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Rutland Herald Fall Sports Guide 2019
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW
X-C: All trails lead to Thetford
A
By TOM HALEY
STAFF WRITER
rea high school cross-country
runners will begin their season
in early September, possibly in
oppressive heat and humidity on the
trails of Rutland’s Pine Hill Park or at
Bellows Falls Union High School.
It is the beginning of trying to get
better in order to peak for the State
Meet on Thetford’s beautiful 5K
course on Oct. 26, when the weather
can be blustery and quite possibly 50
or 60 degrees colder than it was for the
first meet.
It was in 1991 when John Morton, a
Thetford resident and two-time Olym-
pic biathlete, designed the state-of-the
art layout at Thetford.
It has since hosted numerous Ver-
mont state championships as well as
New England high school champion-
ships.
Thetford has the same magical
sound to it that Patrick Gym or Barre
Auditorium has to a basketball player,
or that Centennial Field has for a high
school baseball player.
The runners will have the opportu-
nity to experience the state champi-
onship course in mid-season when the
prestigious Thetford Academy Woods
Trail Run showcases high school teams
from Vermont and beyond on Oct. 5.
Mill River boasts a couple of runners
with glistening résumés who have the
right to harbor heady thoughts about
the big day on the Thetford course.
Junior Brogan Giffin is the defend-
ing Marble Valley League (now South-
ern Vermont League) champion and
was second in Division II at the State
Meet. He was also a state champion in
the 1500 and 3000 in track and field.
Just as Giffin leads the Mill River
boys, Annika Heintz brings similar cre-
ROBERT LAYMAN / FILE PHOTO
Rutland High School’s cross-country team runs through the rain around the
perimeter of the field at Giorgetti Park Wednesday morning.
dentials to the Minutemen on the girls
side. The sophomore is the returning
league champion, was 10th at the D-II
State Meet and is the state champion
in the 3000.
Giffin and Heintz are good enough
to dream of championships, but at this
early stage, all runners have their own
dreams.
It is a sport where you compete
against others and also measure your-
self against your own times, seeking
improvement week by week.
The starting gun is about to fire. is expecting some big things from se-
nior female runners Olivia Bernier and
Laurel King, as well as senior Kameron
Cummings on the boys side.
Pearl Jackson and Meg Bernier
round out the girls team.
Joining Cummings on the boys
squad are Miles Garvin, Jonathan
Oakes, Eric Heitsmith and Willum
Bargfreid.
The Chieftains open on Sept. 3 at
Bellows Falls with Renfro beginning
his eighth season as the cross-country
coach.
Fair Haven Mill River
Coach Chris Stanton is expecting
four freshmen to be on the team at
Fair Haven, but they were waiting until
school was in session to have the first
practice.
The Slaters are hosting a meet on
Sept. 9 and they are expecting nine
schools at the event. Heintz comes into the year with
those impressive accomplishments,
but she also has some support. Sadira
Majorell is in her third year and placed
56th at the D-II State Meet last season.
There are two others on the girls
squad and both are in their first year
of cross-country even though they are
seniors: Alia Lunna and Olivia Suker.
“I know that Annika is going to be
tough this year,” coach Kell Giffin said.
Green Mountain
Green Mountain coach Scott Renfro
“Last year really grew her confidence. I
have big expectations for her.
“She put in a lot of work over the
summer.
“Sadira improved dramatically last
year and I am excited to see where she
goes as well.”
Kell and his son Brogan have talked
about goals for the season, and they
center on reaching certain times rath-
er than any certain placement in races.
There are three other runners on
the boys team. Senior Luke Mackin-
tosch is in his third year of cross-coun-
try and freshmen Taylor Patch and
Ethan Kenny are in their first year with
the sport.
One exciting part of the new season
is that the Minutemen drop down from
Division II to Division III, meaning that
only four runners are needed to post an
official score as opposed to five.
“This will be the first year that I
have had a full team for both boys and
girls,” Giffin said.
The Minutemen will open the sea-
son at the meet on Sept. 3 at Rutland’s
Pine Hill Park.
MSJ
Megan Blais will be the new
cross-country coach at Mount St. Jo-
seph.
The Mounties have five boys and
one girl. No runners’ names were avail-
able at press time.
MSJ is scheduled to open the season
on Sept. 3 at Rutland High’s meet at
Pine Hill Park.
Otter Valley
The numbers are pretty healthy in
Brandon.
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