Weekend Lessons from HS XC

What did we learn this weekend from several big-ticket races around the state?

Vernon-Verona-Sherrill

Boys
(AA) West Gennessee, Arlington--West Genny senior Billy Gabriel led all with a 16:17 5K; the team also saw senior scoring from John DeLallo, Matt Byrnes and Matt Serrao. NCAA XC coaches: here's your scouting opportunity...

(A) Vestal--Seniors Nick Montesano and Matt Johnson must rally their troops if they hope to compete for a state title this year. An above-average showing from these boys; a long way to go to be competitive in Class A.

(B) Marcellus--Senior Jesse Garn is the elder leader of this relatively-youthful team that will be the NYS Class B darkhorse for state prowess.

(C) Holland Patent, Jordan-Elbridge--This battle is going to be epic. Holland Patent sports a senior duo (Cody and Dylan Racha) that can bring Section 3 to their knees; can they find support from the rest of their team to bring home a title? Jordan-Elbridge posted a solid all-around showing, but must improve if they are to be competitive next month.

(D) Beaver River--Senior Matthew Cheney blistered a 16:20 this weekend, making him the small-school "real deal." He can run with the big boys, but can he pace his team to a NYS championship?

Girls

(AA) Arlington--While West Genny's got a pretty incredible freshman in Laura Leff, it's the girls at Arlington lapping the field here. Senior Hayley McMahon sets the pace for fellow 2011 grads Josephine Boyle and Sarah Ren.

(A) Vestal--Solid early-season showing by the girls; more is needed from seniors Mary Katherine Kulp and Amy Sorber to be competitive, however. But they can do it!

(B) Cazenovia--A consistent group of girls showed themselves at Caz; can senior Hollie Marcelle improve these girls even more to be in sectional contention next month?

(C) Tully--The class of Class C and small schools at this meet, the Tully girls showed why their town is the mecca of running in New York. Marietta Burt is the senior scoring leader on this team, which boasts some talented juniors as well.

(D) Fabius-Pompey, Beaver River--Fantastic job representing Class D by these two schools, and a special shout-out to F-P's top senior, Barbara Anne Scheibel. Beaver River sports a young team this year, which will make the leadership of senior Deidra Beller instrumental in their success. Can she set the pace--and encourage the girls to follow--to a surprise placing at sectional this year?


FORT PLAIN

Boys

Lordy, Lordy (Big Schools): A big battle-royale between seniors Nick Marcantonio (Glens Falls), CJ Sousis (Lansingburgh) and Eamonn Coughlin (LaSalle). Marcantonio won this edition with a blistering 15:37 3-mile time, but the other two weren't far behind. We know Scotia-Glenville and Glens Falls are solid teams, but can LaSalle Institute and Lansingburgh sneak into contention this year? That will rely on seniors Gavin O'Brien of LaSalle and Albert Scaldera and Aaron Fuller of Lansingburgh pulling up the scoring for their teams.

Youth in Revolt (Small Schools): Some jaw-jopping youngsters were on display at this meet. Fonda-Fultonville, with senior leadership from Zak Godfrey, led the way; close attention should also be paid to the youthful squad at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons and senior Jesse McNamara's Mayfield boys.

Girls

Dominance (Big Schools): Not much to say other than Colonie dominated, and hopefully next time their coach will include his athletes' seniority in the results so we can talk about them!

Parity? (Small Schools): A fairly close contest between Sauquoit Valley, Saranac and Fonda-Fultonville leads this writer to believe that the small-school contests (Class C & D) in Section II this year will be outstanding. Keep your eyes peeled for Saranac senior Alex Farrington to have a break-out remainder of the season after helping pace her squad.

BOB PRATT

From Armory Track: "Connecquot and St. Anthony's boys are top 2 teams on the day. North Shore and Ward Mellville girls are top teams. Kelsy Margey makes XC debut and wins in 18:49 with fastest time of the day."


