2013 BC High Cross Country Season Review
Following the successful 2012 Cross-Country season, some may have wondered how the 2013 batch
would respond to having 6 of the top 7 and 10 of the top 12 graduating. From the start, all signs pointed
to a team with a strong identity determined for success. With a record seventeen members of the squad
attending Granite State Camp in shape, having their own hurdler turned successful harrier, and a
combination of improving underclassman and hard-nosed senior veterans, the team was ready for
competition by September. The 2013 season was fuelled with personal success aided tremendous
senior leadership resulting in an enjoyable season of strong team comradery and success.
The season opened up on a beautiful late summer like day at Newburyport’s Clipper Relays. Seniors
Noel Feeney, Chris Breen and Andy Duehren looked poised to make an impact for the varsity in their
capstone season. However, three of the four runners breaking 11:00 were underclassman including
crew-convert Brian Djerf, along with Ryan D’Alelio and Chris Young. Sophomores Liam Quinn and
Anthony Ioffredo had strong inaugural showings. The other great BC High invitational tradition is the
trip to Rhode Island for the Ocean State Invitational. Half way through the dual meet season, it
provided an opportunity to see where we stood relative to a large field of competition. The Eagles did
not disappoint, finishing 6th out of 27 and 2nd for a team in Massachusetts . Noel tied the highest place
for a BC High performer and it was the beginning of a season long trend of the ascendency of Robert
Brook as a formidable #2 runner. Ryan D’Alelio and Chris Breen also had strong races. Adonis
Bonillla, Anthony Ioffredo (beginning an ascendency of his own) and Liam Quinn has impressive races
for the JV squad who finished 4th out of 28 teams. It was clear this team had both talent, depth and grit
as we headed in to some of the bigger meets of the season.
The most competitive race of the conference schedule, as it has been for the last several years, was a
showdown with Xaverian. Though a loss, Conference action started off with a solid team performance
against St. John’s Prep and a :20 second 5 man gap with Ryan D’Alelio and Chris Young looking
particularly strong. Against CM and MC, Andy Duehren, Jimmy O’Donnell, Colin Chandler, Liam
Quinn and Bill Plouffe showcased the depth of varsity talent . But it was against the Hawks, when we
needed to be most competitive, the team rose together and performed. In what was billed as a win for
the team that wanted it more, the Eagles grabbed a 25-31 victory. Two of the best in D1 ran stride for
stride for most of the race, with Noel finishing 2nd. Robert Brook secured a vital 3rd place, Djerf an
impressive 5th and Chris Breen running the best race of his long XC career and breaking 18:00 for the 1st
time, closely followed by Chris Young. An awesome team performance, and a harbinger for future big
meets; when it counted most the team ran their best.
The trend continued in the Conference meet, with the entire top 5 finishing in the top 15. The varsity
raced better against the Prep than earlier in the year, cruised by Xaverian by nine to finish runner up in
the conference. The JV squad took home the championship when Anthony Ioffredo, Liam Quinn and
Colin Chandler finished 3,4,5 overall, and with Bill Plouffe and Jack O’Donnell close behind to close
out the scoring and championship. The Sophomore members of the Cross-Country team finished their
seasons at the State Coaches invitational, where nearly everyone PR’d on the fast track of Wrentham
finishing an impressive 6th in Massachusetts. Chris Young (17:40) and Liam Quinn (18:05) led the way
for the Eagles. Andrew Byrne had a :25 PR with the biggest PR of the day (:39) going to Sam Collins
turning in a 18:34. The O’Donnell cousins were not far behind with PR’s of their own and contributed
to a great team effort by the Eagles.
The Varsity continued their string of great championship meet running at the Divisional
Championships. Noel Feeney and Robert Brook advanced as individuals to the All-State meet after
their outstanding 10th place (16:07) and 22nd place (16:24) finishes. The biggest PR of the day was
turned in by Brian Djerf who ran 16:45, followed by Chris Breen, Andy Duehren, Anthony Ioffredo and
Colin Chandler. This led to a split squad for the final races of the year; the All-States for our elite top
two, and a mini-bus filled with harriers to enjoy an evening in NYC prior to the Jesuit Championships.
In the All-States, Noel Feeney and Robert Brook finished better than or near the top 40 in
Massachusetts. Earlier that morning, Brian Djerf finished in the top 10 among the field of 10 Jesuit
schools from across the East Coast meeting at Van Cortland. Andy Duehren also turned in a strong
performance for the fourth place Eagles. Adonis Bonilla was the first BC High runner in the JV division
and medaled for his efforts.
The chemistry and attitude of the 2013 team was outstanding and made coaching a pleasure for
Coaches Kroeger, Normant, Spencer and Kirby. This was in large part due to the leadership of all the
seniors: captains Noel Feeney and Jimmy O’Donnell, Robert Brook, Andy Duehren, Chris and John
Breen, Sam Vasquez, Adonis Bonilla, Andrew Hannon, Ross Rozanski, Bennett Marston, and Tom
Mannion. By any measure, the 2013 season was a success.
Varsity Letterman Seniors: captains Noel Feeney and Jimmy O’Donnell, Robert Brook, Andy
Duehren, Chris and John Breen, Sam Vasquez, Adonis Bonilla, Andrew Hannon, Ross Rozanski,
Bennett Marston, and Tom Mannion. Juniors: Brian Djerf, Ryan D’Alelio, Colin Chandler, Bill Plouffe,
Sophomores: Chris Young, Anthony Ioffredo, Liam Quinn, Jack O’Donnell, Trent Chinnaswamy,
Andrew Byrne
Conference All-Stars
Noel Feeney, Robert Brook, Brian Djerf, Chris Breen
Patriot Ledger All-Scholastics
Noel Feeney, Robert Brook, Brian Djerf
2013 BC High Freshman Cross Country Season Review
The BC High freshman cross-country team raced to an impressive Catholic Conference Championship
title for its 2013 season. Leading the team to a 5-0 season to defend the 2012 title were Liam
McDonough, Joe Stover, Ian McLaughlin, Nick Sommer, Keenan Byrne, Gerard Frasca, Carl Pierre and
Joe Resca. The team also showcased their talent with successful team performances at the Ocean State
Invitational (3rd) and the CMI Catholic Conference Classic (6th). The freshmen Eagles took full
advantage of the perfect fall running weather and worked tirelessly as a team to improve at every race,
including 16 of the 21 runners cruising to a PR in the last meet of the regular season! The Freshman
finished their seasons at the State Coaches invitational, where nearly everyone PR’d on the fast track of
Wrentham, finishing an impressive third in the State for Division 1. Liam McDonough, Joe Stover, and
Nick Sommer all broke 11:00 for the first time, medaling with top 25 performances. We hope to see as
much of the freshman squad as possible continue their budding careers and become valuable additions
to the JV and Varsity teams of future seasons, building upon the success of XC 2013.