By Matthias Fontao ’27
RAMSEY, NJ – The 2024 Cross-Country season has officially come to a close for the Don Bosco Ironmen XC team. The 2024 season had it all, from disappointing losses to exciting signs of growth, and this year’s XC squad once again illustrated what it truly means to be an Ironman. With a few veteran Seniors joined by a large group of underclassmen, this year’s team proved that although the 2024 season was one of great growth, the future looks brighter than ever for the already established Ironmen XC program.
From the end of last year’s Cross-Country season, most already knew that this year’s team would be unique. With only one runner on the Varsity squad graduating, a majority of the 2023 roster would be returning for 2024. After three months of dedicated summer training filled with countless 50+ mile weeks, the team started its season with a number of League batch meets at Darlington Park, along with a race at the historic Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, NY. A collection of multiple batch meet victories along with a top-5 team finish proved that this year’s team had something special about them, and as the weeks went on, a Varsity squad began to emerge. Led by Senior Captains Luke O’Brien and Jack Dowd, the Varsity team consisted of Juniors Matt Maguire, Owen Hickey, Jake Pullen, Ryan Pelosi, and Vincent Rodriguez. The squad was rounded out by Sophomore Matthias Fontao, and just like that, the season’s Varsity roster was set. After two more victories at Darlington Park in League and County Group meets, Don Bosco was ranked 13 in the State and headed into the Bergen County Meet of Champions as one of the favorites behind 2023 Champions Ridgewood. The squad was very hopeful of pulling off the upset versus the defending champions, but unfortunately they fell short of the title, finishing second behind Ridgewood who repeated as County Champions. The defeat was demoralizing for the entire team, yet there were some positives that the team was able to draw from the race. Sophomore Matthias Fontao finished 5th overall, along with Luke O’Brien who put together a strong race of his own. The team finished its season at New Jersey Non-Public A State Groups, where the Ironmen finished 5th overall in the team standings.
The past season was definitely one of great length and struggle. Five months of grueling training proved to be quite the challenge, and many hardships were encountered. Nonetheless, the team showed the true meaning of Don Bosco through it all. At the All-County Team selections, Matthias Fontao was selected First Team All-County; Jack Dowd and Jake Pullen made Second Team. Luke O’Brien finished on the Third Team, and Ryan Pelosi gained an Honorable Mention. With only two Varsity members graduating, much of the team will come back next year, faster and more experienced than ever.
Bosco XC are known for its golden age from 2009-2015, but next year’s team will look to rejuvenate the program and bring about another golden era that will last for years to come. The Ironmen brought joy and passion to every one of their efforts, encapsulating the spirit of St. John Bosco in everything they did. “Do the ordinary things extraordinarily well,” St. John Bosco himself once stated, and that was certainly the case with this year’s Don Bosco XC team.
