Fall Sport Preview: Boys Cross Country Team on Track to Win CCC East Title

Rocky Hill’s boys cross country team is setting the bar high in 2011.

“This team is developing into a seasoned group,” head coach Brian Graca said. “They’re looking to win the CCC East and hopefully the Class M title.”

The Terriers finished fifth overall at the 2010 Class M championships. As only sophomores, Joseph Crasa, who Graca described as the top distance runner in the school’s history, finished fourth with an average mileage time of 5:26 and James Wang placed 15^th with an average time of 5:40.

Crasa and Wang lead a deep, experienced team that should advance to the top of their league and class.

Rocky Hill scored a significant early season victory on Tuesday when it defeated fellow CCC member and 2010 state open champion Tolland at home 27-28. That win, combined with a fourth place finish at the Riverside Invitational two weekends ago has assured Graca that his boy’s team is up to the challenge of meeting expectations.

At this point however, the coach is mostly looking for and seeing day-to-day improvement from his runners.

“The team has looked strong so far,” he said. “But, we don’t need to blast teams at every meet. I want to mostly make sure the team is focused and prepared for the tournament meets that really matter.”

Girls Cross Country

For Graca, also the coach of Rocky Hill’s girls cross country team, the expectations in 2011 are significantly different from that of his boy’s squad, but no less important.

“The runners on the girls team are all underclassmen and are mostly brand new to the sport. My focus for them isn’t on results. It’s about getting them acclimated to long distance running and teaching them how to improve.”

The Terriers only have eight runners this season with six sophomores and two freshmen. Jackie Saucier is the standout of the group as she averaged a 5:48 mile last season.

However, every runner has shown quick improvement, so much so that the team was able to defeat Rockville on Tuesday. Though Graca realizes that his girls team is currently not on the same level as the boys squad, he shares many of the same goals for both.

“They’ve already shown a lot of improvement. As long as the team keeps working hard and is well prepared for each meet that’s all I can ask for.”

Both boys and girls cross country have their second meet of the season when they face E.O. Smith and Bloomfield at home on Tuesday.