After a strong regular season, the Walpole Boys Cross Country (XC) team capped it off with a win at the Division 2A State Championship on Saturday, Nov. 11. Walpole had to run against all 28 teams in Massachusetts division 2A to get their win. This win marked the third time that the team has achieved this feat in the past decade. Walpole had a score of 71, while second place team, Plymouth South, had 100.
Walpole sophomore Luke Zahurak placed fifth overall with a personal best 5000 meter (about 3.1 miles) time of 16:27; senior Sean Kerin was right behind Zahurak, finishing in seventh. Also winning a top 15 finisher medal was senior Declan Cunningham with a time of 16:52. Rounding out the top 5 and securing Walpole’s win were junior Cole Bowden and senior Jackson Massey. There was only a 36 second difference between Walpole’s first and fifth man, the lowest spread of any team in the field. Zahurak and Kerin had been running together all season to give Zahurak an older, more experienced runner to learn from.
“Every race, I just need to sit right behind [Sean]. I get through all of my races because of Sean,” Zahurak said. “I’m looking forward to the improvements that will come.”
The final two members of Walpole’s varsity squad are both freshmen. Josh Black, the team’s sixth man, was able to push opponents back in the placements with a 17:15 personal record. This time is not only the third best freshman 5k time in Walpole High history, but it also means he would have the fourth best time on any other team in the division. Walpole’s final runner, Nate O’Neil, also set a personal record with the fifth best freshman time that the team has ever had.
“You have to try your best to get to every next runner, you’ve got to do what coach tells you to do. You always want to run the best you can,” Black said.
Walpole Cross Country’s success at the divisional meet meant that they secured an invite to the All State Championship, where they will run against all of the top teams from division two in the state. The team is also preparing to begin their indoor track season within the next few weeks.
“I always get really happy. I see how everyone else is happy about how they did. I see how many people that I have passed in that race. I see the other teams too,” Black said. “It’s amazing to see the camaraderie around those groups.”
