'Breakout year': East Bridgewater senior, seventh grader having XC seasons to remember

EAST BRIDGEWATER — When Ezra Blasko graduates high school in May, he will be remembered for having one of the best finishes to a cross country career in program history.

When Emmeline Holdsworth advances to eighth grade, she will be remembered for having one of the best starts to a cross country career in program history.

East Bridgewater High witnessed both ends of the spectrum this fall.

A senior who participated in just two meets as a junior, his first season with the team, Blasko came out for a second go at it this fall and broke course records in three consecutive meets (home, Middleboro, Sandwich).

Holdsworth, 12, is a seventh grader who signed up for cross country out of curiosity and to, if nothing else, stay in shape for her club soccer season. She ended the cross country schedule as the holder of EB's seventh grade course record that previously stood for a decade.

“I didn’t know what to expect (when I signed up)," Holdsworth said with a smile. "It was way better than I could’ve imagined.”

Same for Blasko.

“(The records) mean I’m doing something right, I guess," he said with a laugh.

Upon first signing up his junior year, Blasko didn't have experience playing other sports growing up. He spent his freshman year in full-remote learning due to the pandemic, and was reluctant to sign up in his first year back to in-person classes his sophomore year. Shin splints, a groin injury and illness then sidetracked his first year on the course.

“This summer, he concentrated, ran a lot and got healthy. It really has been a breakout year," EB boys coach George McCabe said. "He’s running two minutes faster than he did last year.”

This fall, Blasko broke the EB course record that stood for 18 years with a time of 15:38 against Carver on Oct. 5 (EB's home course is exactly 3 miles long). Two days earlier, he set the Middleboro course record with a 16:08. On Oct. 10, he broke the Sandwich course record with a 15:21.

“I’ve been here over 50 years, and I can’t remember a story like his," said McCabe, a 2004 Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association Hall-of-Famer.

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Holdsworth's record-breaker came against Mashpee on Oct. 17. Her mark of 20:58 stands as the top for a seventh grader, but also ranks No. 11 all-time in the course's 18-year history.

“I was doing my best and I was hoping for a nice time. I was trying something out, doing (cross country) for fun," Holdsworth said. "I was thinking maybe this could help me with soccer, because then I’ll stay in shape. 'Who knows? We’ll see how it goes.' … But it’s honestly great. It’s not just the running, it’s the team. They’re so awesome. On some of my first days, everyone was so nice and welcoming.”

“I noticed that she was determined to stay up with the seniors," EB girls coach Travis Picklus said of his first impression. "The first couple of practices, it looked like she was holding back a little bit. I made sure that if she felt like she could go ahead of them, that she did. My captains are great. They were like, ‘If you can go (ahead), do it.’”

Holdsworth plans to focus on her ongoing Liverpool club soccer campaign in the offseason, but will sign up for the track team in the spring. She got her start while being a part of a "Run Club" organized by her neighbors in her early childhood and, as a side hobby, has been playing the violin since her grandmother, a symphony violinist, taught her at 8 years old.

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“If she keeps doing all the right things and doesn’t have any setbacks, she should become one of the best runners in the area," Picklus said. "(Her potential) is hard to predict, but she seems to have the right attitude and work ethic in whatever she does so I see no reason why it shouldn’t lead to a lot of success.”

“I hope I improve. I hope I do better. I’ll definitely work through it. I hope I grow a little, so I have bigger strides because that’s a real issue right now,” Holdsworth said with a laugh.

Blasko, who was on the half-mile team that advanced to nationals last spring, will also return to the track team for one final ride. He then plans to run cross country in college next year, though he's undecided on which school he will attend to pursue a career in tech.

“He’s a very determined person," McCabe said of Blasko. "He has a tremendous stride. He never gives up. He just keeps pushing the pace. He’s going almost as fast in the middle of the race as he does at the end."

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: East Bridgewater High cross country tandem end season with new records