From 18 Down
to One Up

The Varsity Boys Cross Country Team won its third consecutive Massachusetts Bay Independent League title last week at Cambridge School of Weston.

The Gators lost its first race to league rival Gann Academy by 18 points but won the championship meet by 1 spot.

Nico Jaffer for The Gator | November 9, 2022

Brian Gamble '23 won MBIL All-Star, helping the Gators defeat rival Gann Academy by a single point, 31 to 32.

League MVP Brian Gamble leads runners throughout the MBIL championship course.

At 3:15 p.m. last Wednesday, the Massachusetts Bay Independent League (MBIL) Cross Country Championship kicked off with a bang. In just over thirty minutes, the Boys race had concluded, and race officials tallied points to determine the winner. The School won by the tightest victory in MBIL history, beating their rivals from Gann Academy by a final score of 31-32.

For the Varsity Boys Cross Country team, this win represented a lot more than just another championship, considering the fact that this was their third consecutive MBIL title. In recent years, their all-star lineups had easily swept the rest of the competition, winning every meet since the start of the 2019 season.

However, in the 2021 MBIL season, a familiar challenger began to show their might: Gann Academy had recently acquired a new head coach, one who immediately made their presence felt. By the end of the season, Gann had significantly improved and gave the Gators a run for their money in the 2021 Championship, winning by just 4 points.

“When we only won by 4 points, it was intimidating," Team Captain Edan Zinn '23 said. "It definitely got our team thinking about a new challenger, and practicing over the summer, but not as much as Gann was going to be. Honestly, it got me a little worried about the fall season."

Over the summer, Gann continued to train for the upcoming season. By the first race, the Gann Red Heifers were ready to take on the defending champions.

The Gators, on the other hand, had a different summer. According to Captain Brian Gamble ‘23, the team's lack of summer work was a warning of things to come.

“Mr. Barker-Hook had been notifying us about how committed Gann had been over the summer to coming back stronger next year," Gamble said. "We expected that they would be good, but we didn’t know just how formidable they would prove to be.”

The team took the first loss deeply, according to Gamble. In his eyes, it was a wake up call for runners who had not worked as hard in the off season. With time running out, they had to close the gap.

For Head Coach Ted Barker-Hook, however, this moment provided an opportunity to shift the team’s mindset back into focus.

“There's an old phrase that goes, 'championships are won in the summer.' I had been wanting the team to have a stronger summer for a long time now, and we were badly outclassed in that first race," Barker-Hook said. "At the same time, we had come back before, and I was confident that we could do it again, but we had our work cut out for us."

The team endured speed workouts and hill training throughout September and October. According to the captains, Every day was another test, another step in proving that they could conquer Gann.

In their next face off, Gann once again defeated the Gators on their home course in Waltham. However, the team showed significant improvement, cutting their loss deficit down to just 5 points.

Eli Lewis '25 passes runners in a large pack.

Brooks Neufeld '25 passes runners in the woods.

Brooks Neueld '25 passes runners in the woods.

MBIL MVP's Brian Gamble and Cambridge School of Weston's Suri Kautz pose together.

Ben Dykeman '25 out-kicks a runner from Boston Trinity Academy.

Newman's Leo Wagner and Sam Gavin '25 race to the finish line.

League All Star and 8th place overall finisher Xoren Livingston '23 pushes into a a pack leader.

Head Coach Ted Barker-Hook gives a pep-talk before the boys' race.

Team Captain, league All-Star, and third-place overall finisher Edan Zinn '23 chases after a Gann's Martin Lerner.

Team Captain, league All-Star and third-place overall finisher Edan Zinn '23 chases after a Gann's Martin Lerner. ,

League All-Star and sixth-place overall finisher Huck Jennings '25 rounds a tight turn.

Additionally, a new top runner was beginning to find his place within the team. Huck Jennings '25 increased his summer mileage and worked on increasing his speed. For Jennings, running has not only given him the chance to participate in a varsity sport but also provided a great community for him to be a part of.

“It's been a really amazing experience to have such a supportive community, and I don't think I would have progressed as much as I did this year without them," Jennings said.

In the two prior races against Gann, Jennings had placed in the top fifteen and improved his times each race.

For the league's penultimate race at Larz Anderson, Jennings beat his previous times, finishing in fourth place. Along with Zinn and Gamble finishing in the top five, he provided a third runner in the top five for the school, something that they hadn’t been able to accomplish yet in the season. This, combined with strong performances from Isaac Morris ‘26, Xoren Livingston ‘23, and Sam Gavin ‘25, was powerful enough for the School to finally get their first win of the season versus Gann.

“The first win of the season was huge, it was our Senior Night, and it was nice to make a statement on our home course. Huck finishing fourth really energized the rest of the team, and provided the spark for us,” Gamble said. “It gave us the validation that we knew we could really stay and compete with them for the championship.”

However, the Captains urged against complacency, with the season far from over. With the next race being the MBIL Championship, the School found a way to kick it into an even higher gear, with runners continuing to improve on their times.

One week after winning at Larz Anderson, anticipation and excitement filled the air as teams around the league prepared to give it their all.

“I was out from the first race due to COVID, and that really got me motivated to get back onto the playing field,” Zinn said. “It was incredible to be out there with all my teammates and have the ability to run my best race of the season.”

At the sound of the gunshot, the runners took off down the difficult course at Cambridge School of Weston, with a horde of jerseys venturing out into an early lead pack. After what seemed like an eternity, Gamble crossed the finish line in first place, something he had done at every race, finishing with a course record time of 17:55.

Around a minute after Gamble’s finish, Gann’s top runner solidified his second place spot. Zinn came in third place again, followed by two Gann runners, before Jennings reprised his season performance by finishing in sixth place.

As a flurry of red and green checkered jerseys continued to cross, it seemed to spectators that the race would be decided by a very close margin. After the last runner had crossed the finish almost 21 minutes after Gamble, the teams huddled, awaiting the final decision of the judges.

For the third straight time, the Gators prevailed, defeating their rivals. For Barker-Hook, the race showed just how much the team had really grown since the start of the season.

“We've won several championships, and every single one of them is special in it's own way. For this year, what made it different is that we came from behind as a clear league favorite," Barker-Hook said. "To come in as a clear favorite and get your tail handed to you in the first race presents its own challenge. To see them rise in the face of that challenge, of the high expectations, makes this a really special season as a whole."

On Saturday, the School looks to capture the New England Preparatory School Track Association Division IV Championship (NEPSTA), where they will travel over three hours to the Marblewood School in Kent, Connecticut. Despite their already accomplished season, the school is now only focused on seeing how far they can go.

“We’re just really excited going into NEPSTA. Mr. Barker-Hook has told us that our real goal is to place in the top five in our division in New England. Based on the performances of our team in comparison to some of the other best teams, we think that this is a very tangible goal for us,” Gamble said. "Personally, I would love to repeat as New England champion, but the most important thing is to win as a team and make sure all the seniors have a great final race."