By Chris Villani

Andrew Fletcher started running as a way to stay in shape for basketball. But the more he ran, the more he realized distance running is his strongest sport. 

“I guess I just got better at it,” he said.

The Milford High junior put that skill on display this fall, winning every dual meet during the Scarlet Hawks’ regular season.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought going undefeated could be a possibility,” Fletcher said. “After the halfway point, it became more real for me.”

Fletcher had some tough meets along the way, including a big and talented Franklin team. But, even though the regular season was perfect, the postseason did not finish the way Fletcher would have hoped. He had to withdraw from the Hockomock League championships with an illness and his performance at states was subpar by his own lofty standards. The finish served as fuel.

“It makes me excited for next year and also for winter track,” Fletcher said. “I was very excited to get back into running.”

Fletcher is planning to run both the mile and the two-mile during the winter and spring track seasons and may also compete in the 800 meter event. He said the mile is his favorite event since it combines speed and endurance. He also feels like he should be able to compete with the top runners in the state this winter.

“I saw the mile and two-mile state qualification times before the season and I want to start the year off and qualify right away,” he said. “Both times are slower than my current personal record. If I can qualify early in the season, it would take a lot of stress out of the rest of the season.”

Fletcher is also starting to think about colleges and whether he wants to continue to compete at the next level. He is looking at schools and planning to delve further into the college search once the track season comes to an end.

His goals for next cross country season are ambitions but attainable. 

“I want another undefeated season,” Fletcher said, adding that he hopes to compete for the league title during his senior year.

“I was a little mad towards the end of the season,” he said. “I had a couple of bad races and that was the end of the year, but it will motivate me for next year.”