As the opening of the high school cross country season gets closer, both the Norwood boys and girls squads know that what they are up against is anything but easy. Last fall is not where the Mustangs wanted to be, and this year could be more of the same; an uphill struggle each and every step of the way. Having to run in the Tri-Valley large division brings no sympathy to the Mustangs as they know they have to square off against the likes of Hopkinton, Holliston, and Westwood, all state contenders.

"Being in our situation, all we can do is go out and run to the best of our ability," Mustang Cross Country Coach Amy Worcester said. "We're just looking to improve individually. We go out there and set and try to achieve personal goals; it's basically all we can do."

Worcester went on to say that she is coaching a great group of kids who work extremely hard and come to practice with a positive attitude despite knowing that that are most likely not going to win. Losing on a regular basis is not fun, but the Mustang runners still continue to take part in the sport because they enjoy it and realize that they can at least see improvement with their individual growth.

Running for the boys team this fall will be seniors Bobby Gray and Noah Shaw as well as junior Seth Noel and sophomore Cameron Shaw. According to Worcester, it is tough to make a comment on how the boys team looks thus far as the team has yet to take part in any type of meet as of the time of this writing.

Last fall, the younger Shaw found himself near the top of the pack on a regular basis, and so far though the pre-season Gray is coming off a strong summer and looking to challenge for that top spot.

"They are all working on making bigger strides this year," the Mustang coach said. "They all want to improve and have been getting stronger and faster."

On the other side of the coin is the girls who boast a trio of talented runners in the likes of junior Bridget Flynn, senior Kerin Gorman, and first-time cross country runner Emma Flanigan. Flanigan may be new to running through the woods, but she is a veteran indoor and outdoor runner for Norwood where she is a proficient mile and 2-mile runner in addition to also taking part in the 4x800 relay. Worcester believes that cross country running falls right into her mix and she has trained hard this summer to get ready,

While Flanigan may be new to the sport, both Gorman and Flynn are veteran cross-country runners. The duo both qualified for the Meet of Champions last fall and the Mustang coach is expecting they do the same once again this year. At the Division 2 Sectionals, Flynn took fifth place and then went on to grab 16th place at the Meet of Champions while Gorman was 44th in the Sectionals and 126 at the Meet of Champions.

"Both girls should absolutely be able to qualify again this year," Worcester said. "In fact, they should be able to do better as they have come into the season stronger than last year and both are coming off a spring season where they put up personal records."

The top seven teams of the season will advance into the Meet of Champions and then the top 10 individuals not on those seven teams will also be awarded a qualifying spot.

All three girls partake in track as well as cross country but the coach believes that the fall season brings a much more encouraging situation.

"Cross country is its own sport and it's much more favorable running through trails and past water," Worcester said. "It's much better than just running around an oval continually."

While Flynn should one again be the top dog on the girls' side, Worcester is looking for Flanigan to hang near Gorman during each meet. If the newcomer can do just that she too should be able to find her way into the Meet of Champions.

Photos courtesy of Coach Amy Worcester