2014 NY Boys XC Preview: Class A

 
 
NYS
   
 
Class A Preview
Top 5 Teams at 2013 States 
Fayetteville-Manlius  37  Northport 61 Saratoga Springs 61 Syosset 124 North Rockland 127
 

Projected Top 5 Teams for 2014 from Returners' 2013 TR Ratings 

1.Fayetteville-Manlius 181.0 2. Liverpool 179.4 3. Warwick Valley 164.2 4. Ithaca 162.6 5. Shenendehowa 160.0
 
Projected Next 20 Teams for 2014 from Returners' 2013 TR Ratings 
6. West Genesee 15.0 7. Syosset 156.8 8.Williamsville North 156.4 9. McQuaid 156.0 10.Shaker 155.6
11.Mepham 155.4 12. Cicero-North Syracuse 154.2 13t. Fairport 153.4 13t. Monroe-Woodbury 153.4 15t. Webster Thomas 153.2
15t. North Rockland 153.0 17.Corning 153.0 18t. Northport 152.4 18t. Sachem North 152.4 20. Guilderland 151.4
21. Ward Melville 150.0 22. Clarence 148.8 23t Rush-Henrietta 148.6 23t. Calhoun 148.6 25. Arlington 147.8
Next: Kingston, Penfield, Sachem East, Colonie, Scarsdale, Suffern
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
FM's Bryce Millar fought off Northport's Mike Brannigan and Rush-Henrietta's Mickey Burke in one of the all-time great finishes at States.
 
 
 
Top 2013 Returning Runners by Last Year's TR Rating
 
Name                                  Team Grade Section States Place Season TR
Mike Brannigan Northport 12 11 2 193
Bryce Millar Fayetteville-Manlius 12 3 1 192
Aidan Tooker Saratoga 11 2 6 189
Peter Ryan Fayetteville-Manlius 11 3 9 187
Dan Muldoon Liverpool 12 3 8 187
Ben Petrella Liverpool 11 3 12 185
Nick Ciolkowski McQuaid 12 5 10 185
Benito Muniz Carmel 12 1 21 184
Connor Buck Liverpool 12 3 16 182
Dan Dracup Ithaca 12 4 15 181
Jake Johnson Colonie 11 2 33 181
Adam Hunt Fayetteville-Manlius 12 3 23 179
Kyle Barber Fayetteville-Manlius 12 3 28 177
Dan Peterson Warwick Valley 12 9 37 176
Tyler Italiano Syosset 12 11 34 176
Joshua Hadity Commack 12 11 24 176
Dylan McCarthy Liverpool 12 3 -- 175
David Leff West Genesee 10 3 -- 175
Will Randall West Genesee 12 3 -- 175
Noah Carey Guilderland 10 2 -- 174
Next:   Jake Jibb - Monroe-Woodbury 173, Anthony Hawthorne - Niagara Falls 171, Nick Neamtu - Webster Thomas 171, Riley Hughes - Fayetteville-Manlius 170, Ryan Curran - Calhoun 170, Matt Adolph - Warwick Valley 170, Charlie Skidmore - Mepham 170, Michael Grady - East Meadow 170
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
The Class A guys head for the woods at States in the early charge.
 
 
2014 Season Overview for Class A

Last year's preseason previews predicted a ferocious battle between Fayetteville-Manlius and Liverpool for top spot in Section 3's Class A, and it was tight though FM won all the head-to-heads and took a 13 point win at the state qualifier meet and Liverpool grabbed four of the five at-large spots. This year the two teams are expected to not only turn Section 3 into their personal battlefield but also separate themselves from the other teams in the state by a large margin. Both teams qualified for NXN Nationals last year along with Northport, and 2014 looks to have both the Hornets and Warriors heading west again.

The group of returning athletes in Class A is especially strong this year, and the fact that final four guys among the twenty in the top returners list could not earn state tickets last year indicates how packed sections 3 and 2 were last year. With nine of the twenty guys on the list running for Section 3 teams this year, the at-large States tickets are going to be very hard to get.

Fayetteville-Manlius returns as the reigning Class A and NXN-NY champs and has a super lineup of 2013 States guy Bryce Millar along with varsity veterans Peter Ryan, Adam Hunt, Kyle Barber, Riley Hughes, and sophomore Patrick Parry, three of whom finished in the 9th to 28th range last year at States. 2013 Federation championship winner Liverpool counters with its own 6 varsity returners that include Dan Muldoon, Ben Petrella, Connor Buck, Dylan McCarthy, Nick Leclair, and Ryan Comstock. Both teams should be very high up in the national rankings this year.

Warwick Valley appears to be the team closest to the top S3 duo with Dan Peterson and Matt Adolph back to lead the Wildcats, but they will need to have a gigantic growth spurt at all levels to challenge FM and Liverpool. Dan Dracup's Ithaca team could be entering the season as the fourth strongest Class A team as it looks to hold off the 2013 Section 4 Class B champ Corning after its return to customary haunts. Rounding out the top 5 in the projections is a Shenendehowa team that is looking to return to the top in Section 2 for the first time since 2009.

