by TOM UTESCHER

The only runner to break 17 minutes on Chestnut Hill Academy's 3.1 mile course on October 14, Blue Devils senior Evan Lodge was timed in 16:40 as he led the locals against visiting Inter-Ac rival Haverford School.

First place may have belonged to CHA, but the Fords snatched up the next seven spots to win the meet, 43-20. The outcome raised the visitors' record to 2-3 in league dual meets, and 5-4 overall, while Chestnut Hill was left with a tally of 0-5, 1-6.

CHA was coming into the league duel fresh off of its first meet victory since 2001. In a tri-meet against two non-league opponents at Philmont Christian Academy on October 10, the Blue Devils were edged out by the host Falcons, 26-30, but they defeated the Colonials of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, 27-28.

Lodge won this race, too, and he learned that his time of 17:20 was the second-fastest figure ever recorded on Philmont's 5k course.

He would not be challenged by anyone in the Haverford meet, either. Leaving the portion of the course that is run on the Philadelphia Cricket Club grounds with about half-a-mile to go in the race, Lodge was 45 seconds ahead of Haverford's John Cioschi. Just about the same margin separated them at the finish, as the Fords senior clocked in at 17:26.

Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, Haverford had much greater depth than their previous two opponents. Cioschi, coming in second, was the first of seven consecutive Fords finishers and was followed by two other upperclassmen, Tom Oberdorf (17:33) and Sebastian Restifo (17:47).

Robert Richard took fifth for the visitors (17:51) and Max Snyder was the last of Haverford's scoring runners, coming in sixth at 18:05. For good measure, the Fords snagged seventh and eighth, as well, thanks to Tim Lengel (18:19) and Seth Gallagher (18:20).

On a positive note for CHA, a number of its athletes produced some of their fastest times of the season thus far.

Blue Devils senior Tom Simone was the second runner to finish for the host team, landing ninth overall in 18:27 while another CHA senior, John David Cella, was five seconds behind in the tenth position. Junior Mike Beautyman ran 11th in 18:35, and another 11th grader, Steve Pearson, made it into the 18-minute bracket as he finished 15th in 18:59.