Stags harriers show lots of potential
By Bill Marsh Banner Staff
BOYLSTON - As the season winds down, the Tahanto Regional High School boys cross country team is gearing up for the league and District championships.
Although the Stags have won only one meet this season, a 29-20 victory over Clinton, they have been competitive in most of them, according to coach Patrick Minihan.
"We are not as competitive as we once were, but we are competitive," said Minihan, who is in his eighth year at the helm. "We once had teams that won 10 or 11 meets, but it is great to see this team power through and overcome adversity.
"Even though we aren't having the best of seasons, it is great to see that the team has not lost its enthusiasm," he said.
Minihan co-coaches the team with Dan Ashman. They are both teachers at the school.
In a recent dual meet, the Stags were edged 21-36 by Bromfield, and dropped a 15-49 decision to Tyngsboro.
The first Tahanto runner to cross the finish line was sophomore Cameron Barber, who completed the Tyngsboro 5K (3.1-mile) course in 19:43. In second place for the Stags was freshman Ryan Botsaris in 19:54, while freshman Christopher Langevin was third for Tahanto in 20:06.
In addition to Tahanto, Clinton and Bromfield, the other members of the Midland-Wachusett League D Division are Ayer-Shirley, Narragansett Regional, Murdock, Littleton, Lunenburg and Maynard.
The Stags' captains are seniors Joel Pendergast and Jackson Danis.
"I am really happy with our boys captains this year," Minihan said. "They have both been on the team for several years.
"They have both been great leaders for the younger kids," he said. "They are both outstanding."
Pendergast and Danis have finished in the middle of the pack of Stags runners for most of the season.
Pendergast has been on the cross country team for five years.
"We have a young team, with many new kids," Pendergast said. "We have some incredible young runners.
"That strong number of new kids won't graduate for a few years and they have plenty of time to get better, as a team," he said.
Danis has been a member of the team for six years.
"I've seen the number (of team members) really go up since I've been on the team," Danis said. "We have a lot of potential as a team this year.
"Cross country is my favorite sport, and I see a lot of growth for this team in the future," he said. "Generally, the runners that do very well start in middle school. Very few runners who are in a position to score for the team, leave the team. They stick with the sport.
"It (cross country) is a very popular sport, and those who run, love it," Danis continued. "The camaraderie on this team is amazing. Coach Minihan has done an awful lot to build the team.
"The sport can beat you down, but it makes you really strong in mind and spirit," he added.
The squad's top runners are Barber, Botsaris, Langevin and senior Kirk Smalley.
"Cameron Barber is our best sophomore and, when the seniors graduate, will be our new leader," Minihan said. "Chris (Langevin) is new to the team this year, and he ran track for us last year. He has been an outstanding addition, and should be very helpful to us in future years.
"Kirk (Smalley) has been on the team for a long time, and came into this year well prepared," he said. "Clearly, he worked very hard over the summer. The first meet of the season he had his best race ever."
Other key runners on the team are senior Colin Ryan, sophomore Neil Schaffer and eighth-grader John "Jack" Stoffel.
"Colin (Ryan) might not be the fastest runner on the team, but he works hard every day and has had a much stronger season this year," Minihan said. "He is well liked by everyone on the team. He is a character guy.
"Neil (Schaffer) is a strong runner and is getting better," he said. "By the time he's a senior, he is going to be great.
"Jack Stoffel has been a nice addition to the team," Minihan added.
The team's juniors are Michael Redington, Ethan Carpenter, Ian Durham, Timmy Grieve and Patrick Wilcox, who attends the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
In addition to Langevin and Botsaris, the other freshmen are Mitchell Danis and Kevin Politz. The team's seven-graders are Tommy LeBlanc, Brody Massad and Jacob Symmes.
Joshua Bradford, Paul Cyr, and Thomas Rider are the team's sixth-graders.
"Our (cross country) program (both boys and girls) has really taken off," Minihan said. "We've had four consecutive league championships. The last two years for girls and before that two years for the boys."
The league championship is this Saturday, Oct. 29, at Holdenwood in Shirley, while the District championship is on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Gardner Municipal Golf Course.