At the individual level, anything could be expected. Reigning States champ Bryce Millar of Fayetteville-Manlius is back, but so is the guy he held off by three tenths of a second in the Class A race last year, Northport's Mike Brannigan. A number of fast rising juniors include Saratoga's Aidan Tooker, Liverpool's Ben Petrella, and Millar's own teammate Peter Ryan, who appears to have osmotically inherited some fast genes from older brother Nick. Who will inherit Mickey Burke's mantle as the NY marvel at Footlockers this year remains to be seen.

 

 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
The action in the States A race at Queensbury was tight from the start.
 
 
Section by Section Class A Overview
 
Section     Top Teams     Notes
1 North Rockland, Arlington, Scarsdale, Suffern, Lakeland-Panas     North Rockland has just enough of its S1-A winning squad from last year to likely hold off the pursuers..
2 Shenendehowa, Shaker, Guilderland, Colonie, Saratoga     Shen has its top 4 back from last year's 2nd place S2-A team and will look to jump ahead of a depleted Saratoga squad and stay ahead of Shaker.
3 Fayetteville-Manlius, Liverpool, West Genesee, Cicero-North Syracuse, Auburn, Central Square     FM and Liverpool will repeat their battles of the last year as two of the nation's top 10 teams battle for the S3-A prize.
4 Ithaca, Corning     Ithaca has a strong team back from last year's S4-A champs and should have enough legs to beat back a Corning team that lost its top three runners for this year's return to Class A.
5 McQuaid, Webster Thomas, Fairport, Rush-Henrietta, Penfield, Hilton,     All of the S5-A teams suffered sizable losses for 2014, but reigning champ Webster Thomas has three of last year's varsity guys back and that may be enough to get them through to another title over McQuaid and Fairport if they can find some help at back.
6 Williamsville North, Clarence, Lockport,  Orchard Park     Clarence's three year reign at the top of S6-A is in jeopardy as Williamsville North returns its top four guys from last year's 3rd place team.
7 No representatives      
8 Syosset, Mepham     Syosset is the reigning S8-A champ but rival Mepham returns four of  their top 5, so this could be a very close race.
9 Warwick Valley, Monroe-Woodbury, Kingston     Warwick Valley looks like it should have enough depth to earn its 17th straight S9-A title.
10 No representatives      
11 Northport, Sachem North, Ward Melville, Calhoun, Sachem East     Northport suffered some key losses up top, but the Tigers will likely be fighting it out for the S11-A title with more balanced Sachem North and Ward Melville squads.
 
   
Previews of Top Teams
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Peter Ryan a Fayetteville-Manlius junior is expected to play a big part in the Hornets' drive for a national championship.
 
* Fayetteville-Manlius   Hornets  
 
Section:   3   Class:   A   Colors:   Green and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1968 (A-3rd), 1997 (A-1st), 1998 (A-2nd), 1999 (A-7th), 2003 (A-2nd), 2004 (AA-1st), 2005 (AA-2nd), 2008 (AA-2nd), 2009 (AA-1st), 2010 (AA-3rd), 2011 (AA-1st), 2012 (A-2nd), 2013 (A-1st)    
NXN Nationals: 2004 (2nd), 2005 (3rd), 2008 (16th), 2009 (9th), 2010 (2nd), 2011 (12th), 2012 (16th), 2013 (4th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   John Gunn (1961, B-4th), John Jeffrey (1968, A-4th), Adam Wasileski (1996 (A-2nd) (1997, A-1st), Dale Cocca (1998, A-4th), Brian Cocca (1998, A-7th), Jared Burdick (2004, AA-7th), Owen Kimple (2004, AA-8th) (2005, AA-4th), Tommy Gruenewald (2005, AA-7th) (2006, AA-2nd), John Heron (2005, AA-10th), Geoff King (2006, AA-3rd), Alex Hatz (2008, AA-1st), Paul Merriman (2008, AA-3rd), Brendan Farrell (2004, AA-6th), Nick Ryan (2011, A-1st) (2012, A-1st), Matt Deyo (2011, A-3rd), Bryce Millar (2012, A-4th, 2013, A-1st), Andrew Berge (2013, A-4th), Peter Ryan (2013, A-9th)
 
Last Year's Summary:    4th at NXN, 1st in NXN-NY, 1st in States A, 1st in Sectionals A,
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Bryce Millar 12 1 2nd in Manhattan-ES 16:08.9 (8) 188
Peter Ryan 11 3 13th in NXN-NY 16:19.1 (33) 174
Adam Hunt 12 7 4th in CNYCL-Amer. 17:08.1 (75) 164
Kyle Barber 12 11 21st in NXN-NY   164
Riley Hughes 12 26 6th in CNYCL-Amer.   150
Patrick Perry 10 23 11th in CNYCL-Amer.   144
Bryan Geehrer 11 -- 12th in CNYCL-Amer.   136
Jonathan Abbott 12 63 21st in CNYCL-Amer.   136
 
This Year's Outlook
Bryce Millar will lead the Hornets in an attempt to repeat last year's sectional and state championships and then make a stab at moving up from last year's 4th place finish at NXN Nationals. With four seniors including Adam Hunt, Kyle Barber, Riley Hughes back along with Millar, FM is a veteran squad that could also see another big jump by junior Peter Ryan this year.
   
