As a St. Paul’s runner rapidly approached from behind, Andover Boys Cross Country’s leading runner Holden Ringer ’17 maintained his position and held him off to clinch third overall place with a time of 17:19. Though Andover ultimately lost to St. Paul’s 18-39 in a three-way race against St. Paul’s and Thayer, the team beat Thayer with a near perfect score of 16-47 to bring its record to 2-1.
After Ringer finished, Henry Spritz ’19 and Colby Lapointe ’16 took seventh and eighth with times of 18:00 and 18:01, respectively. The two runners overtook a St. Paul’s runner in the final stretch, a tactic that Head Coach Patrick Rielly stressed in practice.
Newcomer Nathan Goldthwaite ’18, who contributed to Andover’s score by tying his personal record (PR) of 18:14, said, “I think Coach Reilly has been really key in motivating everyone. He always tells us to go after the next guy in front of us, no matter how far ahead they are.”
Rounding up Andover’s runners, Patrick Dolan ’16 finished at 18:26, Noah Belser ’16 raced at 18:42 and Jacob Buehler ’19 had a time of 19:11. Basil Alfaro ’18, who usually runs with Ringer at the top of Andover’s ladder, suffered an injury during the race and did not finish.
Alfaro reflected on Andover’s first loss of the season, noting that future competitors could prove to be as strong as St. Paul’s.
“The race was a true challenge. St. Paul’s had two excellent senior runners who really challenged each other. [Ringer] and I held on for a long time, but their experience both in running and especially in the course made them a challenge. However, many other teams are along the same skill level: [Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH)], St. Paul’s, [Phillips] Exeter [Academy] and Loomis. The league is full of challenges, which will allow our team to grow with excellent competition and positive losses,” said Alfaro.
Andover will face off against another top-tier opponent, NMH, on Saturday.
