The Large School Varsity Boys race at the 2026 Manchester Invitational delivered exactly what has made the meet at Derryfield Park one of New England’s premier September measuring sticks: a fast front pack, athletes representing several states, and a team battle featuring some of the region’s strongest programs. When it was over, Bishop Guertin junior Ethan Fischer had claimed the individual championship, while Vermont powerhouse Champlain Valley used remarkable front-end depth to hold off Hanover for the team title.
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New Hampshire runners were prominent throughout the top 10. Pinkerton senior Oscar D’Amelio finished sixth in 16:24, while Nashua South senior Isaiah Rodriguez ran 16:28 for eighth. Vermont’s St. Johnsbury Academy senior John Thornton-Sherm was seventh in 16:24, U-32’s Cole Page ninth in 16:37, and Champlain Valley’s Cole Hart rounded out the top 10 in 16:38.
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Behind the top two, Pinkerton put together an excellent race to take third with 109 points. Once again competing without Jason Robie (he will be back soon!), D’Amelio’s sixth-place overall finish led the Astros. As always, this was hardly a one-runner performance. Joseph Gustavson finished 18th overall in 16:48, sophomore Demitri Rufo was 26th in 17:09, Marcus Sowa followed in 29th at 17:11, and Leighton Klug closed the scoring in 17:34. Pinkerton’s five scorers were separated by 1:10.
