Reading Cross-Country Splits with Winchester
(5-minute read)
Resident Tom Grant, a parent of a student-athlete, wrote this article.
Girls lose 16-46; Boys win 15-41
Reading girls showed tenacity against one of the top teams in MA
Reading boys swept Winchester in their fastest race of the season
Both teams exhibited plenty of reasons for optimism going into the postseason
Tuesday, October 20th, marked the final dual meet of Reading’s cross-country season. Racing on Winchester’s new 5k course at Horn Pond, the Rockets were given a clear objective from Head Coach Mike Connelly. “We went into the meet with the goal of reducing gaps between runners going into League Championships on Monday. This was the focus for both teams,” said Coach Connelly.
Reading (pictured left to right): Harper Davis, Gia Centrella, Allie Juffre, and Grace Hayes. Photo by Ray Vaillancourt.
After the race, the Rockets must have felt encouraged about the progress they made towards Coach’s stated goal. Despite the girls facing one of the state’s best teams, the Rockets delivered multiple PRs. Meanwhile, the boys ran to their fastest performance of the season, shutting out Winchester and tightening up their top-five pack.
The postseason begins on Monday, October 26th, with the Middlesex League Championships at Woburn Country Club. The meet features girls’ and boys’ freshman 3k races, followed by JV girls’ and boys’ 5k races, and finally the Varsity girls’ and boys’ 5k races. The meet begins at 2:30 pm, so please come out early and support the Rockets throughout the event!
Reading Girls lose to Winchester 16-46
Reading’s girls faced a huge task: take on the state’s sixth-ranked girls’ team on their home course. “We knew it would be difficult, but the girls ran well for what they were trying to accomplish,” said Coach Mike Connelly.
Julia Connelly (521) and Bridget Branson (501) push past a group of Winchester runners. Photo by Tom Grant.
Winchester’s top senior, Julia Ramsey, set a fierce tempo from the gun, so Reading’s Eva Kirkwood kept pace with Winchester’s 3rd through 6th runners, trying to break up their pack. Meanwhile, Emily Nicholls found a groove just ahead of Winchester’s 7th runner. This strategic positioning paid off, as Kirkwood (5th overall) and Nicholls (8th overall) put up huge PRs at 20:02 and 20:31, respectively. “Those top two have been doing well all season, and I'm really pleased with how they performed,” Coach Connelly shared.
Behind Kirkwood and Nicholls, ninth-grader Julia Connelly continued to improve, finishing 13th and setting a big PR at 22:10. Another sign of progress for the Rockets was senior Bridget Branson (14th, 22:16) returning to the trails and having a clean run. Rounding out the top seven behind Branson for the Rockets were Stella Harrington (15th, 22:58), Grace Hayes (16th, 23:06) and Gia Centrella (17th, 23:34). “Grace had her best day of the season, running 23:06, and Gia keeps improving each week and had a good day as the 7th runner. There were lots of positives from this race, including Allie Juffre (18th, 23:37) coming back and running pain-free,” noted Coach Connelly. Reading’s 5th through 7th runners closed the gap to 36 seconds, helping tighten the team’s spread.
Looking ahead to the championship season, which starts on Monday, October 26, with the League Championships, Coach Connelly said that he thinks “the girls will have a solid performance on Monday, with the chance to finish in the top half of the league.”
Below are the times for the top seven Rockets, plus anyone who set a PR:
Eva Kirkwood - 20:02 (PR)
Emily Nicholls - 20:31 (PR)
Julia Connelly - 22:10 (PR)
Bridget Branson - 22:16
Stella Harrington - 22:58
Grace Hayes - 23:06
Gia Centrella - 23:34 (PR)
Other PRs: Josephine McGilvray (25:16), Kaylani Raimundo (26:42), Fiona Bishop (27:37)
The boys are off! Photo by Tom Grant.
Reading Boys defeat Winchester 15-41
The Reading boys have had an up-and-down season so far and came off an achingly close loss to Arlington last week. This week’s matchup with Winchester offered them a chance to show what they can do when they are healthy and well-rested, and the Rockets wasted little time making the most of it.
Before the first mile marker, a lead pack of seven runners separated from the rest. This pack included two Winchester runners alongside five from Reading: co-captain Max King, senior Colin Herlihy, and juniors Colin Carroll, Declan Grant, and Curran Healy. As the leaders moved into the outer loop around Horn Pond, Reading’s pack of five started to shake off the Red & Black harriers. By the third mile, the Rockets picked up the intensity, aiming to hit a negative split. As they came down the final hill and into the finishing chute, Reading’s top five had left all competition behind to seal the victory.
“I was really happy with the boys; they did even better than I expected, quite honestly,” said Coach Mike Connelly. “Our goal was to reduce the gaps from runner-to-runner such that from one through five there was a total spread of 30 seconds, but the boys got it down to 12 seconds. Just exceptional results for the boys.”
Even without their top performer this season, co-captain Finn Johnson-Houlihan, Reading dominated this race. “Declan Grant did an awesome job leading the pack to run a 16:18, just at his PR time. The race was also a big step in the right direction for Max King to feel good physically,” commented Coach Connelly. “The fact that Max could miss some training, then put up such a good time was impressive. Colin Herlihy also looked really good today, and Colin Carroll and Curran Healy kept the pack tight.” Notably, Healy set a new PR and King and Herlihy had their fastest 5k times of the year. Ben Kaberle (10th, 17:20) and Aaron Walker (16th, 18:24) rounded out Reading’s top seven and, in a unique occurrence, each set new PRs that beat their previous best by 27 seconds.
Reading’s lead pack makes their move. Pictured (left to right): Colin Carroll, Colin Herlihy, Curran Healy, Declan Grant, Max King. Photo by Ray Vaillancourt.
Looking ahead to the League Championships, Coach Connelly observed: “The team looked strong and should have a lot left for next week.”
Declan Grant - 16:18
Max King - 16:20
Colin Herlihy - 16:23
Curran Healy - 16:29 (PR)
Colin Carroll - 16:30
Ben Kaberle - 17:20 (PR)
Aaron Walker - 18:24 (PR)
Other PRs: Reid Morgan (18:51), Nicholas Castiglia (19:11), Leonardo de Llano (20:14), PJ Vaillancourt (20:48), Quin Doherty (21:51), Caleb Brown (21:53), Kyle See (22:50), Noah Epstein (23:02), Wesley Keating (23:03), Kellen Masterson (23:43), Bowen Day (24:19), Austin Heinrich (24:54), JD Means (30:19), Adrian Gibson (30:19)
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.