In the preseason, the Coe-Brown boys’ cross country team was eager to prove itself and demonstrate that the Bears belong with the best in Division II – and the state. Saturday was another huge step in that direction.

Led by freshman Patrick Youngs’ fourth-place finish, Coe-Brown placed four runners in the top 11 as the Bears defended their home course with the team title at the 20-team Black Bear Invitational held at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy.

Youngs clocked a 17 minute, 6 second 5K time, while senior Luc Kerouac (sixth, 17:16), sophomore Benjamin Jobin (ninth, 17:26) and freshman Benjamin Larson (11th, 17:27) rounded out the CBNA runners in the top 11.

Landon Graveline (18th, 17:54), Quinn Froburg (19th, 17:56) and Dylan Plowman (59th, 19:37) were the Bears’ other top runners.

The Black Bear Invitational, one of the largest and competitive invitationals NHIAA cross country teams compete in every fall, includes teams from all three NHIAA divisions, plus Phillips Exeter and Phillips Andover.

The Bears’ team score of 45 points just beat out Phillips Exeter (52) and Phillips Andover (71). Alvirne (102) and Bow (163) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, while Hopkinton (281) came in 10th.

Phillips Andover’s Tam Gavenas won the individual title in 15:27, over a minute ahead of runner-up Bocelli Howland-Vlahakis (16:28), last year’s Capital Area champion as a member of Gilford High’s team.

Hopkinton sophomore Maddy Lane won the girls’ title in 18:49 with a comfortable gap over runner-up Anique Poulin of Dover (19:14). 

Lane, with her second major victory in a row having won the Manchester Invitational last weekend, led the Hawks to third place (98), trailing just Phillips Exeter (44) and Phillips Andover (70). 

Dover (115), Alvirne (151), Winnacunnet (187) and Coe-Brown (206) were the top seven teams.

Saturday’s Black Bear Invitational also marked the halfway point for the season, with the NHIAA division championships scheduled for Oct. 26 at Manchester’s Derryfield Park.

That’s still four weeks away, but so far Coe-Brown boys’ head coach Lucas Fisher is pleased where his team is at.

“They’re starting to realize their ability and where they can go as a team,” Fisher said. “They boys have really bonded. They know that not one person can do it, they’ll have to do it together.”

Coe-Brown hasn’t lost to a single NHIAA team head-to-head yet this season. The only team that’s beaten the Bears so far is Catholic Memorial out of West Roxbury, Mass., at last weekend’s Manchester Invitational.

Saturday’s win was Coe-Brown’s first Black Bear victory since 2019.

CBNA has been bolstered by the addition of rookies Young and Larson, while Fisher also credited Jobin, a sophomore, for engaging in more training this year than he did as a new runner last year.

Three of last year’s top four runners graduated, but seniors Kerouac, Graveline and Froburg have done a good job leading a younger roster than the Bears have had in recent years.

“The upperclassmen have done a good job being there, working hard and showing them how it’s done,” Fisher said. “They’re riding that momentum and really starting to believe in each other.”

Coe-Brown hopes to ride that momentum into next Saturday’s Battle of the Border at Alvirne High School.

Another top area individual on the boys’ side was Kearsarge’s Daniel Dalbec (seventh, 17:17), the lone competitor for the Cougars.

Thomas Sargent (21st, 18:05), Wyatt Worcester (28th, 18:23), Sam Kohl (29th, 18:23), George Kohl (49th, 19:17) and Ian Sandahl (52nd, 19:23) scored for fifth-place Bow, while Max Goupil (34th, 18:27), James Lavers (66th, 19:59), Finnegan Kovar (70th, 20:07), William Shepard (72nd, 20:08), Michael Crosby (77th, 20:18) were the scoring runners for 10th-place Hopkinton.

Shaylee Murdough (eighth, 20:29), Reese Bove (15th, 21:27), Amelia Walsh (34th, 22:28), Evelyn Hopper (52nd, 24:10) and Lucy Beardmore (63rd, 25:22) joined Lane on Hopkinton’s girls’ varsity squad.

Like the Coe-Brown boys, the Division III Hawks are also undefeated against their divisional opponents and have only lost to D-I Exeter and D-II Oyster River so far.

The Bow girls did not have enough runners for a team score, but had strong individual performances from Hannah Pawlowski (10th, 20:48) and Lena Thompson (37th, 22:43).

Paige Murdough (22nd, 21:49), Annabelle Lovett (31st, 22:21), Meredith Kerivan (53rd, 24:22), Olivia Zadakis (65th, 25:38) and Eloise Hill (67th, 25:50) score for seventh-place Coe-Brown.