GENESEE COUGAR INVITE

Girls
(D) Very interested to see the senior battle play out between Pavilion's Paige Radney and Warsaw's Katie Monahan. Both paced their team and fellow class-seniors, but the plot has thickened for the girls in Class D: Will it be Pavilion, Oakfield-Alabama or Geneseo in 2010? (Disclaimer: don't count out darkhorse Red Jacket, who had a junior win the race and an 8th grader place an impressive ninth).

(B/C) Senior Cassie Goodman of Midlakes breaks 20 minutes in the 5K, but is followed closely behind by senior rival Samantha Johnson of Letchworth. Williamson, Wayne and Wayland-Cohocton are big winners of the day.

(A/AA) One word: Wow. Senior Christi Driscoll of Geneva runs a blistering 18:14 to pace the field. The drama of the meet came in the team competition, where Canandaigua edged Honeoye Falls-Lima by ONE point for the victory. Senior Kaylin Beiter must push her girls if a state title is in the cards for the HF-L ladies this fall.

Boys
(D) The Geneseo Show--obviously dominant, great job by senior Ryan Moynihan to win the field and pace his boys to a 1-2-3-4 finish; not to be overlooked are fellow seniors Jason Ehmann and Evan Magnussen who ought to attract big college scouts in their own right. Pavilion (led by seniors Tylor Richardson and Max Lord) and Kendall (led by senior Marty Christenson) prove that the race for second is far from a consolation prize.

(B/C) Barn Burner--Seniors paced this race, and it was exciting. College coaches, put your scholarships towards these battle-hardened vets: Cohen Miles-Rath (Wayland-Cohocton), Paul Schwan (LeRoy), Sean Morgan and Yanko Panipinto (Wayne), Zak Ekdahl (Marcus Whitman), Calvin Patten (Alexander), Carson Tyler (Campbell-Savona) and Travis Gregorio (Midlakes) finished in under 17:30. Wayne dominated the competition, but Dansville, Greece Odyssey and Wayland-Cohocton showed that they are up to the task of competition this season.

(A/AA) If I were a betting man...--...I would put my money on McQuaid this year. Seniors Robert Hurlbut (breaking 16 minutes) and Wyatt Gouldthorpe went an impressive 1-2. The senior field is stacked this year: AJ Nasello and Geoff Kelly (Webster Schroeder), Lou Lipani (Greece Arcadia), Joel Kandt and Jesse Jones (Brockport), Chris Dunn and Ricky Mesolela (McQuaid, again) all broke 17 minutes in the 5K competition. Webster Schroeder opened some eyes, vaulting themselves into sectional (and maybe state?) contention with an incredible weekend performance.

More to come from around the state scene...

Section X HS XC Rankings

SECTION X Cross Country (14 September)

Boys

1. Malone
2. Norwood-Norfolk
3. Brushton-Moira
4. Potsdam
5. Canton

Girls

1. Canton
2. Potsdam
3. Brushton-Moira
4. Norwood-Norfolk
5. Malone

High School XC: Section V Highlights

Katie Lembo: The Heir Apparent in Class AA

It is always exciting to see a dynasty being born. In Penfield, freshman Katie Lembo is that dynasty after placing second in sectionals last year as an eighth grader. Essentially in a league of her own, Lembo will face sectional challenges from Fairport junior Ashton Hughes and AA Class of 2011's top senior, Amanda Cocchiara of Hilton. Of course, there's no telling what middle school or freshman phenom might dart onto the scene to challenge Lembo's perch atop the cross country world.

Fastest Returning Runners?

On the boys' side, the fastest runner coming back for more XC is senior Robert Hurlbut of McQuaid. Following him, in order, are the only men to run under 17 minutes at their respective sectional meets last year: senior Kevin Hoose (HF-L), sophomore Colin Kerr (Wayne), senior Jared Rousell (Webster Thomas) and senior Scotty Smolensky (Brighton). They will all vie for the title "Fastest Man in Section V" by the end of the season.