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Liverpool's Ben Petrella and Dan Muldoon (at left) and Connor Buck close behind were three of the at-large runners who medaled
at States.
 
* Liverpool   Warriors 
 
Section:   3   Class:   A   Colors:   Orange and blue  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1970 (A-3rd), 1991 (A-1st), 1992 (A-5th), 2000 (A-7th), 2001 (A-2nd), 2006 (AA-3rd), 2007 (AA-5th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   Mike Padil (1979, A-8th) (1980, A-8th), Dave Aman (1984, A-6th), Dan Brown (1985, A-9th), Mark Fadil (1990, A-4th), Jay Conover (1991, B-10th), Joe Head (1992, A-3rd), Dan McKenna (2001, A-4th), Ethan Hickey (2007, AA-6th), Dan Muldoon (2012, A-8th)
 
Last Year's Summary:    20th at NXN Nationals, 3rd at NXN-NY, 1st at Federations, 2nd in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Dan Muldoon 12 6 7th in Federation 15:25.0 (8) 187
Ben Petrella 11 4 17th in NXN-NY 15:28.4 (12) 185
Connor Buck 12 8 14th in Federation 15:35.4 (16) 182
Dylan McCarthy 12 10 26th in Federation   175
Nick Leclair 12 25 5th in CNYCL-Nat   168
Ryan Comstock 11 17 9th in CNYCL-Nat   163
Jacob Rowell 12 31 16th in CNYCL-Nat   151
Ty Brownlow 10 34 20th in CNYCL-Nat   150
 
This Year's Outlook
The Warriors have both the curse and luck to have Fayetteville-Manlius as a nearby school, but the competition will help them hone their weapons for an expected NXN Nationals berth and maybe a huge leap there in 2014. Dan Muldoon, Ben Petrella, and Conor Buck were at States last year and lead a largely intact squad that won the Federation championship, and with Dylan McCarthy, Nick Leclair.and Ryan Comstock providing big depth, Liverpool should stay close to FM.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Dan Peterson led Warwick Valley with a 37th place at States.
 
* Warwick Valley  Wildcats 
 
Section:   9   Class:   A   Colors:   Purple and gold  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1982 (B-1st), 1989 (B-6th), 1991 (B-5th), 1993 (B-6th), 1994 (B-1st), 1995 (B-1st), 1996 (B-6th), 1998 (A-9th), 1999 (B-3rd), 2000 B-3rd), 2001 (A-5th), 2002 (A-4th), 2003 (A-5th), 2004 (AA-4th), 2005 (AA-3rd), 2006 (AA-4th), 2007 (AA-1st), 2008 (AA-5th), 2009 (AA-4th), 2010 (AA-2nd), 2011 (A-5th), 2012 (A-5th), 2013 (A-9th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   Jim Parietti (1978, B-2nd), Joe Straub (1981, B-2nd), Chris Nippert (1982, B-6th), Todd Giszack (1983, B-5th), Eddie Carmack (1994, B-4th) (1995, B-4th) (1996, B-5th), Jake LaRoe (2003, A-4th), Mike Mark (2005, AA-5th), Zack Price (2006, AA-4th), Terence Prial (2006, AA-5th), Alex Leuchanka (2007, AA-4th), Patrizio Grandinalli (2011, A-5th)
 
Last Year's Summary:   4th in Federations, 9th in States A, 1st in Sectionals A
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Dan Peterson 12 1 1st in OCIAA 16:02.3 (37) 176
Matt Adolph 11 6 7th in OCIAA -- 170
Thomas Nafash 10 10 61st in Manhattan-A 16:51.3 (79) 159
Tanner Senius 12 -- 7th in Warwick Wave -- 158
Nick Pacelli 11 13 37th in OCIAA 16:46.5 (79) 158
 
This Year's Outlook
Late season losses of key varsity runners ended the Wildcats season on a down note last year as they finished at the back at States. Dan Peterson and Matt Adolph are back to lead a team with good top level power and likely enough strength to win yet another S9-A championship.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Ithaca's Dan Dracup took a 15th place at States and is back to lead the team this year.
 
