By Michael Letendre
FARMINGTON – What was the best way for the Bristol Central boys cross county team to wrap up the regular season?
How about establish a new course record on the road?
Well, that’s exactly what Central senior Nate DeAngelo accomplished on Wednesday afternoon during a Central Connecticut Conference, Region B contest in Farmington.
The speedster from Central finished the race against the Indians in 16:15 – seizing first place and rewriting the course record in the process from Winding Trails.
More importantly, the Rams picked up the team win, defeating Farmington 23-38 as Central had four of its top runners place in the top six.
DeAngelo, having a sensational season on the courses, finished 46 seconds in front of the runner up.
But that second place finisher, Central’s Frankie Porrini, ran extremely well with a time of 17:01.
The 1-2 punch of DeAngelo and Porriri has been a strong combination all season, and led Central to the eventual victory on Wednesday.
The Indians Brendan Kelly (17:14) and Charlie Driscoll (17:59) placed third and fourth, respectively, but Central’s Chris Roy and Ray Peters were the next two athletes to cross the finish line.
Roy (5th, 18:47) and Peters (6th, 19:03) made strong showings, followed by the Indians’ Thatcher Gorman (7th, 19:03) and Alen Joseph (8th, 19:04), before two additional Central runners rounded out the top-10 and made the event academic.
Reggie Gonzales finished in ninth at 19:16 and Austin Freve placed 10th with a time of 19:52.
With the regular season behind the Rams, the program has one final date on their slate.
Central travels to Stanley Quarter Park next Tuesday for the Central Connecticut Conference, Region B Postseason challenge.
The meet starts at 3 p.m. in New Britain.
The Rams will take another shot at Avon, who defeated the Bristol squad 24-37 to open the campaign on October 1.
Central will also take aim at Southington, a meet that resulted in a narrow 25-36 loss back on October 14.
With a strong finish to the 2020 season, Central should be feeling confident going into the meet with its experienced group.
Overall, the Rams ended the regular season at 5-2.
Bristol Central Boys Cross Country
from Winding Trails, Farmington
Score: Bristol Central 23, Farmington 34
Individual Results
1. Nate DeAngelo (Bristol Central), 16:15 – new course record!
2. Frankie Porrini (Bristol Central), 17:01
3. Brendan Kelly (Farmington), 17:14
4. Charlie Driscoll (Farmington), 17:59
5. Chris Roy (Bristol Central), 18:47
6. Ray Peters (Bristol Central), 19:03
7. Thatcher Gorman (Farmington), 19:03
8. Alen Joseph (Farmington), 19:04
9. Reggie Gonzales (Bristol Central), 19:16
10. Austin Freve (Bristol Central), 19:52
