Zach Horowitz ’19

The Staples boys’ cross country team placed first at the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) Championships on Wed. afternoon. This was the first title that Staples cross country brought back to Westport in 12 years.

Staples was an underdog to Danbury entering the competition, but the Wreckers showed their strength and perseverance by winning with the biggest margin of victory in the past decade, with Danbury coming in second place.

In the previous two years, the Wreckers lost with a very narrow margin, losing by three points in 2015 and only one in 2014.  Therefore, for most upperclassmen, this win was extra sweet.

“As a senior it’s a great send off to know that after four years of running we’re the best team in the FCIAC,” Conor Teran ’17, a key role player in the 5k said. “Last year we lost by three points and the year before one point so we’re happy that everything came together today to win.”

Zak Ahmad ’17, captain of boys’ cross country, boys’ indoor track, and boys’ outdoor track, came away with the individual title.  

“It feels really great,” Ahmad said. “It’s awesome knowing that we got the team title and I did my job for it. It was nice to know I had achieved what I’d wanted since freshman year as I crossed the line.”

The motivation for the team’s success came in many forms for the athletes on the cross country team. For senior captain Brandon Harrington ’17, the label of being an underdog was enough. “We were ranked behind them [Danbury]  going into the race so we used that as motivation,” Harrington said.

However, for other athletes on the team, the motivation to win FCIAC’s came from the Staples community, including academic teachers.

“Mr. [Drew] Coyne has had a huge role in motivating both me and Zak [Ahmad] this season to work hard and end our senior years off right,” Teran said. “I’ve never seen a teacher support athletes as much as Mr. Coyne has these past two years and we owe him a lot.”

The Wreckers’ FCIAC victory meant a lot for the team.  However, now they are focused on the State Class and the State Open Meet.

“It’s a great win and we’ll celebrate now, but our focus now shifts to the state meets we have coming,” captain Brian MaCordy ’17 said.  “I know everyone wants to win those even more than this one.”

The Wreckers are riding on confidence and hope to carry it into the State meets. “We have all the confidence in the world,” Harrington said.  “And [we] know that we can beat anyone.”

Photo used under the Creative Commons license