The tough part of the season is behind Newton North's Margo Gillis. From here on, the talented junior harrier is playing with house money after an already-remarkable debut cross country season.
Gillis is heading west to next Saturday's Division 1 State Championship meet on the brutal Northfield Mountain course without a hint of pressure. She put herself in great position at Saturday's EMass. Div. 1 race, placing a strong second to Lincoln-Sudbury's Andrea Keklak in 19 minutes, 44 seconds. Racing in a downpour over the slippery and muddy 3.1-mile Franklin Park course, Gillis went through a slow first mile in a pack of 12. She wasn't able to run down Keklak, who defended her title from a year ago, but she outpaced the Newton South's Kathy O'Keefe over the final half mile to nail down the runner-up slot.
O'Keefe's 19:53 was good for third place as she led the Lions to second place in the team standings behind L-S.
``We went into the meet as a bit of an underdog against Lincoln-Sudbury,'' South coach Steven McChesney said, noting that three of South's six runners experienced sickness or foot problems in the week leading up to the meet. ``On Wednesday, I didn't even know if we'd finish in the top 10.''
South not only finished second, with 74 points (behind L-S's 58) but also had three runners in the top 20: Melanie Fineman (20:29, ninth), Madeleine Reed (20:42, 13th) and Anna Laurence (21:03, 17th). Kayla Burton finished 32nd in 21:56.
``I was just absolutely thrilled with the kids,'' McChesney said. ``I rank this as one of the greatest efforts from the beginning of the week - I think this is one of the greatest efforts I've ever seen from the team.''
McChesney added that he was especially impressed by some of his younger runners, who have come up from junior varsity and taken the spot of four runners who graduated last year and now compete at the college level.
South gets a rematch with Dual County League rival L-S next week at the state meet, where the Lions triumphed last year with 35 points, to the Warriors' runner-up 51.
``L-S is a great team, with a great history, but we've been able to knock them out at least once a year,'' McChesney said, adding that he expects his harriers to be fully healthy next week as they tackle the challenging uphill course. ``I think you never know what's going to happen - the elements might be in our favor.''
Gillis is also looking forward to competing on the tough Northfield layout, where she will not only face off against the South and L-S squads, but also see Div. 2 EMass Champion Jenna Davidner of Oliver Ames. While many harriers were cursing the miserable conditions at Franklin Park, Gillis welcomed them with a smile.
``I liked the mud,'' Gillis said. ``That's why I signed up for cross country, for the challenge.''
The Bay State Conference champion is relishing the chance of going up against the deep, talented field expected for the state championship race on the 3.1-mile course that's known for its hellacious climb in the opening mile.
``I really like that course,'' said Gillis, who ran the track in winning the Bay State Invitational last month. ``It's tough physically and mentally, but if you push through the first mile, it's a good course. I want to work off the lead pack and really work the downhills. I want to stay with them and see how I can do at the end.
``I'm up for the challenge.''
Gillis was the only runner in the top 50 for North, which finished 11th overall.
On the boys' side, the Tigers took 12th in the Div. 1 race with 313 points, closely followed by South with 338 points.
North's Dan Ranti was a strong 18th with his 17:29, with teammate Jake Gleason close behind in 17:47, good for 33rd. Ezra Litchman ran his way into the top 50, nailing down 47th in 17:59.
South's top runner, David Melley, dueled with Ranti over the waterlogged course to place one second behind (17:30) for 19th. Yuji Wakimoto joined Melley in the top 50 with 40th in 17:53.
(Daily News correspondent Jen Slothower contributed to this report.)
