Boys’ Cross Country Seeks Redemption on the Trails

Each night at dinner in the fall, approximately 90 percent of Elm Street Dining Hall’s noise originates from the table in the middle, coming from a big group of boys in sweaty tank tops over elastic short-shorts and crowded with three plates of food per person. The boys’ cross country team, referred to as a cult, is known as the closest (and the loudest) team on campus.

The team was undefeated for four years until last season. After their third place finish at last year’s Interschols, the boys have been working hard and are determined to come back and conquer the title. Whatever you want to call their third-place finish—a fluke, a minor setback or even a success—the result was nothing compared to their previous four-peat.

The team that grabbed the title from Exeter at Interschols was Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH), even though Big Red beat them on home turf just a few weeks before during parent’s weekend. The boys did not let this loss discourage them and have been training for a comeback ever since. If the boys beat NMH once, they can beat them again.

"I’m excited to be a part of a team that has so many traditions and is notoriously such a tight knit group."

“We will be preparing to take back our Interschols title from NMH,” senior and co-captain Issay Matsumoto said. “We are all returning as seniors, so this last Interschols will mean a lot to us.”

The boys have a pretty good chance of claiming the title at this year’s Interschols, and all the cards are betting on them. To set the scene: last year’s seven-man varsity team consisted of only uppers, meaning all of them are back this season, stronger and faster after another year’s dedication to the sport. To further their assets, this year’s Interschols will be held on home turf, giving the boys the advantage of knowing the course inside out. What more good luck can these boys expect?

Nonetheless, Big Red’s biggest competitors are also looking fast. Teams to look out for this year are the same ones that were close to Big Red last year, as they have all remained strong through their younger runners.

“Andover has a bunch of underclassmen coming out of the woodwork, and Loomis is always very deep,” Matsumoto said.

Andover, the team’s biggest rival, beat Exeter during E/a last year. Fortunately, Exeter edged them out at Interschols the following week. Besides the scrimmage at Choate,  Exeter did not have the opportunity to race against Loomis prior to Interschols. During the final race of the season, Loomis pushed past the team at Interschols, beating them by eight points.

Aside from competition, the main reason people enjoy being on the team is not the many titles they have won or their legendary reputation, but the connection everyone has with each other. There are no divisions within the team regardless of age difference, speed or anything that usually divides a team.

Lower Jeremy Xu, a new member to the team, commented on the team’s positive atmosphere. “I’m excited to be a part of a team that has so many traditions and is notoriously such a tight knit group,” he said.