The sun was shining off the water in Hopkinton State Park today as I patiently sat waiting for the Dover-Sherborn boys to run against the mighty Hillers of Hopkinton. The first thing I noticed was the Hillers warming up in unison, sprinting out from the start line together. Meanwhile, the Dover-Sherborn boys quietly stretched in small groups before they haphazardly walked to the starting line. This didn't look like an omen of good things to come. In fact, I was expecting to see a wave of green shirts crossing the finish line ahead of the visiting boys in blue. This Hopkinton team looked more organized, bigger and well, faster. 

My prediction seemed to hold true at about the half-mile mark with a sea of green leading the race. After this, I merrily jogged across the beach and walked up onto the dike, next to the reservoir. As I waited for the runners, the sun shined warmly on my back and the sound of the water lapping up against the stones very nearly lulled me to sleep. After a few minutes I spotted some runners far below on the grass, moving like ants toward honey. I was pleasantly surprised as they came closer to me. Rather than a wave of green, I was greeted by 7 DS runners in the top 15. With a new spring in my step I galloped over to the finish line to see what would transpire next. 

These DS runners seemed to challenge every spot in the race. While they came up short (Hopkinton 23, Dover-Sherborn 33), these guys ran with courage and determination. I tried to catch up with coach Steve Harte for a quick recap on the race but he was running in the opposite direction with his guys. Looks like they were off for some sort of cooldown run as they prepare to face Bellingham at home on Thursday.