Five years and counting — that's how long it has been since the Hamilton-Wenham girls lost a regular season cross country race.
The Generals are off to another terrific start this season at 5-0, winning a dual meet and two tri-meets. And there seems to be no end in sight to their success, thanks to six seniors who have never lost a meet in their high school careers and a talented group of underclassmen that are learning the ropes. The seniors help the newcomers understand the tradition.
"Honestly, I really don't know the reason for it. But the wins just keep coming," said veteran coach Steve Sawyer, the architect of the Generals' track program. "At times it seems a bit out of control, but it's a beautiful experience for the coaches, kids and their parents.
"We're on a roll. On paper it doesn't look like we should lose anytime soon — and there's no issue with the girls getting big heads. They work hard and train hard all the time. My job as coach is to keep them happy and healthy."
The six seniors include captains Alison Lanois, Ashley Kang and Molly Herlihy along with Hannah Millimet, Avery Hennigar and Lizzie Woodbury. Millimet is out with a knee injury but should be back soon, while Kang has been battling through a knee problem.
Emily Senning and Kerry Phelan are two outstanding juniors, and Sawyer also has four to five up-and-coming sophomores to carry on the tradition that includes not only winning Cape Ann League titles, but league meet championships, Division 4 victories and top finishes at All-States.
Emily Lanois, who is now running at Columbia, was never beaten in her four years at H-W; her younger sister Alison wants to carry on that incredible streak. Every team in the state, she acknowledged, knows they have to watch out for Hamilton-Wenham.
"There's pressure there, and one of the challenges is encouraging the girls to enjoy the wins. It's been so long since we lost that sometimes we don't get excited enough about the victories," Alison Lanois said. "You have to rally around that concept.
"Coach Sawyer will tell us that the race we just won is past, and we have to focus on tomorrow. We know we can't take any team for granted. There are always new freshmen with talent (on opposing teams), and we definitely have a target on our backs. Everybody wants to be the one to end our run. The seniors have to get the younger kids motivated and build team spirit; we all know that's our biggest job."
Lanois, who has started looking at colleges and will definitely continue to run, said the team set goals at the beginning of the season — but they are just for their own knowledge, not ready to put them out publicly just yet.
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Julia Woodworth Ford will be one of the featured athletes at the 2010 New England Ski and Snowboard Ball at the House of Blues in Boston on Wednesday night.
After spending three years on the U.S. Development team, Woodworth Ford made the jump to the U.S. Ski Team this year. She had top 10 finishes in every Nor Am Race she entered, finished second in the overall standings and won her second super combined title.
The daughter of Peabody Hall of Famer Lori Woodworth, she was the top women's junior in slalom and GS at the U.S. Alpine National Championships. At the end of last season she raced at the Swedish National Championships and took second in the downhill and third in Super G against tough competition.
She plans to race in more World Cup and Europa Cup competitions this coming season and has been training in Park City Utah during the offseason.
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Since former St. John's Prep quarterback Scott Darby took over as starting quarterback for Georgetown University, the team has been on a roll. For the first time, the Hoyas are 2-0 in the Patriot League, and Darby was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week for the second time.
Dary led his team to a 17-7 win over Holy Cross with three second half scoring drives, including two fourth quarter touchdowns. He had a team-high 98 yards rushing and completed 26 of 41 passes.
The Hoyas have scored in 11 of 12 trips to the red zone and travel to Colgate today for another big game.
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What a thrilling way to end a great season for both the Legends 15U Navy and 14U Navy baseball teams, who were introduced at Fenway Park on Sept. 19 before a Red Sox/Blue Jays game.
The 15s recorded their third straight New England AAU championship this year, previously winning as 13s and 14s. Peabody's Steve Lomasney coaches the team that has gone 17-2 at the New England Tournament the past three years and had a 35-9 overall record this summer.
The Legends 14s, coached by Michael Costantino, won the Cal Ripken National Tournament at Myrtle Beach, S.C., with a perfect 8-0 record and was runner-up at the New Englands. They finished the season with a 48-12 mark.
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Jean DePlacido is a part-time writer and columnist for The Salem News. Contact her at jmdeplacido@aol.com.
