St. John's aims for fourth straight title.

• Position: Sports

St. John's High has been dominant on the gridiron, the soccer pitch and the fairways over the years, but the Pioneers also have a proud tradition in cross-country, and once again they hope to shine next month on Gardner Municipal Golf Course.

Although Nashoba Regional and Wachusett Regional should be in the mix, the Central Mass. Division 1 championship is expected to come down to cross-town rivals St. John's and Shrewsbury High.

The Pioneers, three-time defending champions, have captured an amazing 20 titles in the last 29 years. St. John's won its first in 1984, and the dynasty -- one of the most impressive in the area in any sport -- began.

"I expect us to run our best,'' said St. John's coach Raul Laborde, who took over the reins in 1990 but joined the program four years earlier as an assistant. "I expect Shrewsbury to run their best. I hope they run their best. We're looking forward to a tough battle with Shrewsbury.''

In what should have been a good tuneup, the Pioneers bested the Colonials Tuesday in a dual meet.

"I am,'' replied senior co-captain Connor Murphy when asked if he's excited about the CMass meet on Nov. 9. "I can't wait. We have a young team but a very talented team. It's definitely an opportunity to carry on the tradition.

"As a team, we're hoping to make it No. 4 this year. I still love the team aspect of cross-country. Now, it's up to us and the way we perform.''

St. John's lost 2012 T&G Runner of the Year Jon Green plus Alex Crowley and Kyle Johnson to graduation, but Laborde said the 6-foot-1, 150-pound Murphy -- the team's No. 1 harrier -- has far and away exceeded his expectations.

"We lost three top-notch guys last year,'' Laborde said. "Jon was a phenom -- a phenomenal athlete, and there was no way we were going to replace him. He's arguably the best runner to come out of Massachusetts.

"(Murphy) has got a shot at a district championship. He's been pushing hard. He's had a great season and has stepped up big-time. I didn't think he'd improve this much this season. He's been having incredible workouts and he's been consistent all year.''

Murphy, who won this year's Wachusett Invitational and was sixth at the third annual Bob McIntyre Twilight Cross-Country Meet on Oct. 19, is running with confidence, and that's rubbing off on his teammates, many of whom are underclassmen. St. John's, which never competed in the Twilight before, finished second to Pembroke.

"We ran spectacularly well,'' Laborde said. "The kids...