The Marblehead High boys cross-country team finished third in the Division 2 All-State Championship Meet at Fort Devens in Ayer on Saturday, Nov. 18. Northeastern Conference rival Danvers (92 points) took home the first-place team trophy, while Marblehead’s Isaac Gross came in second among the overall individual runners after finishing on top in the Division 2 state regional meet at Wrentham on Nov. 11 to lead his teammates to the title.
The Top 10 All-State team finishers are as follows: Danvers (92), Ludlow (105), Marblehead (146), Groton-Dunstable (156), Walpole (172), Wakefield (193), Longmeadow (257), Amherst-Pelham (273) and Boston Latin Academy (274) and Melrose (325).
The Top 10 All-State Division 2 individual finishers are as follows: Adam Balewicz of Nashoba Regional (15:33.29), Isaac Gross of Marblehead (16:04.50), Joseph Keroack of Ludlow (16:10.25), Sean Moore of Danvers (16:10.90), Greyson Duane of Groton-Dunstable Regional (16:11.33), Nate Assa of Marblehead (16:13.12), John Garraway of Bedford (16:20.03), Will Cerrutti of Marblehead (16:21.66), Neil Aradhya of Groton-Regional (16:24.02) and Jonathan Rooney of Danvers (16:24.51). A total of 190 runners participated in Saturday’s All-States.
“This is only the third Marblehead boys team to finish in the Top 3 statewide throughout at least the last 25 years,” said coach Brian Heenan. “The boys were led once again by Isaac Gross, who finished second overall. He is only the third Marblehead boy to finish in the Top 5 in that same time period. This race caps off his senior season, one of the best seasons ever by a Marblehead runner.
Isaac’s teammates Nate Assa and Will Cerrutti were close behind him to finish among the Top 10. “(Assa and Cerrutti) had their best races of the season on Saturday,” said Heenan. “Nate finished sixth, and Will was eighth. By placing in the Top 15, Isaac, Nate and Will all earned medals for their efforts.”
Henrik Adams, Will Cruikshank, Jonah Potach and Ryan Blestowe also took part in the All-States for Marblehead.
“This was the final high school cross-country meet for seniors Gross and Blestowe,” said Heenan. “It was great to see Ryan return to the lineup after battling an injury since the beginning of October.
“Seniors Will Cronin and Xavier Grazado have also been training with the team during the postseason. This senior group led the team to a terrific year in what was supposed to be a rebuilding season, which is a testament to their work ethic and leadership,” added Heenan.
