McCann Tech Boys Edge Pope Francis in Regular Season Finale
ADAMS, Mass. -- McCann Tech cross country coach John Estes notes that the sport is as much about individual improvement as it is the scoreboard.
But it still is nice to win.
And with a 27-28 win over Pope Francis on Tuesday, the McCann Tech boys finished the regular season on the right side of the scoreboard more often than not.
Brandon Miller covered the 3.1-mile course at Greylock Glen in 20 minutes, 35 seconds to finish third and lead the Hornets to the narrow win over the Cardinals as McCann Tech finished the season with a record of 8-6.
In the girls race, the Hornets came up short in their bid to finish with a winning dual record, settling for the .500 mark at 7-7 after Pope Francis earned an 18-37 win.
“It’s great that we’re winning so much,” Miller said.
He said the Hornets knew early on that they had the potential to earn a winning record this fall.
“It was definitely a possibility,” Miller said. “We started off a little rough, but we got better. We’ve gotten a lot better as the season has progressed, and I’m proud of everybody.”
Pope Francis’ Colin O’Brien took first in the boys race with a time of 19:59. His teammate Welsey Smith was second in 20:33.
Then it was four straight Hornets crossing the finish line, led by Miller. Dan McGrory, Chris Sunn and Jordan Greenbush placed fourth through sixth, respectively.
After two more Cardinals crossed the finish, it came down to the ninth and 10th positions, where Noah Rozon took the needed ninth spot for McCann Tech.
In the girls race, Pope Francis grabbed four of the top five spots to win the meet. Meg Sullivan finished first in 23:26, followed by Kaitlyn Ondrick in 24:06. McCann Tech’s Camryn Moran was the first non-Cardinal, finishing third in 24:34.
Amy Harrington, Rebecca Valliers, Lily Marceau and Maia DiLego also scored for the Hornets.
After the race, Marceau was celebrated by her McCann Tech teammates as the program’s lone senior in its final home meet of the year.
There is one more task still ahead for the Hornets, who are slated to compete at the state qualifier in Westfield in a few weeks.
Win or lose on Tuesday, Estes was happy with the effort he has gotten from his athletes this season.
“Having coached baseball and basketball, obviously, the emphasis is a lot on winning,” he said. “With cross country, it’s more about having the student-athlete improve from the beginning of the season to the end. They’ve done that. They’ve done a masterful job of that.
“I think the program is in good shape. Hopefully, we can draw more and more kids into our program. Some of the performances that we got today were just outstanding. Some of them were personal bests. I can’t ask for any more than that.”
Boys: McCann Tech 27, Pope Francis 28
1. Colin O’Brien (PF) 19:59; 2. Wesley Smith (PF), 20:33; 3. Brandon Miller (M) 20:35; 4. Dan McGrory (M) 21:32; 5. Chris Sunn (M) 22:39; 6. Jordan Greenbush (M) 23:14; 7. Cameron Casella (PF) 23:23; 8. Mihir Gogri (PF) 24:40; 9. Noah Rozon (M) 24:41; 10. Tim Day (PF) 25:39
Girls: Pope Francis 18, McCann Tech 37
1. Meg Sullivan (PF) 23:26; 2. Kaitlyn Ondrick (PF) 24:06; 3. Camryn Moran (M) 24:34; 4. Kaylee Moran (PF) 25:10; 5. Mia Paradiso (PF) 25:11; 6. Emma Caprori (PF) 25:38; 7. Amy Harrington (M) 27:20; 8. Rebbeca Valliers (M) 28:07; 9. Madeline Crouss (PF) 29:06; 10. Mairin Bresnahan (PF) 29:16.