Centaurs escape with win over Ledyard in 1st home meet
Woodstock Academy coach Josh Welch had to laugh. Many will think him “mean” for re-working the course at the Woodstock Fairgrounds and including yet another hill for cross country.
This one comes in the final mile of the race.
“It is a little mean,” Welch said. “But I’ve always loved that stuff. I love a really gritty race. I like to see a race determined by effort and fighting through difficulty. That’s the thing about hilly courses; it brings the character out in your runners.”
Close races do the same and there was a little of both on Tuesday. The Centaurs not only had to battle their own course but also a stubborn Ledyard team.
The Colonels put in their fifth runner before Woodstock, but the Centaur boys still prevailed, 27-28.
The win raised Woodstock’s record to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in Div. I of the ECC.
One of the reasons for that was the effort of sophomore Lucas Hecker.
Hecker finished in second behind Ledyard’s Greyson Stephenson thanks, in part, to that hill.
Hecker was leading Stephenson going into the final mile but the Ledyard runner passed him just before the final hill and really took advantage of the downhill that followed to finish first overall in 17 minutes, 46 seconds.
Hecker finished eight seconds back.
“It was not what I was hoping, but it was the best I could do,” Hecker said. “It’s like double the hills that we had here last year. It’s hills the whole time and all of them are horrible. When it’s at the end of the meet, you’re already tired so it (hurts).”
Fortunately for Hecker, he had friends.
After Lucas Heide finished third overall for the Colonels, the Centaurs pack came flying through led by Bronson Eddy in fourth, Sam Greene in fifth and Harrison Durand sixth. Carter Mydlarz placed 10th to account for the Centaurs top five.
“That was a close one,” Welch said. “It was the same way at the (Windham) Invitational over the weekend where Ledyard just got us (41-46. (Tuesday), Harrison Durand brought it in to clinch the spot we needed to put us over the top by a point.”
Hecker was coming off a bit of a confidence builder of his own as he took first in the Windham Invitational the Saturday before.
“I was really happy,” Hecker said. “It was what I expected so if I didn’t (win), I would have probably been upset. I just did what I had to do.”
He was also happy with how the team has been performing especially with the graduation of All-State performers Christian Menounos and Colton Sallum.
“We have a couple of guys stepping up to where they need to be. We’re doing well for having to overcome two big losses. We’re building the best team we can,” Hecker said.
Woodstock will have a little more time to adjust to their new course as it is scheduled to host East Lyme on Sept. 30 and Norwich Free Academy on Oct. 7.
Girls’ Cross Country
Woodstock freshman Emelia Langevin is used to running hills. She is related to those who own and operate Allen Hill Tree Farm which Centaurs girls’ cross-country Joe Banas points out is not only great at holiday time but also is a pretty neat cross-country course.
So the new course at the Woodstock Fairgrounds that Banas and Woodstock boys’ cross-country coach Josh Welch created, while formidable to most, is not daunting to the freshman.
Langevin cruised through it and led the Centaurs to a 26-33 win over Ledyard as they improved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in Div. I of the ECC.
“I was thinking my time is going to go (up) quite a bit,” Langevin said. “But, we’ve been training so it didn’t intimidate me too much. The hardest part is definitely the ending hill.”
That being the final hill strategically placed toward the beginning of the final mile of the race.
Langevin actually used that to extend her lead as she established the number that everyone will now shoot for, 20 minutes, 54 seconds. Maggie Littler of Ledyard finished just about a minute behind Langevin in second.
“Emmie ran spectacular,” Banas said. “She and (Littler) were only about three seconds apart (at the Windham Invitational) but (Tuesday) she won by 59 seconds - that’s huge.”
The Centaurs did have to overcome a little adversity as second runner Isabel D’Alleva-Bochain was away on a planned college visit. Ledyard’s Clara Shelton finished third but right on her heels was another freshman, Claire Bruneaux.
“Claire stepped into that role and welcomed it. It was a great opportunity for a freshman to take that role and she ran with it,” Banas said.
Olivia Tracy placed sixth, Bella Amlaw seventh, Melanie DiPippo eighth, Nova Almquist ninth and Avery Schaefer 10th.
Banas is hopeful that Langevin can accomplish something few freshmen do.
Qualify for the New England championship at the end of the season.
“I’m hoping that I have to take a trip to Vermont in November. Time will tell. I’ve told her what she needs to run at Wickham (Park in Manchester). You have to run sub-19:55 (to have a chance to move on into New England’s) but (the Woodstock Fairgrounds) is a tougher course than Wickham and she is on her way even though she is still learning the sport,” Banas said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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captions:
The pack is back for Woodstock Academy boys’ cross-country as Bronson Eddy, left, Sam Greene and Harrison Durand, rear, race to the finish line at the Woodstock Fairgrounds. The three finished fourth-fifth and sixth to give the Centaurs a one-point win over Ledyard.
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Woodstock Academy sophomore Lucas Hecker strides home to a second-place overall finish in a boys’ cross-country meet. Photos by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
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The Woodstock Academy and Ledyard Colonels girls’ cross-country teams bolt from the starting line.
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