Southington Boys Cross Country Won't Back Down From New England Challenge
- Dan Fappiano
- Oct 3
- 8 min read
For the Southington High School boys cross country team, advancing to the New England Championship is the ultimate prize. The Blue Knights understand how difficult of a challenge that will be. But with an undefeated dual meet record to start their season, Southington is proving that they’re more than ready to compete.
The team picked up a pair of wins against Platt (15-50) and Newington (17-46) at home on October 1st, moving their dual meet record to 9-0. In the victory, junior Michael Blankenship led the way with the overall win at 16:18. Sophomore Logan Perrella finished second (16:33) while senior Ethan Hoffman finished third (16:41). Junior Stephen Rahenkamp placed fifth (17:04) while fellow junior Joey Tardiff rounded out the top five, finishing sixth (17:21).
During the dual meet season, head coach Nick Migani has been able to get a good look at the Blue Knights’ depth. Different runners have stepped up in various races throughout the stretch. Migani has also seen Southington continue to stack wins together. He is hopeful that success carries over as the Blue Knights get deeper into their campaign.
“The dual meets have really been a phenomenal opportunity to see the depth of our team,” Migani said. “We’re trying to be mindful of how many races they run in the season, trying to give some of the top-five time off. I’ve been able to see our JV and soon-to-be varsity guys step up.”
“I’ve been pleasantly surprised by a lot of my rising sophomores this year,” he continued. “Some of them have dropped two minutes from their time last year. It’s great to give some of those guys a chance to step up and be the point scorer. It's been phenomenal for their growth, and for our team’s depth.”
Calm Before The Storm
Migani underwent surgery over the offseason, putting him on the shelf during Southington’s summer training program. However, this year’s squad didn’t view it as a break. Instead, they continued their morning runs and stuck with the regimen set before them.
For Migani, it was a testament to the character of this year’s Blue Knights. While the team is large, it is mostly made up of juniors. The squad has bought into the program’s culture. Everyone shares the goal of getting stronger at every opportunity. What they may lack in age and experience, the Blue Knights more than make up for with their drive.
“This team has been growing since their freshman year,” Migani said. “They left last year hungry. Throughout the summer, they outperformed themselves on their own. These kids are the heart and soul of the team’s growth. I haven’t had to do anything other than say, ‘You should go run.’ Quite literally, they run with it.”
“We still have a pretty young team, and their hunger was the driving force behind their training,” Migani said. “They came into the season looking amazing.”
Southington’s training sessions are always routine oriented. Migani wants them to focus on the small things that are in their control. The Blue Knights act with intentionality when they warm up and understand the day’s purpose before any running begins.
Once the plan is in place, Southington locks in, focusing on the area of growth for that session. The key is consistency, rather than going all out every single time. Migani understands that that can get boring. What makes the Blue Knights special is their ability to thrive despite the tediousness, and turn it into results.
“They know how to lock in and get the work in,” Migani said. “Daily consistency is a lot more important than one big workout. Sometimes that’s a little boring for high schoolers, but they do a good job of keeping their training on point. That shows their maturity. Every day is a little step forward; they check the box. They’re happy to do that, then be excited for the next day.”
Southington Roster Rundown
In Migani’s first year as boys cross country head coach, only three freshmen entered the program. Among them were Ethan Hoffman and Luke Wolf. Both have now been named senior captains.
They have watched the Blue Knights program grow over their four seasons. As they continue to improve as runners, Hoffman and Wolf both treat leading and helping their teammates with equal seriousness.
“They have been the backbone of this team as they continued to grow,” Migani said. “Ethan is someone who lives, breathes and eats running. Luke transitions to track, which he does phenomenally. He’s always there to help the new kids get comfortable and integrate them with the team.”
Southington is also led by junior captains Sam Cheek and Joey Tardiff. Migani called Cheek, “one of the hardest working kids we have on the team.” Coming in as a freshman he was forced to watch runners outpace him, yet never got discouraged. Now he is one the Blue Knights’ top runners. He is also the first to ask Migani how he is doing, and always says thank you when leaving practice.
Tardiff decided to join cross country after watching his sister run. Since his arrival, Migani has seen him commit himself even further to the sport. He ran over 400 miles in a 10-week span over the summer. Tardiff has become an example of what Migani wants his runners to strive for in terms of following through on goals.
Junior Michael Blankenship is also expected to make an impact in 2025. He came into the program with experience, being named to varsity as a freshman. Since then, he has been an example for those in his class. Blankenship uses his experience to help his teammates get stronger and grow as a unit.
One of those runners is fellow junior Stephen Rahenkamp. Migani says he’s been “chasing Mikey ever since middle school.” Never one to give up in a race, Rahenkamp has been phenomenal in his attention to detail, focus and overall growth, says the coach.
Sophomore Logan Perrella is another runner who entered a program full of capable racers. Those included Billy Liebler and Jaxson Koczur, two of Southington’s top competitors in 2024. Despite being “surrounded by the big boys,” Perella blossomed. He was able to see what it takes to thrive in cross country. Because of that, the head coach believes Perrella will be a big surprise for the Blue Knights and keep getting stronger.
This season Migani has seen a number of runners who are new to the sport catch on. Senior Jayden Gajewski, junior Sawyer Colasanto and sophomores Liam Thornton and Nicholas Paul have all caught the head coach’s eyes. They’ve been watching the effort put in by the Blue Knights’ top runners, and striven hard to match their output.