* Ithaca   Little Red
 
Section:   4   Class:   A   Colors:   Red and Vegas gold  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1967 (A-5th), 1968 (A-4th), 1969 (A-4th), 1970 (A-1st), 1971 (A-1st), 1972 (A-8th), 1973 (A-4th), 1976 (A-10th), 1979 (A-4th), 1980 (A-7th), 1981 (A-7th), 1982 (A-1st), 1983 (A-7th), 1988 (A-9th), 1989 (A-7th), 1990 (A-2nd), 1991 (A-9th), 1995 (A-8th), 1996 (A-8th), 1997 (A-7th), 1997 (A-7th), 1998 (A-5t), 1999 (A-5th), 2000 (A-5th), 2001 (A-6th), 2002 (A-7th), 2003 (A-7th), 2004 (AA-9th),2005 (AA-8th), 2006 (AA-5th), 2007 (AA-4th), 2009 (AA-7th), 2010 (AA-6th), 2011 (A-7th), 2013 (A-8th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Rob Williams (1959, A-2nd), Lynn Cunningham (1961, A-7th), Bruce Earle (1965, A-2nd), Tom Hartshorne (1970, A-8th) (1971, A-4th), Mike Allen (1970, A-9th), David Pannell (1973, A-5th), Drew Hart (2006, AA-7th), Matt Johnson (2010, AA-4th)
 
Last Year's Summary:   17th in Federation, 8th in States A, 1st in Sectionals A
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Dan Dracup 12 1 1st in in Manhattan-G 15:35.3 (15) 181
Hunter Hartshorne 11 5 18th in Baldwinsville-Lg 16:49.5 (76) 160
Niall Hodges 12 6 75th in NXN-NY 16:53.0 (83) 159
Lucas Canales 12 11 17th in Baldwinsville-Lg 16:57.8 (89) 158
Eric Stinton 12 12 81st in NXN-NY 16:44.7 (72) 155
Jake Avery 10 14 1st in STAC-unseeded 17:05.8 (94) 149
James King 12 16 12th in Marathon-unseeded   147
Neil Kolhatkar 10 20 1st in Tully-JV   146
 
This Year's Outlook
Ithaca dominated the S4-A action last year, and with frontrunner Dan Dracup and a largely intact squad back from the group that placed 6 guys in the top 15 at Sectionals, it's likely that the Little Red will keep Corning at bay in the battle for a States ticket.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Shenendehowa's Collin Rowe in front shown running at the Queensbury Invitational in September will be a leader for the Plainsmen this year.
 
* Shenendehowa   Plainsmen  
 
Section:  2   Class:   A   Colors:   Green and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1977 (A-8th), 1984 (A-7th), 1991 (A-9th), 1992 (A-4th), 1994 (A-1st), 1995 (A-2nd), 1996 (A-3rd), 1997 (A-2nd), 1998 (A-1st), 2002 (A-1st), 2003 (A-1st), 2006 (AA-1st), 2007 (AA-2nd), 2008 (AA-1st), 2009 (AA-6th)      NXN Nationals: 2006 (6th), 2007 (14th), 2007 (7th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   Bob Horan (1981, A-6th), Joe Wirgau (1992, A-8th) (1993, A-3rd), Rick Busch (1994, A-3rd), Scott Wirgau (1995, A-2nd), Dan Tebbano (1997, A-4th), 1998 (A-10th), Rob Cloutier (1998, A-3rd), Darrel Andruski (1999, A-8th), Jacob Gurzler (2002, A-4th), Ryan Gaedje (2002, A-10th) (2003, A-7th), Scott Mindel (2003, A-10th), Steve Murdock (2006, AA-1st), Alex Leuchanka (2008, AA-2nd), Dan Harris (2008, AA-8th) (2009, AA-10th)
 
Last Year's Summary:     2nd in Sectionals A
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Collin Rowe 12 14 20th in Suburban Council   164
Nick Matson 12 15 17th in Suburban Council   163
Tyler Schmidt 11 13 19th in Burnt Hills-3   161
Mitch Halpern 11 17 16th in Super Dual   158
Connor Buhrmeister 12 28 29th in Burnt Hills-3   154
Henry Christopher 11 33 2nd in Suburban Council-JV   151
Mike Collins 11   35th in Suburban Council   151
Jack Vite 12   4th in Suburban Council-JV   150
 
This Year's Outlook
Although no one on Shen got to States last year, the team has nearly all of the varsity back from last year's 2nd place S2-A squad, and reigning champ Saratoga is greatly depleted. That makes the Plainsmen squad led by seniors Collin Rowe and Nick Matson and junior Tyler Schmidt the favorite to make the team's first trip to States in five years.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
West Genesee's Will Randle (no. 504) led the Wildcats at the Federation meet last year.
 
