We’re taking a gamble here, but it’s a good one. The countdown to No. 1 begins with a team that’s not a regular in our top 10. Mount Hope earns this spot thanks to a rare advantage. All 14 of their top runners—yes, all 14—are returning this fall. The Huskies placed seventh out of 15 teams at last year’s Class B Championship, qualified for the State Meet, where they finished 18th of 18 teams. The Huskies’ team average of 18 minutes, 49 seconds for the five-kilometer course at Ponaganset shows there’s a strong foundation in place. Mount Hope is led by senior Jackson Cicchinelli, who was 62nd at last year’s states with a best of 17:39.60. On the Chieftains’ covered-bridge trail that’s an improvement of nearly two minutes from what he ran as a sophomore. Mount Hope’s remaining varsity runners from the championship meet and their class rank this year are senior Tyler Scarborough (18:55.65), senior Andersen Charest (18:59.65), sophomore Jacob Lopes (19:15.92). senior Gavin Stegall (19:17.02), senior Dylan Shaw (20:10.93), and sophomore Alexander Deal (20:25.99). With the normal progression that you usually see from high school runners from year to year, this team is capable of getting a team average by their one through five scoring runners in the low 18-minute range. Last year, the tenth through 13th place finishers at the states averaged between 17:59 and 18:04. We believe Mount Hope is capable of a time like that with plenty of familiar faces coming back. They’re a sleeper, but could wake up a few teams this year fighting for those top 10 spots.