On the girls' side, senior Christine Driscoll of Geneva is the only returning female to run in under 19 minutes (Amanda Moreland, the other, now stars for St. Lawrence University). Looking to reel her in this year, in order (and the only girls to run under 20 minutes at sectionals last year): freshman Katie Lembo (Penfield), senior Shaylyn Tuite (Pittsford-Mendon), junior Allison Hallock (Pittsford-Mendon), junior Ashton Hughes (Fairport), senior Amanda Cocchiara (Hilton), junior Katie Engle (HF-L), senior Alison Lockwood (Geneva), and a trio from Canandaigua: junior Katie McCormick, sophomore Kendall D'Amore and sophomore Kellie Mack.

Sectional Battles to Watch For

AA (Boys): Rush-Henrietta vs. Webster Thomas vs. Hilton--Can a quartet of juniors lead R-H to a repeat title? Or will returning seniors Jared Rousell and Cole DeClerck lead Webster Thomas to the crown?

AA (Girls): Fairport vs. Penfield vs. Hilton--Can Katie Lembo get some run support in Penfield? Will Ashton Hughes lead Fairport to glory? Or can Amanda Cocchiara retain Hilton's sectional crown?

A (Boys): Pittsford-Sutherland vs. McQuaid--McQuaid might be the favorites, but can the upstart boys at Sutherland pull off a much-anticipated title? It will come down to a footrace between senior duos: Robert Hurlbut and Wyatt Goldthorpe of McQuaid against Sean Fischer and Jordan Dworkin of Sutherland.

A (Girls): Pittsford-Mendon vs. Canandaigua--Last year, only 3 points separated Mendon from Canandaigua. It promises to be even closer this year. Each team returns their top four runners from sectionals one year ago.

B (Boys): Honeoye Falls-Lima vs. Wayne--HF-L lost two key seniors, but return senior Kevin Hoose is eager to keep the title with his school. Can sophomore Colin Kerr of Wayne outduel his elder rival?

B (Girls): Honeoye Falls-Lima vs. ....--Facing a dominant HF-L squad this year, the ladies' race for second place looks the most exciting, with a four-way scenario including Livonia, Penn Yan, Geneva and Wayne.

C (Boys): Greece Odyssey vs. Pembroke vs. Dansville vs. Williamson vs. Wayland-Cohocton--That's right--the most wide-open class in all of Section V. Flip a coin; or rather, roll a pair of dice.

C (Girls): Williamson vs. ....--Another race where the battle for second is more easily contested. The girls at Williamson return all their scorers from a team that won sectionals handily a year ago.

D (Boys): Geneseo vs. Pavilion--If any group of runners can unseat the Geneseo-juggernaut, it's the fiesty group at Pavilion. Tylor Richardson runs his final season of cross country for the underdogs, while reigning Class D champ Ryan Moynihan returns to lead the heavily favored Geneseo squad.

D (Girls): Byron-Bergen vs. Geneseo vs. Oakfield-Alabama vs. Red Creek--Easily the most competitive class on the girls' side; the storylines run deep: Can Geneseo retain their dominance? Will Oakfield-Alabama perform up to their state ranking? Can darkhorse Byron-Bergen use their talent to finally bring down the favorites? And can little Red Creek pull off the upset of the century to win a title?

Suspense and thrills for small schools and cross country runners in 2010 for Section V!

