It’s Championship Time!
And it’s also Prediction Time!
We wrap up our predictions for Saturday’s Class Championships with the Class A girls’ and boys’ meets.
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Class A Championships – Girls
Day/Time: Saturday, 11:30 a.m.
Teams: Cranston West, Classical, Toll Gate, Mount Pleasant, La Salle Academy, Coventry, Pilgrim, Cumberland, Cranston East, Woonsocket, Pawtucket Coop, East Providence, North Kingstown
Runners To Watch: Don’t be fooled by the rankings. Some of the biggest names from last year’s championship season are sitting outside the top tier heading into this weekend. Defending titlist Alyssa Parenteau of La Salle Academy checks in at No. 13, while reigning state champion Cecelia Ludwig of Cumberland is ranked No. 16. But those numbers may be deceiving. Both runners have taken a measured approach to the season, limiting their racing schedules with an eye toward being rested, fit and ready when the championship races matter most.
The individual girls’ title at next weekend’s State Meet appears to be wide open, with several capable contenders in the hunt. Most of those hopefuls will get an opportunity to size each other up in Saturday’s race.
Parenteau, who clocked a personal-best 18:42.1 at last year’s competition, should be ready to make her presence felt. Her best this season is 19:17.2, recorded in a runner-up finish at the Bowdoin Park XC Classic on Sept. 26. That course in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., is considerably more challenging than Ponaganset, making her time particularly noteworthy. The Providence College commit’s most recent outing came three weeks ago in the featured Eastern States Championship race at the Manhattan University XC Invitational. Parenteau placed ninth overall in 15:05.6 for the 2.5-mile course, shaving 24 seconds off her previous best from a year earlier.
Ludwig is another runner who can’t be taken lightly. After all, she is the defending state champion. So far this season, the Cumberland junior has competed in just four races, with two of those serving as tempo efforts in a pair of league meets. In her other two outings, Ludwig placed fourth at Bowdoin and 10th overall at the Manchester (N.H.) Invitational, where she clocked a season-best 19:27.9 on the challenging 5K course. She broke the 19-minute barrier for the first time at last year’s Class Meet, finishing second to Parenteau in 18:52. She followed that performance with a personal-best 18:17.3 at the State Meet.
With La Salle and Cumberland both in the hunt for the team title this weekend and at next week’s State Meet, it will be interesting to see how both programs approach Saturday’s race and whether they continue to manage their top runners with the bigger prize in mind.
And what about the other runners who could be among the leaders? There’s certainly no shortage of contenders.
Cranston West’s Molly Richardson is one to watch. She impressed at the Catholic Memorial Invitational, where she clocked a personal-best 18:33.0 at Franklin Park. She followed that performance with another sub-19-minute effort just five days later, placing second at the Skee Carter Memorial Invitational in 18:53.2. A few others we expect to be among the leaders are North Kingstown teammates Abbie Tighe and Lucy Stowe, Toll Gate’s Mea Ayotte and Cumberland’s Caylee Kurbec. All four have the potential to run in the 18:30-18:40 range, possibly faster.
Kurbec, in particular, has caught our attention. Much of that interest stems from what she accomplished Monday at the Freshmen State Championships. The Cumberland freshman looked sensational, winning the 4K race in a course-record 14:30. She shattered the previous mark by nearly 30 seconds and finished 15 seconds ahead of pre-race favorite Emma Morrissey of South Kingstown.
There are a few intriguing questions heading into Saturday’s race. Will it be fast, with the winner potentially breaking 18 minutes or at least coming close? Or will it develop into a more tactical affair, with the runners we consider the favorites — think Parenteau and Ludwig — doing just enough to secure a top finish while saving something for what could be a classic showdown at the State Meet? Another question involves Cumberland head coach Kerrie Carpenter. Will she hold some of her top runners out of Saturday’s competition to keep them fresh for the most important meet of the season? She has employed that strategy successfully over the past two years.
Either way, expect an exciting race. With several capable contenders in the field, this one could come down to a group battling together over the final stretch, with the outcome potentially undecided until the last 50 meters.
Team Outlook: This is a race that could provide a preview of next weekend’s states. It features all three teams we expect to be our leaders at the Nov. 7 meet. If the teams are a full strength, we expect the closer battle will be between Clippers and Rams, whose depth has an edge over the Skippers.
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Class A Championships – Boys
Day/Time: Saturday, 11 a.m.
Teams: North Kingstown, Coventry, Cranston West, Bishop Hendricken, Pawtucket Coop, East Providence, Cranston East, Classical, Mount Pleasant, Cumberland, Woonsocket, Pilgrim, La Salle Academy, Toll Gate
Runners To Watch: The favorite here is Hendricken’s Colby Flynn. The gutsy senior has finished third as a sophomore in 2024 and second last year, when he came up just 0.41 seconds short of individual champion Sean Gray of Portsmouth. Now it’s Flynn’s turn to wear the crown, and we believe that will happen on Saturday.
The University of Pennsylvania signee has collected two major victories this season, capturing top honors at the Bowdoin Park (N.Y.) XC Classic and the Shore Coaches (N.J.) Invitational. At Shore Coaches, Flynn clocked an impressive 15:41.68 at Holmdel Park, one of the most challenging cross-country courses in the country. He also placed seventh in the Eastern States Championship race at the Manhattan University XC Invitational, posting a solid 12:31.80.
You also can’t overlook the Hawks’ Shepherd Butler. Hendricken’s No. 2 runner this season, Butler finished just two seconds behind Flynn at Shore Coaches and clocked 12:38.30 at Manhattan. Those performances suggest he’s a legitimate threat to challenge for the individual title and could even make it a 1-2 finish for the Hawks. Look for the talented teammates to set the pace, with a strong chase pack looking to stay within striking distance.
Some of the runners we expect to be part of that chase group include Pilgrim’s Kingston Bayha, Hendricken’s Luke Tremble and La Salle’s Matt Lewis and Will Souza. Bayha, the recent champion at the Freshmen State Meet, owns a 5K best of 16:02.10 from the Bay State Invitational Twilight Meet. Tremble clocked 16:05.37 at the Injury Fund Carnival, while Lewis and Souza have both run 16:10.
Team Outlook: As we stated in our preseason preview, we don’t see anyone challenging Bishop Hendricken for the team title. The Hawks could have all five scorers finish among the top 10 and potentially post a team score of 25 points or better. The battle for second place should come down to La Salle and North Kingstown.
