ANDREW NETT placed 19th in the freshman race at the Twilight Invitational over the weekend. (Courtesy Photo)

 

FALMOUTH — On a short turnaround just a few days after defeating Burlington, the Warriors were back in action as they traveled to Cape Cod for the very popular MSTCA Twilight Invitational on Saturday evening. The meet was more popular than ever with almost 5,000 runners between Friday and Saturday night. Wakefield competed on Saturday against the large schools.

There were 49 teams on the starting line as the gun went off at 8:35 p.m. for the varsity race. The 365 runners ran under the lights of the Barnstable Fairgrounds, surrounded by an electric crowd cheering them on.

The start of the race was compared to a mine field with numerous runners falling and causing carnage during the sprint for position over the first 150 meters. Anyone who didn’t get out in front had the difficult task of maneuvering through hundreds of runners along the narrow course with very little passing room.

In the end, the Warriors finished 5th behind Cumberland of Rhode Island, Concord-Carlisle, Brookline and Oliver Ames. The Warriors were the first D2 team in the field as the team scorers averaged a time of 17:14 for the 5K course with 265 points. It was a finish that they had to fight for during the crowded race.

Michael Roberto was the Warriors first finisher as he placed 16th in a time of 16:26. In his first invitational of the season, Ajay Haridasse was next in 46th place with a time of 17:02. Leith Jones placed 71st in a time of 17:26 as he moved up a lot over the second half of the race. Ben Stratton placed 85th in 17:35. Thomas Dowd placed 92nd in a time of 17:39. Dowd somehow managed to pass 50 to 100 runners after a tough start. Bradley Diaz placed 270th in a time of 19:17. James Christie was 281st in a time of 19:29.

 

MICHAEL ROBERTO (right) was Wakefield’s first finisher in the Twilight Invitational’s varsity race, taking 16th overall in 16:26. (Courtesy Photo)

 

Prior to the varsity race, the freshmen had their time to shine over a 2.1 mile layout on the same course. The freshmen placed 7th out of 25 teams with 252 runners. Brandon Nett ran a great race finishing in 12th after being back in 30th a half mile in. He finished with a time of 12:08 to earn a medal. Andrew Nett, not far behind, also earned a medal placing 19th in a time of 12:16. Aidan Martin sprinted to a 60th place finish with a time of 13:10. Brody Wyatt also had a huge kick placing 117th in a time of 13:53. Ben Hickey ran 14:38. Jacob Ciriello ran 16:25.

In the sophomore race,the boys placed 3rd out of 29 teams with 268 runners. Michael Arria continued his successful season earning a medal placing 8th by picking off runners after the first mile. His final time was 17:24 which would have placed him 3rd on the team in the varsity race. Joe Patt moved up a bunch over the second half after falling early to place 36th in a time of 18:37. Ollie Polster was 43rd in 18:46. William Mezikofsky was 45th in 18:49. Brendan Campea closed out the scoring placing 75th in 19:32. Robert Brown ran 20:14. Adam Lambiaso ran 21:52. Theo Lyle ran 25:40.

In the JV race, the Warriors placed 12th of 39 teams with 371 runners. Brett McLellan continued his improved season with a 41st place finish in 18:46. Sam Bangston was 46th in 18:58. Matt McCoy was 64th in 19:13. William Riley ran 20:10. Brian Casey ran 20:15. David LoCoco ran 20:19. Shahbaz Anwar ran 20:38. Declan Carney ran 23:17. Marcus Conte ran 23:58.

“We took our lumps today but many positives came out of the experience. The boys will come away stronger and ready to compete in November,” said head coach Perry Pappas.

The Warriors raced Watertown yesterday with results not available at press time.