WRENTHAM — St. John’s Prep’s Tristan Shelgren knew what he was getting himself into.
He knew that after he inevitably broke free from the droves of runners in the boys’ Division 1 race at the Eastern Mass. Championship, the majority of the race would be, as always, a two-man battle with Andrew Mah of Newton North.
“Whoever goes harder wins,’’ Shelgren said in regard to his battles with Mah. “If I can just go out the last mile and give it out, then yeah, maybe I can pull it through. Just mentally, if he gaps you, oh, he’s gone. There’s no beating him. No one in the state. No one in New England.’’
Luckily for Shelgren, he didn’t let Mah make a move. Shelgren finished first with a time of 15 minutes, 14 seconds in the 5K. Mah placed second at 15:21.
Shelgren has become accustomed to facing Mah, at invitationals, divisionals, and soon-to-be states. In one week’s time, both runners will be back in Wrentham competing for a state title.
“It’s just this confidence building,’’ Shelgren said. “We’ve raced each other so many times, now it’s just really chiseling out the fine details.’’
Lowell won the Division 1 team title with 66 points, followed by Newton North with 101.
The Division 4 race belonged to Newburyport’s Sam Acquaviva. The junior’s convincing first-place finish in 15:59 propelled the Clippers to the divisional title with 89 points.
Even in the late afternoon cold, Acquaviva’s form never waved. At the sound of the gun, he jumped to the front of the pack and led the rest of the way.
“I knew that if I didn’t push it as hard as I can, someone from behind me could’ve caught right up and then the work I put in to get ahead would’ve been for nothing,’’ Acquaviva said. “It’s definitely tougher to be out front constantly telling yourself to push it than staying on someone’s shoulder.’’
Arlington’s Ryan Oostingcrossed the finish line first (15:51) in the boys’ Division 2 race. The junior beat out Thomas Weiss of Wellesley (15:56).
Wellesley went on to win as a team with 68 points, followed by Concord-Carlisle with 84.
In the Division 3 race, Matt Greatorex’s first-place finish (16:09) powered Wakefield to a team title with 48 points. Pembroke finished second with 61 points.
Pentucket won the Division 5 team title by 3 points, pushed to the limit by Norwell seniors Steven O’Driscoll (16:14.51) and Andrew Corbett (16:19.77). It was the first time the duo had been the first two to cross the finish line in their four years as teammates.
Bellingham captured the Division 6 title, placing all five scorers in the top 11, though senior Kellen Waters of Ipswich won in 16:39.
On the girls’ side, the chilly temperatures didn’t slow down Milton’s Bridget Mitchell as the senior cruised in Division 3 with a time of 18:22.
Mitchell helped Milton place second with 53 points. Tewksbury was the overall winner with 48.
In Division 1, Natick’s Grace Connolly continued her run of perfection. She placed first in 17:40, 50 seconds faster than Maggie Donahue of Wellesley. Concord-Carlisle won as a team with 61 points, followed by Wellesley’s 69.
Mitchell and Connolly are expected to battle in the All-State meet Saturday.
In Division 4, Nauset placed its top three runners in the top 10. Senior Madaket Nobili (18:30.85) and her freshman sister, Izzy (19:43.17), finished first and ninth, respectively, and senior Tara Ellard was third at 18:53.52.
“At these meets, it’s not so much about your time as it is about your place,’’ said Madaket.
“I was trying to stay with the front pack for as long as possible and make them do the work for as long as I could. Then I just found a spot to kick because I knew if I could get around the pack, I could finish strong.’’
However, the race was decided by depth. Westwood’s squad, led by four girls in the top 20, won with 79 points.
Newton South’s Caroline Barry placed first in the Division 1 race in 18:26, topping Olivia Sheffield of Lowell by 10 seconds. Sheffield’s performance, however, helped the Red Raiders to a first-place finish with 72 points.
Junior Eve Feuerbach of Manchester Essex won the Division 5 title in 18:42, and Hamilton-Wenham was the top team with 82 points.
Austin Prep senior Stephanie Casaletto was the Division 6 winner in 18:46. Her teammate, senior Margaret Weber, was third at 20:02. Bishop Fenwick took the title with 64 points, and all five scorers were in the top 20.
