Six team titles. Six individual crowns.
That’s what will be on the line this Saturday when teams throughout the state head down to Ponaganset for the RIIL Class Championships. So, who are the schools — and the runners — ready to battle for those coveted prizes on the Chieftains’ covered-bridge trail?
Here we feature Class B girls’ and boys’ races.
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Class B Championships – Girls
Day/Time: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Teams: Ponaganset, Smithfield, Juanita Sanchez, West Warwick, Davies Tech, East Greenwich, Lincoln, North Providence, Portsmouth, Barrington, Johnston, Central Falls, Chariho Regional, Mount Hope
Runners To Watch: This is a race that has the potential to be close with at least three runners that could be breaking the tape at the end. We’re giving the favorite nod to Barrington’s Evelyn Lefort, who ran an all-time best of 18:52.4 at the Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational less than two weeks ago on a quick 5K at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds.. During a consistent junior campaign, Lefort has broken 20 minutes four other times this fall. She twice ran 19:30 last season at Ponaganset, finishing seventh at the class meet and 20th overall at the states. Lefort ran two less races at this point than last year, which was probably by design. Her last meet was a league meet on Oct. 6. Expected her to be rested and ready to excel this weekend against some strong competitors.
Of course you can never count out Mount Hope’s Jessical Deal, who always performs at her best this time of year. Deal was a runner-up to Portmouth’s Allie Kaull at last year’s race. She comes into this weekend’s meet after winning last Thursday’s East Bay Challenge, where she clocked a season best of 19:45.96. Deal was second to Lefort by a 20-second margin in a dual meet back on Oct. 6. Look for the three-time all-stater to be up front with her rival for most of this race with a goal of winning her first class title.
East Greenwich’s Ali Walsh is another runner that should be in the conversation. Walsh’s most recent performance was a third-place finish at the Skee Carter/Bronco Invitational where she clocked an all-time best of 19:39.63. The Avengers sophomore, who was fourth in this race last year as a ninth-grader, will have added motivation when the gun is fired. Her squad is a strong favorite to win its second straight title on Saturday.
Other top runners in the field are Lincoln’s Hayden Lugar, Portsmouth’s Eleni Drosinos, Chariho freshman Meriden Alge and the East Greenwich duo of Kayla Siedliski and Olive Willis.
Team Outlook: We expect two teams to be battling for the team title – East Greenwich and Barrington. The Avengers may hold the edge with the ability to have at least four of their runners under 21 minutes this weekend, including their 2-3 harriers, Siedliski and Willis, who are close behind Walsh in terms of times this year. Portsmouth and Lincoln could be fighting for the bronze.
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Class B Championships – Boys
Day/Time: Saturday, 10:30 a.m.
Teams: Ponaganset, Smithfield, Juanita Sanchez, West Warwick, Davies Tech, East Greenwich, Lincoln, North Providence, Portsmouth, Barrington, Johnston, Central Falls, Chariho Regional, Mount Hope
Runners To Watch: The question isn’t who will win this race, it’s who will be fighting for those other top spots.
The clear-cut favorite is Portsmouth’s Sean Gray, who has proven this season that he could be the runner to beat next Saturday at the State Meet. Gray has been unbeaten this season, including one very big race he ran down in New Jersey where he grabbed the gold against some of the region’s best at the Shore Coaches Invitational with a fast 15:34 on the difficult 5K of Holmdel Park. Gray has only run a few races all-out this fall to keep himself well rested for the states and a sure-to-be productive postseason where he’ll be looking to earn his second straight appearance at the Nike Cross Nationals. We don’t expect Gray to try and chase records this weekend with a more important match-up in the State Meet with top rivals, Marshall Vernon of La Salle and Colby Flynn of Hendricken, on the horizon. Look for the Patriots’ senior to take charge early in this race and settle into a controlled pace. We’re guessing he’ll run a time in the 15:40-15:50 range, maybe even slower. That’s all that he’ll need to cruise to his second straight title. Who will be vying for those other top spots? Barrington’s Colby Napolitano has had a solid season, and is our pick to finish second. He was a runner-up to Gray in a league meet in mid September where he clocked a PR of 16:25.0. He was also the second Rhode Islander in the Championship race of the Ocean State invitational where he was timed in 16:36.50. The Eagle junior was tenth at the class meet in 2024. We believe he’s capable of improving by eight placements this weekend with a second-place finish. East Greenwich’s Jeremiah Moon and Andrew Parisi are both coming off PR efforts at the Skee Carter/Bronco Invitational where they finished 1-2 with times of 16:09.81 and 16:19.95, respectively. Portsmouth’s Patrick Orbon is another harrier that has to be taken seriously. He was second to Gray at East Bay with a best of 16:28.70. Orbon also ran a strong race at the Shore Coaches Invite with a low 17-minute effort on a very difficult 5K course at Holmdel Park.
Team Outlook: In its initial year in Class B last fall, East Greenwich capture the team title. The odds are in the Avengers’ favor they’ll do it again this weekend. EG is a tight-knit group with a gap of less that a minute between it five scoring runners. Barrington is not too far behind. On paper, East Greenwich gets the favorite label, but don’t be surprised if that all-important fifth runner make a difference in the outcome. Portsmouth is a solid No. 3 in this match-up.
