For the second year in a row, the Marblehead High boys cross-country team came out on top in the Varsity 2 race during the annual Ocean State Invitational at Goddard State Park in Warwick, Rhode Island, on Sept. 23.
The Magicians accumulated 121 points, outdistancing Point Pleasant Boro, New Jersey, the second-place squad, by 35 points. The Garden State harriers accounted for 156 points. Danvers, a familiar rival, came in third with 158 points.
The Marblehead boys were led by Isaac Gross (16:01), who topped all competitors with a first-place finish. “Isaac led wire-to-wire. His closer competitor finished 19 seconds behind him,” said coach Brian Heenan.
Nate Assa (sixth, 16:29), Will Cerrutti (34th, 17:20), Henrik Adams (42nd, 17:35) and Ryan Blestowe (45th, 17:37) rounded out the top five Marblehead runners. Will Cruikshank (84th, 18:17) and Will Cronin (149th, 19:29) also competed in the varsity race for the Magicians.
In the JV race, Jonah Potach also led wire-to-wire with a winning time of 18:02. Zach Pike (6th , 19:10) and Xavier Grazado (17th, 19:38) also ran well for Marblehead in this meet. The JVs finished second overall.
The Magicians participated in the annual Frank Kelley Invitational in Wrentham last Saturday. They resume the Northeastern Conference schedule Oct. 3 against the Vikings at Winthrop.
