The boys cross country team continued their successful season last weekend by placing sixth in the division 2C championship. The team now advances to the state finals, which take place on Nov. 15 at Fort Devens.

Leading the pack are senior Luis Costa and freshman Ben Fuller, who placed 13th and 15th respectively last weekend.

The team also won the league championship last month, their first since 2021.

Coach Joe Schroeder said he is proud of the entire team.

“This team has really gone above and beyond the expectations,” he said after a weight-room session this week. “Our goal was to qualify for this, obviously, but to see it come to fruition was really special, especially a freshman kid in that mix. It’s fun to watch.”

This is only Costa’s second year running cross country, and he has been pleased with how much improvement he has been able to achieve in such a short amount of time.

“The race [on Nov. 8], I ran a harder course than I did last year, and had a better placement and time, so I’m really proud of that.” Costa said. “Just looking [at times] side to side of the meets I ran, looking a year apart and seeing the progress, there’s been a lot of change.”

As a freshman in high school, Fuller had never competed in a formal setting before this year.

“I didn’t expect much out of myself for starting the season,” he said. “Then we had the very first race [here] that I ended up winning. That made me realize I could be better.”

Though cross country standings are solely determined by time, Costa’s mentality is also team-oriented.

“Time is good to get the workouts right and to help you improve, but once I’m at a race, I’m not really worried about the time I’m going to run, especially if it’s for the team. Just worried about placement,” he said.

Costa is the only senior on the varsity team and he sees big things for the team in the coming years.

“We still have a lot to look forward to and we’re just getting started,” he said. “Everyone’s going to get better next year. If we made it this year, we’re definitely going to just keep improving.”

The boys cross country team competes in the state finals on Saturday, Nov. 15.