Cross Country Team Runs Strong, If Under The Radar

East Greenwich High School sports has had a banner fall with several teams . But soccer, field hockey and tennis aren’t the only teams that have delivered strong results.

The Boys Cross Country team came in first in the Class C meet two weeks ago (against like-sized schools); came in fifth in the State Championships (against all R.I. schools) and on Saturday will compete in the New England Championships, one of only six schools in the state to do so.

All this for a program that dates back a mere seven years.

Cross Country only gained school-sport status in 2005, according to longtime coach Peter Dion. Since then, the Boys Team team has won its Class meet five out of seven years, and made it to New England’s five out of the last six years.

According to Dion, the Boys Team was on fire for the Class meet, with all seven varsity runners in the top-25 finishers.

“We ran really well at the Class meet,” said Dion. “The kids all ran career PRs [personal records].”

Junior Ben Fazio has had a particularly good season, finishing fifth at the Class meet, with a time of 16:53:46 for the 5K course. Fazio finished 18th in the state championships, with a time of 16:47:78.

Senior captain Chris Millman finished 25th in states with a time of 17:05:81. The other R.I. teams competing in New Englands on Saturday - Barrington, Chariho, Hendriken, North Kingstown and La Salle - are all much larger schools. Two of them - Hendriken and Chariho - are ranked nationally (30th and 31, respectively). Seen in that context, East Greenwich has  a remarkable - if unsung - program.

The Boys Team members who will be running on Saturday in addition to Fazio and Millman are junior Jon Contreras (29th at States), junior Scott Kulm (35th), sophomore Garrett Scanlon (37), junior Ben Contreras (87), and junior Scott Markus (89).

While the Girls Team didn’t make it to New Englands this year (they came in 10th overall and only the top six teams go on), freshman Margaret McCaffery earned an individual spot, finishing 21st with a time of 20:13:16. (In addition to the top six teams that go to New Englands, individual runners who finish in the top 25 earn a spot too.)

“Oh yeah, she’s legit,” said Dion. “Just like her sister and her brother. It runs in the family. She’s got legs. She’s only going to get better.”

New Englands are at Ponaganset High School this year - last year they were in Vermont. So the team is hoping for some home-town support. The Girls run at 11:30 and the Boys run at 12:30. That will give everyone time to get over to Rhode Island College for the Boys Soccer versus Smithfield state championship game at 2!