By Mary Albl of DyeStat

After a two-year hiatus, the La Salle Academy boys cross country team is back on top as the No. 1 team in the state. Saturday afternoon at Ponaganset High School, the Rams put forth a dominating effort scoring 26 points to win the Rhode Island Cross Country State Championship.

La Salle junior Jack McLoughlin led the charge for the seventh-ranked team in the country, as La Salle placed five in the top eight and six in the top 10. McLoughlin battled it out with Bishop Hendricken's Luke Henseler, who used a final surge to win the individual title in 15:22.7, while McLoughlin was second in 15:23.5. Bishop Hendricken, ranked No. 20, was without Matt St. Jean, who was out with an injury. The team finished in second with 65 points.

Individually, Darius Kipyego of St. Raphael Academy, who placed second in the 800 (1:49.46) this past summer at the Pan American U-20 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica, finished in sixth place (15:56.43).

In the girls race, La Salle junior Kaylie Armitage claimed the individual crown, clocking 18:24.03. Second place went to Barrington senior Caroline Livingston (18:28.06). East Greenwich won the team title in a close race, scoring 76 points, while Barrington was runner-up with 77. East Greenwich was paced by freshman Rylee Shunney’s fifth place finish (18:51.15), as the team finished with three runners in the top 20.

Next up for the runners and team that qualified is the New England Championships on Saturday, Nov. 9 in Manchester, CT at Wickham Park.

Team Champions

La Salle boys 26 points; East Greenwich girls 76 points - RESULTS

Class Championships (Oct. 26) - RESULTS

Class A -

Class B -

Class C - St. Raphael boys 46 points, Burrillville girls 44 points