2024 MIAA Boys Cross Country Championships: Brookline's Run Now Three in a Row; Parker Charter Tops Again; Longmeadow Takes First

The Devens Willard Athletic Complex hosted the 2024 MIAA Boys Cross Country Championships on Saturday, November 18. A total of 23 teams qualified to run in each of the day’s three division races, in addition to 30 individual runners not on those qualified teams.

One team won its third consecutive state title, another its third in four years, and the third school was crowned for the first time.

Here is a look at each of the three division races:

Division 1

Jack Graffeo of Westford Academy followed up his qualifying race victory from the previous week by taking home the individual state championship. Graffeo navigated the Devens 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 17.08 seconds.

Brookline High School placed two runners in the top 10 and pulled out its third consecutive team state title. Altamo Aschkenasy was third overall (15:38.93) and Lysander Duffield ninth (15:59.77) to help the Warriors to a team score of 62, which was enough to hold off runner-up Boston College High School (72).

After runner-up Ethan Sholk of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional (15:35.3) and Aschkenasy, BC High had a pack of Shamus Larnard (15:43.88), Greg McGrath (15:44.85) and John Wilson (15:47.79) in places 4-6, respectively.

Graham Henrich of Marshfield High School (7th, 15:53.81), John Bianchi of Natick High School (8th, 15:59.36) and Kyle Haskell of Andover High School (10th, 16:04.02) rounded out the top 10.

Andover took third as a team (142), followed by Concord-Carlisle High School (162) and Natick (180).

Division 2

Silas Gartner of Falmouth High School also was a repeat winner from the previous week, cruising across the line in 15:42.6 to win by nearly 10 seconds.

Longmeadow High School followed a similar theme from the divisional qualifiers. The Lancers once again had no runners in the top 10, but their score of 101 points gave them a healthy margin over runner-up Marblehead High School (171). Wakefield Memorial High School was third (171).

Ethan Halpern was the top scorer for Longmeadow in 18th place (16:54.19) but Gregory Keane (16:58.83) and Spence Deliso (16:59.96) were close behind in 20th and 21st, respectively.

Runner-up Nate Assa (15:52.08) was Marblehead’s top runner and Will Cerrutti was sixth (16:16.67). Luke Chisum of Wayland High School was third (15:57.36), a tick ahead of Will Conklin of Danvers High School (15:57.77), with Caleb Barnes of Melrose High School in fifth (16:11.63).

Other top 10 finishers were Joseph Keroack of Ludlow High School (7th, 16:18.77), Jonathan Rooney of Danvers (16:25.13), Noah Brilliant of Plymouth South High School (16:30.75) and Will Jackson of Wayland (16:32.34).

Division 3

Parker Charter Essentials School must have felt right at home just a 10-minute walk from its campus, placing two runners in the top four and taking home the program’s third state championship in four years.

Everett Pacheco of Monument Mountain Regional was the winner in 16:09.09, but Henry Jacobsen started the winning surge for Parker by placing second overall (16:19.56). Nathaniel Henshaw was fourth to help Parker to 52 team points and a comfortable cushion over runner-up Hamilton-Wenham Regional (76).

Ben Rich took third overall for Hamilton-Wenham (16:23.93) and James Regan was 10th (16:56.99).

Other top-10 finishes went to Rafa Mello-Bartels of Mount Greylock Regional (5th, 16:43.66), Evan Hedlund of Frontier Regional (6th, 16:48.66), John Doherty of Norwell High School (7th, 16:52.02), Benjamin Harwood of Lenox Memorial High School (8th, 16:52.45) and Luke Howard of Frontier (9th, 16:56.5).

Weston High School was third as a team (189), followed by Mount Greylock (199) and Hampshire Regional (206).