Cross Country Kicks Off Season in Randolph

Montville High School's boys and girls Cross Country teams kick off its 2010 season Friday night at the Randolph Invitational.

For head coach Mark Philhower, the invitational gives him a chance to evaluate his team, and see not only who his top runner might be, but how well his team has been preparing in the off season.

"You find out who is the number one when you run a race," he said.

Philhower pointed to two runners on the boys team specifically that, he feels, have a good shot of being the team's top runner, freshman Michael Higgens and junior Kevin Duffy.

"Both are doing really well in training," he said. "All our varsity runner are stronger than they were last year. We did some good work over the summer, and everyone who came back is stronger than last year."

The boys team was blessed with strong numbers this year, as well. Philhower said the squad saw 27 students turn out this year, including 15 returning varsity runners.

The girls team, however, did not get the same large turnout that the boys did. According to Philhower, the team is 10 deep, with eight returning runners and two new girls. The team is looking to improve upon last year behind the strengths of senior Heather Wolf and junior Stephanie de Bourmont.

"This group has not been that strong, but with so many returning, they are really motivated," he said. "They have the potential to be a strong team."

Though Philhower said the program is in a bit of a rebuilding stage, especially after the loss of the boys team's number one runner from 2009 and brother of Stephanie, Martin de Bourmont, he has lofty goals for his team.

"We're very much expecting to be in the top five in the section," he said. "Our goal is the sectional tournament. Morris [county] is a very strong place for running, and we've had a number of strong seasons for both girls and boys."

However, as far as the season-opening invitational is concerned, Philower said he has no expectations.

"[The invitational] gives us a good idea of where we are in our training," he said.  "It's kind of the middle of the season for us. We've done some of the base work already, and this lets us know where we are. Maybe it provides motivation to work hard, maybe confirmation that what we're doing is the right stuff."

The Randolph invitational will be held at Freedom Park at 6 p.m.