DEVENS — Despite the ongoing teacher strike in Marblehead – putting high school athletics in jeopardy – it was, at last, time for the Division 2 state championships. Both cross country teams from Marblehead High took part in Saturday’s races at Fort Devens.

Marblehead’s boys finished second with 133 points, losing only to Longmeadow’s 101. Wakefield placed third with 171 points.

Marblehead’s Nate Assa finished second in 15:52, while Will Cerrutti (6th) was close behind in 16:16 and Jacob Szalewicz delivered a time of 16:48 for 16th.

“Having three runners in the top 20, in a race of this magnitude, does wonders for the team score,” said Marblehead boys coach Brian Heenan.

Henrik Adams (58th, 17:41), Will Cruikshank (82nd, 17:57), Jonah Potach (155th, 19:10), and David Alpert (163rd, 19:32) rounded things out.

“I could not be more proud of the way the boys raced today,” Heenan said. “It has been a tough few weeks on these kids, especially this last week. Nothing has been normal for them – no school, an abnormal practice schedule. The season is a war of attrition, normally with injuries and illnesses. The stress of a teacher strike certainly does not help, but the boys rose to the occasion. This marks the end of a tremendous season for the boys.”

Marblehead’s girls – a young unit – finished 20th with a total of 424 points.

“Cross country is a long season, having started in mid-August,” said Marblehead girls coach Will Herlihy. “But for many runners, the training is in the early summer. Even when the season is planned for peak races to be at the end, sometimes, the length of the season can be a lot – especially for young runners, which is what the Marblehead girls team was feeling in its final race of the 2024 season.”

Marrietta O’Connell fought her way to a third-place finish in 19:18.71. Ruby Assa (22:37.43) finished 96th as Marblehead’s second runner, followed by Evelina Beletsky (23:32.75) in 130th.

“While most of them will take some rest before the indoor season, Marri will be preparing for the Foot Locker Northeast Regional Championship in two weeks at historical Franklin Park,” Herlihy said.

Senior captain Abbie Goodwin (23:48.82) closed out her four-year career on a high note, finishing 142nd and improving by 35 seconds from last week’s race. Jesslyn Roemer (24:19.61) finished 159th to round out the Magicians.

“I’m so proud of this team, but even more importantly, I know they’re so proud of themselves,” Herlihy said. “They consistently overachieved as a team throughout the season, and even with their last race not being their best, nearly all of them will be returning next year for another chance.”