Clippers head to regionals
Cumberland runners shine at state meet
FOSTER — A year ago, there was disappointment knowing that a trip to the New England Cross-Country Championship was not on the dance card.
On Saturday, at the same exact spot where the 2018 season came to an unceremonious end, redemption was achieved.
It’s off to the New Englands for the boys and girls teams at Cumberland High following strong showings by each program at the 2019 state meet. The CHS boys achieved a fourth-place finish that results-wise proved to be straight out of the same playbook that was utilized throughout their strong season.
Once again, sophomores Ethan Carpenter and Henry Dennen served as the definitive 1-2 punch. Both achieved second-team all-state status at Ponaganset High’s Covered Bridge Trail, with Carpenter placing 11th (16:17) and Dennen not too far behind at No. 13 (16:21). The pair received enough scoring help from their Cumberland teammates to figure prominently in the team standings – no small feat considering that traditional powers La Salle (first, 26 points) and Bishop Hendricken (second, 65 points) were once again the class of the state meet. The Chariho boys came in third (143 points).
Then came the Clippers, their 154 points built on the backs of sophomore John Walker (42nd, 17:13) and juniors Owen Molis (49th, 17:18) and Jorge Rocha (53rd, 17:21). Freshman Cole McCue just missed out on scoring for Cumberland, coming in 58th place with a time of 17:25.
For CHS boys’ head coach Kerrie Carpenter, Saturday proved to be a far cry from finishing ninth at the 2018 states and sending no one to the New Englands. In fact,
Saturday might have been best summed up as a day of memorable turnarounds.
“We came in with a few goals, one of which was to do better than last year,” said Carpenter. “I had guys who raced (at Ponganaset last year) and improved by over two minutes. It’s been one race and one practice at a time.”
Carpenter expressed supreme confidence in her squad when asked about the importance of surviving the wave of top finishers that La Salle and Hendricken routinely produce. The Rams and Hawks combined for nine of the state meet’s first 10 finishers.
“I’ll be honest, we’re the only ones on the line. We don’t worry about what anyone else can do. It’s about us,” said Carpenter.
The good news for the Clipper males is that they are well-versed with the course at Connecticut-based Wickham Park, site of this coming Saturday’s New England meet. Last month over the Columbus Day weekend, Cumberland came in third out of nine schools that competed in the Championship Division of the Wickham Park Invitational.
The Cumberland boys will be joined with the CHS girls at Wickham Park next weekend. Just like the CHS males, the Cumberland girls sought to turn the page after coming in 10th at last year’s state meet.
In order to make the frustration from 2018 a distant memory, the Lady Clippers knew that it couldn’t just be solely about junior standout Olivia Belt. Others needed to step forward for head coach Vanessa Molloy, and they certainly did. Cumberland placed four runners in the top 43.
Belt set the pace in Cumberland’s ability to come in fifth in the team race with 159 points. She placed eighth overall (19:27), good for second-team allstate.
“She achieved a PR at Ponaganset and that’s great,” said Malloy. “She truly had a great season, but she put the work in. They all did.”
Last year, Bailee Brown was the lone Clipper representative at the New Englands. For the second straight year, she placed 25th in the state meet (20:10). Senior Shakira DePina was the No. 3 scorer (30th, 20:33) followed by freshman Grace Carr (43rd, 20:55).
It was fitting that senior Adah Anderson was the fifth and final state meet scorer for the Clippers. After battling injuries over the past few years, Anderson on Saturday grinded out just enough to come in 63rd (21:35).
“We did this for her,” said Malloy about Anderson.
FINAL KICK: Burrillville senior Mitchell Dailey qualified for the New Englands for the second straight year after coming in 15th in boys state meet. His time was 16:24. … Locally, perhaps the most surprising performance at the state meet belonged to Woonsocket freshman Brianlys Simono (No. 44 in the girls race, 20:57). … It was a tough day for Blackstone Valley Prep sophomore Lucy Noris, who ended up 56th in the girls race with a time of 21:26. … Team-wise, the Burrillville boys placed 13th (350) followed by Lincoln at No. 14 (358 points). Lincoln’s top finisher was senior Nicholas Gaitanis (No. 52, 17:21). … North Smithfield senior Nathan Masi placed 30th (16:57) in the boys race while Mount St. Charles junior CeeJay Laquerre came in 38th (17:11). … The Burrillville girls placed 10th as a team (251 points) with freshman Haley Allen leading the way (27th, 20:26). … Cumberland native/ La Salle sophomore Jack Casey earned second-team all-state status after placing 10th overall (16:10).
Follow Brendan McGair on Twitter @BWMcGair03