The worst kept secret in the state was revealed this past weekend. Bishop Hendricken is for real and certainly should be considered the leading contender for its first state title since winning six straight from 2008-13.
The Hawks showcased their depth and overall strength in a big way at the Manchester Invitational on Saturday. With a gap of just six seconds between its first and fifth scoring runners, Hendricken beat a very-strong Lowell High (MA) squad, 54-80. It was the Hawks eighth title at the New Hampshire meet since 2000.
Hendricken, which actually had its top six harriers separated by only 12 seconds, were led by Jack McMahon, who was eighth overall in 16 minutes, 34 seconds over a very-challenging 5K layout at Derryfield Park. Finishing a mere second behind McMahon in ninth was Sean Meehan at 16:35. Aidan Tierney (11th, 16:39), Luke Henseler (12th, 16:40) and Jonathan Iamarone (14th, 16:40) rounded out the scoring. Also cracking 17 minutes was Dylan Manning, who was the Hawks' sixth man. He placed 19th overall with a 16:48 clocking. Teammate Ryan Mallozzi was 34th (17:12).
The Hawks also won the Junior Varsity 'B' race with just 21 points. Alex Mansour was second overall in 17:14.