Bethel Wildcats Overtake Stratford and Weston in Cross Country

On Wednesday September 28th, the Stratford High School Boys Cross Country team hosted the Weston Trojans and the Bethel Wildcats at Wooster Middle School in the third week of South West Conference cross country action. The Wooster campus serves as the home course for both the boys and girls cross country teams at Stratford High School.

The course boasts a multi-surface race course as runners start off on the grass, work their way around to the pond area where they encounter crushed cinder trails, back onto the grass surface before they hit the cement sidewalks for a period of time, and eventually back onto the grass to finish the race. It has the reputation of being the fastest and flattest course in the South West Conference.

There was quite a crowd lining the course ready to take in the action and numerous curious onlookers as the grounds of Wooster were transformed into a 5K race course. The course is marked off with flags at the turning points, free standing arrowed directional signs to assist the runners, and numerous race marshalls to further keep the flow of runners heading to the all important finish line.

This early autumn afternoon saw postcard perfect weather conditions with sunny skies, temperatures at 72 degrees, no wind, a low dew point, and no humidity.

The runners stood at the starting line, they were ready, the official timer Paul Ribnicky was ready, and Tom Galatie at the scorer’s table was ready. The whistle sounded and the race was underway.

Weston’s Cameron Miles, Bethel’s Evan Bureau, Stratford’s Amos Colocho took to the front of the pack followed by numerous Bethel runners and Stratford’s Ryan Munoz.

With the race nearing the one mile marker Miles, Bureau, and Colocho had moved further ahead of the field of forty-six.

Staying in the middle of the Bethel runners was Munoz. Nine of the first twelve runners were Wildcats.

As the race headed to the two mile marker it was clearly a race for first between Miles and Bureau.

Colocho in third, in fourth Bethel’s Andrew Edwards, and in fifth Bethel’s Aidan Cullihan. Only a few seconds separated the top ten with a mile to go.

Now with only two turns to go, first and second place were still up in the air between Bureau and Miles. Colocho clearly in third.

Down the stretch both Bureau and Miles traded strides in the final one hundred yards. At the line Miles pulled ahead taking first place with a time of 16:10.

Bureau in second at 16:11. Colocho in third at 17:09, Colocho’s 17:09 was his four year high school career best.

Edwards in fourth at 17:37. In fifth, Cullihan at 18:12.

The race saw the Wildcats garner seven out of the top ten and six in the top eight with Yee-Jun Ng in sixth at 18:15. Bethel’s Dan Cirella in seventh at 18:19 and Marcus Gaspar in eighth at 18:35.

Munoz took ninth with his third top ten finish in as many outings this season with a new career best at 18:43.

Rounding out the top ten was Bethel’s Anthony Alves at 18:58.

Bethel did go on to take nine out of the top twelve spots. Assuring them two victories on the day. It was Bethel 19 Stratford 43 and Bethel 20 Weston 39.

In cross country the low score is the winner which is calculated by the numerical order of finish in head to head play.

The contest between Weston and Stratford saw Miles give Weston the edge with Colocho and Munoz keeping Stratford close. But Weston went on to take six spots in a row guaranteeing a Weston victory over Stratford 19-41.

Max Neal (19:18), Sam McCormack (19:41), Marcus Soennichsen (20:04), Nicholas Possick (20:57), and Bill Austin (21:02) of Weston led the Trojans in that victory over Stratford.

Other Stratford finishers were Max Lilya at 24:13, Jace Taylor at 25:12, Kent Taylor at 26:14, Matt Kleszczewski at 29:18, Raiyan Khrusu at 30:12, and Papa Insaidoo at 33:09.

For Stratford, each finisher had their best career times and they look to take that with them as they next head to Newtown.

Up next for Stratford, at Newtown on Monday October 3rd, 5:00 pm, against the Nighthawks and the Immaculate Mustangs at Reed Intermediate school.