Section 1 Girls Open Rankings – Week of 9/28/08
1. Arlington (AA)- (#T1 previous week) B. Service takes over from Sorna this week as the team leader, not a good sign for teams that want to challenge, as both are very good runners and the emergence of one beating the other by 21 seconds could mean an even lower point total in big meets. These ladies averaged 19:31 on the Queensbury course losing to only the host team. 1:26 spread is more than last week, but that could be the emergence of a new leader breaking away. 112.4 Tully Avg.
2. Suffern(AA)- (#T1 previous week) Did not race over the weekend (no results found) as it seems according to websites that Shelby was on college visits and has announced she will attend Providence next fall. An off week will get them ready to charge full steam ahead into the championship part of the season coming up.
3. Bronxville (C ) (#3 previous week)- Stayed at home and competed in the now computer scored Dewitt Clinton invite at Vanny. Placed top 5 all in places 3-7 of the meet and all were under 21:00 on the tough 5k course. Miers takes over as #1 with rest of the pack tight on her heels, including 8th grader Phillips and new addition of 8th grader Rizzo (mom recently ran 5:18 to win 45-50 age group of 5th ave. mile). 101 Tully Avg.
4. Pearl River (B) (#4 previous week)- Won the Gressler invite in White Plains. 1:30 spread will need to tighten up over the next few weeks to be able to battle the top B teams in the state come November. Kushner won the race in 20:20.
5. Brewster (A) (#7 previous week)- Traveled to Rhode Island to compete in the always wet Ocean State Invite. 20:51 average and only a 33 sec. spread (was it just last week I was saying they had about a 2 min. spread?) 92 Tully Avg.
6. North Rockland (AA) (#9 previous week)- This team also traveled to Rhode Island and ran a 20:54 average with a 1:02 spread. Top 2 girls running well together and next 3 in a tight group. This team has the ability to make more moves up the ranks as they get better at team running. 90.8 Tully Avg.
7. Ursuline (A) (#5 previous week)- Katie Sullivan wins Dewitt Clinton in a very good 19:38 5k at Van Cortlandt park. Team averages 21:19, with a 2:28 spread (not too bad if you have a very fast leader). If their #5 can make the jump to run with 3 and 4, it will close down the point differential on a lot of teams. 86.6 Tully Avg.
8. Mahopac (AA) (#6 previous week)- 3rd place in their division at Warwick averaging 20:53 (45 second spread). They have a JV runner that would be their #2 varsity runner, thus improving their team average and Tully avg.
9. Tappan Zee (A) (Previously unranked)- Took the trip north to the Queensbury invitational and ran in the same race with Arlington. Averaged 20:50 on the course with a 2:34 spread. 86 Tully Avg.
10. Pawling (C ) (Previously unranked)- Traveled to McQuaid invite and ran between 18:51 and 21:08 for their top 5. Tully avg. of 83 gets them into the mix this week.
Top Ten Challengers
- Somers (A) ( previously unranked)- Traveled to Ocean State and averaged 21:44 with a 1:16 spread for top 5. 74.2 Tully avg.
- Irvington (C ) (previously #10) Will need to see this team run head to head this weekend to see what they can put up against some of the teams ahead of them.
- Scarsdale (AA) (previously unranked) ran a 21:33 average this weekend for a 68.8 Tully avg.
Girls Class Rankings:
Class AA (previous week ranking in parenthesis)
- Arlington (1)- Continuation of great running this week. See top 10 list.
- Suffern (3)- Remains ahead of North Rockland for this week, looking to make one more jump. Now that college choices are off of her mind, will Shelby be unbeatable??
- North Rockland (2)- Like their male counterparts, ran out of state this weekend to get away from the local mix. They will go head to head with all soon.
- Mahopac (3) Putting JV runner in the mix, puts all 5 in top 25 of race at Warwick.
- Carmel(4))- Finished with a 21:22 average at Warwick which is only 11 sec. better than Scarsdale’s average so they will have to pick it up this week to stay in the top 5.
Class A (previous week ranking in parenthesis)
- Brewster(2)- A new #1 and these ladies can make it tough on challengers to take them down if they can get #5 to make some nice improvements.
- Ursuline(1)- These ladies know they have some work to do to regain the top spot and leader Sullivan will not let them give it up without a fight. Look to see them refocus over the next few weeks to get ready to challenge on the hills of Bowdoin Park where they have had plenty of good results in the past few years.
- Tappan Zee (NR) –Leader Pollack finished in front of Arlington’s #3 and that puts her in a good spot as she earns a very good speed rating of 111. Bondulich is not far behind. The gap is wide right now but 9th grader Jaskot is working hard to close it up as well as Cody and frosh Bello. With no seniors on this team they will turn out to be a force to deal with this year and next.
- Somers (HM)- A trip to the what used to be the colony of ill repute turned into a good thing for the lady Tuskers. If coach Fulton can get that gap down to under 1 minute soon they will make their mark and fight for a top 3 finish at sectionals.
- Yorktown (5) Beat previously #3 Class A ranked John Jay at the Gressler meet. 21:44 average at White Plains.
