The Rematch

At the 2013 State Meet, at Queensbury HS, with 150m to, it became an all out sprint.  Juniors Bryce Millar and Mikey Brannigan, with senior Mickey Burke between them, turned an XC Race into a final straightaway sprint, (ironically, it would duplicated between Millar and Burke into an actual final straightaway sprint at the Spring State Meet).  Flash forward one year later, and the now seniors look to be on track to be neck and neck yet again.  Brannigan and Millar have both put down a 198-speed rated performance at Sectionals.  Neither have raced the state meet course before.  In Brannigan's favor, his race strategy will be hard to plan for.  This year, he has gone out hard from the gun each time, yet last time he raced Millar, he had sat on him until the last 800m, and pulled away at NXN Regionals.  In Millar's favor, he has had a strong team training mentality, and strong competition from neighboring Ben Petrella of Liverpool, who will also play a big factor in the race.  All the numbers point to this being a close race of two at the top.

The Dark Horse

Last time there was a meet on this course, the dark horse Tyler Italiano took home the title.  Italiano included, there are a slew of those in the chase pack who could pop a big performance, and come away with the win.  Untethered by team scoring, Petrella can run all out with nothing to lose, and may come away with the upset.  Dan Dracup of Ithaca has raced Millar at McQuaid, and comes into the race knowing what to expect.  Aidan Tooker ran away with the Sectional race at SPAC, while Jake Johnson did the same a week prior.  Both will be bigger factors than the below scores predict.  Jack Jibb is the final athlete who can vie for the title.

The Mikey Misconception

It has been almost a year since the Mikey Brannigan story was "discovered" at NXN-NY Regionals.  Since then, his exploits have captivated the nation, and the running hasn't been bad either.  The mainstream media has finally taken an interest in the sport of running, with two films and an outing to Dr. Oz being released on Mikey in the past two weeks alone. And throughout the past year, and the many coverages, I have noticed a trend in the coverage.  It seems as Mikey is always referred to as "the autistic runner".  When it comes to cameras and commentators, it seems to be the defining characteristic, what makes him different.  But to me, I think that misses the point entirely.  In my opinion, what makes the situation so special, is that in the 16 or so minutes between the starting line and the finish, Mikey is no different than any other kid in the race.  Despite all the media attention, nobody is going to let Mikey win on Saturday.  To his competition, he is just another runner in the race.  If he wins, he will have earned it.  It is the unique power of our sport.  A great equalizer, that cures athletes of their "differences," 5000 meters at a time.  And I think the coaches and athletes of our state understand that.  Mikey is more well known here for his talents on the track, than his tribulations elsewhere.  And that is what I believe should be the focus.  He is Mikey the athlete, not Mikey the autistic runner.  And if he wins, it'll mean that much more.

1   Bryce Millar          12   03-A    FM                     198
2   Mike Brannigan        12   11-A    Northport              194
3   Ben Petrella          11   03-A    Liverpool              193
4   Peter Ryan            11   03-A    FM                     193
5   Dan Dracup            12   04-A    Ithaca                 190
6   Kyle Barber           12   03-A    FM                     190
7   Tyler Italiano        12   08-A    Syosset                188
8   Jack Jibb             12   09-A    Monroe-Woodbury        188
9   Adam Hunt             12   03-A    FM                     187
10  Aidan Tooker          11   02-A    Saratoga               187
11  Zackaria Adam         12   03-A    Proctor                186
12  Jake Johnson          11   02-A    Colonie                186
13  Benito Muniz          12   01-A    Carmel                 186
14  Noah Carey            10   02-A    Guilderland            186
15  Connor Buck           12   03-A    Liverpool              185

State of the Action: While nothing is ever guaranteed in cross country, to say Fayetteville-Manlius will be hard to beat is an understatement.  Fending off a legitimate challenger in their Sectional Championship, FM will be playing a game of Limbo at the state meet, "How low can they go?"  However, the race for second is still very close, with three or more teams in a very good position to capitalize.  Corning was able to capture their title over Ithaca, proving that they can compete with teams who have a low number out front.  Much like Syosset, they'll have one guy low in the single digits scoring, with some work to do on their back end.  Shenendehowa, however, has a tight pack compression, and will gain 5 points for every position they move up together.  Sachem North had to show everything they had to make it out of their qualifier, and will be another team in the hunt.  There is a steady stream of runners within seconds of each other, and it may as well go to the team most able to cope with the weather.

Side Note: While I can rationalize the qualification process, a part of me wonders why we don't include the CHSAA/ AIS/ PSAL runners in here like we do in Winter and Spring.  The race would be very exciting with St. Anthony's included, and we have two slots open on the line already.  Plus, it would be great to see athletes like Marco Pompilj race with the best in the state. 

                       Varsity Boys 5000 Meter Run Team Scores                       
=====================================================================================
    Team                        Pts     1    2    3    4    5   (6)  (7)
=====================================================================================
  1 Fayetteville-Manlius        22      1    2    3    4   12   17   43  
      Total Time: 22      Average: 4.40      1-5 Split: 11
  2 Corning                     104     5   15   16   22   46   57   58  
      Total Time: 1:45      Average: 21.00      1-5 Split: 42
  3 Shenendehowa                112    19   20   21   24   28   29   31  
      Total Time: 1:52      Average: 22.40      1-5 Split: 9
  4 Sachem North                117     9   18   25   32   33   34   39  
      Total Time: 1:59      Average: 23.80      1-5 Split: 25
  5 Warwick Valley              131     6    7   36   37   45   48   53  
      Total Time: 2:14      Average: 26.80      1-5 Split: 40
  6 Syosset                     136    11   13   30   40   42   52   56  
      Total Time: 2:18      Average: 27.60      1-5 Split: 32
  7 McQuaid Jesuit              156     8   14   35   49   50   60   62  
      Total Time: 2:39      Average: 31.80      1-5 Split: 43
  8 Williamsville North         181    23   26   41   44   47   54   61  
      Total Time: 3:04      Average: 36.80      1-5 Split: 25
  9 Arlington                   181    10   27   38   51   55   59    -  
      Total Time: 3:08      Average: 37.60      1-5 Split: 49