A big day at Cross Country Class Championships taught us plenty for states. Here's what we learned.

GLOCESTER – Temperatures rivaled the start of the cross country season, not the end, but Saturday’s Rhode Island Interscholastic League Class Championships were, in fact, the tune-up for harriers across the state before this week’s RIIL State Championships.

There were some dominant performances individually and in the team results. With heat bearing down on the course — it wasn’t bad when the Class C races began at 10 a.m. but started making its mark when Class A went off at 11 a.m. and felt like a midsummer’s day when Class B started at 1:30 p.m. — times weren’t quite what they could have been, but the results still gave tremendous insight into what we can expect to see at Ponaganset High School this weekend.

Here's what we learned from a busy day of racing:

Hendricken is going to win the boys state title

Barring injury or the entire roster and coaching staff missing their wake-up calls on Saturday morning, the Hawks are going to win their third straight state title and there’s not much anyone can do about it.

Hendricken won the Class A Championship with 29 points, 10 better than Cumberland, and it was on the back of its tremendous depth. The Clippers had the two best runners in the race — Sam Henderson won with a time of 15:53.93 and Connor Magill finished at 16:32.34 — but Hawks took six of the next eight spots and its seventh runner finished 14th.

Cumberland was without one of its top six runners, but it could add Jason Padula from Smithfield, the Class B champ, or Cole Francis of Narragansett, the Class C champ, to its roster and it still wouldn’t have the numbers to match the Hawks.

The champs in Class B and Class C were both runaway winners.

Barrington had three runners in the top 10 and three more in the next five spots, scoring 44 points to beat Portsmouth by 40. In Class C, East Greenwich had three in the top 10 and two more in the next five spots, scoring 50 points to best St. Raphael by 33.

These teams will give it all they’ve got to try to contend with the rest of the state chasing Hendricken. If history is any indication, don’t expect the Hawks to drop much at states — if anything, they’ll be better.

Rory Sullivan sent a message to the state

There hasn’t been much drama surrounding the Girls State Championship the last three years and with the graduation of East Greenwich’s Reese Fahys and Moses Brown’s Sophia Gorriaran, there was expected to be plenty this fall.

With her performance Saturday, St. Raphael’s Rory Sullivan may have ended it.

The senior All-Stater dominated the Class C Championship, getting out fast and never letting up on the lead before she crossed the tape with a time of 18:30.47, a full 61.89 seconds ahead of Narragansett’s Madeleine O’Neill.

“I know next weekend there’s a bunch of good girls, so I just want to get prepared to go out fast. I like going out fast and push myself when I’m tired,” Sullivan said. “I definitely relaxed a little bit toward the end, not to save anything for next weekend because I’ll have plenty of time to recover, but just to feel good.”

Sullivan should feel good. The performance means she’s the favorite going into Saturday, but there are more than a few worthy challengers.

Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha has gotten faster as the season has gone on and her 18:43.85 finish won Class A by 18.35 seconds over Classical’s Grace Doyle. In Class B, Chariho’s Erin VonHousen cruised home with a time of 18:55.56, beating Mt. Hope’s Jessica Deal by 42.83 seconds.

VonHousen was in line to be an All-Stater last fall before her health gave out toward the end of the state meet. At the Class Meet, she was in control and looked very much like someone ready to make a run at a title.

“I don’t have a great track record with cross country state meets,” VonHousen said. “I just want to go out and see what I can do. I hope I can run well, but it’s who has the better day.”

Can a Clipper claim a title?

The Cumberland boys program has been one of the state’s best for a while but hasn’t had a runner step atop the podium for a few years.

That could change this weekend.

As the lone runner to break the 16 minutes mark at Ponaganset, Henderson will enter the state meet as the favorite, and he won’t be the only Clipper with a shot at the title.

With their 1-2 finish in the Class A, Henderson and Magill will both be fighting for gold at the state meet and Hendricken senior Will Olsen should find his way up there as well.

A win in Class A doesn’t guarantee a state title. Francis was smooth in his win in Class C, where his 16:09.73 bested St. Raphael’s Jeremiah Rocha by 14.07 seconds.

