Stratford Over Masuk and Gives Bethel a Run in SWC Cross Country

On Tuesday October 12th, the Stratford High School Boys Cross Country team traveled to Joel Barlow High School to meet up with the Falcons, the Masuk Panthers, and the Bethel Wildcats in the regular season finale for all schools in the South West Conference.

A near perfect day on tap greeting runners, coaches, along with numerous spectators as temperatures hovered near 70 degrees, there was no wind, total sunshine, and a backdrop of leaves starting to turn colors. The fall season atmosphere surrounded the highly rated Joel Barlow course. The course is noted by many as a true cross country course.

The course contained freshly cut grassy knoll meadows, a rugged wooded trail, an asphalt leadway, several manageable hills, and one of the longest winding home stretches to the finish line in the league.

This afternoon Joel Barlow celebrated its Senior Night. Prior to the start of the race legendary Joel Barlow Coach Jerry Bielizna called all seniors, from each team, out to the forefront acknowledging them and wishing them all the best in the years ahead.

With that, Bielizna sounded the opening blast and the race was underway.

As expected the powerful league leading Falcon lineup jumped out in front, it was a sea of black and gold with a red uniform in between in the form of Stratford’s Amos Colocho.

Colocho has enjoyed an enormous season of growth. During the course of the regular season he has not finished lower than sixth. He has emerged as a runner to watch in the upcoming SWC Championships being held next week. But first he wanted to make his mark in this afternoon’s tilt in the field of fifty-eight.

Out in front was Barlow’s Charles Coccoli, Aiden Emanuelson, Ryan Schmid, Alexander Czerkawski, Calvin Young, Bethel’s Aiden Cullinan and Lucas Binder at the tail end of the top ten, and Colocho in the middle of that pack.

The race now on the asphalt leadway heading towards mile one.

With the race heading into the narrow pathways of the wooded section the leaders started making their moves and the line thinned out.

Schmid took control of the lead, followed by Czerkawski, and Colocho. In fact, the top ten saw seven Barlow runners and two from Bethel.

The runners came out of the woods with about one-half mile remaining with no changes in the leaders.

Barlow’s Schmid crossed the finish line in first place at 18:08, teammate Czerkawski was second at 18:25.

Colocho in third at 18:32.

In a photo finish, too close to call, places four, five, six, and seven went to Barlow as Coccoli came in at 19:12.04, Emanuelson in at 19:12.55, Young at 19:13, and Jackson Sobelman at 19:15.

Bethel’s Cullinan was eight at 19:25 followed by his teammate Binder at 19:53.

Rounding out the top ten was Barlow’s Patrick Sutton in at 20:05.

In Stratford’s matchup with Bethel, an upset was in the making. Stratford took the one spot with Colocho’s finish.

Bethel took spots two (Cullinan), three (Binder), and four (Adam Kahn 20:25).

Stratford took spots five (Marcus Cavallo 20:39), six (Ryan Munoz 20:42), and seven (Joshua Kydes 20:45).

Bethel’s Luke Cassavechia in the eight spot at 20:51.

The next two spots would determine the outcome. Could Stratford’s James Bragg-Phillips over take the two Bethel runners ahead of him.

Bethel runners Andrew Edwards (20:59) and Sean Donohue (21:07) answered back with strong finishes against Bragg-Philips (21:43) giving Bethel the close win.

Bragg-Phillips' finish did clinch a win over Masuk giving Stratford one victory on the day.

The remaining Stratford finishers were Andrew Maldonado at 24:37, Raiyan Khusru at 33:07, and Papa Insaidoo at 41:50.

Kalaba Kibwe remains out indefinitely with a lower body injury.

Final scores, it was Barlow with three wins on the afternoon by the scores of Barlow over Stratford 18-41, over Bethel 15-45, and over Masuk 15-50.

In a close one Bethel narrowly escapes an upset by Stratford, 26-31, and wins over Masuk 20-41.

It was Stratford over Masuk 25-32.

Stratford finishes the regular season with five wins and eight losses.

Next up for Stratford, the South West Conference Championships on Wednesday October 20th, at Bethel’s Mark Goodwin Cross Country Race Course at 3:30pm.