Last weekend, Andover Boy’s Cross Country crushed a previously undefeated Exeter team in a 23-34 blowout. The win came at a crucial point in the season, as Andover is now poised to take the NEPSAC Division One Cross Country Championships next week at NMH. Coach Jon Stableford commented on the team’s strategy going into the race: “Our plan was to try to win the race at both ends with a battle for first and a crushing pack to keep Exeter’s third runner from scoring before we crossed six runners.” Although Andover did not quite accomplish this goal, it beat Exeter handily, finishing five runners ahead of Exeter’s third. The race began with a tightly knit pack of runners on the great lawn, but by the time the pack reached the Sanctuary Gates Andover had already established its dominant position. “Tim McLaughlin did his usual part to push the pace while Renat Zalov sat back just a little. Matt Appleby, Patrick Wolber, and Nick Kearns entered the Sanctuary well established, and James Hamilton and Chris Batchelder sat behind just a little,” remarked Stableford. Once settled in the Sanctuary, Zalov took the lead and Appleby moved into second for Andover, right behind Exeter’s Richardson and Nukal. McLaughlin and Kearns stayed close to Appleby while Wolber slowly fell behind. Hamilton, meanwhile, raced closely beside Exeter’s third runner. The racers maintained these relative positions for the remainder of the race, and Zalov finished first with a time of 16:05. Exeter stole second and third places, but Appleby managed to finished fourth with a time 16:28, followed closely behind by McLaughlin, Kearns and Hamilton in 16:45, 16:50, and 16:58 respectively. Wolber crossed the line six seconds behind Exeter’s third runner, followed by Batchelder beat Exeter’s seventh runner. Zalov ran an amazing race and knew Andover would be ready to face Exeter. “We knew that Exeter was going to be a competitor in the beginning of the year, but we put in the work and miles during the season, so we knew we were ready for Exeter,” he remarked. After 20 years of coaching, Stableford received widespread recognition after coaching his last home race on Saturday. Alumni of Stableford’s program traveled from around the country to celebrate this special day with him. Zalov said, “I feel sad to know that Coach Stableford will not be with us next year. However, I think that the win on the Saturday was the best present we could have given him”. This weekend, while other teams compete at Exeter, the team will travel to NMH for the NEPSTA Division One Cross Country Championships. The race course is a new layout that is composed of rolling hills, a terrain that will play to Andover’s strengths. Zalov is optimistic about Andover’s upcoming performance, “Interschols will be a test of the teams character and ability to run as a pack-there will be some good competition from several of the other teams, but Andover’s undefeated team is definitely a heavy contender for the Championship title.”
