Last modified: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 2:40 AM EST CROSS COUNTRY: Locals win titles BOSTON - It was a banner day for two local boys' cross country teams, as both Mansfield and Bishop Feehan captured state championships in their respective divisions Saturday afternoon at Franklin Park in Boston. The Bishop Feehan boys won the Division 2 meet, narrowly squeaking by Oliver Ames 104-107, while Mansfield took the Division 1 crown by beating St. John's Prep 85-100, as well as 14 other schools. Bobby McShane led the way for the Shamrocks, finishing in fifth place with a time of 16:30. Nate Bowditch wasn't far behind his teammate, finishing the 3.1 mile course in 17:11, good for 15th. Right behind him was Pat Lucas, whose time of 17:19 was good for 18th place. Dave Phipps's time of 17:48, was instrumental for the Shamrocks close win over the Tigers, as he was sick all week but battled back to take 54th place overall. Feehan's last finisher, Ethan Loew, took 62nd with a time of 17:53 and passed at least 15 other runners in the final 200 meters to give the Shamrocks important points. The weather made the course difficult to run. The Division 2 boys' race was the third of four races and the course was quite muddy by the time the Shamrocks ran. "It was pretty slick," Feehan coach Bob L'Homme said. "The girls were the first race but after every race it just got worse and worse." It was a great turnaround for the Feehan boys, who struggled two years ago as a group of sophomores. "When the seniors were going into their sophomore year, I said something about how they might be the worst cross country team I ever coached," L'Homme said. "They went from one of the worst to one of the best. They did everything they had to do, it was an awesome day." It was also an awesome day for the Hornet boys, who raced immediately after the Shamrocks and matched Feehan, winning their own state championship. Sophomore Shayne Collins led the way for Mansfield with a time of 16:26, good for seventh overall. The Hornets showed their depth, as six runners finished in the top 70 for Mansfield. Only the top five count in the team standings. Kevin Meagher was the odd man out for Hornets, finishing sixth despite normally acting as the Hornet third finisher. Picking up the slack was Patrick Grimes, who took 28th with a time 0f 16:50. "Grimes was the deal-breaker for St. John's Prep," Mansfield coach Julie Collins said. "He was the big difference. But every man is so important." Patrick McGowan made a triumphant return for the Hornets, running for the first time in three weeks after a knee injury a month ago. "I had no idea how he was going to race," Collins said. "I was extremely suprised (by how well he ran), he was a huge question mark. I thought the slow course and mucky conditions would help him. He started off really nice. Last 600 meters he grabbed a bunch more shirts. They understand every shirt they grab is a point, they have to kick hard." The win fulfilled a Hornet goal they had held since the summer, when they first set their eyes on a state championship. Mansfield finished in sixth place last year at the state meet. Overshadowed by the success of the two boys' teams were the Feehan girls, who took second in Division 2, behind Hamilton-Wenham. Jen Thomas led the way for the Shamrocks with a time of 19:12, good for seventh, while Viviana Hanley took 14th place with a time of 19:46. "I was really proud of the girls becasue I think they all ran better than they did last week," L'Homme said. The Seekonk boys also ran well, taking 8th in the Division 2 meet with 197 points. Standout Johnny Gregorek took second in the race with a time of 16:19, 15 seconds off the winning time. MIAA Cross-Country Division 1 Boys Team standings: 1-Mansfield 85, 2-St. Johns Prep 100, 3-Nashoba 109, 4-Amherst 150, 5-Methuen 159. Mansfield placements: 7-Shayne Collins, 16:26; 13-Patrick McGowan 16:35; 28-Patrick Grimes 16:50; 45-Brandon Boyle 17:07, 55-Matt Hernon 17:16; 69-Kevin Meagher 17:28; 123-Josh Brodin 18:26 sr Division 2 Boys Team standings: 1-Bishop Feehan 104, 2-Oliver Ames 107, 3-Wellesley 152, 4-Walpole 174, 5-Whittensville Christian 186, 8-Seekonk 197. Bishop Feehan placements: 5-Bobby McShane, 16:38; 15-Nate Bowditch, 17:11; 18-Pat Lucas, 17:19; 54-Dave Phipps, 17:48; 62-Ethan Loew, 17:53; 93-Tim Gill, 18:15; 110-John Cook, 18:37. Seekonk placements: 2-Johnny Gregorek, 16:19.8; 33-Sam Spencer, 17:29.4; 53-Nathan Larrimer, 17:46.7; 83-Cody Archambault, 18:05.9; 118-Zach Zimmerman, 18:43.1; 128-Ryan Brown, 19:01.5; 138-Mark Hafley, 19:15.7. Division 2 Girls Team standings: 1-Hamilton Whenam 53, Bishop Feehan-72, 3-Wellesley 132, 4-Bromfield 135, 5-Oliver Ames 160. Bishop Feehan placements: 7-Jen Thomas, 19:12; 14-Viviana Hanley, 19:46; 24-Anisa Arsenault, 20:06; 28-Katie Barrett, 20:10; 29-Erin Murphy, 20:10; 63-Abby MacBeth, 21:03; 121-Kristen Lovering, 22:25.