Manchester, Oct. 19— The Hall boys cross-country team is among the youngest in the state, with five sophomores and two juniors on the varsity team.  Despite this youth and inexperience, they were favored to win the Central Connecticut Conference team championship, coming into the race undefeated in head-to-head meets.  

     The Warriors did not fold under this pressure, and came out on top.  Led by sophomore Trey Cormier, who finished in 16:58.4, good enough for second place, Hall scored only 60 points, 33 points less than second-place East Catholic.  The victory was a complete team effort, with all 7 runners in the top 25.  Among Hall runners, Cormier was followed by sophomores Miller Anderson (5th, 17:04.6), Patrick Keith (13th, 17:32.7), Dylan Rendon (19th, 17:39.4), and Mack Reynolds (21st, 17:41.8). Juniors Miles Aronow (22nd, 17:44.7) and Jake Rocheleau (25th, 1750.1) rounded out the team.

     Hall ended up coming out on top with a dominant victory, but there was a scare leading how to the race. Cormier was suffering from an inflamed tendon or ligament in his right knee, and said he was “mentally prepared to pull out of the race, even if [he] was it contention to win.” But on the day of the race, the knee pain subsided, and he was able to run. Cormier’s goal was to win, but he said he”knew second or third was more likely” because Joe Pearl of Manchester, the favorite to take the individual title, “had some fast times and a chip on his shoulder because he had been injured the last 2 years.”

     Pearl did indeed come out on top, and Cormier was not happy with how he ran. The temperature was in the 80s, making it difficult to get a fast time. Also, Cormier was stuck in “no man’s land the entire race” as Pearl pulled away and third-place finisher Josh Bedard of Tolland chased him down.

     Cormier is not dwelling on the loss for too long, because he has his eyes set on beating top competitor Eli Nahom and New Milford in the Class L race on Saturday, Oct. 29.

Update:

At the Class L, The Warriors came out disappointed, finishing third in the team standings.  Cormier finished 13th with a time of 17:17, just fast enough for him to be the last qualifier for next weekend’s Open’s race.