Boys Cross Country Looking for Winning Season

With perennial cross country power houses like Brookline and Newton North hanging around in the Bay State Conference, it's hard to breakthrough with a truly successful campaign.

But Milton High School head coach Dale Snyder is looking for his boys cross country team to improve upon a 5-6 record last season and have his senior-laden team finish its career with a winning mark.

"I'm looking for a winning record," said Snyder. "I'd like to have a winning record with this group. I can't say we are going to win conference. … But I'd like to have a winning record in the Bay State. I'd be very happy."

Snyder will rely on a group of runners that he has seen grow up right before his eyes. The core of the boys team has been running together and competing against other varsity programs since they were freshman.

Max Devin and Brandon Saur will be anchoring the squad as two-time team captains. Devin, according to Snyder, has running in the blood as he comes from a family of runners.

Snyder also had glowing remarks for his other senior captain.

"(Saur's) probably been our most consistent runner over the last four years," said Snyder.

Also look for senior Willie Archibald — who starred on the Milton Legion baseball team over the summer —  and Jon Maher to have a big impact at the top of the pack.

Year in and year out Milton faces some of the best cross country competition in the state, and this season it will be thrown right into the fire. After a potential scrimmage against North Quincy in the beginning of September, Milton's first meet will be against Brookline and Wellesley.

When asked if the first meet against Brookline would be a barometer for where his team is early in the season, Snyder could only chuckle and say: "Yeah and Wellesley is tough too. Wellesley I think was third in the state a few years ago."

So the challenge will be tough for Milton to run away from this season with a winning record, but Snyder likes what he has in his senior core.

"It's very encouraging because they were very young four years ago," Snyder said. "Hopefully they have matured from that point."

Photos from the 2009 cross country season by Roy Chambers can be found here.