Murray keeps Pioneers flying.

• Position: Sports

When Mark Murray took over for longtime St. John's coach Raul Laborde, he was confident the transition would be smooth, and so far, Murray and his team are feeling pretty comfortable.

"(Laborde) did an outstanding job with that program,'' said Murray, whose son John had a stellar career at Shrewsbury High and is now running at Georgetown. "He's a class act. He's a great educator and a great coach. Look at what he delivered the last few years.''

Next month, top-ranked St. John's will try to capture its fifth consecutive Central Mass. Division 1 Championship -- and 22nd overall -- at Gardner Municipal Golf Course.

Laborde, who took over in 1990, guided the Pioneers to several All-State Meet appearances.

The quest for the school's first state championship still burns.

"We've never won the states,'' Murray said. "We certainly have the talent. We have depth. When you have that combination, why not shoot for the moon? Why not go for it? We have a good nucleus of kids. Where we certainly have to be in the running, we have to be in the story. They're big-race runners. That's what you need to be successful.''

"Just like any team, we want to win,'' junior Peter Monahan said. "Our main goal is to win the state championship this year. We also would like to win the district Meet, but that's anybody's game. I try to avoid (thinking about All-States). After experiencing it (last year), I just don't think about it. It really doesn't cross my mind.''

Last season, St. John's placed fourth at All-States.

''It'd be pretty awesome to be the first St. John's team to win it,'' junior Harry Maloy said. "We're a competitive team this year. We're out to compete in every race. I think we can definitely win as long as we stay focused. We're in a pretty decent position now, but we need to get a lot better.''

The Pioneers (4-0) finished second to a team from Robbinsville, New Jersey, in the Ocean State Invitational's championship race last month, while their freshman and junior varsity squads won their divisions.

St. John's also won its division at the Bay State Invitational on Oct. 11.

The Pioneers will bypass this morning's Wachusett Invitational to compete at this evening's Bob McIntyre Twilight Meet at the Barnstable Fairgrounds in Falmouth, which draws several elite teams and runners from Eastern Mass. St. John's will enter four teams -- varsity, JV, sophomore and freshman.

Last year, St. John's was led by T&G Super Team All-Star Connor Murphy, who is running...