2014 NY Boys XC Preview: Overall and Federation

The 2013 season went off without much in the way of cataclysmic weather events unlike a year earlier when part of the state was tossed around by Hurricane Sandy, but for the NY guys there was a little shaking up going on. At the States meet in early November, Fayetteville-Manlius avenged a 1-point Class A loss in 2012 to Saratoga and for the second time in three years copped both the team and individual titles as Bryce Millar held off favored Mickey Burke of Rush-Henrietta and Mike Brannigan of Northport. The reigning champ Blue Streaks lost a tie-breaker for 2nd place to Brannigan's Tigers. Pittsford Mendon claimed its first state championship in the B title edging out a Corning team that had dropped down a class for a year, and Lake Shore's TJ Hornberger caught up with the trophy that had just eluded him the year before.

Among the smaller schools, Holland-Patent once again proved to be the odd Siamese twin to Section 3 mate FM by claiming its third Class C title in five years, both schools winning in 2009, 2011, and 2013. Plattsburgh's Jeriqho Gadway gave Section 7 its lucky 13th state championship with a win in Class C. Mount Academy got a second consecutive title in Class D before being moved up to Class C for this year, and Greenwich's Jeremy Spezio overcame early season injuries for a late ride to the title.

In New York City, Chaminade and reigning champ Saint Anthony's had battled all year for the bragging rights for the top team among the NYC-area schools, but the Flyers' 1-2 punch of Thomas Slattery and Sean Kelly at the top helped to unseat the Frairs as the top team in the CHSAA. In the PSAL, Midwood had a huge late-season surge especially in the mid pack where championships are often won and the Hornets buzzed past favored Stuyvesant for the title. Midwood's frontrunner Billy Hector followed McKee Tech's Mohammed Aziz across the line at Van Cortlandt. Collegiate and top guy Marco Pompilj had no trouble capturing their AIS titles.

The season's wrap-up included two different champions dominating at Federations. Liverpool had been beat out by FM for the Section 3 Class A spot at States, but they again showed why the States set-up is a bit of an antiquated mess by proving themselves among the best three teams in NY with an 85 point win over Chaminade, as St. Anthony's took 3rd. Pearl River's Brian Cook was 3rd in the States B race, but closer to home he sliced up the field at Feds with a heady 11 second win over Chaminade's Slattery. At the Nike Cross National's New York Regional, Fayetteville-Manlius again was the top team, but a great effort by Northport earned the Tigers the second berth and left 3rd place Liverpool in the sweat room for a while until the NXN selectors finally gave NY a third ticket. At NXN Nationals, FM took 4th, Northport 11th, and Liverpool 20th, and TJ Hornberger was the top NY guy over the line in 21st.

Mickey Burke was the lone NY runner to qualify for the Footlockers National meet with a huge win at the Northeast Regional, and he made it a memorable one by placing 4th out at San Diego among the top 40 guys in the nation, the first top-10 finish for a NY guy since Edward Owens and Chad Noelle took 8th and 10th in 2010, and the best place since Steve Murdock's 3rd in 2006.

There may well be a lot of familiar faces shining from the podiums in New York championships this year. The rich get richer, and in some cases like Mount Academy, they move to more upscale neighborhoods like Class C from Class D. All of the States team winners from last year are at least contenders for a repeat win though only three could actually pull it off, and some of the champs are strong favorites. Only B winner TJ Hornberger graduated from last year's individual States winners, so there are three guys working hard again this year to thwart the pretenders to their thrones though again only two can repeat because of a move by Greenwich. The New York City area teams should have spirited battles in the CHSAA and PSAL groups, and you probably won't lose any money betting on Collegiate and frontrunner Marco Pompilj to win AIS titles. Finally, at the national level, Fayetteville-Manlius comes off a 4th place finish at NXN last year and definitely the Hornets have their eyes on picking up a top place out in Portland this year.