Padula will also be fighting for the crown. The Smithfield senior won the Class B race with a time of 16:14.33, beating Portsmouth’s Sean Gray by 9.21 seconds.

After the win, Padula said his goal for next week is to qualify for the New England Championships, and while he might not be the favorite, was looking forward to trying to be the first Smithfield runner to win the state title.

“The goal for every time you step on the line is go out there and win,” Padula said. “I can acknowledge that I was not the fastest winner of the day, but hopefully when it’s all said and done next week on Saturday, when we’re all on the line together, it will be an evenly matched race.

“I know that there’s a select few guys out who can go out there and win and I’m just hoping I can be that guy on that day.”

The girls team race is up in the air

If the Saturday’s meet is as close as the Girls Class Championships were, it’s going to be the most exciting part of Saturday’s State Championship event.

Moses Brown pulled out the win in Class C thanks to four runners finishing in the top 15, led by Jay Champlin in fourth. The Quakers totaled 65 points, four better than St. Raphael’s 69.

In Class B, Barrington finished with 56 points as five Eagles finished in the top 15. Freshman Evelyn Lefort was the top finisher, coming in fifth, as Barrington bested East Greenwich, last year’s state champ, by nine points.

Three teams battled in Class A, but La Salle, backed by three top 10 finishers and two others in the Top 20, won with 48 points, nine better than Cumberland and 17 better than North Kingstown.

The Rams and Clippers would seem to be the prohibitive favorites. La Salle’s top three finishers, freshman Alyssa Parenteau, senior Mia Bettaz and junior Maeve Casey, went 3-7-9 while Cumberland’s top three, junior Kiley DeFusco, sophomore Charli McCue and freshman Anna Bianchi, went 6-10-12. That’s nine points there, points that can easily be moved with improved times and the addition of the state’s other elite runners.

Fresh faces might change the game

With its history, the North Kingstown girls team can’t be considered a darkhorse contender, but with the way its three freshmen ran at the Class A meet, it could make things interesting at the state meet.

The Skippers’ three freshmen stars finished in the top 15, with Abbie Tighe taking ninth, Lucy Stowe finishing eighth and Maura Whitney coming in 14th. The trio not only gives NK a terrific chance to compete for the future, but they could end up surprising the field and give the Skippers a shot at the state crown.

They won’t be the only freshmen to watch at states.

Parenteau finished third for La Salle in Class A and should contend for the state title. Cumberland had two freshmen finish in the top 20 with Bianchi (12th) and Anna Kalafut finishing 17th.

In Class B, Barrington had a talented trio of freshmen finish in the top 11. Evelyn Lefort and Olive Willis finished fifth and sixth while Maura Gravina took 11th. Class C saw Moses Brown’s Edie Lane finish in the top 20 as well.

Freshmen usually aren’t as impactful on the boys side, but that might change this year. Hendricken will rely heavily on Colby Flynn, who was sixth in the Class A meet, in its chase of the state title.

Only three other freshmen boys had top 20 finishes at the Class Championships. In Class C, East Greenwich’s Andrew Parisi and Brody Tetreault finished 15th and 16th and in Class B, South Kingstown’s Tucker Richmond was 20th.

BOYS CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIPS

Top 10 Teams

1, Hendricken (H), 29; 2, Cumberland (C), 39; 3, North Kingstown (NK), 100; 4, La Salle (LSA), 126; 5, Toll Gate (TG), 139; 6, Pilgrim (P), 163; 7, Coventry (CV), 220; 8, Cranston West (CW), 238; 9, Cranston East (CE), 245; 10, East Providence (EP), 277.

Top 20 Finishers

1, Sam Henderson, C, 15:53.93; 2, Connor Magill, C, 16:32.34; 3, Will Olsen, H, 16:42.13; 4, Gavin Shipperly, NK, 16:52.90; 5, Jack Moretta, H, 16:53.09; 6, Colby Flynn, H, 16:55.31; 7, Sam Zabbo, H, 16:59.96; 8, Ollie Ide, Hendricken, 17:01.76; 9, Jake Schonoff, C, 17:06.62; 10, B.J. Kerachsky, H, 17:10.34; 11, Nolan Rogalski, C, 17:16.40; 12, Joshua Maynard, TG, 17:17.49; 13, John Maynard, TG, 17:19.57; 14, Jacob Silva, H, 17:20.95; 15, Tyler Boudreau, P, 17:27.31; 16, Noah Brown, C, 17:28.09; 17, James Masterson, NK, 17:29.72; 18, Kaiden Moran, C, 17:33.35; 19, Grady McGinnis, LSA, 17:42.65; 20, Tristen McDonough, 17:51.19.

