Reading Cross-Country Comes Up Short Against Arlington
(6-7 minute read)
Resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete, wrote this article.
Girls lose 21-39; Boys lose 27-28
Reading girls were tripped up by Arlington’s 3rd through 6th runners
Reading boys fall just short, despite multiple PRs
On Senior Night, Reading XC honored one of its biggest classes of seniors in history
Stella Harrington (505) and Julia Connelly (521) work together. Photo by Ray Vaillancourt.
Tuesday, October 13th, was Senior Night for the Reading Rockets cross-country team. The event honored each senior individually and recognized their contributions to Reading’s cross-country program. “I was pleased with the seniors today. They are a great class with strong leadership, and they have all been very supportive of one another. They have meant a lot to this program. It was great to honor them tonight, and they will be missed very much,” commented Coach Mike Connelly. As one of the largest senior classes in Reading cross-country history, their team goals for the season remain just as grand as their numbers. But first, they had to square off against Arlington.
The Spy Ponders’ girls’ team had a dual-meet record similar to the Rockets coming into the meet, so this was a chance for one of the teams to move into the upper echelon of the Middlesex League. Meanwhile, Arlington’s boys’ team came in undefeated in dual meets and looked to cement their status as the Middlesex League’s top team. Unfortunately for the Rockets, the Spy Ponders were too good this day on both the girls’ and the boys’ side.
Next up is an away meet at Winchester’s new 5k course at Horn Pond on Tuesday, October 20th. This is the season’s last dual meet, so come out and root for the Rockets to earn a season-ending win!
Reading Girls Fall to Arlington 21-39
Reading’s Emily Nicholls (524) and Eva Kirkwood (far right) set the pace early. Stella Harrington (505), Julia Connelly (521), and Josephine McGilvray (523) follow closely behind. Photo by Tom Grant.
The Reading girls’ cross-country team, coming off a tough meet last week at Lexington, looked to bounce back against Arlington. Reading’s top two runners, Eva Kirkwood and Emily Nicholls, went out strong to try to break up Arlington’s top pack. After the first mile, Kirkwood was even with Arlington’s top runner, Nora Chan, while Nicholls was close behind Arlington’s second runner, Abigail Bjune. Following the top four competitors, Reading’s girls worked together in pairs, with captain Stella Harrington and ninth-grader Julia Connelly first, followed by seniors Jordan Lee and Grace Hayes. The race remained tight at the halfway point, but Arlington found another gear in the final mile. Kirkwood and Nicholls finished third and fourth in 21:20 and 21:27, respectively. Then, despite Harrington sprinting down Arlington’s seventh runner in the final 200m, the Spy Ponders finished fifth through eighth, sealing the win.
“The girls ran a solid race today and continued to compete hard. I was proud of their effort,” said Coach Connelly. Coach continued, “Captain Stella Harrington ran really well to run a season-best time of 22:38 on the home course.” Also notable was Julia Connelly, who finished 11th in a personal best of 22:59, eclipsing the 23-minute mark for the first time. Seniors Grace Hayes (13th, 23:37), Jordan Lee (14th, 24:04), and Gia Centrella (15th, 24:41) rounded out Reading’s top seven, with both Hayes and Centrella posting their season’s best time.
Eva Kirkwood (518) keeps the pace high. Photo by Michelle Kane.
Below are the times for the top seven Rockets, plus anyone who set a PR:
Eva Kirkwood - 21:20
Emily Nicholls - 21:27
Stella Harrington - 22:38
Julia Connelly - 22:59 (PR)
Grace Hayes - 23:37
Jordan Lee - 24:04
Gia Centrella - 24:41
Other PRs: Kaylani Raimundo (27:23), Lillian Gant (28:01)
Reading Boys Edged by Arlington 27-28
Reading’s boys cross-country team was itching to race after several runners sat out last Tuesday’s Lexington meet and were rained out of Sunday’s Twilight Invitational. “We were rested and poised to give it our best effort today,” Coach Mike Connelly said. He continued, “We got a good sense of what we can be as a team with about a month before states.” Indeed, all of Reading’s top five finishers posted their best-ever times on their home course, and four of them set all-time personal bests - including senior captain Finn Johnson-Houlihan’s near miss of the course record. Still, that was not good enough against an energized Arlington team, who may have been seeking a bit of revenge after the Rockets handed the Spy Ponders a defeat during their Senior Night last year.
Max King (507), Declan Grant (513), and Finn Johnson-Houlihan (505) emerge from the woods. Photo by Michelle Kane.
Arlington’s top six runners bolted from the starting line, pushing a scorching pace as the harriers entered the woods. However, the Rockets kept their cool and, by the first mile, a lead pack formed consisting of senior captains Finn Johnson-Houlihan and Max King, junior Declan Grant, and Arlington’s Zachary Weinberg and Owen Merrill. Merrill had won every meet he entered this season and seemed to be counting on a fast start to claim yet another victory. Senior Colin Herlihy, junior Colin Carroll, and two more Spy Ponders followed closely behind. Junior Curran Healy kept a measured pace a bit further back. After the second mile, the top group split when an injury forced King to drop out of the race. The runners formed competing pairs, led by Houlihan-Johnson and Merrill, who went mano-a-mano in the front. Grant and Weinberg followed, with a short gap to Carroll, who was on the heels of another Arlington runner. Herlihy and Healy were within distance of this group, battling two more Spy Ponders. After the final lap through the woods, Johnson-Houlihan emerged first, having put a gap on Merrill. Nothing could stop Johnson-Houlihan from taking home the victory on senior night. However, Weinberg ran a strong third mile and moved solidly into third place. Despite PRs from Grant (16:17), Carroll (16:25), and Healy (16:41), and a personal course record for Herlihy (16:38), Arlington was able to eke out the win.
“I was pleased with the efforts of the boys’ team despite the difficult one-point loss to a talented Arlington team,” said Coach Connelly. “Finn was impressive with a season- and course-best at 15:54 in wet, rainy conditions on the course. He had a great final 1,000 meter finish to outlast the charging Arlington runners, missing the course record by 9 seconds. Declan Grant continued to compete and run hard with a personal best time of 16:17.”
While the outcome was not what the Rockets had hoped for, Coach Connelly is clear now on what the team needs to achieve. “We had a 1-to-5 spread of 47 seconds, which is solid. We will be looking to improve that spread by 20 seconds before states, and hopefully add depth up front if we can get healthy as a unit.” One promising development on that final point was senior captain Andrew Princic’s return, who competed in his first 5k in a month.
Below are the times for the top seven Rockets, plus anyone who set a PR:
JV boys mass start. Photo by Ray Vaillancourt.
Finn Johnson-Houlihan - 15:54 (PR)
Declan Grant - 16:17 (PR)
Colin Carroll - 16:25 (PR)
Colin Herlihy - 16:38
Curran Healy - 16:41 (PR)
Andrew Princic - 18:01
Ben Kaberle - 18:12
Other PRs: Ryan Cintolo (18:21), Eli Roscillo (18:51), Reid Morgan (19:05), Nicholas Castiglia (19:41), Leonardo De Llano (20:33), PJ Vaillancourt (21:24), Westley Keating (23:59), Quinn Doherty (24:11), Noah Epstein (24:27), Bowen Day (25:57), and Adrian Gibson (30:23)
Interested in seeing more high school sports coverage in The Reading Observer? We’re looking to expand our coverage with the help of parents, coaches, and community members who want to contribute. If you’re interested in collaborating, reach out to Taylor Gregory at TGregory@TheReadingObserver.com.