FM is indeed a big favorite in Class A entering the season with 6 of last year's top 7 guys back including States champ Bryce Millar. That would seem to be an invincible force, but Section 3 mate and Federations champ Liverpool is also following the same 6-of-7-back script and enters the season rated as one of the top 10 teams in the nation. But as the tired old chorus goes, "Only one is moving on to States!?!?!" The third NY team at Nationals last year, Northport, was wacked silly by graduation losses, but one guy who is back is NXN-NY winner Mike Brannigan, who will be looking to work on his lean at the tape this year after two really close losses in XC and outdoor States to pick up a States crown to go with his NXN-NY win from 2013.

The other XC classes all feature exciting matchups as Pittsford Mendon goes for a back-to-back after graduating its top 3 runners, and it will likely be stalked by outdoor 1600m winner Luke Gavigan's Tappan Zee team and by two of PM's Section 5 comrades, Honeoye Falls-Lima and Brighton. Mount Academy steps up to Class C action sporting the last two Class D titles and will likely be challenged most closely by two other division newbies, East Aurora down from Class B and Greenwich and 2013 D champ Jeremy Spezio. 2013 C champ Holland -Patent is always good for a late-season run at the States title, but they only seem to win in odd-numbered years. After gladly waving Mount Academy goodbye from Class D, the most recent remaining otherwise winner champ Barker will hope to match its 2011 win and pick up its third States title..

In the NYC-area league confrontations, St. Anthony's will look to return to its dominating ways in the CHSAA with the departure of reigning champ Chaminade's top duo of Thomas Slattery and Sean Kelly. The Friars' Patrick Tucker is the lead candidate for the individual title as he tries to help put a deep St. A's team back on top, but Xavier's John Rice shouldn't be far behind. In the PSAL, last year's top 3 of Midwood, Stuyvesant, and Brooklyn Tech enter the season with virtually identical returning-runner TR averages. Stuyvesant's Eric Chen appears to have a sizable lead over the other PSAL runners. Finding another team in the AIS besides Collegiate with a full strong team is difficult as the season begins, and the Dutchmen and Marco Pompilj will likely be mainly focused on the larger NYC and Federation competitions.

14-- Which young guys will be seen and heard? Finding the next crop of enfants terribles is always tougher for the boys than the girls, and no new superstar seemed to emerge among the 7th and 8th grade guys last year. But there are a half dozen young runners who have earned some trail and track cred for the Single Digit Club in 2014. 8th grader Noah Tinsdale of Guilderland is certainly a certified member with 1600m and 3200m times of 4:41 and 10:20, and Horsehead's Bryce Derricks finished the 2013 XC year in the TR 140s. Among the 9th graders, Nathan Lawlor of Pittsford Mendon showed great promise with a 10:10 for the 3200m, Haldane's Nicholas Farrell did 4:44 and 10:22 at the two long distances, North Rockland's Patrick Tuohy did a 10:23 for the 3200m, and Jordan-Elbridge's Hunter Brunelle finished at a 141 TR for 2013 XC. One or more of these guys will be a champ one day.

13-- Which profiled team has the best nickname? The mascots include the Flaming Arrows, Marauders, Witches, Jugglers, Bombers, Royals (We'll never be, according to Lorde), Phantoms, Blue Streaks and Blue Devils. But how can you beat an XC-humble name like the Peglegs for showing true grit on the trails? If the Stuyvesant runners can run on pegs, you know they are the definition of tough. Until the Potsdam Stoners make the list of profiled teams, we'll go with the Peglegs.

12-- Which guy has the top D? Seven of the top 10 finishers in the 2013 States Class D race either graduated or were moved to Class C. Top returners include Argyle's Daryn Hutchings, Caledonia-Mumford's Everett Geiger, and Duanesburg's Pat Murphy, all seniors. But will a younger guy like Norwood-Norfolk sophomore Kyle Fulk take the crown? All will be told in Canton.

11-- Will the Hornets pull off another sting operation? The FM Hornet team is one of the dominant teams in NY XC, but another team with the same mascot won a title last year down in the PSAL conference. Midwood of Brooklyn again looks to fly high despite the loss of top runner Billy Hector, but Brooklyn Tech and Stuyvesant will also be engineering and pegging for a title.

