Another Fine Afternoon for SHS's Asuncion at SWC Championships

On Wednesday October 18th, the Southwest Conference presented the 2023 Cross Country Championships on the grounds of Bethel High School, at the historic Mark Goodwin cross country course.

All fourteen schools would put its seven best runners, the most allowed by rule, into the varsity race. A boisterous crowd, several equipped with cow bells, lined the course to cheer on their favorite schools

The weather conditions provided an overcast afternoon with temperatures in the 50’s and no wind.

The course conditions were ideal with its multi-surfaced stadium turf at the start, turning into natural grass leading to a gravel trail, followed by pathways of asphalt, along with a terrain of changing ground angles. All of which lead up to a one-half mile long steep hill known by many as " The Beast" at nearly the mile and three quarter mark.

The course is known as the toughest in the league.

The reigning champion New Milford Greenwave looked to repeat as champions and add another cross country 5K title to the school’s illustrious history of twenty championships out of twenty-nine SWC seasons.

Head race official Gene Waring sounded the opening blast and the 2023 SWC Championship race was underway.

The key to the race is to get out in front of the field of ninety-five as it funnels its way into a narrow opening in the first one-quarter mile. Those that get caught in the merging slow down at the opening will have a hard time getting back with the leaders.
In the early going and passing through the narrow opening it was New Milford’s Colin Walsh, Bethel’s Evan Bureau, Newtown’s Soheib Dissa, New Milford’s Benjamin Daniels, Immaculate’s Lorenzo Lopes, and New Milford’s Ben Schipul out in front with Joel Barlow’s Jackson Sobelman, Weston’s Cameron Miles, New Milford’s Caleb Cerra, and Devin Tala two seconds off the pace and certainly still in contention.

Knocking on the door of the top ten was Brookfield’s Landon Wall and Evan Belles.

Two items of interest in the awards portion of the championship race were the SWC All Conference Team and the all important top team fifth finisher.

Certainly the New Milford position of having four in the top ten put them on the road to back to back titles. Their fifth runner and scorer was Aiden Padros and he was riding in the top twenty.

Stratford’s first year sensation Dyllan Asuncion raced out of box number five, where the Stratford seven were placed, just fell short of making it through the log jamb of runners in the opening turn and had the tough task of passing runners now way ahead of him.

Asuncion did maintain a pace which put him ahead of his previous best time as he made a bid to overtake what was ahead.

He also was out in front of all Town of Stratford entrees as Bunnell High School placed their best seven in the race.

Back to the leaders, at the one and half mile mark it was Walsh, Dissa, and Bureau in a triangle with Lopes, Daniels, and Shipul trailing.
Miles, Sobelman, Cerra, and Tala rounded out the top ten.

Entering the grueling task of climbing up “The Beast” and going into the final mile it was Dissa going into another gear. He took over the lead and never looked back.

Walsh took over second place and Bureau was third. Lopes in fourth and Daniels in fifth. Schipul in sixth.

Sobelman got ahead of Miles for seventh. Cerra and Tala were nine and ten.

That gave New Milford four runners in the top nine with Padros (New Milford’s fifth runner) making his way up to the sixteenth spot.

Dissa opened up a nineteen second lead, he crossed the finish line in a time of 15:46 crowning him the SWC Individual Champion.

In second was Walsh with a time of 16:05. In third, Bureau with a time of 16:10. Lopes was fourth at 16:28. Daniels fifth at 16:36.

In sixth was Schipul at 16:41. Sobelman took seventh at 16:46. In eighth was Miles in 16:53. Ninth saw Cerra with a time of 17:04 and in Tenth it was Tala with a time of 17:11.

The SWC names the top twelve to the First Team All Conference. In eleventh it was Belles with a time of 17:19 and in twelfth it was Wall with a time of 17:23.

In team scoring Padros crossed the line in a time of 17:53 giving the Green Wave yet another SWC Championship and second in a row.

The highlight for Stratford would be Asuncion who held pace to beat his previous best time, set this past Friday, with a time of 18:25.

Over on the Bunnell side, their best runner this afternoon was Alex Vaquerano managing a time of 18:41. His teammate Andrew Rehm came across the line with a time of 19:52.

Bulldog Senior Ben Laros, battling numerous nagging injuries, finished in a time of 20:36. He was followed by fellow Bulldog Michael Riley at 20:52.

The rest of the Bunnell Bulldog lineup saw Gustavo Oliva in at 21:00, Anthony Ortiz Osorio in at 21:25 and Christopher Graham in at 22:11.

Kent Taylor was the second Stratford finisher with a time 21:46. His time this afternoon was his personal best.

The remaining Stratford Red Devils were Irie Mitton with a time of 23:58. Maxwell Lilya with a time of 24:16, Jace Taylor in at 26:14, Dante Dawes in at 34:02 and Papa Insaidoo in at 34:03.

Up next for Stratford, Saturday October 28th at Manchester’s Wickham Park for the 2023 CIAC Class L Championship scheduled to start at 2:40.