BOSTON – Some of our top finishers from the State Meet a few weeks ago will be heading to Franklin Park on Saturday for the Foot Locker Northeast Regionals. The meet features teams from 11 states in the region along with Washington, D.C.
In the Marty Lewis Championship boys’ race, scheduled for 11:15 a.m., Narragansett’s Cole Francis is the top R.I. entry. If things work out as planned, Francis has potential to crack the top 10 and earn a trip to San Diego for the Nationals on Dec. 2. The Mariner junior was sixth at the State Meet after leading in the early stages. He was one of the leading contender for the Nov. 4 meet and will more than likely have so addition motivation to make his mark this weekend on the challenging five-kilometer course. Toll Gate twin brothers, Joshua and John Maynard, are also entered. The Titan juniors were 35th and 42nd, respectively, at the states.
Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha and Narragansett’s Maddie O’Neill leads the girls’ entries. Bayha was third overall at the State Meet and has a best of 18:03.4 from the Great American XC Festival. O’Neill placed sixth at the states and ran a season best of 18:42.6 from the New England Championships.
SCHEDULE
9 a.m. – Youth Boys’ 3K (ages, 11-14)
9:30 – Youth Girls’ 3K (ages, 11-14)
10:10 a.m. Freshmen-Sophomore Girls’ 5K
10:40 – Freshmen-Sophomore Boys’ 5K
11:15 – Marty Lewis Boys’ Championship
12 p.m. – Girls’ Championship
12:45 – Junior/Senior Boys’ JV 5K
1:15 – Junior/Senior Girls’ JV 5K
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NIKE CROSS REGIONALS (NXR) NORTHEAST
There will be a solid contingent from the Ocean State heading to New York’s Bowdoin Park on Saturday for this regional meet, too.
In the boys’ competition, Bishop Hendricken and Chariho will be making their annual team trip to Wappinger Falls with the Hawks in the featured Championship race and the Charger entered in one of two Open races. Hendricken won its third straight state crown a few weeks ago and was the second R.I., squad at the New England’s where the Hawks were eighth overall. La Salle Academy will not be sending a team to NXR this fall as its traditionally done for most of the last decade. But the Rams will still have some representation at the meet with sophomore Marshall Vernon among the entries. Vernon was seventh at the State Meet and was 16th overall at the New England’s where he clocked a PR of 15:57.6. Portsmouth’s Sean Gray and Cumberland’s Connor Magill are also heading to Bowdoin Park this weekend. Gray was fourth at the states and Magill was 11th overall.
The 1-2-4 finishers from the girls’ State Meet will also be hoping to make some noise at NXR Northeast. That trio includes individual winner, Rory Sullivan of Saint Raphael Academy, Charhio’s Erin von Housen and Cumberland’s Kiley DeFusco. Portsmouth Allie Kaull (16th at the states) and Cumberland’s Gabby Stoothoff (34th) will also traverse the tough 5K this weekend.
