Ledyard boys, East Lyme’s Vann Moffett win state cross country titles
East Hartford — Opposing coaches, in the past, have noted Ledyard's calm demeanor during meets. Pace yourself. Save yourself for the stretch run. It's the point coach Bill Billing tries to get across to his runners.
“I try really hard to tell them we're not going to win this thing in the first 100 meters; you're going to win it in the last 100 meters,” Billing said. “Go out in a way you know you can control. When everybody is slowing down, you go by them.”
The Ledyard High School boys' cross country team used that strategy Saturday as it won the Class M state championship at Wickham Park with 99 points, edging Brookfield (106).
Aaron Norcia was 11th for the Colonels in 17 minutes, 9 seconds, Jacob Money was 13th (17:24), Christian Kuss was 14th (17:32), Josh Snow 18th (17:36) and Geralson Withrow 43rd (18:14), propelling the team into Friday's State Open, also at Wickham.
East Lyme's Vann Moffett won the Class MM title in 16:17 and Ledyard's Megan Brawner was second in the girls' MM race in 20:09.
The Eastern Connecticut Conference champion Norwich Free Academy boys finished seventh in Class LL with 213 points and also qualified for the State Open with an at-large berth via the Wildcats' combined time.
Other State Open qualifiers were St. Bernard's James Rose (10th, Class S) for the boys and Fitch's Alicia Moroyoqui (7th, Class MM), Montville's Mady Whittaker (7th, Class M), Waterford's Jeanette Mooney (12th, Class MM) and Old Lyme's Emma Pennie (9th, Class S) for the girls.
The Open takes the top two teams in each division and the next eight fastest teams on time, plus the top 12 individuals in each division and the next 30 runners on time.
“Certainly we all were nervous at the start of the race,” Billing said of Ledyard. “But they've seen from experience how being calm and not going out too crazy at the beginning pays off. They were extremely happy. They really had no idea they won, that it was that close. It took some
convincing. They were really happy and proud of themselves.
“That was certainly the goal. It's been our goal the whole season to take a shot.”
Last year the Colonels finished second, with then-senior Bryce Hedman finishing fourth. This season, Ledyard had a better team time than last year, even without Hedman, with the rest of the Colonels making up the time.
Billing said Norcia, a senior, is coming off an Achilles injury and that the team has had to remain patient throughout the year, through an 18-42 dual meet loss to NFA and a second-place finish to the Wildcats, as well, at the league championship meet.
Moffett, meanwhile, was happy to finish second in the ECC meet to Gralton, but also a little bit disappointed. He said that gave him “a chip on my shoulder” for Saturday's Class MM race. Bolstered by Moffett's win, East Lyme was fourth as a team with 163 points.
“It felt great,” Moffett said of his MM victory. “Probably the best feeling in the world so far. After I saw how I fared last year against the class (fifth), I thought I had a shot at winning. It was my goal all year to win.”
“From my perspective he ran amazing,” East Lyme coach Sam Harfenist said. “He had a plan and executed it perfectly. … His work ethic is impeccable. He keeps working. I can't even describe it; he comes up with his goals and he sets them. We were talking about it earlier this morning. He said he was going to have fun today. He likes to win, so he had fun.”
Harfenist said it's Moffett's goal to qualify for the New England championship in Thetford, Vt., on Nov. 14.
“I don't know how much I want to go to Vermont,” Harfenist said with a laugh. “But he does.”