* West Genesee   Wildcats  
 
Section:   3   Class:   A   Colors:   Blue and gold  
 
XC History
States Teams:  
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Steve Houghmaster (2009, AA-4th)
 
Last Year's Summary:    3rd in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
David Leff 10 12 32nd in Federation   175
Will Randall 12 13 29th in Federation   175
Kal Strickland 10 15 8th in CNYCL-Amer.   165
Logan McAnulty 12 -- 20th in Chittenango-1   143
Vinny Gettino 11 60 38th in McQuaid-JV-Lg   135
 
This Year's Outlook
The Wildcats didn't get anyone to States since they were caught between the rock and a hard place of Fayetteville-Manlius and Liverpool, but with senior Will Randall and sophomores David Leff and Kal Strickland back, they have a terrific top trio. If West Genesee can find some depth at the back, it could be among the top five teams in the state.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Syosset's Tyler Italiano at left led the team at States last year.
 
* Syosset  Braves  
 
Section:   8   Class:   A   Colors:   Red, black and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1974 (A-9th), 1997 (A-8th), 1998 (A-4th), 1999 (A-4th), 2000 (A-8th), 2001 (A-9th), 2002 (A-9th), 2003 (A-9th), 2004 (AA-5th), 2005 (AA-7th), 2006 (AA-4th), 2012 (A-8th), 2013 (A-4th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Larry Ulrich (1974, A-8th), Billy Vasilyadis (2000, A-2nd), Mark Alizzi (2001, A-3rd) (2002, A-2nd), David Frankel (2007, AA-10th)
 
Last Year's Summary:    7th in Federation, 4th in States A, 1st in Sectional A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Tyler Italiano 12 1 1st in Section 8-Conference 15:58.8 (34) 176
William Anderson 12 20 8th in Section 8-Conference 16:27.5 (55) 161
William Long 11 15 10th in Section 8-Conference 16:43.2 (70) 161
Billy Heberer 12   2nd in Section 8-Conference-JV   144
Jack Robbins 12   21st in NXN-NY Open   141
Aaron Shapiro 12   8th in Xavier   140
 
This Year's Outlook
Syosset had a very solid 4th place finish at States last year, and with frontrunner Tyler Italiano and William Anderson and William Long back from last year's varsity, the Braves have a solid core to get another title in a likely heated battle with Mepham.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Williamsville North's Mike Leczinsky was at States for the Spartans in 2013.
 
* Willamsville North Spartans
 
Section:   6   Class:   A   Colors:   Green and gold  
 
XC History
States Teams:   
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Ron Markezich (1983, A-3rd) (1984, A-3rd), Mike Dobmeier (2004, A-4th)
 
Last Year's Summary:    3rd in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Patrick Crowley 12 9 34th in McQuaid-AAA   165
Mike Leczinsky 12 6 7th in Knox-C 16:44.1 (71) 163
Ryan Konotopskyj 11 26 13th in ECIC   158
Austin Oetinger 12 18 33rd in ECIC   150
Ryan Courtney 11   67th in ECIC   136
 
This Year's Outlook
Williamsville North may be one of the top new powers this year with a team that has much of its varsity back from last year's 3rd place S6-A team and solid seniors at in Patrick Crowley and States runner Mike Leczinsky.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
McQuaid's Nick Ciolowski (no. 531) took a top 10 place at States and is back to lead the Knights in 2014.
 
* McQuaid   Knights
 
Section:   5   Class:   A   Colors:   Black and gold  
 
XC History
States Teams:   1973 (A-7th), 1978 (A-6th), 1980 (A-5th), 1981 (A-1st), 1983 (A-4th), 1984 (A-1st), !985 (A-2nd), 1991 (A-3rd), 1992 (A-1st), 1993 (A-8th), 2009 (A-2nd), 2010 (A-1st)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Scott Peterson (1985, A-7th), Dan Lesser (1993, A-7th), Robert Hurlbut (2009, A-2nd) (2010, A-1st), Wyatt Gouldthorpe (2010, A-10th),  Nick Ciolkowski (2013, A-10th)
 
Last Year's Summary:   2nd in Sectionals A
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Nick Ciolkowski 12 3 6th in McQuaid-AAA 15:25.8 (10) 185
Donald Glavin 11 20 6th in Clarence-Lg   166
Aiden Blake 10 36 13th in Loyal Greenman   149
Mark Depasquale 11 68 12th in McQuaid-Soph   146
Matt Brien 12   3rd in Loyal Greenman-JV   134
Nick Caterisano 10   2nd in Loyal Greenman-JV   134
 
This Year's Outlook
McQuaid has enough of last year's 2nd place S5-A squad back to battle reigning champ Webster Thomas for the title if it can find some help at the back. Nick Ciolkowski is back from a States top 10 finish and should be a favorite for the S5-A crown this year.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Shhaker's Paul Nichols shown competing at the Queensbury Invitational in September will be stampeding the Bison in 2014.
 
