Hopedale November 2016

Page 14 Local Town Pages www.hopedaletownnews.com November 2016
Sports
Hopedale Girls Cross Country Captures
First League Championship in 10 Years
By Christopher Tremblay
Despite having a much
smaller team in terms of numbers,
the Hopedale girls cross
country team was still able to
finish the Division 2 5K with a
seventh place finish. The Blue
Raiders complied a total time
of 1:39:59.6 or an average of
19:59.92 for the seventh place
finish. Hopedale was also able to
capture its first league championship
in some ten years.
“I’m not exactly sure how
long it’s been, but it’s been more
than 10 years since Hopedale
last won the league,” Blue Raiders
Coach Tim Maguire said.
“Having only lost one runner to
graduation, there should be no
doubt that we should once again
win the league.”
This fall Hopedale will be
looking to its three senior runners
to provide the guidance to the
rest of the much younger team to
get back into the Division 2 State
Cross Country Tournament. Senior
captains Krysta Grider and
Anastasiya Borrodenko will be
an extension of Coach Maguire
while on the course, pushing the
younger runners to succeed.
“Krysta has been someone
who has been steadily improving
to become that varsity leader the
past few years,” the Hopedale
Coach said. “Anastasiya has been
one of our top seven runners; an
excellent leader with determination
and very little stubbornness
which is good as she uses it to
push her teammates.”
Mackensie Orchard is the
final senior presence on the
squad. Although she doesn’t
seem to posses as much natural
talent as the other two seniors she
is a very solid runner who is very
supportive of her younger teammates.
While the seniors will be the
leaders on the team, sophomore
Isabelle Doran is the leader on
the course. Doran who has been
running with the team since the
seventh grade where she was
hovering around finishing seventh
for the Blue Raiders has improved
quiet drastically over the
past few years.
“As an eighth grader she
broke into the top three or four
for us,” Maguire said. “Now she
is our top runner. Hopedale has
had a good history with its lead
runners and she is definitely
making a name for herself leaving
her mark on the course. Last
year she was in the top 10 at the
Central Massachusetts District
Meet, this year she should only
improve.”
Maguire also noted that the
high school sophomore was one
of the top runners in the Dual
Valley Conference last fall with
her best time in a 5K being 19:30.
Doan has two older brothers who
were track stars as well as a sister
who is very athletic so athleticism
runs through her blood.
“I first heard about her
through her siblings. She is talented
and has natural speed and
has grown in terms of her ability,”
said the Hopedale Coach.
“Issy, although only a sophomore,
considers herself to be a
(four year) veteran since she’s
been competing on the team
since seventh grade. She is not
your typical athlete.”
Being a school that is much
smaller in comparison to the
other schools in the DVC can be
a challenge at times, but with the
ability to pull from the middle
school helps. Having a team that
has been successful has caught
the attention of the younger runners.
A couple of eighth graders
who have accepted the challenge
of running on the varsity team
are Katelynn Brunt and Maddison
Gannon. Both athletes
have impressed the coach and
he believes that they will be a
key component to the success of
Hopedale in the near future.
Last year as a first time runner
Brunt got involved right away
and with practice over the summer,
Maguire’s she’s someone
who will defiantly be helping the
team in scoring.
“She is very talented, has a
good work ethic and is not afraid
to push herself to get to the next
level,” Maguire said. “She’s improved
dramatically and I see her
as a top seven finisher for us meet
after meet.”
Gannon, who is a similar runner
to Brunt, is a quiet individual
who also works hard. According
to her coach, she’s a no nonsense
runner and should also provide
the Blue Raiders with stability
over the next few years. When it
comes to meets the duo of Brunt
and Gannon like to keep pace
with one another on the course,
pushing one another.
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