Upper Valley high school cross country teams show promise with early season performances

RANDOLPH, Vt. — It was a clean sweep for the White River Valley Wildcats on Saturday, as George Roda (18:33.51) and Anya Young (22:43.98) finished in first place in their respective boys and girls races at the RU/WRV Cross-Country Run Invitational. 

“I was excited and happy for them,” said Wildcats head coach David Mattern.

Mattern, originally was not planning to be the coach but stayed on when the school was unable to fill the position, said it was encouraging to see some of the team’s other finishers set personal records.

“Collectively it’s a good, small group of kids that are very dedicated to it and to encouraging each other,” he said.

A strong performance such as Saturday’s can help propel a team through the arduous cross country season. 

“It’s one of those things where I’d rather almost ease into it,” Mattern said. “My hope is that everyone will keep improving on times, or at least understand that even if their time isn’t better throughout, it’s a different beast — each course is a different beast.”

Mattern said he still hopes to add some runners so WRV can earn team points. 

The Wildcats next travel to Thetford for a meet on Tuesday.

Oxbow

The Oxbow Olympians also had some strong performances on Saturday. Jake Danis finished in fourth (19:51.32) for the boys, while Casey Wiedrick (23:14.57) was the runner-up in the girls’ race.

“I think they did really well,” Olympians’ head coach Katherine Chobanian said of her team. “They ran faster than they ran earlier this week, and they’re starting off the season with strong times and strong finishes.” 

The duo’s results on Saturday follow performances during Lyndon Institute’s home meet last week that saw Wiedrick (24:04) finish in first place and Danis (21:42) place sixth.

Chobanian is hopeful that Wiedrick and Danis are on their way to even better overall results from last season.

Oxbow has a small team this year and is still rebuilding, their head coach said. Bentley Rivers is technically a newcomer to the boys’ team, making the transition from middle school to the high school level. 

While working with a smaller team, Chobanian’s approach to individualized training remains the same. 

The Olympians will travel to a meet in Hartford on Tuesday.

Hanover

One of those teams is the defending NHIAA Division II boys and girls state champion Hanover Bears. 

The Bears are returning a variety of runners from the boys’ side, such as Ben Groves, Isaac McNaughton, Alexander Collins, Ben Hourdequin, and Will Hanaway, who head coach Eric Picconi said “came ready.” 

The defending champs also welcome some newcomers, such as Dylan Faris and Oliver Collins. 

“I think the biggest takeaway so far is that there’s just tremendous depth,” Picconi said. “We’re kind of gifted in the sense that if someone were to get hurt, we’d have people there to step up right away.” 

Picconi said that the same thing was true for the girls’ squad, who return key runners such as Megan Faris, Lila Muirhead, Millie Larrick, Aria Deeb and Alice Bell, all of whom earned all-state honors last season. 

“Another luxury we have is that there’s a lot of experience, depth, and just a lot of strong running right away,” Picconi said.

Among some of the new girl runners for the Bears are Grace Stewart, Mary Westrich, Ari Hirschler and Lila Marchetti. 

Picconi indicated that the team has a collective mindset heading into the season.

“They are working together. They’re not trying to compete against each other because we have a team goal of maybe defending state championships, and not one individual can do that,” Picconi said. 

The Bears will travel to a meet at Thetford on Tuesday. 

Mascoma

The Mascoma Royals boys team is also coming off a title as the NHIAA Division III state champions. 

The Royals return Carl Russell and Karson Rogers, some of the top runners from last season, who head coach Rick Currier has high hopes for in 2025. 

“Carl and Karson should get us off to really good starts this year,” Currier said. 

Blake Howard and John Running-Bareford also return to help out their squad. The Royals’ lone newcomer is Brody McDermott. 

Isabella Currier is the only runner for the Royals’ girls, and her coach, who happens to be her father, is looking to see continued growth from her. Rick Currier said she has made some nice progress over the last year.

Rick Currier acknowledged his squad has lost a bunch of seniors from last season’s championship-winning team. 

“They are taking a lot of pride in knowing we are rebuilding a little this year, but they are the first group (from Mascoma) that can ever say they are running as the defending state champions,” Rick Currier said. 

Even with the weight of running with the expectations of a defending state champion, Currier indicated they are not succumbing to that pressure. “They know we’re not the same type of team as last year, but they definitely have some pride.”

Last season, Currier acknowledged that the team was the favorite to win the state title. However, this time around, Currier does not want his athletes to compare themselves to last season. 

“(I’m) just telling them to be their own team,” Currier said, indicating that he is encouraging both the boys and girls to continue building. 

The Royals travel to Conant for a meet on Tuesday. 

Thetford

The Thetford Panthers come into the 2025 with good energy, co-head coach Joe Deffner said. The Panthers are coming off finishes of second and third place for the girls and boys, respectively, in last season’s VPA Division III championship meet.  

Having graduated many seniors, Deffner explained that both the boys and girls teams come into this new season with some inexperience. 

“It’s about learning the high school system,” Deffner said, noting that between the boys and girls, the Panthers add nine freshmen. 

Among the newcomers who have shown some promise early for the boys are Ollie Emery, who led his team at a meet in Bellows Falls last week, and Peter Horan. For the girls, the Panthers bring in athletes such as Annelies Currier, whom Deffner described as a “gritty racer.”