“These are some guys who started running last year and took it semi-seriously. When they saw the work ethic of the top five or six guys, they went right along with it and integrated perfectly. Their growth has been nothing short of outstanding. I could never have imagined these guys would be able to do the things they’re doing. They’re surprising me every day.”
The Southington high school boys cross country team features seniors: Jayden Gajewski, Ethan Hoffman, Chimdi Ogbuagu and Luke Wolf; juniors: Michael Blankenship, Kyle Bradley, Sam Cheek, Sawyer Colasanto, Nathan Donorfio, Collin Griffin, Alexander Horniak, Ayden Karpan, Thomas Kohl, Trevor Montefusco, Stephen Rahenkamp, Kieren Ross, Joey Tardiff, Thierry Vincent and William Wu; sophomores: Ratmir Dutka, Houston Gonzalez, Elijah Lord, Clinton Overton, Nicholas Paul, Logan Perrella, Caden Rossignol, Joseph Rothbaum, Liam Thornton, Tanner Tortora, Eli Weisz and Chase Wesselling; freshmen: Brody Battaglia, Julian Bonola, Leo Carnright, Sean Glidden, Liam Higgins, Elijah’Truth Matos, Jayce Melendez, Cortland Nelson, Trenton Pagano, Owen Plate, Logan Vile and Kael Westendorf. Migani is joined by assistant coach Dylan Smelski.
A Tale Of Two Invitationals
On September 6, Southington boys cross country took part in the Stratton Brook Invitational. The Blue Knights beat out seven other teams to come in first in the varsity large race. All five scorers were in the top 13, while every runner in the top 20 earned a medal.
Cheek led the way, finishing fourth with a time of 17:16. Blankenship was right behind in fifth (17:35) while Hoffman came in seventh (17:54). Perrella came in 11th (18:03) while Rahenkamp rounded out the top five in 13th (18:09). Tardiff earned a medal, finishing 19th (18:38).
Migani thought the Stratton Brook Invite was a clear indicator of where his team was to start the season. He reminded the Blue Knights that there would be no judgement of their performance. Still, Southington managed to do that in what he describes as "pretty dominating fashion."
“That was really great. We always look at the early invites as a measuring stick. For us to go in there with all our juniors and be in the top-10, top-15 throughout the race was really cool,” Migani said. “Sometimes it can be a little scary to jump in there. They handled it with great maturity. It helped us to see that we’re in a good spot. It gave us a lot of confidence, and reflected the work the boys put in over the summer.”
On September 13th, Southington took part in the Wilton Open. They would finish sixth out of 26 teams, falling behind Staples by just one point. Blankenship led the Blue Knights, finishing 21st (16:57). Cheek followed at 24th (17:00.48) while Hoffman placed 26th (17:00.81). Perrella, who finished 45th (17:31) and Rahenkamp in 52nd (17:39) rounded out the top five.
Migani saw the Open as a reality-check for Southington. They were competing against some of the best teams in the state, and the race showed them what it takes to make New Englands, highlighting areas of their game they need to improve.
“It gave us a look at where we really are,” Migani said. “It let us know where our effort needs to be. Our team has to do everything we’re capable of to be able to reach New Englands. There are so many strong teams. We just have to be prepared when the time comes. Hopefully we’ll have a little luck on our side.”
Southington got a further taste of how strong the competition in Connecticut can be at the Ocean State Invitational on September 27th. The Blue Knights finished 15th out of 16 teams. Blankenship finished 53rd (17:17) to lead Southington. Hoffman finished 55th (17:18) while Perrella came in 82nd (17:57). Tardiff (99th, 19:20) and Rahenkamp (102nd, 18:28) rounded out the top five.
Southington Sets Sights On New England Championship
Whenever the Blue Knights open a new season, the team sets their sights on making the New England Championship. To do so, they must advance to the State Open and finish in the top-six. That would elevate Southington at the state level and show all of New England how strong they are.
To accomplish this lofty goal, Migani says, Southington needs to do more than just be fast. It takes continual effort and a willingness to seize every opportunity to grow. If each runner strives to reach their peak, Migani knows this year’s squad will be successful.
“Whether they run fast or not is kind of irrelevant,” Migani said. “If they just keep working on getting better, and if they are the best at getting better, chances are that we’ll never be disappointed, and we’ll put ourselves in a position to achieve some of those bigger goals.”
The head coach is now entering his fourth year leading the boys cross country team. To him, that is the exact amount of time it takes to learn what the program is made of. As he looks at Southington, he sees a team that isn’t afraid – isn’t afraid to back down from bigger, faster runners, isn’t afraid to turn to their teammates for help, isn’t afraid to be inspired by others’ superior performances, rather than begrudge them. Migani has watched the culture of Southington continue to take shape. Now the Blue Knights are a team that runs as one.
“Southington is a phenomenally athletic town. They’re good in so many sports. A lot of it is just the kids coming in and buying into cross country,” Migani said, “and having the atmosphere for them to blossom.”
“Every year the kids come in, they are hungry to get better. They look at the kids above them and they aren’t intimidated. They want to know, ‘How do I get there too?’ It raises everyone’s performance. They do an amazing job of not begrudging others when they’re better, but instead saying to themselves, ‘Why not me? I can do that too.’”
More Photos From The October 1st Dual Meet