* Shaker  Bison  
 
Section:   2   Class:   A   Colors:   Royal blue and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:     1961 (B-4th), 1962 (B-5th), 1087 (A-7th), 1976 (A-8th), 1978 (A-7th), 1986 (A-8th), 2010 (AA-1st), 2011 (A-3rd). NXN Nationals: 2010 (13th), 2011 (16th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   Ron White (1960, B-5th), Justin Corelli (1999, A-2nd) (2001, A-2nd), RJ Sniffen (2007, AA-7th), Christian Delago (2010, AA-6th), Mike Libruk (2010, AA-7th) (2011, A-9th)
 
Last Year's Summary:    5th in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Paul Nichols 11 10 13th in Suburban Council   169
Tom Hale 12 18 14th in Albany County   161
Chris Bouchard 12 29 10th in Grout-1   154
Nick Rachubar 11 32 1st in Albany County-JV   147
Sam Nichols 12   2nd in Albany County-JV   147
Ryan Assini 12   25th in Albany County   146
Steven Wood 12   3rd in Albany County-JV   142
 
This Year's Outlook
Although 5th in S2-A last year, the Bison have a good chunk of the varsity back for 2014 plus a .solid cast from the JV group, and they should contend for the S2-A title. Junior Paul Nichols leads a Shaker squad that is looking for its first Sectional title in three years.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Mepham's Charlie Skidmore (no. 824) was the top guy for the Pirate crew last year and finished 48th at States.
 
* Mepham   Pirates  
 
Section:   8   Class:   A   Colors:   Garnet and gray  
 
XC History
States Teams:     1973 (A-3rd), 1976 (A-11th), 1977 (A-4th), 1978 (A-11th), 1979 (A-3rd), 1980 (A-1st), 1981 (A-8th), 1983 (A-6th), 1984 (A-6th), 1990 (A-10th), 1991 (A-10th), 1992 (A-3rd), 1993 (A-4th), 1994 (A-9th), 1996 (A-9th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Kevin O'Sullivan (1952, A-10th), Vincent Daly (1958, A-4th), Larry Melisurgo (1980, A-3rd), Frank Melisurgo (1980, A-5th), Peter Lang (1984, A-2nd), Chris Fogarazzo (1991, A-4th) (1992, A-1st), David Frazer (1992, A-5th), Dan Genn (2006, B-10th)
 
Last Year's Summary:    2nd in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Charlie Skidmore 12 6 3rd in Section 8 Conf, 1 16:17.3 (48) 170
Christopher Perillo 11 14 11th in Section 8 Conf, 1 16:45.9 (73) 160
Billy Nolan 12 29 17th in Section 8 Conf, 1   153
Rob Boschert 12 27 22nd in Section 8 Conf, 1   150
Alex Pekoff 12 54  35th in Section 8 Conf, 1   144
 
This Year's Outlook
It's been 18 years since the Pirates went to States, but with much of the crew back from last year's varsity, this is as good a season as any to mount a challenge to Syosset in S8-A. Charlie Skidmore and Christopher Perillo return from States runs to lead the team.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Cicero-North Syracuse guys in blue run at Baldwinsville Invitational.
(CNS's great XC website image)
 
* Cicero-North Syracuse  Northstars
 
Section:   3   Class:   A   Colors:   Royal blue, green and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1986 (A-4th), 1989 (A-1st), 1993 (A-2nd), 1994 (A-3rd), 1995 (A-1st), 1996 (A-1st)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Jim Laware (1961, A-9th), Bill Kahn (1988, A-6th), 1989, A-3rd), Sean Kelly (1989 (A-7th), Brian Kuryla (1995, A-8th) (1996, A-4th) (1997, A-3rd), Joe Mahler (1995, A-10th), (1997, A-3rd), Bryan Buchanan (2002, A-6th) (2003, A-1st), Chris Buchanan (2009, AA-8th) (2010, AA-1st)
 
Last Year's Summary:    4h in Sectionals A
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Andrew Bearkland 11 20 10th in Marathon   165
Chris Hannon 12 29 15th in Marathon   161
Eric Bowen 10 30 11th in CNYCL-Nat.   158
Jared George 12 50 41st in Manhattan-F   145
Joe Tricarico 10 56 27th in CNYCL-Nat.   142
Jake Dehm 12 43 31st in CNYCL-Nat.   139
 
This Year's Outlook
CNS is in the toughest section in the country, so there will not be huge expectations for championships, but the Northstars have a solid team headed by junior Andrew Bearkland that will be high up in many invitationals this year.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Fairport runners in red bust out at the Monroe County championship.
(Fairport's fantastic XC website image)
 
* Fairport   Red Raiders
 
Section:   5   Class:   A   Colors:   Scarlet and royal blue  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1979 (A-11th), 1986 (A-9th), 1988 (A-3rd), 1989 (A-2nd), 1990 (A-5th), 1995 (A-5th), 1996 (A-1st), 1997 (A-4th), 2003 (A-6th), 2006 AA-8th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Scott Brighton (1987, A-5th), Nate Ruder (1989, A-5th) (1990, A-3rd), Brian Lilly (1997, A-5th), Jeff Beck (1999, A-4th), Pat Dupont (2007, A-1st)
 