The girls also have runners getting a taste of the high school level, such as Meredith Sloop, who finished within the top 10 at last week’s Bellows Falls meet.

With this inexperience, Deffner said he and co-head coach Emily Silver have learned that it is important to control mileage early on.

Despite a crop of new runners, the Panthers return key athletes, including Wendell Durham and Grace Brown, who bring leadership to the boys’ and girls’ teams. 

Thetford hosts a meet on Tuesday. 

Woodstock

The Woodstock Wasps boast young teams for the 2025 season. Last fall, the Wasps boys finished ninth at the VPA Division II state championship meet, while the girls finished sixth. 

With the makeup of the teams, coaches Martha Perkins and Abbie Castriotta said preparations have been easier in some ways this season.

“There’s not as much differentiation between what we’re having to do in practice,” Castriotta said. 

Perkins expanded on this saying, “It’s been fun because we’ve been focused on a big group that is more similar in their abilities rather than coaches trying to design workouts that are going to appease someone who is (more experienced).” 

Some new faces for the boys include Henry Harrington, Charlie Davis and Andrew Murphy. Returners include athletes such as Zach Peterman, who has been a great leader to begin the season, Perkins said. 

Logan Martes and Liam Wheeler are also returners that the Wasps coaches say have stepped up. 

However, unfortunately for the Wasps, their expected top runner, Nicholas Cellini, will not be running for the team this year as he is participating in a program in Washington, D.C. 

Similarly, for the girls, they will also be without their top runner, Pippa Shaw, who suffered an injury during the track and field season. 

Though without Shaw, the Wasps still return Aurora Hensel-Whalen, whom Perkins said has “stepped it up,” and Lucia Beckwith. Woodstock also boasts a promising crop of new runners, including Kasia Sluka and Aven Westbrook. 

As the season begins, Castriotta said there is excitement among the young runners, adding that as the teams gain experience, it could bode well for the future. 

“Having this big class of freshmen and sophomores, it’s exciting to think where they’re going to be two years from now,” Castriotta said. 

Woodstock also travels to Thetford for Tuesday’s meet. 

Lebanon

The Lebanon Raiders aim to improve upon their placements last season in the NHIAA Division II state championship meet, where the boys finished 12th, and the girls finished sixth. 

While there is some youth and inexperience for the Raiders this season, head coach Kevin Lozeau said, “The team, they are upbeat, they’re positive,” adding that upperclassmen have been supportive of their younger teammates. 

That support and leadership from seasoned veterans is key, according to Lozeau. He also noted that early on, a significant emphasis was placed on trusting the process and being patient. 

“We’ve had a lot of really successful kids in the past, so the system works and you just have to trust that we’re going to get there at the end of the year, and the key thing is to have fun,” Lozeau said. 

Among the standout returning Raiders are the sibling duo of Annelies Hanna and Olivia Hanna for the girls and Ian Kiefer for the boys. As for newcomers, both boys and girls have runners advancing to the high school level. 

The Raiders compete at the Coe-Brown dual meet on Saturday. 

Newport

The Newport Tigers boys are hungry to improve upon their 16th-place finish at last season’s NHIAA Division III state championship meet. 

The Tigers squad is marked by continuity, as a large majority of the team has returned. “Everybody came back with better fitness than we started with last year,” head coach Tyler Whipple said. “I can’t really stand out anybody too much because they’re all putting in the work.”

Whipple noted that Kellan Zullo and Alex Couitt, an eighth grader, have looked good. The Tigers’ top runner, Bryce Palmer, also has been putting in work and comes into a new season with hopes of running in college.

“We’re looking pretty good, we’re feeling good, they’re all pumping each other up, they’re taking care of each other,” Whipple said. 

A significant emphasis for Whipple was instilling confidence in his team. “I’m telling them there’s no reason they couldn’t win a championship. It’s part of getting them to believe in themselves, and they’re starting to believe,” he said. 

The Tigers will be running in the Mascenic meet on Friday.

Hartford

The Hartford Hurricanes, coming off a boys’ sixth-place finish and girls’ eighth-place finish at the VPA Division II state championship meet, have come into the 2025 season ready to work hard.

“Everybody came in and… it just feels like they leveled up a little bit from last year, which is what you hope for as a coach,” said Hurricanes head coach Dan Talbot.

Early in the season, Talbot is preaching consistency to his teams. “I feel like if they’re consistent and stay focused and keep working hard like they have been, then we’ll achieve our goals,” he said.

Talbot explained that the boys and girls have goals of repeating as SVL B-Division champions and improving on their finishes in the state championship.

Key returners for the girls’ squad include Sylvia Johnson, Scarlett Brooks, Maddie Carbino, Kira White, Aria Smith and Jaxon DalPra. Johnson and DalPra serve as captains.

For the boys’ team, impactful returners include Elliott Brooks, Scott McSherry, Graham MacLaury and Jayden Forbes. Brooks, Forbes, and MacLaury captain their squad.

The Hurricanes also have some newcomers for the boys who are looking good early, such as Leo Snyder-Hamalainen and Elijah Ofstad.

Hartford travels to Thetford Tuesday.