Cross country running takes off at Tahanto.

Byline: Bill Marsh

BOYLSTON - The sport of cross county is booming at Tahanto Regional High School.

There are 37 runners out for the boys and girls cross country teams this season, which is a dramatic increase over previous years, according to coach Patrick Minihan.

"These are the best numbers we've had by far," said Minihan, who is in his fourth year at the helm. "Last year, we had 20 kids and, a couple of years ago, we had only 10 kids.

"We've nearly tripled the interest in the sport in the last few years," he said. "I think everyone knows that our objective here, in cross country, is fun and self improvement.

"We have kids of all ability levels compete in the sport," Minihan continued. "They enjoy being part of a competitive team that has a friendly, family-type vibe to it."

The boys are having one of their best seasons in years and are vying for the Wachusett League D (formerly the Midland-Wachusett League D Division) title.

After a 20-38 victory over Lunenburg last Thursday afternoon, the Stags own a 10-2 overall record.

At the recent Wachusett Invitational, the Tahanto boys finished fourth out of 12 teams in Class C. Hopedale was the top team in C.

Tahanto's home course is a 2.7-mile course that runs adjacent to the Wachusett Reservoir.

The Stags' captains are seniors Nathan Richards and Tony Pacheco. Richards is the second runner on the team, while Pacheco is in the fourth spot.

The other seniors on the squad are Bruno Souza and Adam Blais, who have been competing in the fifth and sixth positions, respectively.

"Nate (Richards) and Tony (Pacheco) have been running well and are a pleasure to coach," Minihan said. "Nate has been consistently our second-best runner.

"Adam (Blais) has had a good, strong season," he said. "He is out here practicing every day and, when we need someone, he has really stepped up."

The top runner this season is junior Hayden Smith, a School Choice student from Nashoba Regional.

"The addition of Hayden (Smith) has made a big difference for us this year," Minihan said. "He and Nate have been beaten by only one other runner in our league the entire season."

The third runner on the team is sophomore Palmer Bigelow, while junior Ridge Pierce and eighth-grader Joel Pendergast have been competing in the sixth and seventh spots, respectively.

"Our top three (runners) are as good as last year," Minihan said. "The middle of the pack wins the meets, and our four through seven runners are significantly better than last...