Copyright The Boston Globe
The top of the Globe’s Top 20 boys’ cross-country poll remains intact entering the postseason, following a slate of league meets in which the state’s elite each performed up to expectations. Most notably, No. 2 Brookline continued to build off its impressive victory at the Twilight Invitational with a win at the Bay State Conference championship, creating distance from No. 5 Natick and No. 9 Wellesley. The first shakeup comes with Reading, which slide four spots to No. 12 following a third-place finish at the Middlesex championship. Arlington, which topped Reading by 2 points to place second, improves three spots to No. 14. Lowell capped its unbeaten regular season in the Merrimack Valley with a convincing league title Saturday, firming its position ahead of No. 13 North Andover and No. 15 Billerica. Advertisement The only team to depart the rankings is Newton North, which finished a disappointing sixth at the BSC meet. Walpole placed fourth, which moves it back inside the top 20 for the first time since the Sept. 12 edition of the rankings. All records based on scores reported to the Globe. The Globe’s Top 20 boys’ cross-country poll The Globe poll as of Oct. 31, 2025. Teams were selected by the Globe sports staff. No.TeamRecordPrevious1.Concord-Carlisle2-0-012.Brookline8-1-023.St. John’s Prep4-1-034.Lexington4-1-045.Natick9-0-056.BC High5-0-067.Cambridge2-1-078.Oliver Ames4-0-099.Wellesley6-2-01010.Lowell10-0-01211.Hopkinton5-0-01112.Reading4-0-0813.North Andover8-1-01314.Arlington2-1-01715.Billerica8-2-01416.Newton South1-1-01617.Latin Academy0-0-01818.Walpole5-4-0–19.Catholic Memorial2-3-01920.Weston4-0-020 The Globe’s Top 20 girls’ cross-country poll As the Globe’s Top 20 girls’ cross-country poll hits the final week ahead of the postseason, the top three of Lexington, Westford, and Billerica continue their season-long reign. All three rolled to victories in their respective league championship meets, and No. 4 Newton North cemented its claim as the leader of the chase pack with a win in the Bay State Conferece championship over No. 6 Needham. Advertisement The second half of the poll has a number of shakeups, beginning with Wellesley advancing two spots to No. 11 following a third-place finish at the BSC meet — just ahead of No. 13 Weymouth. Other teams rewarded for second-place league finishes include No. 14 Central Catholic, which improves three spots, and No. 20 Newburyport, which enters the rankings after a tight loss to No. 19 Hamilton-Wenham in the Cape Ann league meet. The biggest drop is No. 17 Oliver Ames, which falls six spots following a third-place finish in the Hockomock. Canton, which won the race in convincing fashion, improves four spots to No. 15. Records based on scores reported to the Globe. The Globe poll as of Oct. 31, 2025. Teams were selected by the Globe sports staff. No.TeamRecordPrevious1.Lexington5-0-012.Westford2-0-023.Billerica10-0-034.Newton North8-1-045.Concord-Carlisle2-1-056.Needham9-0-067.Winchester4-1-078.Westwood4-0-089.Cambridge2-1-0910.Bishop Feehan6-0-01011.Wellesley5-4-01312.Norwell5-0-01213.Weymouth7-2-01414.Central Catholic9-1-01715.Canton4-1-01916.Latin Academy0-0-01517.Oliver Ames4-0-01118.Notre Dame (Hingham)3-0-01619.Hamilton-Wenham5-0-01820.Newburyport4-0-0– Matty Wasserman can be reached at matty.wasserman@globe.com. Follow him @Matty_Wasserman.
