In the shadow of one of the greatest Class L meets in history, it was natural that the Londonderry boys got overlooked back on Oct. 31.
Almost all of the talk was understandably about the super effort by Pinkerton which nevertheless fell short.
Despite placing four runners in the top four, and all seven in the top 23, the Astros fell short of Bishop Guertin, which captured three of the top five places and needed a course-record average time of 16:08 in order to prevail. It was a stunning performance by both squads.
Yet, Londonderry peaked as much as any school in any class. Despite barely getting a sniff in the state rankings throughout the season, the Lancers finished a impressive third, ahead of a strong Manchester Central team and a Concord squad that whipped them twice.
"We were hoping for third, but I thought it'd be pretty difficult," said second-year coach Matt Smith. "Our kids just had a great day."
Justin Walker led the way, finishing 11th in 16:22 on Derryfield Park's challenging 3.1-mile course, but the real story was sophomore Mitch Sroka in 23rd as the No. 2 man followed by juniors Cameron Rouleau, Brandon Spera and Pat Harkins, who finished 28-31-33.
Those five scorers had a time split of 50 seconds and the next two Lancers, sophomores J.R. Winn and Devereux Geiger, weren't far behind.
It's a good sign for Smith, who had the unenviable task of succeeding legendary coach Larry Martin, who took the Lancers to New Englands a record 13 straight year and is a member of the NHIAA Hall of Fame.
"I don't feel any pressure (following Martin)," said Smith, a graduate of Londonderry in 2000. "I think our training is very similar and he is always around and someone I can ask for advice."
Martin, for his part, believes Smith has the Lancers headed back in the right direction.
"He's doing a nice job and I have a lot of confidence in him.
"He's got good numbers (30 runners), good depth, kids who want to run and some good young runners coming up," said Martin. "I have no doubt they'll be back to where we were and be around for a long time."
Stableford to end with title?
One of the most successful coaches in the region is about to wrap up a tidy 20-year career with what he hopes will be a New England Class A prep title.
Jon Stableford, 64, has never had a losing season in 19 seasons as the boys cross country coach at Phillips Academy, has captured five New England titles and been a contender nearly every year, including this year, his last as a coach.
The Big Blue (4-0 and winners of the Canterbury Invitational) haven't won New England since 2006, having finished second last year and third the year before) and Stableford admits that it'd be nice to go out with a crown.
"I don't want to say much about it, but we have a good chance if we're healthy," said Stableford, who is retiring as a teacher and moving to Vermont. "It would be a nice way to finish."
A 1963 graduate of Phillips, Stableford didn't take up distance running until he ran in college and then it became a positive addiction. He ran 25 straight Boston Marathons up until 2006, most under three hours and a best time of 2:46.
Perhaps as a result of his own running, Stableford believes that success in cross country means developing a base of high mileage.
"You have to run in the summer and be ready for the season," said Stableford. "I give my kids a guideline and we expect them to be running 35-50 miles (a week) in August. But you also need to be careful you don't do too much."
It's a formula that has worked well and should also help leave the program in good shape next year when 11-year assistant Jeff Domina takes over. Of the 37 boys on the team this year, only three are seniors.
