Andover Boys Cross Country started off its season last weekend with its ninth straight victory at the Canterbury Invitational held at the Canterbury School in New Milford, CT. All of the top seven returning varsity runners had exceptional performances in the hot, humid weather, as Andover fought off league rivals Deerfield and Loomis Chaffee to win by 13 points. Number one runner Renat Zalov ’11 finished second overall and led the team with a phenomenal time of 16:40. While Zalov’s dominance put Andover in a strong position to win, late surges in the last half-mile of the race by Nick Kearns ’11 and Captain Patrick Wolber ’11 were critical to the team’s success. By passing multiple runners in their final sprints, Kearns and Wolber earned the team a solid and definite lead for the rest of the race. Andover’s top five runners all finished in the top 20 out of a field of 110 runners, cementing Andover as the early leader on the New England Cross Country circuit. With its ninth straight victory at Canterbury, Andover is in a familiar position heading into league matchups. With the entirety of the top seven returning this year after a tight loss to a charging Loomis Chaffee team at Interschols last season, this squad is fiercely determined to take back the title in decisive fashion. Deerfield proved to be the Andover Boys’ toughest opponent this weekend, placing second as team by only 13 points. “We didn’t know from where our competition would come this year, but Deerfield put together a great team over the off-season,” Wolber said. “Sparring against them on Saturday was invigorating. With a team as good as ours, this could have been a cut and dry season, but Deerfield brings the life back. Interschols is on their course this year; we’re looking forward to that.” Coach Jeffrey Domina said, “The guys ran confidently and intelligently, maintaining control of the race even as some other very talented runners pressed them.” The team looks forward to gaining even more speed as the season progresses and will use Deerfield as motivation to keep on training hard. This Saturday, Andover Boys Cross Country will host their biggest rivals, Loomis Chaffee, Exeter and Deerfield at the Andover Development Invitational. Its first of only two home races this season, Andover hopes to maintain its momentum with another conclusive win.
