WESTFIELD — Amherst Regional’s Jack Yanko overcame West Springfield’s Gabriel Medina in the final stretch to win his second straight Western Massachusetts Division 1 Boys Cross Country Championship, Saturday at Stanley Park in Westfield.
“I took it out pretty hard,” Yanko said. “When I got to the field, I knew I had a few seconds on him so I kind of took it back a gear, relaxed so I had something for the finish, and when he passed me, I knew that was when I had to use it.”
Yanko finished the race in 15 minutes, 40 seconds with Medina close behind in 15:43. Northampton’s Benjamin Gordon Sniffen finished third in 16:07.
Amherst’s depth paid off with a team championship. The Hurricanes edged Northampton by one point, 69-70. Holyoke had 76 points for third. Amherst, Northampton and Holyoke all advance to the state meet.
“The entire team, we all love each other,” Yanko said. “We were talking today before the race of how we are all just going to put it all out there for each other, because that’s what we have done all season.”
Amherst placed three runners in the top 15. Yanko finished first, Aidan Shea finished ninth in 16:48 and Willem Goff finished 13th in 16:52.
Northampton had three runners in the top 10. Gordon Sniffen was third, Tobias L’Esperance placed sixth in 16:37, and Eben Saveson placed 10th in 16:48.
It was Amherst’s fourth and fifth runner who did just enough to hold off their Northampton counterparts.
Bryan Dole was 22nd (17:13) and Noah Johansson 24th (17:14) for the Hurricanes.
Simon LeClair was 20th (17:09) and Benjamin Howe 31st (17:27) for the Blue Devils.
“We knew it was going to be like that going in,” Gordon Sniffen said. “We pretty much knew it was going to be a rematch and whoever ran the conditions better. I think we executed pretty well, I’m really proud of how everyone did, we try to keep things light in the pre-race meeting, tell everyone to have fun and I think everyone did.”
Amherst and Northampton were mere steps behind each another this season. The two teams tied at the PVIAC championship two weeks ago with Amherst taking the title via a sixth-runner tiebreaker. Saturday’s championship was almost as close.
“It’s definitely a very fierce rivalry, but it’s kind of like a sibling rivalry: you like to compete, but you’re always good friends,” Gorden Sniffen said. “Aidan, Willem, Jack, I’m great friends with those guys, they’re all great people, so we try to keep all of the hard fighting on the course.”
South Hadley finished fifth with 128 points. West Springfield was fourth with 122.
Bradyn Cote finished 14th in 16:53 to lead the Tigers. Matt O’Brien was 21st (17:12).
Evan Dunigan finished 15th in 16:53 to pace Belchertown, which placed sixth (185). Zachary Bail was 23rd (17:14) for the Orioles.
Cote, O’Brien and Dunigan qualified for the state meet as individuals.