Ranking Section V

After diagnosing a very competitive D division, here are our preseason Top 5s for the rest of the Section (starting with Class C):

CLASS C

Boys
1.Greece Odyssey
2.Pembroke
3.Dansville
4.Williamson
5.Wayland-Cohocton

Girls
1.Williamson
2.Wayland-Cohocton
3.Hornell
4.Greece Odyssey
5.Attica

CLASS B

Boys
1.Honeoye Falls-Lima
2.Wayne
3.Aquinas
4.Batavia
5.Geneva

Girls
1.Honeoye Falls-Lima
2.Livonia
3.Penn Yan
4.Geneva
5.Wayne

CLASS A

Boys
1.Pittsford-Sutherland
2.McQuaid
3.Brighton
4.Pittsford-Mendon
5.Brockport

Girls
1.Pittsford-Mendon
2.Canandaigua
3.Pittsford-Sutherland
4.Irondequoit
5.Mercy

CLASS AA

Boys
1.Rush-Henrietta
2.Webster Thomas
3.Hilton
4.Penfield
5.Webster Schroeder

Girls
1.Fairport
2.Penfield
3.Hilton
4.Webster Thomas
5.Rush-Henrietta

Who Will be King/Queen in Section V Class D?

The smallest schools in Section V rarely get any attention in the sporting columns of regional newspapers; instead, players at AAA schools become household names. And where football and soccer get the most print ink every year, cross country is most likely to be confused with skiing for New Yorkers. All of this combines to make Class D runners in Section V "New York's Forgotten Athletes."

Well, no longer. Here's what to look for in a cross country season that is one of the most highly competitive in the state:

Section V Class D Boys

1. Geneseo
In class DDD, Geneseo returns an unbelievable quartet of runners from one year ago, making them the odds-on favorites to win the sectional title and serious contendors for the state crown. Senior Ryan Moynihan, reigning DDD champ, leads Gabe Rodriguez (freshman), Evan Magnussen (senior) and Devon Rodriguez (junior) in an effort to repeat as sectional champs.

2. Arkport
Sectional third-place runner Casey Wellington (junior) returns for this squad, and brings back with him seniors Alex Pollinger and Lucas Halbert. With much to run for, this may be Arkport's best shot at sectional notoriety.

3. Pavilion
Sectional runner-ups last year, Pavilion has a lot to prove in the new season. If their young runners have trained hard enough in the off-season, Pavilion has a chance to give the powerhouse Geneseo team a run for their money. Senior Tylor Richardson will lead the way, along with teammates Ethan Richardson (junior) and sophomore Arron Carlson.

4. Notre Dame-Batavia
Junior warrior Andrew Fischer will lead a Notre Dame squad that has lost considerable firepower after a third-place sectional finish last year. He will be joined by senior Nick Flumerfeldt and junior Matt Sausner.

5. Kendall
The biggest DDD wildcard this year is Kendall. A youthful squad last year earned a ninth-place finish; this year's squad has the potential to rise if their heart and training effort is committed. Senior Marty Christensen will be joined by teammates Dan Price (sophomore), Zech Deuel (junior) and Colton Bisbo (sophomore). Kendall is this year's DDD "darkhorse."



Section V Class D Girls

1. Byron-Bergen
This might shock the small-school running world: a team other than Geneseo is the sectional preseason favorite on the girls' side. Last year's youngest team--and third-place sectional finishers--will likely remain this year's most youthful squad--and return some serious firepower. Freshman Kim Lovett will lead the way, finishing third in the section last season. She will be aided by fellow freshman Charlene Clay and sophomores Kara Hall, Nicole Fore and Sarah Donovan. If everyone in Byron-Bergen knew how good these girls are capable of becoming--well, tickets to cross country meets might become a pretty hot commodity.

2. Geneseo
Sectional champs a year ago, Geneseo always turns out a solid girls squad. They return some youth--freshman Lindsay Ryan and juniors Kristen Wiezel and Casey Emerson--but will have to fill their line-up with other quality ladies to compete with a very competitive sectional field this year. Leah Moreland will lace up for her senior year, and her contribution to the team may prove pivotal if the title is to remain in Geneseo.

