The boys varsity cross country team won the MIAA State Championship 67-87 on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Willard Field in Devens. With this victory, the Warriors have now won four straight state championships.
The Warriors dominated the race from the moment the gun sounded. Despite impressive performances from other teams in attendance, they were no match for the Warriors.
Along with the team’s performance, the Meet of Champions also featured impressive individual performances for senior captain Theodore Butty and junior Liam Hartmann, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
According to Butty, who ran alongside Hartmann for nearly the entire race, the presence of his teammate was key to his success, not only in this race but throughout the whole season.
“One of the biggest things about cross country is the team dynamics, and to maximize on that is to race with your teammates,” Butty said. “To be able to trade sections of the course, relieving some mental pressure during the race, that’s exactly what Liam and I have done for the past couple of races.”
Head coach Michael Glennon said that he was incredibly proud of his team’s performance, especially considering the pressure that comes with winning the state championship over the previous three seasons.
“They’re a special group, they really took on the burden of trying to get this fourth in a row,” Glennon said. “I tried to make it clear to them all week that they should do this for themselves and each other, and one way or another, if they did that, that would be perfect.”
According to senior Harry Flint, who was the Warriors’ third finisher, the key to his success in his inaugural cross country season was due to his relationships with his teammates.
“We got a really tight group of top seven guys, and I really couldn’t ask for a better group of people,” Flint said. “They are goofy people. They’re people who will push you to your limits; it’s honestly just the perfect environment to grow, no matter the circumstances.”
According to Glennon, Flint’s ability to translate his previous success in track to cross country was particularly impressive.
“[Flint] was clearly one of the best middle distance runners, if not the best middle distance runner in the state, and then he told me that he wanted to try cross country because he wanted to expand his ability,” Glennon said. “He is by far and away one of the best competitors that I’ve coached.”
Despite entering the meet as favorites, Butty said that the Warriors did not start the season as championship favorites.
“We came into the season as underdogs, which is actually pretty rare for us,” Butty said. “It was nice working with that mentality. We really honed in on our own success, really focused on ourselves and not others.”
After celebrating their victory, the Warriors will shift their focus to Nov. 24 when they will be competing at the Nike Cross Regionals in New York. According to Flint, the team hopes to continue their success and end the season on a high note.
“We want to be one of those teams that go to Nike Cross Nationals, which are the top two teams from the region,” Flint said. “We just hope to go as far as we possibly can and make this last season count for all of us seniors.”