Last Year's Summary:   4th in Sectionals A
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Brian Swider 12 29 22nd in Monroe County   161
Mike Mallow 11 41 33rd in Monroe County   158
McCrae Kozody 11 63 38th in Monroe County   152
Ryan Burnham 12   40th in Monroe County   150
Noah Michaels 11   70th in McQuaid-AAA   148
Josh Roman 12   2nd in Baldwinsville-JV   145
Rob Brooks 11   12th in Monroe County-B   142
           
 
This Year's Outlook
Like most of the S5-A contenders, Fairport has a couple guys back from last year's varsity, and that will be enough to contend for one of the top spots. Senior Brian Swider leads a team that is looking to move up on last year's 4th place Sectional finish and shoot for its first title in 8 years.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Monroe-Woodbury's Jake Jibb ran big at States for a 43rd place.
 
* Monroe-Woodbury   Crusaders
 
Section:   9   Class:   A   Colors:   Purple and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1961 (A-6th), 1969 (B-8th), 1970 (B-3rd), 1974 (A-2nd), 1975 (A-3rd), 1984 (A-2nd), 1985 (A-1st), 1988 (A-9th), 1992 (A-7th), 1993 (A-9th), 1994 (A-2nd)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   Joe Belmonte (1960, B-6th), Bruce Mapes (1970, B-8th), Ralph Semmel (1973, A-4th), Jim O'Shea (1975, A-1st) (1976, A-5th), Mike Grogan (1975, A-7th), Andy Halpin (1976, A-3rd), John Murphy (1980, A-10th), John Trautmann (1983, A-2nd) (1984, A-1st) (1985, A-1st), Jim Trautmann (1989, A-9th), Brian McKnight (1996, A-1st)
 
Last Year's Summary:    3rd in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Jack Jibb 12 3 2nd in Burnt Hills-3. 16:08.8 (43) 173
Aidan Gaffney 12 26 35th in OCIAA   151
Christopher Urio 11 18 38th in OCIAA   150
Tyler Morton 12 19 45th in OCIAA   149
Wayne Williams 12 22 49th in OCIAA.   144
 
This Year's Outlook
The Crusaders have a lot of the varsity guys back headed by States runner Jack Jibb and they should be able to move up in S9-A with a solid group of returners.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Webster Thomas's Keith Johnson and Nick Neamtu (shown here in front) were the top Titans at States in 2013.
 
* Webster Thomas   Titans  
 
Section:   5   Class:   A   Colors:   Navy and gold  
 
XC History
States Teams:    2013 (A-7th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   Tom Smith (1988, A-2nd)
 
Last Year's Summary:    7th in States A, 1st in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Nick Neamtu 11 8 19th at McQuaid AAA 16:39.4 (66) 171
Justin Vestri 12 16 27th at Monroe County 17:08.7 (96) 161
Sean Welch 12 - 1st at Monroe County B 17:19.2  (102) 154
Steven Loce 11 27 37th at Monroe County B   154
Fletcher Lill 12 - 47th at Monroe County   126
 
This Year's Outlook
The Titans were hit hard by graduation but may have enough to repeat in S5-A if they can find some depth behind returning States runners Nick Neamtu, Justin Vestri, and Sean Welch.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
North Rockland's Asaad Jeffrey was the Red Raiders leader at States last year.
 
* North Rockland   Red Raiders  
 
Section:   1   Class: A   Colors:   Red and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:   1977 (A-5th), 1978 (A-3rd), 1988 (A-4th), 1991 (A-2nd), 2001 (A-7th), 2002 (A-2nd), 2003 (A-3rd) 2004 (AA- 7th), 2009 (AA-2nd), 2013 (A-5th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Todd Sinclair (1978, A-10th) (1979-A-5th), Dave Dominquez (1992, A-10th), Carlos Jamieson (2008, A-8th), John Martinez (2003, A-9th) (2004, AA-2nd), Nick Hughes (2008, AA-6th) (2009, AA-1st)
 
Last Year's Summary:    16th in Federation, 5th in States A, 1st in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Richard Stephens 12 20 12th in Rockland County 16:37.5 (64) 159
Liam Mallon 12 17 20th in Rockland County -- 156
Matthew Lemoine 12 30 22nd in Rockland County 16:56.1 (87) 156
TJ Morales 11   1st in Rockland County-JV   152
Liam Joyce 12   4th in Rockland County-JV   143
Dylan Serino 10   3rd in Rockland County-JV   143
 
This Year's Outlook
The Red Raiders lost the core of their Sectional championship team to graduation, but the competition level is not that heated in S1-A this year and they are again favorites for another crown. A strong JV group moves up to join varsity returners Richard Stephens, Liam Mallon, and Matthew Lemoine.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Corning's John McCarthy and Thomas Moshier (shown here with Hawk's Sam Chauvin right behind) led the team to 2nd place finish in Class B last year.
 