3. Oakfield-Alabama
Youth seems to be the rule this year in Class D, and the girls at Oakfield-Alabama look to improve on a solid sixth-place showing at last year's sectionals. Sophomores Kerry Mills and Paige Chatt are back, as well as junior Ashley Covel, freshman Eliza Pinnessa and graduating senior Nicole Woodard. If these ladies have improved since last season, they are certainly in the conversation for a sectional title.

4. Red Creek
Parity is the word this year: the Red Creek girl's cross country team has their best shot at a sectional title in school history. Led by seniors Morgan Mayo, Kim Dauphin and Stephanie Grant, Red Creek also sports a younger side with a freshman trio consisting of the speedy Raylene Wade, Ali Bristol and Rachel Lyons. The sky is the limit for a squad that finished a solid seventh-place at sectionals one year ago.

5. Arkport
After losing two key seniors from last year's squad, Arkport will look to rally behind freshman Mary Frances Aini, who placed second at sectionals last season. She will lead juniors Natalie Bossard, Rachel Bossard, Hannah Smith and sophomore Nicole Smith against a wide-open Class D field.

Keep your eyes on these runners and all of Section V Class D this year! One thing is for sure, sectionals will be a treat--especially on the ladies' side, where five schools have a legitimate shot at being crowned Sectional Champions.

What is New York Distance?

The track is where the glamour is at. Or so you think.

New York Distance is a new organization, dedicated to advancing runners in the Empire State, for those whose running jaunts last longer than a few seconds.

Whether you're a miler, a cross country warrior or a marathoner, this blog and coming events are your place to seek solace with fellow runners and focus on the accomplishments of athletes from Plattsburgh to Poughkeepsie, from Mendon to Montauk.

We're bringing sexy back to endurance running. And we're rooting for our New York athletes to do just that--and even more, to succeed both on and off the track/trail/road.

Keep checking back as we highlight programs and runners across the state--both champion-caliber and small, gritty schools; promote running as a lifestyle for New Yorkers both young and old; interview legends and up-and-comers in the distance running scene statewide; promote races and charity events to participate in year-round.

It doesn't matter if you're serious or a spectator--New York Distance has a place for you!

NEW YORK HS Cross Country Individual Rankings

As cross country season opens for high schoolers in New York, preliminary results have given us our first rankings for the season (as always, tell your coach to ensure your year and results are sent to the proper online source! Or E-mail it to us!):

NEW YORK HS XC RANKINGS (11 SEPT 10)

Boys

1. Colin Frost (Randolph)
2. Marshall Pagano (Niskayuna)
3. Casey Gilboy (Shaker)
4. Mike Stanley (Montgomery)
5. Otis Ubriaco (Burnt Hills)
6. Evan Roelke (Ridge)
7. Kevin Terbush (Burnt Hills)
8. Tyler Frigge (Suffern)
9. Ed Brown (Colonie)
10. Victor Palumbo (Eastchester)
11. Jake Ruskan (Bridgewater)
12. Thomas Flynn (St. Anthony's)
13. CJ Sousis (Lansingburgh)
14. Jim Stamateris (Ridge)
15. Alex Parker (Scotch Plains)
16. Tim Odin (Northport)
17. Zak Godfrey (Fonda-Fultonville)
18. Andrew Coy (Guilderland)
19. Rob Gorski (SS Seward)

Girls

1. Joelle Amaral (Randolph)
2. Kerri Valero (Niskayuna)
3. Jenna Dubrow (Jackson Memorial)
4. Larissa Melendez (Cobleskill)
5. Simran Bains (Ridge)
6. Rebecca Shelson (Randolph)
7. Anna Rabideau (Seton Catholic)
8. Hayley McMahon (Arlington)
9. Keira Wood (Sachem North)
10. Kimberly Mackay (Kellenberg Memorial)
11. Kylie Pearse (Kellenberg Memorial)
12. Rebekah Johnson (Amsterdam)
13. Emily Tucci (Averill Park)
14. Christine Hagan (Kings Park)
15. Courtney Cramer (Suffern)