This year inside the Patriot League, there is little to no room for error. This league is EASILY the tightest conference in the state. One of three teams could pull out the league title, and the four teams behind them are also extremely close in terms of talent. Marshfield, Plymouth South, and Plymouth North all have their eyes on the league title, and they’ll all have to run through the line to obtain it. This article will cover all aspects of the Patriot League and what to expect from them this season.
Key Individuals
- Nate Palmieri — Pembroke
- Logan Holloway — Pembroke
- Conor Rightmire — Marshfield
- Dylan Vaughn — Plymouth North
- Caleb O’Callahan — Marshfield
- Sleeper: Kenji Gallo — Plymouth South
On paper, it seems that Nate Palmieri is going to be running away with the individual title and is someone to keep your eyes on in November. The UMass Lowell commit is a great runner with many notable accomplishments. He just recently became the Division 4 outdoor two-mile champion and is also the No. 2 returner from the outdoor All-State two-mile. Palmieri boasts PRs of 9:22 and 15:52.
After this, we should be able to witness a good battle between Palmieri’s teammate, Logan Holloway (16:10), and Marshfield’s Conor Rightmire (16:17). Both were only freshmen last year and will look to make a big jump during their sophomore campaigns.
The first four teams on the list are Scituate, Hanover, Hingham, and then Duxbury. All four are solid programs with their No. 1 runner in the 17:00 range and their next few runners a bit further back. Scituate is led by Steven Caprone (17:20), Hanover is led by Leo Galvin (17:17), Hingham is led by Will Watts (17:29), and Duxbury is led by Jack Geisler (17:04).
Whitman-Hanson comes in a bit above all these teams. Their strength is their depth, having five runners below the 19:00 barrier. They have a duo in front that looks to lead the squad: Jackson DeLue (18:05) and Bryce Weckbacher (18:17).
After that, it’s a toss-up. Not one, two, or even three teams are in the running—four teams will all be battling to beat the others. North Quincy, Silver Lake, Pembroke, and Quincy all look super close to each other on paper, with Quincy projected slightly ahead of Pembroke, Silver Lake, and North Quincy.
North Quincy is led by Wilson Chen (17:05) and returns five more runners under the 19:00 barrier, with three within 16 seconds of each other.
Silver Lake is just a hair above them. Graham Laws (16:43) and Owen Hughes (17:20) both return to front-run for the squad. After that, they again have five more runners under 19:00, with their No. 3 and No. 4 being one second apart.
Pembroke slides into fifth here. They will almost definitely go 1-2 every time they race; however, their lack of depth makes it so other teams have a shot at them. Nate Palmieri (15:52) and Logan Holloway (16:10) will lead this squad. After that, they have three more returners all between 18:20 and 18:40. If they want to end up on top, their No. 4 and No. 5 especially need to move up.
Quincy appears to be at the top of the four teams. Carter Bishop, Jayden Anderson, and DJ Neto are all coming in between 17:08 and 17:11. Being led by three runners helps a lot more than the other teams having one or two. They then have another returner below 18:00 and their fifth below 19:00.
A common theme between these four squads is that they all lack a solid No. 5 runner. If any squad were to gain that, they would boost ahead of the other three. All four squads’ No. 5 runners come in between 18:39 and 18:53.
At the very top of the conference are three squads: Marshfield, Plymouth South, and Plymouth North. On paper, Plymouth North is third here. Dylan Vaughn (16:25) leads this team, followed by four more strong runners in Dylan Monteiro (17:06), Cameron Pratt (17:08), Aidan Humber (17:09), and Mac Doherty (17:22). Although this team has a strong pack and the best No. 5 returner in the conference, they lack multiple top-end guys, contributing to their third-place seed.
Plymouth South is right above them, again by a hair. They are led by our sleeper pick, Kenji Gallo (16:37), who has a sneaky two-mile PR of 10:13 from his sophomore year. Two more sub-17:00 runners fall right behind him in Joseph DiMartines (16:47) and Jake Parks (16:59). The team’s main problem is their No. 4, Xavier Joachim (17:17). That’s not a bad No. 4 by any means; however, the No. 4 runners for the other two teams are just that good. CJ Fox (17:30) rounds out this squad.
Marshfield is currently the No. 1 seed for the league; however, if even one little thing goes wrong, they could easily lose. Conor Rightmire (16:17) and Caleb O’Callahan (16:28) are two strong front-runners for the squad. Cal Kennedy (17:07) and Max Rosales (17:13) then come in as a solid 3-4 punch. If they want to cement their lead, their No. 5 runner, Peter Adams (17:36), needs to move up with the No. 3 and No. 4. Although they’re the No. 1 seed, Adams is actually the slowest No. 5 of the top three teams, causing Marshfield to not be too far ahead.
Projected Patriot League Order
- Marshfield
- Plymouth South
- Plymouth North
- Quincy
- Pembroke
- Silver Lake
- North Quincy
- Whitman-Hanson
- Duxbury
- Hingham
- Hanover
- Scituate
Who do you think will win the Patriot League title?