Colocho and Munoz Once Again in Top Ten For Stratford Boys XC

On Monday October 3rd the Stratford High School Boys Cross Country traveled north on Route 25 to Newtown’s Reid Intermediate School to go up against the Newtown Nighthawks and the Immaculate Mustangs in South West Cross Country 5K action.

The course is mostly all grass with only an asphalt roadway at the start of the race and at the one-half mile mark for a short stretch. Heading into the wooded trails, at the most north point in the race, the course travels alongside the famed Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary.

What makes this a tougher course is when runners near the two and half mile mark there is a narrow zig-zag steep hill where there is little room to maneuver a pass, that in turn leads to a one hundred yard uphill grade to the finish line. In total, the elevation gain is three-hundred thirty feet.

On hand was an enormous crowd lining the well spread out course with quite a few Stratford faithful making the trip to cheer on the field of fifty-seven runners.

The weather provided dark clouds with rain in the forecast, temperatures in the middle 40’s , an easterly wind with gusts of 20 mph, and a soggy course from the previous weekend’s rain fall.
Race Director Carl Strait sounded the starting whistle and the race was underway.
Right off the hop was Newtown runner Max Luci-Bernard sprinting out to the front followed by Stratford’s Amos Colocho and Ryan Munoz. The top ten saw a mixed bag of uniforms with members of all three teams represented.
Colocho took the lead at the one-quarter mile mark followed by Munoz and a host of Newtown runners.
While Colocho was enjoying the lead, with Munoz behind, lurking in the background was Newtown’s Soheib Dissa. Dissa caught up and overtook Munoz at the mile and a half mark.
Immaculate’s Sean Reidy passed several Newtown runners and climbed his way into the top five.
Reidy battled Newtown’s Noah Masotta and Curtis Shaw. Right behind them were Immaculate Runners Lorenzo Lopes and Trevor Fuller.
Rounding out the top ten was Newtown’s Andrew Arena and Henry Prout.
With one mile to go Dissa switched gears and passed Colocho to take over the lead. In fact, the top ten juggled their positions which saw Munoz fall down to the ten/eleven spot.
Dissa was now in control of the top spot going on to finish in a time of 17:12. Colocho second at 17:51.
Reidy (18:08) took third after surviving a push by Masotta (18:10).
In fifth, Shaw at 18:35. Fuller sixth at 18:40. Lopes took seventh at 18:47.
While Lopes was hustling he was challenged by Munoz who in the last one-hundred yards kicked it in with enough energy to streak past Newtown’s Evan Chaudhary, Prout, and Arena to finish eighth at 18:49.
Arena was ninth at 18:51 and Prout was tenth at 18:52.
With Prout’s finish Newtown went on to two victories by the scores of 21-40 over Stratford and 23-35 over Immaculate.
Immaculate went on to be victorious over Stratford 22-39.
Other Stratford finishers were Max Lilya at 24:50, Kent Taylor at 24:58 which is a new personal best, also with a new personal best was Raiyan Khusru at 29:53, Jace Taylor at 30:24, Matt Klewzczski at 32:00, and Papa Insaidoo at 33:04.
Up next for Stratford, Saturday October 8th, at Wickham Park where Stratford will participate in the 38th annual Wickham Park Invitational in Manchester, Connecticut.