Eyeing trip to New Englands
FOSTER – If last weekend’s series of class meets is any indication, the Blackstone Valley will be well represented at Sunday’s cross-country state meet, held once again at Ponaganset High’s “Covered Bridge Trail.” The girls will take flight at 1:15 p.m., followed by the boys’ race at 2 o’clock.
Closer to home, St. Raphael and Cumberland are the lone schools in area to be sending both a boys and girls delegation to states. Based on how the season unfolded for those squads, it’s not a surprise to see their names next to the “qualifying teams” portion of Sunday’s list of participants.
The CHS girls put everyone on notice at the Class A meet, which also took place at Ponaganset. Promising sophomore Adah Anderson paced the Clippers with a sixth-place finish (19:47) followed by freshman Olivia Belt (seventh, 19:49), and senior Grace Henson (eighth, 19:58).
Barrington (47 points), La Salle (53), and North Kingstown (73) were the teams that finished ahead of Cumberland.
The St. Raphael girls will be making the program’s first appearance in the state meet in 20 years. Runners to watch include freshman Rachael Mongeau and senior Noelani Noel. They placed second and ninth, respectively, at last weekend’s Class C meet.
Sophomore Nasavell Medeiros and junior Reilly Johnston will anchor the SRA boys team, which placed third in the Class C meet. The Cumberland boys figure to be led by freshman Owen Mollis.
Sticking with the CHS boys, the top six teams and top 25 individual finishers in each race automatically qualify for the New England meet, set for next weekend in Belfast, Maine. If the Clippers don’t make the cut, Sunday will mark the official end to Tom Kenwood’s memorable 40-plus years as Cumberland’s cross country and track coach.
St. Raphael and Cumberland will be two of the 20 schools in Sunday’s girls’ state meet. Burrillville and Lincoln will each have two runners while Mount St. Charles and North Smithfield will each field one representative.
The boys state meet will feature 19 teams. Besides Cumberland and St. Raphael, there’s also Lincoln and Burrillville to keep an eye on. Mount St. Charles is sending two participants while North Smithfield is sending one.