* Corning   Hawks  
 
Section:   4   Class:   A   Colors:   Black and gold  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1978 B-7th), 1982 (B-9th), 1994 (A-5th), 2012 (A-7th), 2013 (B-2nd)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Dave Van Alstyne (1967, A-8th), John Duke (1988, B-1st), Krys Usack (2001, A-10th), John McCarthy (2013, B-5th), Tom Moshier (2013, B-9th)
 
Last Year's Summary:      10th in Federations, 2nd in States B, 1st in Sectionals B
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Brian Bates 11 8 11th in STAC 16:25.6 (4, B) 164
Logan Winningham 12 11 18h in STAC 16:58.9 (80, B) 153
Jared Moore 12 14 24 at Marathon 16:48.0 (70, B)) 153
Jay Fyfe 11 12 16th in STAC 17:11.4 (88, B) 153
Kevin Moshier 11 17 83rd in McQuaid-AAA   142
Peter Kane 10 27 8th in Stock-Conwicke   142
 
This Year's Outlook
The Hawks lost their top three guys from last year's 2nd place B States team, and moving back to Class A they will likely be running a ways behind Ithaca. With four varsity guys back from 2013 led by junior Brian Bates, Corning has a good base to build on and should make the battle for the S4-A crown a good one.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Northport's Mike Brannigan at center with the big "N" had a spectacular 2013 season and narrowly missed a championship at States.
 
* Northport   Tigers  
 
Section:   11   Class:   A   Colors:   Navy and gold  
 
XC History
States Teams:   2001 (A-4th), 2002 (A-3rd), 2003 (A-8th), 2012 (A-3rd), 2013 (A-2nd)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   Bob Varsha (1968, A-8th), Kevin Tschirhart (2002, A-3rd) (2003, A-6th) (2004, A-3rd), Mike Brannigan (2013, A-2nd)
 
Last Year's Summary:    5th in Federations, 3rd in States A, 1st in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Mike Branigan 12 1 1st in NXN-NY 15:06.6 (2) 193
Pat Thall 12 23 177th in NXN Nationals 16:53.8 (84) 157
Dan Behrens 11   2nd in Suffolk Officials-JV 18:42.6 (107) 139
Ryan Tschirhart 11   7th in Suffolk Coaches-Soph   139
Sam Napoli 11   15th in Suffolk Coaches-Soph   135
 
The Tigers were hurt badly by graduation losses from last year's 2nd place States team, and even winning the S8-A crown will be no easy task. But Mike Brannigan is back from last year's NXN-NY triumph and he will be one of the top guys in the state again.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Sachem North's Anthony Coccia led the Flaming Arrows at States.
 
*  Sachem North  Flaming Arrows  
 
Section:   11   Class:   A   Colors:   Black and gold and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1990 (A-8th), 1991 (A-6th), 1993 (A-3rd), 1996 (A-5th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):    Bob Graetzer (1990, A-5th), Brian Trentkowski (1996, A-8th), Patrick Gildea (1997, A-4th)
 
Last Year's Summary:   2nd in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
John Onken 12 13 6th in Sufolk Coaches-A   164
Dan Block 12 17 16th in Manhattan B   161
Jonathan Lauer 10 81 48th in Manhattan B   147
Mark DiFulvio 12 37 25th in Sufolk Coaches-A   147
Ryan Branigan 11   40th in Manhattan JV   143
 
This Year's Outlook
The Flaming Arrows have a good amount of the varsity back headed by seniors John Onken and Dan Block, and in a S11-A battle that is up for grabs, the Flaming Arrows have a solid shot.
   
 
 
 
NY-XC-2013-guide
Guilderland's Matt Pasquali and Jonathon Feil were the top guys for the Flying Dutchmen at the Queensbury Invitational last September.
 
* Guilderland Flying Dutchmen
 
Section:   2   Class:   A   Colors:   Red and white  
 
XC History
States Teams:    1990 (A-4th)
 
States Individuals (Top 10 finishers):   Dieter Drake (1987, A-2nd), Tom Ryan (1994, A-5th), Brian Rhodes-Devey (2004, AA-4th) (2005, AA-1st) (2006, AA-8th), Seth DuBois (2005, AA-9th)
 
Last Year's Summary:    7th in Sectionals A
 
 
Roster
Name Grade Sect. Place Top Notes States Results Season TR
Noah Carey 10 7 11th in Suburban Council   174
Jonathon Feil 12 22 46th in Manhattan-G   154
Jared Capuano 11 40 76th in Manhattan-G   154
Victor Warner 11 42 47th in Suburban Council   144
Noah Tinsdale 8 60 11th in Suburban Council-JV   141
           
           
 
This Year's Outlook
Although Guilderland finished 7th in S2-A last year, it has enough of the squad back led by a fast-rising sophomore Noah Carey for the young team to do very well this year.