XC Weekend Recap: Thrills at Heartland & State Championships

At the New England XC, Newtown High School's Soheib Dissa clinched the boys' individual title with a time of 15:13.00, narrowly beating La Salle Academy's Marshall Vernon, who clocked in at 15:14.00. This victory marked a major leap for Dissa, who improved on his 8th-place finish from last year and capped a standout season in which he lost only once at the 5K distance and won his last five races. Sean Gray of Portsmouth High School followed in third with a time of 15:24.00, completing a highly competitive top trio.

In the boys' team race, Ridgefield High School claimed their second consecutive championship title, posting a score of 63 points with a compact 0:46 split among their top five and a solid team average of 15:58. Ridgefield was led by Magnus Manley who finished in 5th place with a time of 15:35 and Charles Lovett who finished 14th with a time of 15:51. East Lyme High School came in second with 161 points and a 1:13 split, but Ridgefield's depth and consistency proved decisive.

For the girls, Glastonbury High School's Brooke Strauss capped an undefeated season by winning the individual title in 17:46.00, improving on her third-place finish from the previous year. Chase Gilbert of Old Lyme High School finished second in 17:53.00. In the girls' team competition, Champlain Valley Union High School successfully defended their title, earning their fifth New England Championship in the last ten years. With a team score of 100 points and a 1:30 split, they showed the depth needed to outpace Cumberland, who scored 124 points with a 1:02 split.