Sept. 30 marked the second annual Cougar Invitational held at North Branford’s Totoket Park, and the race was an astounding success for the second year in a row, according to North Branford boys’ and girls’ cross country Coach Floyd Parness.

Six other schools attended the Cougar Invitational this year, allowing for just shy of 200 total runners to take part in the event.

“I’m glad we hosted. For me it’s a lot of work, but it’s gratifying for me, it really is,” Parness said. “I’m glad these schools came and it was really good competition. When you have good competition on your home course, the kids react to that, which is really good. We have a very small team, kids are sick, kids are injured; it hasn’t been an easy year so far, so this was a big deal for us.”

The big story on the afternoon looked to be not only the weather just hours before the race, but senior and first-year cross country runner Bryce Mase, who stole the show by breaking the North Branford record time for the Totoket Park course previously held by Zach Williams.

Williams’ time was about an 18:09, and Mase bested it by about two seconds with an official time of 18:07.72. It gave him a seventh-place finish amongst all male runners.

“I feel crazy. Our school record was an 18:09 and I just beat it,” Mase said. “I got somewhere between an 18:06 and 18:09 and I am so ecstatic. I cannot believe it, I literally want to cry.”

Prior to the race, Mase asked friends to set up shop at various points of the track and shout out his time as he passed. It’s a tool that helped push him to reach the necessary time to be the name that’s now No. 1 on the school plaque.

“That helps so much,” he said. “You have an idea of where you should be at on the course, and when someone tells you your time and you’re behind it, it gives you the drive to push and not stay where you are. But if you’re ahead of it, your adrenaline gets going to stay where you are at that pace.”

Mase was nervous coming into the race as he knew he could potentially break the record, and with the perfect running conditions, he was able to do so. The early rain did have him worried, but once it stopped, the overcast sky and cool air made life easy on him and all the runners.

“I’m not going to lie, I really like it like this. It was cloudy, it rained a little before, but it stopped which is perfect because if it actually rained, it probably would have slowed me down,” Mase said. “The sun’s not shining, it’s not blazing hot so I’m not dying; it was nice and cool, perfect running conditions.”

The top boys’ runner was Ross Golebiewski from Lyme-Old Lyme with a time of 17:16.32. The Thunderbirds finished in third place behind Haddam-Killingworth (first) and Lyme-Old Lyme (second) with 97 points. Aside from Mase, other finishers were: Kean Regan (17th, 18:53.60), Michael Madoule (23rd, 19:14.42), Richard Hernandez (26th, 19:25.65), Isaac Cammarata (36th, 19:57.12), Spencer Bryden (46th, 20:25.04), Austin Gibilisco (48th, 20:46.48), and Parker Nadeau (97th, 23:37.93).

The girls’ squad finished in sixth place out of seven teams with a total of 161 points. Haddam-Killingworth won on the girls’ side as well with 10 of the top 30 finishers of the race. For North Branford, Olivia Hemstock posted the best time, finishing in 28th place at 24:01.01.

“My whole team pushed me and it felt good because we know the course,” Hemstock said of running at Totoket Part. “It’s just a little tough because of the hills, but we practice them a lot.”

Other T-Birds’ girls to finish the race were Maria Zampano (33rd, 24:48.29), Winnie Chan (38th, 25:18.38), Victoria Pawlak (40th, 25:20.91), Grace Little (57th, 26:49.89), Theresa Guadagnino (58th, 26:53.03), Lauren Stelmaszczyk (68th, 28:30.38), and Hayley Murphy (74th, 30:53.85).

The overall winner on the girls’ side of the race was Hale Ray’s Everest Peacock as she crossed the line at 20:56.04.