Kipyego, Medeiros lead Saints to Class C crown
NORTH SCITUATE – There’s an old adage that states “Familiarity breeds contempt,” which in essence means the longer one knows somebody, the more likely he or she will discover negative things about the other person.
Perhaps, but St. Raphael Academy junior phenom Darius Kipyego and his teammates would never go for it, especially when it comes to inanimate objects.
They would change that message to “Familiarity breeds success.”
According to Kipyego, his coach, Chris Magill, brought his harriers to Ponaganset High’s 3.1-mile “Reservation” course twice the past three weeks so they could become acclimated to its hills, tree roots, nuances; that way, they’d know when to pounce and when to lay low when the Class C Championships took place.
Those occurred Saturday, and Kipyego and Co. took complete advantage of that trail knowledge. Kipyego captured his first class cross country crown after covering the five-kilometer course in a scorching 16:10, while senior teammate Nasavell Medeiros placed second (16:20.06).
Thanks to that pair and three more capable teammates, SRA also captured their first Class C championship since 2001 with 46 points, a massive 27 less than runner-up East Greenwich (73) and 45 fewer than No. 3 Prout (91).
“Last week, we came up here to do a workout, get a better feel for the course, and it worked,” offered Kipyego, who this summer traveled to the Pan-American Under-20 Games and snared the silver medal in the 800 meters in a national scholastic best of 1:49.46. “We got more familiar where the hills were, where the mile and half-mile markers would be.
“Coach wanted us to do certain splits for different segments of the course, and he told us (boys) if we were slower at 5:10 at the mile, then we had to take it from there (meaning pick up the pace),” he added. “The goal as to get a good time for next week (when the state championships will be held at this same site on Saturday).
“This feels amazing, and it’s all because Coach (Magill) always does the right things with our training. He puts together amazing workouts. After this, our goal is now to get into the top 10, even the top five, at the states. I also want to show the college coaches that I have not only good half-mile speed but I can run distance, too.
“Nas and I talked about it all week, and we wanted to take 1-2 in this race. It didn’t matter who won, as long as we executed our game plan, and we did … What makes this even more exciting is we won the whole thing, and Coach told us the last time was 2001. That’s so cool!”
Magill, of course, was thrilled at his alma mater’s triumph.
“Oh, did they pull through,” he grinned after he learned of the final standings. “These guys had a huge burden on their shoulders, knowing Saints hadn’t won in 18 years, but they got the monkey off their backs. It’s a huge accomplishment.”
He also said it couldn’t have been done without the guys who helped the team get there – that is, the “ole runners who proved to be so key. They included freshman Pedro Mayol (eighth, 17:05.18), fellow freshman Devan Kipyego (yes, the champion’s younger brother took 12th in 17:24.64) and junior C.J. Magill (23rd, 17:53.50).
“Our third, fourth and fifth guys really stepped up,” the elder Magill said. “I’m proud to say Devan and C.J., my boy, had their best 5Ks of the season (Saturday). I mean, C.J.’s best time on this course was 18:59, so he went 66 seconds faster.
“We came up here for two workouts, one last week and the first three weeks ago,” he continued. “I wanted them to learn the course’s nuances, where to attack it and where to settle in and coast. These kids knew what to expect from those training sessions and executed the game plan perfectly.
“Our guys, one through seven, all did their jobs here. Our No. 6 guy, (senior captain) Colby Luiz ran 18:05, and he’s usually our fourth or fifth. Those last four guys, four through seven, are interchangeable; all can score for us on any given day.
“This year, we have seven, eight guys who can figure in the top-five scoring, and we didn’t have that last season. We were way too topheavy. This win, it’s incredible. It’s awesome!”
Though the Saints’ victory proved to be the big news of the day in the Class C race, North Smithfield senior Nathan Masi ever so quietly notched a terrific third overall in 16:39.63, while Mount St. Charles junior CeeJay Laquerre earned another first-team All-Class designation after placing sixth in 16:57.34.
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In the boys’ Class B competition, Burrillville senior Mitchell Dailey crossed the line in second (16:25.23), just 13.05 ticks behind champion (and Kipyego’s friendly rival) Conor Murphy, a Classical senior.
Murphy helped the Purple snag the team title with 63 points, though Dailey’s Broncos finished in a fourth-place deadlock for fourth (121 points) with Portsmouth.
Other BHS placements included frosh Garrett Dailey (20th, 17:23.15), senior Dom Savastano (22nd, 17:31.52), junior Jake Trimble (38th, 18:21.43) and senior Luke Raimond (39th, 18:22.81).
“He did (Saturday) what he’s been doing all year – run fantastic,” stated Burrillville coach Marty Crowley. “He’s one of the hardest working kids we’ve ever seen at Burrillville, and he’s more than worthy of everything he gets. The kid busts his hump every day.”
In the same race, Lincoln senior Nick Gaitanis took 13th overall in 17:13.87, good for the next-to-last spot for second-team All-Class laurels. He also headed a Lions’ contingent that finished sixth overall with 156 points.
Classmate Chris Lezon managed 25th in 17:32.46), Bryan Roy 40th (18:25.16) and Mike Vito 44th (18:35.39).
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In Class A, La Salle naturally surprised no one by coasting to the championship with 22 points, 19 more than runner-up Hendricken, but Cumberland did nail down fourth overall with 91 points, just seven more than No. 3 North Kingstown (84).
Sophomore Henry Dennen headed his charges, placing 10th in 16:15.09, while classmate Ethan Carpenter managed 14th (16:50.02); juniors Jake Gilson and Owen Molis 21st and 22nd, respectively (17:15.50, 16:17.89); and sophomore John Walker 24th (17:25.74).
“I feel really good right now,” Dennen stated just after his finish. “I also feel really proud. I came out here and really ran well. All the work that we put into this as a team, it came to fruition (Saturday). We just have to come out next week and run even faster.
“That time (16:15.09) is a PR by a lot, a whole lot,” he added. “Last year, I ran 17:30 at states, so this is just what I wanted. Hopefully, we can all come out next week and do better.”