Boys Cross Country Recap

Joshua Maynard

Toll Gate Cross Country Seniors

The Toll Gate boys cross country team finished their dual meet season with a 9-2 record, their best since 2013. In both 2024 and 2013, those losses came against Bishop Hendricken and East Greenwich. For the past three years, the team has never finished worse than 8-3, with Pilgrim joining the Avengers and Hawks as the teams to triumph over the Titans over the period. A major goal this season was to defeat Pilgrim and it was finally achieved on September 30 at Rocky Point State Park, the final dual meet of the season. The Titans edged the Patriots 26-29, and clinched a spot in the state meet. Toll Gate rolled past Juanita Sanchez, Cranston East, Cranston West, Johnston, Coventry, Hope, and Mt. Pleasant and snuck past Classical to earn their nine wins. Seniors Joshua Maynard, John Maynard, Ryan Brady, and Alex Balbuena were consistently the top runners on the team. Freshmen Anthony Corvese, Jacob Balbuena, Zack Barker, and Charlie Whitehouse all impressed at Freshmen States. 

In the weeks leading up to championship season, the Titans ran at a series of invitationals throughout the region. They performed well at the Highland Park Invitational in Attleboro, the Ocean State Invitational at Goddard Park, and the Catholic Invitational at Franklin Park in Boston. At the Class A meet held at Ponaganset High School, the top seven of Joshua Maynard, John Maynard, Ryan Brady, Will Goodine, Jake Andersen, Logan Legault, and Alex Balbuena ran a controlled race, a tune-up of sorts for the state meet the following week. Read about the state meet in John Maynard’s article about the race in the Tribune Sports section.