River Rivals Boys Cross Country Capsules

September 01, 2008 03:57 am

Newburyport

Coach: Don Hennigar (23rd season)

Last year's record: 7-3

Key returning athletes: Greg Englehart, captain, jr.; Brian Morse, so.; Sean Hickman, jr.; Ryan Clark, so.; Ryan Kell, jr.

Newcomers: To be determined. More than 40 boys are currently on the roster.

Team strengths: Depth. With a swarm of freshmen and sophomores, the Clippers will have no problem filling the lineup card.

Team concerns: Front-line runners. Englehart may compete with the top runners in the Cape Ann League. Others will be hard-pressed.

First match: Sept. 4 at North Reading

Coach's outlook: "It's going to be a fun year with a lot of good team in the CAL. Greg (Englehart) had a strong summer, so he'll lead us."

triton

Coach: Joe Colbert (7th season)

Last year's record: 9-3

Key returning athletes: Brian Cosgrove, sr.; Zack Peabody, jr.; TJ Howard, sr.

Newcomers: Andrew Buckless, so.; Tony Mirandy, jr.; Zach Auwerda, so.

Team strengths: Preparation. The Vikings returned this fall in peak shape, which Colbert says is a change from previous seasons.

Team concerns: Experience. Five of Triton's top six runners are relatively green at the varsity level.

First match: Sept. 4 vs. Amesbury

Coach's outlook: "I think it's a reasonable goal to match last year's record. We have to maintain what we're doing, but the CAL is loaded right now."

georgetown

Coach: Brian Masys (3rd season)

Last year's record: 1-10

Key returning athletes: Luke Seibert, sr.; Zack Meader, sr.; John Allen, sr.; Calvin Gonzalez, 8th-grade; Andrew Mueskes, jr.

Newcomers: Cole Martens, 8th-grade; Danny Shores, so.; Jeff Sullivan, jr.

Team strengths: Experience. In a pleasant change, the Georgetown program consists of runners with at least two years of experience.

Team concerns: Participation numbers. The Royals have a team of 10-12 runners.

First match: Sept. 10 vs. Amesbury and Manchester Essex at North Andover

Coach's outlook: "With hard work, we can improve on last year's mark."

Pentucket

Coach: Darrel Cox (4th year)

Last year's record: 4-8

Key returning athletes: Jason Cox, so.; Lee House, captain, sr.; Matt Pearsall, captain, sr.; Doogie Mead, so.; Cam Doe, so.

Newcomers: Anthony Pagliarulo, sr.; Connor Tribble, jr.; Matt Pigott, jr.; Sam Fuller, so.

Team strengths: Unity. Pentucket's top seven runners are a close-knit bunch who train together.

Team concerns: Numbers. The team is smaller this season, but only five have to score in a dual meet.

First match: Sept. 4 vs. Manchester Essex and Lynnfield

Coach's outlook: "I think it's possible for us to get back to .500. We have a number of runners who could compete for our top spot."

amesbury

Coach: Mike Farmer (15th season)

Last year's record: 2-9

Key returning athletes: James Parody, captain, jr.; Jeff Larnard, captain, sr.; Zack Wright, captain, sr.; Peter Seiss, jr.

Newcomers: Alex Tamburello, fr.

Team strengths: Work ethic. Farmer's runners returned for the fall season in fine physical condition.

Team concerns: Competitiveness of the CAL. Amesbury has improved, but so have many other teams in the league.

First match: Sept. 4 at Triton

Coach's outlook: "Conditioning was the main concern, and the runners seem to have done more than they've done in the past."

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