Last year the Hatters narrowly edged their long time rival, Ridgefield, by a single point to claim the 2014 State Open Championship. Now, the after losing four key seniors, the Hatters have had to work their way back to the top.

Leading the team this year is breakout athlete Trevor Reed. Only a junior in his first year running for the lead varsity team, Reed has snagged All-Conference, All-Class, and All-State performances.

“My season has been good. I ran some pretty good times, achieving all-fciac and all-state which for me are pretty huge accomplishments,” says Reed. “I’ve got a lot of people to thank, like my mom, my training partner and captain Jack Adamski, and my coach Robert Murray.”

The Hatters XC, led by seniors Adamski, Tim Moore, and Chris Margres, have produced a strong 2015 season with the support of  Reed and juniors Terrell Cunningham and Brad Fox. The team won the FCIAC conference meet for the 20th time, and were the runner-up state champions.

“I’m very content with how we performed this season. Guys stepped up when they needed to, especially Trevor Reed,” Adamski said. “They didn’t let the pressure of the big races get to them.”

The Hatters concluded their 2015 season with a formidable XC race: The Nike Cross Regionals. Teams from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the rest of New England fought to podium. Jack Adamski would finish first for Danbury in a brutal race which included extreme wind, rain, mud and cold. Danbury would finish 11th out of 8 states, down three spots from last year’s NXR. The top two winning teams will be flown to Oregon to compete at Nike Cross Nationals; a feat Danbury have only achieved once previously in 2007.

“The boys cross country team had a courageous season. The team worked tirelessly to reload this years top seven with inexperienced runners and still challenged another state championship,” Murray said. “The team was very dedicated throughout the entire process and represented Danbury at their highest level.”

As the Hatters near the finish line for the 2015 season, they hope the prevail once again.