Class B (previous week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Pearl River (1) Seems this team has not changed at all since I ran in high school in the 1980’s, they are still winning every week and getting the job done. Visited White Plains High School on Saturday for the Gressler meet and won some more hardware (where Dan keeps all of this stuff is beyond me, the school isn’t that big to hold it all).
2. Nanuet (3)- Made the trip across the Tappan Zee bridge for the Gressler meet and finished 4th. 3 very solid runners need to get more support from #4 and #5.
3. JFK Catholic (2)- Another team without results to comment on, their previous weeks accomplishments will hold them here.
4. Pelham (NR)- Finished 5th behind Nanuet at the Gressler meet on Saturday.
5. Briarcliff (5) No results
Class C (previous week ranking in parenthesis)
- Bronxville (1) Currently ranked #1 in NYS in Class C, the lady Broncos went 3,4,5,6,7 at the Dewitt Clinton meet on Saturday. Health issues are clearing up and everybody is looking good running together. This team needs a bread out leader to have success at the state level against the likes of Tully and Rhinebeck.
- Pawling (3) McQuaid invite saw good results from this team. 2:17 spread too much right now and allows teams like Irvington to be able to take them down in the future.
- Irvington (2) A bye weekend saw no results for this team.
- Hastings (4) Competed in the Warwick invite and averaged 21:50. 2 in the top 20 is a good front duo, need the others to step it up.
- Pleasantville (NR)-2nd. In Varsity II race at Gressler, led by race winner Lazare in 20:50. Still need a stronger 4-5 position to challenge for a top 3 finish at sectionals.
Section 1 Boys Open Rankings – Week of 9/28/08
1. Arlington (AA)- (#1 previous week) 2nd. Place to Queensbury this past weekend at the Queensbury Invite by just 1 point. 16:31 average. (1:30 spread) Tully average at 170.4. A 15:53 leader is what many teams are looking for.
2. Suffern(AA)- (#3 previous week) Picked up a 1st at Warwick over the weekend averaging 16:39 (45 sec. spread) Still running tightly packed. If their leader can challenge the top 2 guys in the section in AA then they have a very good shot at state’s. 164 Tully avg.
3. North Rockland(AA)-(#2 previous week) A tough call to make, as on paper they beat Suffern head to head in dual meet format, but throw in teams like Arlington, Scarsdale, Mahopac, etc. it changes the score big time when your spread is 64 seconds vs. 45. Not knowing the course difficulty in Carlisle where N. Rockland competed made it harder to do the rankings. No disrespect to these guys as I am sure this could all change again a few more times. 16:55 average in PA, 167.4 Tully avg.
4. Scarsdale(AA) (Previously unranked, had not competed in invite)- After lots of talk on the running boards online, Scarsdale made their season debut by running a 16:56 avg. at Warwick and finishing 5th overall in the MERGE, ahead of teams like Mahopac, Dobbs Ferry, and Carmel. A 1:18 spread is the obvious goal to work on for this team over the course of the next couple of weeks of invite running. Expect to see them challenge at the end.
5. Mahopac(AA) (#4 previous week) Ran a 17:09 avg. at Warwick over the weekend (1:32 spread) to finish #8 in merge and #5 to Suffern in the same race. 16:20 leader within 3 seconds of Scarsdale’s #1, need to work on the back of the pack to get closer to these other great AA schools on the list. 147.6 Tully Avg.
6. Dobbs Ferry(C ) (#6 previous week) Let’s hear it for the small schools hanging tough with some much larger programs!! For yet another week, Wortner brothers lead this team to a very good #9 in MERGE at Warwick. 17:10 Average (1:22 spread) and a 153.2 Tully Avg. Patrick Wortner’s 16:20 puts him among the elite runners on this list, he should challenge for some titles at the end (league, county, and sectional) of this XC season.
7. Pearl River(B) (#8 Previous Week)- A last minute entry at the White Plains Gressler meet due to the cancellation at Sunken Meadow, the boys responded well to the change by winning the meet and averaging 18:33 on the course (1:46 spread). Hickey still cruising unchallenged through his races, expect to see him pick up the intensity soon and hope his teammates can follow suit. 149 Tully Avg.
8. Carmel (AA) (HM previous week) 4th at Warwick in DII race behind 3rd. place Scarsdale. 17:29 average (1:33 spread), they will need to tighten the pack up and get their leader to get out and challenge for some lower points. 147.2 Tully Avg.
9. Horace Greeley (A) (#7 Previous Week) Finished one spot behind Carmel at Warwick with a 17:31 Avg (1:35 spread) for a 146.4 Tully Avg. They have a leader that can run with just about anybody, now they need to convince the pack that they can move with him.
10. Brewster (A) (#10 Previous week)- Finished 4th at Ocean State meet in Rhode Island ahead of 5th place Somers (who had a faster JV guy that will move up and make a difference), however their 34 sec. spread is tight right now and will help in scoring. Averaged 17:50 at RI for a 147.2 Tully Avg.
