Amidst rampant speculation on social media that this was possibly the Berkshire League’s final cross country championship, Thomaston, the league’s lone remaining original member, absolutely dominated the day. They snatched three of the four major titles: both the boys and girls individual crowns, and the boys team championship on Thursday at Black Rock State Park in Watertown. It was a performance for the ages, especially if this really is the end.
The BL’s Possible Last Dance: Thomaston Owns The Spotlight
Could this be the end of an era for the Berkshire League? The whispers are everywhere, with Nonnewaug and Lakeview reportedly eyeing exits, leaving the other six schools searching for a new home. But if Thursday was the BL’s swan song, then Thomaston made sure it went out with a bang. Thomaston senior Beau Kociszewski, fresh off winning his first BL title with a blistering 17:19.06, couldn’t help but feel the weight of the moment. “I heard yesterday. I was, like, I might be the last BL champion. That’s pretty crazy,” Kociszewski said. “Honestly, it’s sad at the same time. The BL is a nice league. We have a lot of good kids in this league.”
Thomaston coach Mark Olsen, a legend in his 33-year tenure, watched senior Briana Belanger crush it for her third girls title in 19:37.44. His boys team, showing absolute grit, clinched their fifth straight crown and the 11th overall under Olsen. “If it is our last one, it’s a great way to finish,” Olsen affirmed. Shepaug coach John Spear, whose girls repeated as BL champions by claiming five of the top ten spots, held onto hope. “Hopefully, it’s not the last,” Spear said, but the writing feels like it’s on the wall.
From Struggle To Triumph: Injury Comebacks For The Books
For Kociszewski and Belanger, this wasn’t just about winning; it was about redemption. Both seniors battled brutal injuries last year. Kociszewski, dealing with an IT band issue, finished a disappointing fourth as a junior. But medicine worked its magic, and he came back roaring, blowing past two runners who beat him in 2025. One of those was his own teammate, Thomaston senior Braden Walker, who finished third on Thursday. These two are a force, working together to “grind the field into the ground,” as Kociszewski put it, even when they’d rather not lead. “Obviously, everybody wants to run a tactical race, so me and (Walker) took it out for the first mile and made it hard on everybody else and then started pulling away,” he explained. Shepaug’s Liam Riendeau snuck past Walker down the stretch for second in 17:33.06, with Walker just two seconds back. Nonnewaug’s Luke Lodice, another who beat Kociszewski in 2025, grabbed fourth. Coach Olsen couldn’t stop praising his star. “Beau’s the hardest-working kid on the team. He deserved to win,” Olsen said. “When you have the talent he has, it was his race to lose. Braden and Liam are really good runners. Beau ran a really smart race and stayed relaxed. Sometimes he doesn’t stay relaxed, but he did a great job today.” And if that wasn’t enough, Kociszewski’s just a good kid. “When I leave town, he watches my dogs,” Olsen added. “I don’t trust just anyone with my dogs.”
Belanger’s story is just as wild. After winning BL girls titles as a freshman and sophomore, she was sidelined as a junior with a stress fracture in her hip. She gutted out most of Thursday’s race shoulder to shoulder with Shepaug junior Lily Casini, then unleashed a kick over the final 800 meters that Casini simply couldn’t answer. “It’s really emotional,” Belanger confessed. “I wasn’t sure I could do it. I didn’t know if I could pull it off. I thought once I had my injury that I was kind of behind everyone, so to pull this off a year later is really amazing.”
If this truly was the Berkshire League’s final cross country championship, Thomaston’s seniors made sure it’s a day no one will ever forget. They faced down uncertainty, battled back from injuries, and delivered a performance that cemented their legacy just as the league itself might fade into history. What a way to go out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply