Dorchester Banner/Dave ryan
The starting horn sounded, runners set their stopwatches, and girls from Cambridge-South Dorchester and North Dorchester high schools’ cross country teams set off on their annual Dorchester Cup scrimmage. The race took place Aug. 30 at Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park.[/caption] TRAPPE – Cambridge-South Dorchester High School runners left Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park on Aug. 30 with victories in the annual Dorchester Cup cross country scrimmage with North Dorchester High School. The Lady Vikings scored 18, while their north county rivals racked up 40. In cross country, the first five finishers on a team score points corresponding to their places – so first place scores 1, second place scores 2, and so on, meaning the team with the lowest score wins. In a sign of tough competition on the way from Shiloh this year, C-SD’s boys only squeaked past ND by 1 point, 28-29. “We’re looking good,” volunteer Coach Mark Lowrie said. “We have a lot of returning seniors.” Mr. Lowrie, who has been the team’s head coach, is stepping back into a reduced role this season, to spend more time at home with his newborn child. The Eagles’ 17 boys and 12 girls are being led by Head Coach Amanda Robinson and Assistant Coach Clint Falduto. Coach Robinson is looking to make the personal connections that can result in progress for a student. “The big thing this year, as a teacher, is about building relationships,” she said. The coaches are hoping for the best for Kaylen Nagel, who had a successful season in track and field as a freshman. Now a sophomore and starting her first year in cross country, the soft-spoken girl might have a few surprises in store for her opponents. Coach Falduto said Kaylen is “a humble kid, with the heart of a champion. It’s exciting.” There’s a bit of excitement at C-SD, as well. The Vikings boys and girls both won the Region 1A East Championship last fall, and it looks like there’s plenty of positive energy good to go for this campaign. “We finally have an entire team that wants to be there,” Coach Sean Reincke said. “We’re smaller, so we’re down in quantity, but up in quality.” Coach Reincke leads the Vikes’ 26 runners, with Coach Lois Narr. They are assisted by Angie Condon and John Shaw. The Lady Vikings lost three varsity starters to graduation. On the boys’ side, it’ll be tough to replace the speed and competitiveness of Matt Koletsky, now at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware, and Trevor Goodwin, who has moved on to Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Va. But the right attitude makes a major difference in carrying runners through grueling practices and the three-mile race courses. “There aren’t any sad faces,” Coach Reincke said. “It’s a complete joy to come to practice this year.”