10-- Who wins the Battle of the Immortals? I'm not aware of any previous year when two reigning States champs runners have gone head-to-head against each other the next year, but that possibility exists for 2013 Class C champ Jeriqho Gadway of Plattsburgh and Class D champ Jeremy Spezio of Greenwich after the Witches were moved up a class. There will be a lot of other guys vying for that trophy too, but the Gadway-Spezio matchup adds some spice to this year's coverage.

9-- Who's barking up the right tree in Class D? With Mount Academy come and done after its debut and two year dominating reign in Class D, who becomes the favorite in the smallest group? Barker finished 3rd last year behind the departed Mount and Greenwich and hopes its time at the top has come again, but Duanesburg wants a first title, East Rochester a second, and Beaver River wouldn't mind chewing its way to a 15th crown.

8-- Who's the top guy in NYC? Last year the NYC-area schools took four of the top eight places at Feds, and 4th-place finisher Marco Pompilj of Collegiate and 8th-place finisher Patrick Tucker of St. Anthony's are back on the streets of Gotham (or thereabouts) along with Feds' 11th place finisher John Rice of Xavier and CHSAA 4th placer Gunnar Nolan of Chaminade. They all could have a big presence at the 2014 Federation championship.

7-- Is Luke heating up? After edging Mike Brannigan in the outdoor States 1600m race, blazing to his first States title in the same event indoor back in March, and finishing 4th in last year's Class B race in XC in November, Tappan Zee's Luke Gavigan finds himself as the only returning runner from last year's top 11 in the B race at Queensbury. Things are really heating up for Gavigan, and he appears to be the most prohibitive favorite for a States title of all the guys likely heading to Canton. .

6-- Who survives when worlds collide? Class C has become a place of conflict for alien invaders from Class B and Class D this year as the Blue Devil creatures have arrived from their former home in East Aurora's B sector and Mount Academy and the Witches of Greenwich have flown up from sector D. As the top three teams in this year's Class C preseason rankings, they will be part of a major shake-up among the old guard of the C battles of yore .

5-- Can the Friars sizzle in CHSAA again? St. Anthony's won four straight CHSAA titles before being knocked off by Chaminade last year. But the Flyers' leading duo are gone and the Friars have twins Patrick and Joseph Tucker leading a deep team that appears to have a big gap over other CHSAA contenders such as Fordham Prep and Xavier as the season begins.

4-- Is it Millar time again? Fayetteville-Manlius's Bryce Millar earned the Hornets' third straight States individual crown last year and then went on to finish 2nd at NXN-NY before falling back a bit at Nationals. This year he hopes to lead his team to the top in the state and nation, but super fast guys like Northport's Mike Brannigan and Saratoga's Aidan Tooker and a pack of guys near home from Liverpool and FM like Dan Muldoon, Ben Petrella, and Peter Ryan makes it likely that there will be a lot of runners getting into the mix for the titles in the big events.

3-- Will the Vikings maraud their way to consecutive titles? Pittsford Mendon captured their first States title last year, but of course when you get one trophy you always want another to keep it company. Despite losing their top three runners, the Vikings still have enough guys back from last year's championship squad to be small favorites entering the 2014 season. The margin over Tappan Zee, Brighton, and Honeoye Falls-Lima is not large, however, and Class B looks like a likely location to look for likely lively action. .

2-- Can FM do it again in Class A? Fayetteville-Manlius has never won repeat States titles, and this year there is a chance that they could repeat the Saratoga girls' infamous deed of 1995 and earn a top national ranking but not win a spot at NY States. The competition between FM and Liverpool in Section 3 could be that close. No other Class A team appears that likely to challenge the Hornets and Warriors going into the season, but when the music stops playing at the S3-A dance, only one chair will remain.

1-- Who's going to Portland? The unusual circumstances that put three NY teams on planes to the NXN last year are not that likely to be repeated. At this point, Fayetteville-Manlius and Liverpool seem to have a substantial advantage over the rest of the teams in the state and are likely to repeat their Portland visits in 2014. But the season is long and perhaps a fairly deep squad like last year's #4 team St. Anthony's will develop into a powerhouse that catches the eye(s) of the NXN selectors.

