HS Cross Country: Plainfield's Ruffo growing up

She used to be a young, little girl running among adults in local road races, winning some of the female events despite being just 12 and 13- years-old.
She's still young and small, but Plainfield freshman Keri Ruffo is growing up.
Now a high school freshman, Ruffo ran her first official high school dual meet on Tuesday afternoon in Central Village, winning it with ease.
"I love it," Ruffo said when asked how happy she was to be a part of the Plainfield Panthers cross country team. "It's so much different from middle school, much better, more fun, more competition."
Ruffo is a chip off the old block. Her father, Pat, used to be an athlete at Plainfield in late 1970's and early 80's, known for his prowess in baseball. On Tuesday, he was on the sidelines watching his daughter run past and thinking the same thing as her coaches, Ben Bowne and Kevin Grant, "don't go too fast, it's still the first race of the season."
That's hard to get through to a freshman running her first race at home as Ruffo sprinted out to a lead and never looked back, with the exception of once.
"I looked a little behind me at the (football) scoreboard (about three-quarters of the way through the race) to see if they were behind me," Keri Ruffo said.
She didn't have to worry about that, there was not a Griswold runner within a minute of her.
"I was shocked," Ruffo said.
Griswold coach Mike Flynn - knowing his runners had just completed competing in the Windham Invitational over the weekend - had asked his team to go out as a unit and stay ahead of St. Bernard, don't worry about winning the race.
Those were the same orders issued to Ruffo who had run in the freshman race at Windham; Hardly winded at the finish, she said she also complied with those wishes.
"It's a long season, she's young, we had an Invitational last Saturday and have another one this Saturday, she's running the freshman race there and we want her to have a shot at those big meets," Grant said about the strategy of asking Ruffo to restrain herself a bit. "Our team is pretty strong this year, we figured we could use thise as a workout, just like the Griswold girls did."
Grant said he thought Ruffo's tempo was a "little more on target" than the Griswold girls who he thought "were going a little too slow for their ability."
"Keri did a great job," Grant said.

Whalers on the road

The Killingly High football team got a little break.
It will still have to play New London in November, but it learned on Tuesday that the game between the Redmen and Whalers will be played in Danielson rather than New London on November 12. The Whalers continue to have trouble with the new turf at Canamella Field as was reported in the Norwich Bulletin on Tuesday and likely will not be able to use the new field at all this season.
Only two games, Oct. 22 against Fitch and on Thanksgiving Day versus Norwich Free Academy remain unchanged at the moment.
"It's a challenge for the kids, I know they were hoping for a new field," New London Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Nick Fischer, said Monday, "but coach (Jeff) Larson has done an outstanding job prepping the kids under difficult circumstances."
Not only has New London had to shift most of their games from home to away with the one exception being the game at the Coast Guard Academy against Montville, the team has also had to practice on a make shift field behind the school.
"It's a challenge the kids will have to learn how to deal with, it's disappointing, but it's not a crisis," Fischer said.