than 100 schools assigned to Division 3, each must first compete in one of three preliminary “waves”—A, B, or C—to determine which teams and individuals will be invited to the all-state Division 3 final. Bromfield is among 43 schools assigned to Wave 3C. The boys and girls squads will race at 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. Nov. 12 at Gardner Golf Course. The state final is scheduled for Nov. 19 at Devens.
Boys results (33 points)
- 3. Jack Stahl, junior, 17 minutes, 37.29 seconds
- 4. Ben McWaters, eighth-grader, 17:44.63
- 7. Harrison Binnick, freshman, 18:28.56
- 8. Christian Johannesen, freshman, 18:32.88
- 11. Liam Kemeza, junior, 18:56.53
- 17. Demetrios Kekis, junior, 20:20.39
- 18. Kai Kemeza, seventh-grader, 20:20.98
- 22. Shaan Patel, senior, 20:41.27
- 32. Cole Maddalone, freshman, 21:46.17
- 39. John Zobbi, senior, 25:14.50
Girls results (40 points)
- 2. Evelyn Wool, sophomore, 20:24.30
- 6. Rosie Bradley, freshman, 21:30.44
- 7. Molly Squire, senior, 21:41.20
- 9. Isabel Jackson, sophomore, 22:12.75
- 16. Camille Bradley, sophomore, 23:46.14
- 17. Arpi Mirzabegian, junior, 23:53.85
- 25. Ally Becker, sophomore, 25:49.77
- 31. Abigail Ames, junior, 27:03.65
- 32. Gabriella Temps, eighth-grader, 27:27.09
- 35. Ruby Farough, junior, 27:37.41
Back row, from left: Emma Squire, Ruby Farough, Molly Squire, Ally Becker, Camille Bradley, and Evelyn Wool; Front row, from left: Arpi Mirzabegian, Gabriella Temps, Abigail Ames, Rosie Bradley, Isabel Jackson, Abby Wool, and Christina Kekis.
Cole Maddalone, John Zobbi, Demetrios Kekis, Ralph Adams, Christian Johannesen, Liam Kemeza, Ben McWaters, Jack Stahl, Harrison Binnick, Yaxi Li (with flag), and Kai Kemeza. Not pictured: Diesel Whitten, Mahish Mistry, and Shaan Patel. .