GIRLS CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIPS

Top 10 Teams

1, La Salle (LSA), 48; 2, Cumberland (C), 57; 3, North Kingstown (NK), 65; 4, Coventry (CV), 143; 5, Pilgrim (P), 148; 6, Toll Gate (TG), 152; 7, Classical (CL), 173; 8, East Providence (EP), 213; 9, North Providence (NP), 221; 10, Mount Pleasant (MP), 229.

Top 20 Finishers

1, Keaney Bayha, P, 18:43.85; 2, Grace Doyle, CL, 19:08.50; 3, Alyssa Parenteau, LSA, 19:27.26; 4, Alison Pankowicz, TG, 19:29.88; 5, Abbie Tighe, NK, 19:36.49; 6, Kiley DeFusco, C, 19:43.01; 7, Mia Bettez, LSA, 19:46.81; 8, Lucy Stowe, NK, 20:09.50; 9, Maeve Casey, LSA, 20:12.82; 10, Charli McCue, C, 20:19.18; 11, Jayden Donnelly, LSA, 20:29.01; 12, Rose Tuomisto, C, 20:37.62; 13, Anna Bianchi, C, 20:45.54; 14, Maura Whitney, NK, 20:46.82; 15, Abby Nicolopoulos, NK, 21:15.21; 16, Lilli Prendergast, Cranston West, 21:24.68; 17, Anna Kalafut, C, 21:29.62; 18, Jaquelyn Brousseau, CV, 21:42.24; 19, Olivia Wahlberg, LSA, 21:54.52; 20, Gabby Stoothoff, C, 21:56.46.

BOYS CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team Top 10

1, Barrington (B), 44; 2, Portsmouth (P), 84; 3, Ponaganset (PN), 88; 4, Chariho (CH), 96; 5, Smithfield (S), 135; 6, Classical (C), 155; 7, South Kingstown (SK), 171; 8, Mt. Hope (MH), 178; 9, North Providence (NP), 249; 10, West Warwick (WW), 317.

Top 20 Finishers

1, Jason Padula, S, 16:14.33; 2, Sean Gray, P, 16:23.54; 3, Owen Klein, PN, 16:36.79; 4, Myles Napolitano, B, 16:50.17; 5, Michael Goodson, S, 16:51.88; 6, Brandon Piedade, B, 17:08.69; 7, Nicholas Olszweski, PN, 17:17.83; 8, Tom Golas, CH, 17:29.37; 9, Elliot Lefort, B, 17:37.40; 10, Lucas Hurtado, C, 17:51.77; 11, Jared Peltier, CH, 17:58.66; 12, Marius Bonard, B, 17:59.97; 13, Connor Curran, B, 18:04.25; 14, Tal Liebmann, C, 18:09.20; 15, Daniel Chun, B, 18:10.58; 16, Owen Schenck, MH, 18:13.79; 17, Scott Pakenham, P, 18:14.50; 18, Eric Burgojohann, PN, 18:15.88; 19, Chris Vachon, P, 18:17.86; 20, Tucker Richmond, SK, 18:24.68

GIRLS CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team Top 10

1, Barringon (B), 56; 2, East Greenwich (EG), 65; 3, Portsmouth (P), 78; 4, South Kingstown (SK), 124; 5, Lincoln (L), 134; 6, Mt. Hope (MH), 167; 7, Chariho (CH), 182; 8, Smithfield (S), 189; 9, Westerly (W), 191; 10, Ponaganset (PN), 268.

