By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

With the Holliston boys’ track team numbers improving, Coach Nicole Downin is looking for the team’s attitude and demeanor to help build the spirit and moral. If the boys’ outdoor track and field team can continue to build that team culture that the coach is looking for, the league meets and titles will eventually come.

“I’ve seen significant improvement from that first year. The team bought into what we were doing, and things are moving in a positive direction,” the Panther Coach said. “You still need to come to practice, otherwise you won’t compete in meets. Communication is a big part, and if you commit to the team, you will get it back.”

Downin will be relying on four seniors to lead the team this spring. Max Harrington and Luke Burgett will also have the captains’ responsibilities in addition to taking part in their respective events. 

Harrington has improved all four seasons, with his times running the mile and 2-mile. According to the coach, the senior captain is a hard-working individual who brings a positive attitude to his running. During the recent winter season, the senior finished fourth in the 2-mile in the Division 4  Tournament with a time of 9:48.02. Last year during the outdoor season, he posted his personal best in the mile with a time of 4:37.06. Harrington is also part of the 4-x mile relay that set the Holliston school record in 2024 with a time of 19:21.39.

As the season gets underway, Harrington, who will continue to run next year at Wentworth, is set on breaking the school records in the two events. The mile record is 4:24.5 and  he is approximately 13 seconds away from that time, while he is nine seconds off the 2-mile record of 9:39. Downin is optimistic that the senior will definitely be able to accomplish his goals if he stays positive and healthy, as it is not that far outside the scope of his athletic ability.

Burgett is a great leader but has unfortunately not been able to stay healthy over the past few years. 

“Luke has been injured the majority of the time since I’ve been the coach, (Downin is entering her third season with Holliston) but this year, he is injury-free and running fast and will be someone to watch this year,” Downin said. “He had such promise and was a great middle school runner going into the ninth grade. This, his senior year, is his time to shine in both the mile and 2-mile, although he has not run either event since his freshman year.”

Sprinter Ronan Florendo is another senior who will be looked upon highly this season to improve upon his times while helping the team succeed. Currently, Florendo has a personal best of 23.14 in the 200 and a time of 51.95 in the 400 sitting just outside the school record of 49.8. 

Downin believes that the senior can get his times down into the low 50’s running the 400 this spring but is unsure that he can lower it enough to break the school record. While the school record may not be in his sight, he should be a State Contender and qualify for the Division 4 State Meet. The Panther coach is also encouraging Florendo to attempt running the 800 this year. Florendo, who will be attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, will continue his running on the club level. 

Rounding out the seniors who will be relied upon to get the team to the finish line will be Austin Rodenhiser. In addition to running track, Rodenhiser has also played football for Holliston. His speed and athleticism on the gridiron has translated nicely to the track, where he has a personal best in the 100 at 10.99 seconds. He also takes part in the long-jump (21’-9.25”) and is a member of the 4x100 relay team, which is historically one of the best in the league.

Rodenhiser should once again be able to qualify for both events at the Division 4 State Tournament, where he finished seventh last year in the 100 and 11th in the long jump. 

Two seniors who could have an opportunity to make impact on the team’s ability to get in the win column are Leo Ross (100 and 400 hurdles) and Joel Burgett (800). Downin will also have a lot of incoming freshmen this season who possess a lot of talent and they should help immensely .

“It’s going to be really fun to see what we can accomplish this season,”  the coach said. 

With the seniors taking the lead, Downin has faith in her squad. If they can all stay healthy, are good teammates and commit to the team, then it is very possible to do well in a very tough Tri-Valley League. She is hoping for a top three finish. 

Max Harrington aspires to break the HHS record for the one-mile this year. Photo used courtesy of Nicole Downin