MANCHESTER – You wouldn’t think people would write off a team that’s won eight championships in the last 10 years, but that isn’t what the Coe-Brown Northwood Academy boys’ cross country team experienced this season. A relatively young, inexperienced and unproven group, the Bears weren’t expected to challenge for a title.

They’ve proven themselves now.

Freshman Patrick Youngs (17 minutes, 16 seconds) and senior Luc Kerouac (17:17) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, and three more Bear teammates finished in the top 19 as Coe-Brown finished runner-up at the Division II cross country championship for the second straight year.

Hanover (39 points) won the team title after only losing to one New Hampshire team all season, but Coe-Brown (53) challenged them the way no other team had this season.

“We’re really overjoyed with how we’ve done,” Kerouac said. “Not just today, but this entire year. Going in, I think a lot of people were sleeping on us and thought this would be a rebuilding year. But we’ve showed people that even when we’re not at our strongest, we can come out and put up a fight against any team in the division and any team in the state.” 

Kerouac and Youngs started out in the lead pack of eight runners and held onto them for the first mile before the group stretched out in the second mile. Kerouac and Youngs made a big surge over the last half mile, catching some of their opponents before crossing the line.

“That was our going going into the week,” Coe-Brown head coach Lucas Fisher said. “That was their job, to stay in the top pack and being right there, and they were ready for that moment. … They made their moves in the right spots.”

Behind them, sophomore Ben Jobin (ninth, 17:30), junior Keegan Sousa (16th, 18:02) and freshman Ben Larson (19th, 18:05) had outstanding performances and provided the type of depth that would usually be enough to claim championship in most years.

“It was a lot tighter than I was expecting it to be,” Fisher said. “I was proud of their efforts. It was really cool to see them make final movements at the end of the race and not give it up or panic in the middle when they were far behind.” 

Such is the depth of Coe-Brown’s program, seniors Landon Graveline (26th, 18:29) and Quinn Froburg (30th, 18:38) weren’t even on the JV team two years ago, but rose to the occasion this season with expanded varsity roles.

Kerouac, who finished ninth last year and was the only runner on the team with significant varsity experience heading into this season, ran behind former state champions Jamie Lano, Aidan Cox and Tyler Tkaczyk, all of whom are now racing collegiately at the Division I level. But he stepped up into a leadership role this year, bringing a new, eager class of runners with him.

“We written off in the beginning because no one knew us, so getting back on the podium was pretty sweet, and it has a lot to do with Luc and a new class coming in,” Fisher said. “He ran with that era, and now leaves his mark today with a top-five finish, it was really cool for him to be a part of that. …“The fact that we were able to get it close and make it a real race was really exciting. It was a really fun day today and I couldn’t be more proud of the races they had today.”

Kerouac is confident in the program’s future, especially young rookies like Youngs already making an impact at the championship level.

“He’s got that young energy that is ready to take on the world,” Fisher said. “He’s ready to take on any challenge. He proved himself and let people know he’s going to be a big runner in the state throughout his career.”

“Give it a couple more years, I think the boys are going to be able to do something really special and be like the Coe-Brown teams of old,” Kerouac added. “I’ve been really happy with what I’ve been seeing. They’ve been locked in, they’ve been taking it seriously. I think they’re going to continue that mindset.”

Oyster River (108), Souhegan (115) and Milford (167) rounded out the top five teams that earned automatic bids to next Saturday’s Meet of Champions that will be held at Alvirne High School.

The top five teams and 25 finishers from each division qualified.

ConVal senior Will Simard (16:49.6) was the first runner to complete the 5K, while Bow junior Wyatt Worcester (21st, 18:12) was the other local runner to qualify for MOC.

The Coe-Brown girls’ team will join their counterparts next weekend after finishing fifth.

Hanover (30), Oyster River (50), Plymouth (111), Souhegan (137) and Coe-Brown (162) were the top five in the team standings.

Oyster River senior Haley Kavanagh won the individual title in 19:09.4, and Bow senior Hannah Pawlowski (11th, 21:30), John Stark sophomore Anna Chasse (21st, 22:15) and Pembroke freshman Caitrin Bergeron (25th, 22:52) also advanced. 

Coe-Brown edged Lebanon (163) by a single point for the last spot and seventh-place Hollis-Brookline (174) wasn’t far behind, and every runner passed was significant in helping CBNA advance.

“It really came down to every point, we had girls all the way to the finish (line) passing at the very end,” Coe-Brown girls’ coach Brooke Laskowsky said. “Many of them had their best race of the season.”

Sophomore Annabelle Lovett (17th, 21:59) had a breakout day, with senior Paige Murdough (20th, 22:10), freshman Eloise Hill (43rd, 24:17) and junior Meredith Kerivan (44th, 24:31) also racing well.

Senior Maryanne Sawyer (51st, 25:06) made an especially big move down the final stretch, catching two runners and “those were the two points that put us over the edge,” according to Laskowsky. 

Juniors Mary Bergeron (66th, 26:42) and Olivia Zadakis (68th, 26:55) also ran for Coe-Brown.

Bow (seventh, 220), Merrimack Valley (10th, 263), John Stark (14th, 392) and Pembroke (17th, 482) were the other area boys’ teams that competed.

Worcester, Sam Kohl (35th, 18:55), George Kohl (37th, 18:58), Jack Noce (62nd, 20:07) and Ian Sandahl (65th, 20:17) were the scoring runners for Bow.

Tong Wang (38th, 18:58), Mychal Reynolds (45th, 19:24), Ben Geoffroy (51st, 19:38), Jonathan Degges (61st, 20:06) and Ben Newton (68th, 20:23) scored for MV.

Austin Patenaude (40th, 19:04), Shane Brunini (83rd, 20:41), Gavin Arel (84th, 20:43), Evan Furness (87th, 20:46) and Austin Freeman (98th, 21:26) led John Stark, and Hayden Petersons (69th, 20:25), Miles Camidge (96th, 21:17), Josiah Saturley (100th, 21:44), Zachery Heichlinger (104th, 22:35) and Alexander Craigue (113th, 27:27) scored for Pembroke.

MV (203), John Stark (228) and Bow (258) were eighth, ninth and 10th place on the girls’ side, respectively.

Madison Geddes (26th, 23:00), Lily Moser (28th, 23:04), Reagan Jefferson (34th, 23:45), Kendra Davidson (67th, 26:45) and Nicole Geoffrion (69th, 27:04) were MV’s scoring runners, while Chasse, Kayla Barriere (35th, 23:49), Grace Meisser (56th, 25:35), Amanda Leonard (65th, 26:26) and Rylee Barnard (74th, 27:30) paced John Stark.

Pawlowski, Lena Thompson (36th, 23:52), Maya Owen (78th, 27:52), Madelyn Fish (81st, 28:57) and Sarah Franklin (90th, 32:27) led Bow. 

Pembroke did not have enough runners for a team score.