They saved the toughest race for the biggest stage.

Saturday's All-State cross country meet in Northfield Mass. (12 p.m.) not only pits the top cross country teams and individuals in the state, it features several steep climbs as the course is in the middle of the Berkshire Mountains.

Fortunately, Gloucester's Caulin Rogers and Andrew Ryan are used to running up hill. Rogers and Ryan, who finished 12th and 17th respectively at last week's division 2 meet at Franklin Park in Boston, have been running at Ravenswood Park where Gloucester has their home meets. Bradley Palmer Park, where the Northeastern Conference meet is held, is also known for its hills.

Still, the Fishermen duo believe no matter how many hills they run in practice, it can't completely prepare them for what the All-State course has to offer. For starters, the race starts with a steady decline that does not end until the near two-mile mark of the race, combine that with a field that features the top runners in the state and it makes for an interesting day of running.

"Ravenswood park has a lot of hills," said Rogers, a junior captain. "But from what I have heard it's nothing like Northfield. I have talked to a few kids who have ran there before and they said it's the toughest course they have run. Andrew and I have been training on hills all week and I think we are prepared physically and mentally."

While the uphill climbs certainly effect strategy, Ryan says in a 5K race like this, there is no time to rest.

"You pretty much have to go hard the entire race," said Ryan, who is competing in the cross country all-state meet as an individual for the first time. "I wish I could take it easy going up or down the hills but you really can't afford it. I'm looking to start very strong and take it from there."

While results are on the co-captains' side, they also have another advantage: experience. Rogers competed in the All-State meet as a sophomore finishing in 51st place. As for Ryan, he has not competed individually in the cross country All-State meet but he has competed in multiple All-State track meets as part of a team.

With the Fishermen falling short of a top-5 team finish at the Division 2 meet, Rogers and Ryan are the only two runners still competing this fall. Both admit that a two person practice is a little different, they think they have pushed each other enough to get the results they crave.

"We are both in great shape right now and we are really pushing ourselves," said Ryan, who will be competing in his last high school cross country meet. "It is going to be an intense race and we have had some serious practices because of it. The best runners in the state will be here so we are working hard to prove we can compete with them."

To qualify for the All-State meet, both Rogers and Ryan had to get through a tough race with brutal conditions at Franklin Park. A driving rain storm made the race course muddy, which combined with another stacked field of runners made for a crazy race. Rogers actually fell down coming down a hill but was able to pop up quickly and finish the race.

"The Division 2 meet was crazy with the rain," Rogers said. "It was tough to get into a groove with all the mud. But we got through it and now we're looking to (tomorrow). It's really nerveracking but we are both determined. We both thought we could have done better last week and we are both looking for a good showing this week."