Leaders of the pack: 2023 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Cross Country All-Scholastics

TAUNTON — Another high school cross country season has come and gone in the Greater Taunton area.

Bridgewater-Raynham (2-2, 2-2 Southeast Conference), Bristol-Plymouth (3-3, 3-3 Mayflower Athletic Conference) and Dighton-Rehoboth (3-3, 3-3 South Coast Conference) all had even campaigns this fall while Taunton (0-5, 0-5 Hockomock League) went through a rebuilding year.

With the fall season now in the rearview, here's a final look back at the Greater Taunton area boys cross country runners who stood out among the crowd to earn their spot as 2023 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Cross Country All-Scholastics.

Runner of the Year

Brian Peters, Bridgewater-Raynham

The sophomore established himself as a key figure for the Trojans this season, putting up the Greater Taunton area's top personal best time this fall of 16:58.2 as he finished second in the MSTCA Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational Large School 5K. Other notable outings include finishing sixth with a time of 17:27.2 at the SEC Championship and 79th out of 148 at the MIAA Division 1B Championship with a time of 18:11.38.

An SEC All-Star and an Enterprise/Patriot Ledger Honorable Mention, Peters is also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams and looks set to continue to improve and lead the way for B-R over the next two years.

First Team All-Scholastics

Drew Alves, Taunton

The senior wrapped up a solid high school cross country career with some nice finishes, including a personal best time of 18:32.6 as he finished 129th out of 162 at the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational (Large School). Other notable performances this fall include finishing 46th out of 107 with a time of 18:49.3 at the Hockomock Championship and 12th with a time of 19:06 in a dual meet against Franklin.

A Hockomock Honorable Mention, Alves is also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams and will surely be missed by the Tigers next year as he continues his academic and track career at Bridgewater State University.

Joey Brand, Bridgewater-Raynham

The junior once again played an important role for the Trojans this fall, setting a personal best of 17:18.4 as he finished fifth at the SEC Championship. Some other notable outings include finishing 15th with a time of 17:26.7 in the MSTCA Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational Large School 5K and 65th out of 224 with a time of 17:42 in the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Medium School 5K.

An SEC All-Star, Peters is also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams and looks set to continue to grow and improve as a runner heading into his senior year.

Josh Geer, Bridgewater-Raynham

The junior performed well in his first varsity cross country season for the Trojans, recording a personal best time of 17:12.1 as he finished sixth in the MSTCA Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational Large Junior Boys 5K. Other notable performances this fall include finishing eighth with a time of 17:39.2 at the SEC Championship and 51st out of 224 with a time of 17:30 in the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Medium School 5K.

An SEC All-Star, Geer is also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams and looks set to continue to grow and improve as a runner heading into his senior year.

Dan Leet, Bridgewater-Raynham

The senior wrapped up a solid high school cross country career with another strong season, setting a personal best of 17:33.7 as he finished 59th out of 167 in the MSTCA Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational Large Senior 5K. Other notable outings this fall include finishing ninth with a time of 17:43.9 at the SEC Championship and 59th out of 224 with a time of 17:39.5 in the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Medium School 5K.

An SEC Honorable Mention, Leet is also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams and will surely be missed at B-R next year. He holds a scholarship offer from St. Anselm College to continue his academic and cross country career.

Nathan Gagne, Bristol-Plymouth

The sophomore had another solid season for the Craftsmen, recording a personal best time of 19:29 as he finished 177th out of 224 in the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Medium School 5K. He also finished third with a time of 20:05 in a dual meet against Tri-County.

Also a member of the track team, expect Gagne to continue to grow and improve as a runner over the next two years at B-P.

Danny Keefe, Bristol-Plymouth

The sophomore established himself as the top runner for the Craftsmen this fall, finishing second at the MAC Championship with a time of 18:07.43. He also finished second with a time of 19:25 in a dual meet against Tri-County.

The MAC Large Runner of the Year, Keefe is also a member of the wrestling and track teams and looks set to continue to grow and improve as an athlete over the next two years at B-P.

Jeremy Gale, Dighton-Rehoboth

The junior put in a solid campaign for the Falcons this fall, recording a personal best time of 18:19.3 as he finished 56th out of 165 in the MIAA Division 3C Qualifier. Other notable performances include finishing 70th out of 230 with a time of 18:19.5 in the MSTCA Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational Small Junior/Senior 5K and 109th out of 232 with a time of 18:39.1 in the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Small School 5K.

Also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams, expect Gale to continue to grow and improve as an athlete heading into his senior year.

Logan Keating, Dighton-Rehoboth

The junior had another solid fall for the Falcons, recording a personal best time of 19:02.4 as he finished 129th out of 232 in the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Small School 5K. Other notable performances include finishing 91st out of 165 with a time of 19:30.9 in the MIAA Division 3C Qualifier and 133rd out of 230 with a time of 19:33.7 in the MSTCA Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational Small Junior/Senior 5K.

Also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams, expect Keating to continue to grow and improve as an athlete heading into his senior year.

Mason Morgado, Dighton-Rehoboth

After switching over from soccer, the senior established himself as the top runner for the Falcons, recording a personal best time of 17:32.7 as he finished 36th out of 230 in the MSTCA Frank Mooney Coaches Invitational Small Junior/Senior 5K. Other notable performances this fall include finishing fifth with a time of 18:11.1 at the SCC Championship and 93rd out of 232 with a time of 18:17.1 in the ASICS MSTCA Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational Small School 5K. He also won an SCC tri-meet against Fairhaven and West Bridgewater with a time of 19:22 and was voted Taunton Daily Gazette Player of the Week for three straight weeks (Sept. 25-30, Oct. 2-7 and Oct. 9-14).

An SCC All-Star, Morgado is also a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams. His talents and leadership will surely be missed at D-R next year

Second Team All-Scholastics

Jordan Trucchi, Taunton

Dereck Islas, Bridgewater-Raynham

Brendan Labelle, Bristol-Plymouth

Thomas Dumke, Dighton-Rehoboth

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Presenting the 2023 Taunton Gazette Boys Cross Country All-Scholastics