By ALEX SPONSELLER The Pilgrim boys and girls cross country teams had their first dual meets of the season last Saturday, hosting Cranston West and Juanita Sanchez at Pilgrim High School.

The Pats were well-represented at the top, as seniors Justin Dorsey and Emmanuelle Degos each won their races by over a minute.

“It feels great to start racing again because it’s been so long. It’s great to be with the team again and to have support from everyone. It felt really good, it was hard to push myself out there, but we had run the course the day before with the coaches so we were familiar with it. Coach was out there giving me splits as well which helped,” said Degos after the win. “I’m trying to place well in the state meet, that’s what I am focused on. I am taking it race by race, trying to have a good last season and have fun. Everyone has been putting in a lot of work so I am excited to see how it all plays out in the races. Everyone has improved since last year.”

Dorsey was also happy to kick off the season with a nice performance and has his sights set on next month’s state championship.

“I’m glad that the state is trying to let us have a season instead of taking the easy way out and saying no. I’m glad that they’re letting us have one. The course was good, nice and flat, it was hard to push yourself but we expect to have faster times in the future,” said Dorsey. “I hope that we have a good last season this year, I’m hoping to place in the top-25 in the state. The team is looking good this year, the guys have been working hard. I’m proud of them and hope to see them continue to work hard this season.”

Here is a look at some of the other results from the day: BOYS

Dorsey took first place in the boys race, while Alex Phok placed third for Cranston West, followed by teammates Cole Khanjari and Matt Baccari in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Pilgrim’s Ian Bubar placed sixth, while West’s Joe Gaynor took seventh and teammate Will San Antonio eighth.

West’s Christian Mack rounded out the top-10 by finishing in 10th place for the Falcons.

Cranston East also took on East Greenwich and Johnston over the weekend.

Leading East was Deem Quinn in fourth place and Nick Cobb in fifth. Allan Kevorkian took 10th place for the Bolts. Jared Trotter led the Panthers with 11th place overall, while teammate Derek Salvatore took 13th. GIRLS

Degos wrapped up first place in the girls race, while teammate Amber Lopes finished behind her in second. Talia Petit led West with a third-place finish, while teammate Alessandra Messina took fifth.

Pilgrim’s Annabelle Sisson finished sixth, while West’s Sofia Riccio and Catherine Consiglio took seventh and eight, respectively.

Rounding out the top-10 were Pilgrim’s Ashley Hogan in ninth and West’s Lauren Scavato in 10th. Stella Loezes led East in its race against Johnston and East Greenwich by placing eighth overall. Audrey Mahoney finished in 10th place for the Panthers.