This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
11/27/2016 11:00 PMEven though the Guilford boys’ cross country team came up shy of defending its state title this fall, the Indians certainly established the framework for a track to future postseason prominence.
Head Coach Jon Rivera’s squad posted a dual-meet mark of 7-2 and captured its eighth SCC Hammonasset Division crown since 2008 in the recent regular season, after which Guilford began the postseason by placing sixth at the SCC Championship. The defending champion Indians then finished second to winner Barlow at the Class MM state meet to qualify for the State Open, where they came in 17th place.
Coach Rivera said that Guilford saw plenty of underclassmen log some big-time postseason miles that will only help his club going forward.
“We accomplished our first goal, and it was to win our division, and we were also running our best at the end of the year. We wanted to defend our state title, but second place isn’t the end of the world. As a whole, I thought we ran well,” said Rivera. “We had a young team going in and there is room for improvement, but that’ll drive us for next year. We had a cluster of sophomores that gained a lot of valuable experience. To go through the postseason this year, it will work well for them next year. The sophomores ran very consistent and ahead of their years. It had to do with the captains, who instilled good work ethic in them.”
The veteran leadership that Rivera speaks of came from of a pair of All-State athletes in senior captains Joshua Stern and team MVP Finn Davidson. They were a duo who set high standards for what it means to be competitors, as well as role models, at Guilford High School. Davidson and Stern also made the All-SCC First Team and Second Team, respectively, for the Indians.
“Both captains jelled well together and the kids responded well to them. They worked hard in the classroom and on the track,” Coach Rivera said. “Joshua is one of the top students in the school and both of them are involved in the Guilford High School community and several clubs. Finn ran some tough races even when he wasn’t at 100 percent. To also have both of them as All-State runners is a big accomplishment. They were everything you could’ve asked for in your captains.”
Guilford’s underclassmen also shined bright this year with a few athletes taking home some postseason awards. Sophomores Nathan Van Zandt and Rafael Siciliano shared the Most Improved Player distinction, while the Top Freshman Award went to Luke Shields.
In terms of monumental moments from regular season, Rivera pointed his team’s division-title duel against Hand and Foran, along with an invitational that saw Guilford flex its muscle outside of the SCC.
“One of our big accomplishments was winning the Harry Geraghty Invitational in Vernon. We won against a very good East Catholic team, plus we got to see a different, good variety of teams from around the state,” said Rivera. “Another highlight was defending our division title. It meant a lot to win it again after losing it a few years ago.”
The Indians will once again have to do some retooling following their senior graduations, but with such a seasoned group of underclass athletes returning, Rivera expects Guilford to be a fixture in the state title conversation in 2017.
“The outlook for next year is very good. We lose a lot with our seniors, but we are going to be older with a lot of experience as a team,” he said. “There is a lot of optimism for next year and we can continue to compete for the division and be in the mix at states.”
From the Sidelines
Finn Davidson placed fifth with a time of 17:17 at the Class MM State Championship, while Joshua Stern finished seventh at 17:24, with both athletes netting All-State accolades.
On Oct. 13, Guilford outlasted Hand (15-49) and Foran (23-35) to win its second-straight SCC Hammonasset Division championship. Davidson won the race for Guilford with a time of 15:44.
This was Jon Rivera’s second year as head coach of Guilford boys’ cross country and he was assisted by Jeff Hedberg.