Top Ten Challengers:
- Somers (A)(#9 previous week)- Edged by Brewster at Ocean State meet, however, if you put the top JV guy from Somers into the fold, things change. Somers will need to prove that by doing it soon. 17:48 avg. in Rhode Island. Good front runner, need to move that #5 up. 148 Tully Avg.
- Clarkstown North (AA) (Previously unranked) Won Gressler race over previously #5 ranked Fox Lane who are currently running without 2 of their top 4x800 guys. (1:44 spread) and a 142.4 Tully Avg. If they can improve they will make the jump to a top 10 contender.
- Fox Lane (A) (#5 previous week)- not sure why they didn’t have all of their top guys this weekend (hoping it is not injuries) but this team dropped to a 142.6 Tully avg. at Gressler and was beaten by Clarkstown North. 2+ minute spread is tough on any team, look for them to get their full team back to running soon.
Boys Class Rankings:
Class AA (previous week ranking in parenthesis)
- Arlington (1)- Continuation of great running this week. See top 10 list.
- Suffern (3)- Moves ahead of North Rockland for this week, looking to make one more jump. Can they improve enough to catch Arlington in the next 4 weeks?
- North Rockland (2)- Nice out of state run this weekend to get away from the local mix. They will go head to head with all soon.
- Scarsdale (NR)- Lots of people were waiting to see what these guys had after losing their leader to graduation in June. They have put together what looks to be another tough squad.
- Mahopac (4)- Putnam Counties finest looking to take on some very tough programs in the next month
- Class A (previous week ranking in parenthesis
- Horace Greeley(2)- Being in the #1 spot for these boys is not unfamiliar and they seem to improve throughout the season every year. Good coaching will keep them on track to challenge yet again for a spot on the line at the state meet.
- Brewster(4)- This team takes 2 steps up to get closer to their ultimate goal of #1 at the end of the season. Beating Somers at the Ocean State invite on Saturday in Rhode Island was a step towards that.
- Somers (3) – Moving a JV runner up from this past weekends results will have an immediate impact on this team soon. Putting him into the scoring would shuffle results with Brewster over this past weekend but he will have to prove that by doing it soon.
- Fox Lane(1)- running shorthanded over the weekend, this team proved vulnerable when down a man or 2, as are all teams. Team depth will be a concern if they can’t replace the missing pieces soon or get them back into the line-up.
- Yorktown (5)- 2nd. Behind class B Pearl River at Gressler meet with a 18:46 avg. and a 1:59 spread. Tully avg. 133.4 Great picture of Kumar in Journal News.
Class B (previous week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Pearl River (1) I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see Hickey uncork and run all out. This guy is running really well and leading this team to what could be a sectional championship if all remain healthy and continue to improve.
2. Byram Hills (2)- No results to comment on from the past weekend, however they averaged under 17:00 at JFK invite 2 weeks ago and will hold on to the #2 spot.
3. JFK Catholic (3)- Another team without results to comment on, their previous weeks accomplishments will hold them here.
4. Ardsley(NR)- 20:11 average at Gressler, finishing ahead of Putnam Valley. 1:03 spread is very close to the magic 1 min. mark that all coaches hope for.
5. Putnam Valley (4)- 20:07 average at Gressler meet (2:52 spread). They will need to get their #4-5 guys to really step it up to make any headway in this class.
Class C (previous week ranking in parenthesis)
1. Dobbs Ferry (1) This team could finish the season undefeated by any C class teams the way they are running. Wortner and Wortner are turning out to be a mighty family duo and have their team believing in the fact that they are contenders for the state meet.
2. Pawling (3)- A long trip to McQuaid invite over the weekend and they ran a great race. A 51 sec. spread and a 141 Tully avg. They have a very good 8th grader that will be in their top 5 (his time at McQuaid makes him their # 3 man).
3. Irvington (2)- No results could be found for this team, have no doubts though, they are a top level team that will challenge at the end of the season.
4. Bronxville (4)- running without 1 of top 3 makes it hard to score well for any team. These guys still haven’t found a solid 4-7 to fill in the ranks. It will be tough for them to make up any ground on the teams in front of them, however 9th grader Flannery is running well (17:33 5k at Van Cortlandt).
5. Dover (5)- No results.
Class D (previous week rank in parenthesis)
1. Keio (1)- Gressler invite 20:46 average. Need to move back of the pack up to have an impact at the state level in Class D.
2. Alexander Hamilton (NR)- Surprise is that there is more than one complete team in Class D in Section 1 this year (there are 3). Hamilton is building it’s program and it is good to see them putting out some guys at these invitationals. They averaged 22:18 at Gressler meet. IF they can start to believe in distance running as something they can do, they might start to challenge Keio for section 1 supremacy in this class.
3. Children’s Village (NR)- This team sent 3 guys to last year’s state meet as individuals and now they are fielding a full team at invitationals. Coaches seem very serious about building the program, as they were spotted at Van Cortland park recently for just a practice. Team average of 26:02 not good enough to challenge yet for a top spot, but you to build anything you need to lay the foundation. Keep it up!