Battling Bishops off to the races for Class AAA crown

The Bishop England High School boys’ cross country team finished No. 1 in the final 2020 regular-season poll of Class AAA teams.

 

But coach Tony Colizzi knows that what happens the next two Fridays on a 5-kilometer Sandhills Research Facility course in Columbia will define the season.

 

If the Bishops live up to their potential, they have a great shot of winning a state title for the second time in three years. But you never know until the race is over.

 

Still, Colizzi is optimistic for a fantastic finish thanks to hard work that never seems to stop.

 

“The boys’ team is having a very good season,” Colizzi said. “Our seniors – Mark Richter, Dominic Coffman, Matthew Sawyer and Brendan Womble – have been great leaders for this team. The team put in a lot of miles over the summer and they are paying off with some good times so far this season.”

 

The Bishops had many memorable team victories this fall including the Region 8-AAA title. In that race, the team spotlighted veterans and showcased young runners as well. 

 

Richter led the Bishops with the gold medal at the region championship. Hank Linder won the silver medal and Sawyer was third, Justin Hafner placed fourth and Coffman was ninth.

 

“We have many of our younger runners make significant contributions to the team,” Colizzi said.  “Justin, JJ Romano, Marc Brahim and Charlie Tessier are all new to the team and all have made varsity. That’s tough to do as eighth-graders and freshmen. They have definitely helped push this team to the top. The seniors have done a great job of bringing those boys along. Our lone junior is Hank and we do not have any sophomores on the team.”

 

Colizzi, who has led the Bishops to four state titles since 2008, knows the Bishops must be ready mentally and physically when the starter’s pistol goes off.

 

“To bring home a state meet (championship), the boys are going to have to perform well. They all need to run what they are capable of running and they will have a good chance of bringing home the trophy.

 

The girls team finished in the top five in the state poll and will run Friday at the state qualifier.

 

“The girls have made huge advancements over the teams from the last few years,” Colizzi said. “They have had an increase in team size and have been fortunate enough to get a lot of new talent on the team.

 

“Coming into this season the girls knew they had lost three of their top runners and they believed they would be in a rebuilding year,” Colizzi added. “But the insurgence of new talent has turned a would-be rebuilding season into a season where they are competing for the state title.”

 

The girls team added two new senior runners, Kimber Keene and Kayla Vroman. The team also relies on freshmen Bo Rosato, Nini Clarke and Scarlett Grave as well as seventh-grader Nora Brahim.

 

Only two members of the team, Mary Wallace Rainero and Zoe Eckrich, entered 2020 with varsity experience.