Title Towns When Bryce Millar took the States Class A title in 2013, he gave Fayetteville-Manlius the distinction of being the first school in the largest existing class (A or AA) to have a runner win the individual crown three years in a row. FM also took the lead in total individual titles at 5, one ahead of Monroe-Woodbury and Walt Whitman. Finally, the Hornets tied Walt Whitman for the most different individual winners at 4, with Adam Wasileski in 1997, Alex Hatz in 2008, and Nick Ryan in 2011 and 2012 preceding Millar. Fox Lane is the only other NY team to accumulate 5 individual States titles from four different runners, all in Class B in the 1960s.

Served Up on a Golden Platter When Plattsburgh's Jeriqho Gadway took the States C title, he became the second runner from the Hornets to win a crown following Kyle Watson in 1990. But with Seton Catholic-Plattsburgh's Jeremy Stone in 1996 and Michael Champagne in 2008 and 2009 also winning States titles, the town of Plattsburgh is another Fort Knox for gold hoarders.

High Five Pittsford Mendon's Class B title last year extended Section 5's remarkable 13 year run of winning an individual or team title at States, second behind only Section 3, whose gluttonous habits go back to 1979 when Jimmy Carter was prez. The Section 5 guys have won 21 of their 37 boys titles during the recent streak.

Runners-up in Waiting Last year both TJ Hornberger of Lake Shore and Jeremy Spezio of Greenwich won States titles after coming in 2nd the year before, the first time that this double occurrence has happened since 2010 when Robert Hurlbut of McQuaid and Matt Cheney of Beaver River did it. Hornberger's win also extended a Class B streak for runners-up guys, as Dan Lennon of Peru in 2011 and Ryan Manahan of Marcellus in 2012 also acceded to the throne after being second dog the year before. All of last year's runners-up were seniors and three of the four winners were juniors, so 2014 will be looking at potential repeaters instead of heirs-to-the-throne.

Flying High Chaminade's Thomas Slattery and Sean Kelly finished 1-2 at the CHSAA Championship, the first time that two guys from the same team have finished at the top since Saint Anthony's Kenneth Walshak and Patrick Murphy accomplished that feat in 2009 and began the Friars' string of four straight titles from 2009 to 2012. That same year in 2009 the 3rd place finisher was William Slattery, Thomas's brother, who would go on to take the 2010 title for Chaminade.

CHSAA champ Thomas Slattery of Chaminade leads St. Anthony's Patrick Tucker and Chaminade teammate Sean Kelly as they approach the last 1K of the Federation meet.

With its usual fairly deep lineup, St. Anthony's looks ready to reclaim the top spot among the CHSAA and NYC-area teams. Senior Friars Patrick and Joseph Tucker are back to lead a team that just has more high-level runners than the other squads. The battle behind St. A's in the CHSAA should be pretty heated as Fordham Prep, Xavier, and reigning champ Chaminade all seem to enter the season at fairly even strength. Fordham's Rams have a top duo of senior Joseph Prunty and junior Conor Lundy and a strong number 3 guy in senior Mike Miano but need more development at the back to challenge St. Anthony's. Xavier senior John Rice is one of the favorites for the CHSAA title on a Knights team that needs a big charge behind him. Chaminade will look to recover from the loss to graduation of the CHSAA's top duo of Thomas Slattery and Sean Kelly and looks to Gunnar Nolan to help get the team flying again.

The PSAL looks to be in a dead heat among three teams with the returning runners from last year, and every team needing a big boost from new runners to separate themselves from the pack. Reigning champ Midwood has senior Ron Livchits at the front, 2013 runnerup Stuyvesant is led by senior Eric Chen, and last year's 3rd place team Brooklyn Tech has senior Pedro Millard on the lead, but this is just one of those we'll-see-what-shakes-out situations.

AIS leader Collegiate has senior Marco Pompilj as the top NYC-area returning runner, and the Dutchmen also have senior Jack Farley to lead a challenge to Saint Anthony's and the CHSAA schools for bragging rights to the best team in the NYC area.