Fall Sports Preview: Boys Cross Country Goal is to Stay on Top

Even though four of his top five runners graduated in June, Amity boys cross country Coach Bob Orgovan is not about to write off his 36^th year at the help of the Spartan harriers. While Amity may not appear to be as strong or as deep as last year when it finished 9-0, won the Housatonic Division, placed 4^th in the Southern Connecticut Conference, 1^st in Class LL of the CIAC, 3^rd in the State Open, and 10^th in New England, Orgovan feels confident that his current team will be heard from this fall.

Sam Spencer, Dean Bhatt, Jack Dunleavy, and Frank Sweeney have all departed, but senior Captain Clark Shurtleff, the team’s top runner in 2010 returns. Orgovan rates him as one of the top runners in the SCC and among the top five in the state.

“He’s a big gun for us,” said Orgovan.

Senior Nate Arndt and junior Shae Belinski are also veterans of the 2010 campaign as are seniors Brendan Regan and Adam Kelly, juniors Brian and Connor Dunleavy. Sophomore Mike Yuan also ran last year as a freshman and showed a lot of potential.

According to Orgovan, “With only one of our top guys back from last year, we are really an inexperienced team. Still, I know the other guys are good runners.  They can run fast enough and have the physical skills but just lack the experience of running under pressure in varsity races. It will take a few races for them to develop that experience.”

While there doesn’t appear that anyone will challenge the Spartans in the Housy, Fairfield Prep (led by returning all-New England star, Connor Rog) is clearly the conference’s 500 pound gorilla and team-to-beat. Orgovan added that the Jesuits are probably also the top team in the state. He expects Xavier to again be a force in both the conference and state, while Hand looms as somewhat of a dark horse in the SCC.

Every fall, Orgovan uses the results of the Windham Invitational as a gauge to see where his team stands statewide. That race will be run on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Willimantic.

He knows that to win meets, a team need five dependable runners, but to win big meets at the conference and/or state level, a team needs an “ace” or a “big gun”, which Shurtleff is for the Black and Gold. As a result, his health is of utmost importance.

“If Clark does get injured in any way, it would change the course of our season. We can easily win the Housy without him, but that doesn’t mean we can do the same thing in the SCC or States without him. With him, it’s altogether possible we could go on to be a significant factor in the SCC, State, or even New England meets. That will depend on how our supporting cast does," Orgovan said. “Even if we are No. 2 in the SCC, it is quite possible for us to develop onto a team that could go on to challenge and even win the Class LL and State Open races.”

The Spartans open their rather soft duel meet schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m., when the host East Haven at the Fitzgerald Trail in Woodbridge.