Top 20 Finishers

1, Erin VonHousen, CH, 18:55.56; 2, Jessica Deal, MH, 19:37.77; 3, Sofia Caito, SK, 20:33.54; 4, Allie Kaull, P, 20:43.29; 5, Evelyn Lefort, B, 20:51.22; 6, Olive Willis, EG, 20:52.42; 7, Ella Maybaum, EG, 21:03.04; 8, Cali West, W, 21:11.90; 9, Alicia Chen, EG, 21:22.27; 10, Eleni Drosinos, P, 21:29.84; 11, Maura Gravina, B, 21:35.55; 12, Sara Chang, B, 21:38.33; 13, Mia He, B, 21:41.77; 14, Matilde Soffientino, SK, 21:49.25; 15, Maeve Kelly, B, 21:50.90; 16, Sequoia Drolet, L, 21:52.73; 17, Brea Wood, EG, 21:55.28; 18, Hanalei Streuli, P, 21:55.63; 19, Elizabeth Alger, L, 22:10.56; 20, Lucy O’Brien, MH, 22:14.26.

BOYS CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team Top 10

1, East Greenwich (EG), 50; 2, St. Raphael (SRA), 83; 3, Moses Brown (MB), 97; 4, Narragansett (N), 97; 5, Burrillville (B), 98; 6, Mount St. Charles (MSC), 136; 7, Prout (P), 165; 8, North Smithfield (NS), 187; 9, Providence Country Day (PCD), 229; 10, Exeter-West Greenwich (EWG), 264.

Top 20 finishers

1, Cole Francis, N, 16:09.73; 2, Jeremiah Rocha, SRA, 16:23.80; 3, Eli Ziegler, MB, 16:38.58; 4, Ethan Fadden, MSC, 16:46.03; 5, Luke Allen, EG, 16:55.07; 6, Noah Roberts, Westerly, 16:58.71; 7, Brody Fahys, EG, 17:04.06; 8, Alex Ramos, SRA, 17:31.00; 10, Noah Van Horn, SRA, 17:37.23; 11, David Hayes, EG, 17:42.08; 12, Bowen Healey, N, 17:55.18; 13, Matthew Donahue, MSC, 17:57.64; 14, Devin Richard, B, 17:57.68; 15, Andrew Parisi, EG, 18:00.54; 16, Brody Tetreault, EG, 18:01.86; 17, Xavier Ohl, MB, 18:15.96; 18, Ethan Baker, PCD, 18:20.32; 19, Gavin Jones, N, 18:28.25; 20, Owen Buroker, MB, 18:30.85.

CLASS C GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team Top 10

1, Moses Brown (MB), 65; 2, St. Raphael (SRA), 69; 3, Prout (PR), 124; 4, Burrillville (B), 126; 5, North Smithfield (NS), 132; 6, Narragansett (N), 133; 7, Exeter-West Greenwich (EWG), 177; 8, Mount St. Charles (MSC), 186; 9, Bay View (BV), 209; 10, Providence Country Day (PCD), 244.

Top 20 Finishers

1, Rory Sullivan, SRA, 18:30.47; 2, Madeleine O’Neill, N, 19:32.36; 3, Emmy Belvin, MSC, 19:44.26; 4, Jay Champlin, MB, 19:55.36; 5, Chandaniey Boyce, SRA, 20:29.99; 6, Karuna Lohmann, N, 20:41.11; 7, Faith Perry, SRA, 20:43.69; 8, Sophia Abbott, PR, 20:44.47; 9, Jessica Mastrandrea, PR, 20:48.41; 10, Jillian Russell, B, 21:00.92; 11, Rachel Williams, MB, 21:07.23; 12, Sophia Clyne, MB, 21:13.86; 13, Marisa Rayhill, EWG, 21:27.49 14, Keira Harnois, NS, 21:35.41; 15, Edie Lane, MB, 21:38.42. 16, Jackie Mattos, BV, 21:41.74; 17, Jasmine Burt, NS, 21:44.29; 18, Sofia DiBiasio, N, 21:53.84; 19, Laura DeGirolamo, BV, 22:02.84; 20, Lindsay Cobb, SRA, 22:03.69.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RIIL Boys and Girls Class A, B, C Cross Country Championship results 2023