They Claimed their Tenth Championship

Thetford, Vt. - The U-32 boys cross country team extended their dynasty Saturday by achieving a 10th consecutive Division II state championship, hosted by Thetford Academy.

“We came here hoping to win the race, and we won the race, so we’re happy,” said U-32 coach Seth Jackson.

This was the second race Jackson has coached for U-32, but has an experience coaching for Norwich University, St Lawrence University, South Burlington, and Peoples’ Academy.

“This team is a really focused group, and I think they have really high expectations for themselves, which isn't always the case with this age level. I think it's made me step my game up,” said Jackson.

Cole Page won the race with a time of 16 minutes, 51.5 seconds, while teammate Ben Warfield placed second in 16:59.9. Also scoring for the Raiders were Cody Young (fourth, 17:27.7), Oliver Miller (fifth, 17:57.3) and Oren Winters (seventh,18:11.90). Teammate Calvin Winters placed ninth in 18:17.40, while Mikail Razzaq finished 29th in 20:09 for the Raiders.

“It's a crazy feeling. I can't really describe it. It's like going through that home stretch with no one behind you and knowing that your hard work is paying off. It's a real thing,” said Page following his win.

Page attributed his performance to how he’s been preparing for the race. Practicing with lower milage towards the end of the season helped his legs feel faster to overcome the hilly terrain. But this season the team has faced turbulence off the course.

“It definitely was a bit of a roadblock to having a new coach, but they tried to make the transition as smooth as possible and not affect our season.” Page added, “all the training and all the success comes from, not during the season, but the training building up to it, and that training doesn't lie.”

Leading the way for second-place Burr & Burton were Isaiah Lewit (third, 17:03.80), Hayden Villarreal (sixth, 18:02.30), Sebastian Traver Adolphus (10th, 18:21.40), Christopher Madsen (20th, 19:27.90) and Miles Vernon (23rd, 19:32.00). 

When questioned on the dynamic of the team, Cody Young described the team as, “amazing, this is the best group of guys ever.” Young emphasized, “I want to credit Andrew Trip for that, putting together all of these great people and making them stay for such a hard sport, it’s such a honorable feat. Even though he’s not our coach anymore, we’ve only grown closer in the name of Andrew.”

Jackson began coaching with about three weeks left of the season. He had known many of the athletes while volunteering for the team, but now he was at the helm.

“This is a train that’s already going full speed, so just kind of keep it on the tracks to the end of the season,” Jackson said on his late entry as coach.

With experience working with collegiate runners and previous high school teams, Jackson was well-versed in training young athletes when he joined. But there were still some surprises.

“One of the things that’s great about this group is just the upperclassmen are so experienced, especially on this course. They knew it,” Jackson said. “They have been in a really set system for a long time, and to have a change that late in this season, and their senior seasons, could easily derail most high schoolers, right? And to see how Ben and Cody and Oren specifically finished [with such] dominant performances. I mean, that's the proof of the resiliency, right there.”

Harwood’s top finishers were Vincent Wing (11th, 18:45.60), Brody Hackett (32nd, 19:03.20), Chapin Rivers (32nd, 20:25.20), Nicky Service (40th, 20:53.90) and Trey Isham (51st, 21:45.50).

The fastest racers for Montpelier were Salvador Doyle (14th, 19:12.50), Garth Kurts (16th, 19:18.60), Andy Sheehan (21st, 19:30.30), Forrest Kidd (25th, 19:41.90) and Noah Amore (28th, 20:03.30). Spaulding featured solid efforts from Carter Somaini (52nd, 21:47.10), Tenyr Pope (59th, 22:11.40), Emmett Hellein (60th, 22:13.60), Gavin Walther (73rd, 23:15.20) and Kellen Robtoy (77th, 23:27.80). 

Jackson believes the race could have gone a number of ways, but was confident in the U-32 boys.

“Between Cole, Ben, and Cody. You run this race 10 times, I think that all three of them end up with an individual state championship, and today was Cole’s day. He ran a really disciplined race,” Jackson shared.

The Raiders’ 10th Championship title is more than a milestone for the team. It serves as a reminder of a culture that endures change regardless of who’s on the roster. Next U-32 heads to New Englands, hosted this year by Thetford Academy, where they don’t aim to chase history, but to continue it.