Duxbury’s depth delivers Mass. Public School Rowing Association boys’ championship; Brookline takes girls’ title

LOWELL — Drenched from head to toe, with their sneakers muddy and their backpacks damp, members of the Duxbury boys’ crew team anxiously paced as they awaited life-changing news.

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When coach Oli Rosenbladt emerged from the boathouse adjacent to the Merrimack River with an enormous trophy in hand, the Dragons knew everything they worked for had come to fruition.

Duxbury won the boys’ eights team-point state title at the Massachusetts Public School Rowing Association spring championship in Lowell on Sunday. The Dragons leaned on their depth and a first-place finish from the second varsity eight to prevail in inclement conditions.

While winning a state title is gratifying in itself, the triumph was even more glorious because of what preceded it. Just a few weeks ago, the Dragons hit what Rosenbladt referred to as a “rough patch” where they had to spend much of their time indoors on the machines.

“The vibe on the team was really grumpy,” Rosenbladt said. “I’m experienced enough as a coach to know that a season like that can really turn either way. You can completely let go of the rope and not rally. To our kids’ credit, they did. They rallied in a really impressive way.”

The Duxbury first varsity eight placed second, less than three seconds behind powerhouse Wayland-Weston, which registered the top time of the day (4:49.557).

Wayland-Weston coach Dan Mahoney said it’s an accomplishment members of the boat have been building toward all year. The weather made life difficult, but they weren’t going to let a few raindrops derail their vision.

“The rowing is OK,” Mahoney said. “It’s really just keeping the athletes healthy. We had a few shivering. Luckily, we had dry clothes. We prepare the kids for these kinds of races, but it just zaps their energy and it can be tough to finish out the day in a strong way.”

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On the girls’ side, Brookline took first in the first varsity eight (5:33.306) to capture the overall team title.

Cambridge won the girls’ varsity fours division for the ninth consecutive season and took first in the boys’ fours. The Falcons, who also medaled twice at the highly competitive New England Interscholastic Rowing Association Regatta on Saturday, shined in a weekend for the ages.

Senior captain Emma Shaw said rowing in fours allows them to build special bonds and contribute even more individually for the greater good.

“You can feel everything a lot more,” Shaw said. “There are fewer people, so there’s a lot more that you’re responsible for in the fours vs. the eights. You really feel like you’re having a bigger impact.”

Imogen Wu, Isla Agnew, Ada LaMaster, Laurel Moldrem, and Sinéad O’Gorman-Jones steered the Cambridge top boat to a first-place finish (6:05.261).

The University of Washington-bound senior standout coxswain LaMaster – who has an autoimmune disease called transverse myelitis and uses a wheelchair in daily life – finished a stellar high school run in style.

“All the things you need to do as a coxswain, it doesn’t matter how you get around when you’re on land,” said Cambridge coach Lane Lauriat. “Ada has been a really fantastic coxswain for us for the past four years.”

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