On Tuesday September 20th the Stratford High School Boys Cross Country team headed north to Brookfield to square off against the Bobcats, the Masuk Panthers, and the Pomperaug Panthers in week two of South West Conference 5K action.
The course is arguably the toughest course in the league boasting very rugged terrain, tight running trails with layered tree roots, and natural ground erosion. To add to the runner’s struggles are the hills which take you through the outskirts of Williams Park and a stroll through the land of Gurski Farm open space.
The weather saw temperatures in the very comfortable mid 70’s, partly sunny skies, light northerly breeze, with a rain shower just prior to the start of the race.
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Based on week one times all four teams top runners were equally matched giving the fans on hand a who’s who in this SWC pre-race preview.
For Stratford their "who’s who" rested on the shoulders of two runners, Seniors Amos Colocho and Ryan Munoz. Both opened the season in fine fashion last week in New Fairfield.
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A total of forty-eight toed the starting line. Race Director Ed Butt gave the final race instructions, raised his arm, and with the starting blast sounding off the race was underway.
The race starts along the first baseline of the baseball field and travels north between the soccer field and the football field, looping around an all-purpose field back south on the track before another loop takes them up an extensive grass hill and into the woods for close to two miles.
The early going saw Colocho in the lead with Brookfield’s Evan Belles a striking distance away. Brookfield’s Landon Wall, Pomperaug’s Eoin Collette and Ethan Hudson were jockeying in the next pack of runners. After that were a couple of Pomperaug runners in Joseph Kovach and Jonah Turner.
Staying within the top ten were Stratford’s Munoz, Brookfield’s Omkar Maralappanavar, and Pomperaug’s Andrew Clark.
With the race entering the second mile the savvy Belles, a Sophomore, utilized the home course advantage and went around Colocho taking the lead. Everyone else held their positions.
In the final mile Belles maintained the lead with Colocho a few seconds off the pace. In third Collette. Hudson in fourth, Wall in fifth, Turner in sixth.
Colocho was not able to gain any ground on the streaking Belles as both sprinted across the finish line. Belles took first at 18:14 and Colocho was second at 18:22.
Colette finished in third at 18:37. Hudson in fourth at 18:39. In fifth, Wall at 18:43. Turner took sixth at 19:13.
Pomperaug’s Kovach was seventh at 19:26 and Clark eight at 19:34 giving Pomeraug five finishers in the top ten and the lead in team scoring play.
In ninth, Brookfield’s Maralappanavar, giving Brookfield three finishers in the top ten.
Stratford’s Munoz finished tenth at 20:03.
Pomperaug went on to score ten in the top twenty giving them a three team sweep with victories over Brookfield 23-36, Masuk 15-50, and Stratford 20-41.
Brookfield had two victories against one loss, besting Stratford 21-37 and Masuk 26-30.
Masuk took five in spots eleven through twenty led by Tyler Kane in fourteenth at 20:55 Jackson Rader in seventeenth at 21:00, Michael Majersky in eighteenth at 21:02, Jacob Urkawich at 21:08 in nineteenth, and Sean Panella in twentieth at 21:17.
Masuk went one and two with its victory over Stratford 25-36.
Stratford went winless on the day and now stands at 0-6.
Other finishers for Stratford were Matt Kleszczewski with a time of 28:18, Max Lilya at 28:54, Jace Taylor at 29:21, Kent Taylor at 30:10, Raiyan Khursu at 35:21, and Papa Insaidoo at 36:09.
Up next for Stratford, Wednesday September 28th, 4:00pm at Wooster Middle School, versus the Bethel Wildcats and the Weston Trojans.
