By Christopher Hunt
None of them could wait until this day and running cross country only enhanced the hunger to feel a track beneath their feet. The anxiety overwhelmed Corey Orazem and he threw up before the race.
His Monsignor Farrell teammates were anxious too, maybe not as much as Orazem, but they had an itch to get back on the track. They showed it too.
Alex Orlando (2:01.2), Orazem (2:02.9), Mark Bernardo (1:59.2), James Farley (1:56.9) won the 4x800 relay at the CHSAA Relay Carnival in 8:00.2 at the New Balance Track and Field Center. It was the first time the relay has run together since competing in the Championship of America at the Penn Relays last April.
“It’s very exciting,” Farrell coach Tom Cuffe said. “We know we had a very good team coming back. We have a lot of talent and they had a solid cross country season. We knew we could run right around 8-flat.”
The boys said they hoped to break eight minutes.
“I’m happy about it,” Farley said. “Ii think we could have run faster. For me, I was out there by myself and it’s just harder when there’s no one running with you.”
Bernardo said they were looking forward to the race for weeks. It started with 14 teams on the starting line and tons of pushing from the gun. But once Bernardo took over the lead on the third leg, Farrell ran away with it.
“We’re looking to just run fast this season,” Bernardo said. “This is the last time we’ll be together since we’re seniors. We just want to make the most of every opportunity. “
That was the consensus with teams at the meet – everyone hoping to run fast but using the meet as a litmus test to judge their fitness. That was the sentiment from the Cardinal Spellman girls that won girls 4x200 relay in 1:50.1 with a squad of Karimah Figueroa, Nikiya Harris, Patrice Johnson and Janiene McMaster.
“I believe they all ran well,” said Johnson, who ran the third leg. “This is our first time together this year. We didn’t really expect to win. We just wanted to run hard and if we win it’s just a bonus.”
With a team includes three seniors and Harris, a freshman, Spellman looked both smooth and comfortable leading from start to finish.
“We have a lot of confidence for this season,” Johnson said. “We’ve all been working hard.”
It wasn’t quite as easy for Bishop Ford girls’ 4x400. After two legs, Ford was buried in sixth place. But when Makelah Holland took the baton she change the face of the race. Holland pulled the team into second but Kellenberg still owned a 20-meter advantage with sophomore Shanique DaSilva on the anchor leg. DaSilva chipped at the lead until the gap diminished and she took charge. Ford’s Shanyce Goulding, Jessica Bennett, Holland and DaSilva won in 4:11.3. Kellenberg finished second in 4:11.7.
DaSilva was afraid that after all her work to get in front she’d pay for her efforts in the home stretch.
“It was a close race,” DaSilva said. “I thought I was going to get caught. My arms were burning. … It felt weird (to be on the track) because I haven’t run here in such a long time. I didn’t know if I was going to fast or slow. But it all worked out.”
Fordham Prep had its own adversity to deal with. After being disqualified on a lane violation in the 4x400, the Rams won the sprint medley relay in 3:39.7 with a team that included Zach Keefer (50.3), Wayne Seaton (24.3), Bruce Grant (23.3) and Carlos Petrovich (2:01.8).
“It was good,” Petrovich said. “We don’t feel like we have the speed. We just have strength. We were out there just trying to relax.”
Most runners didn’t expect to feel particularly fast in their first race of season. Some, like Chaminade’s Michael Kiley, were running multiple events on short rest. Chaminade won the distance medley relay in 10:56.4 with Peter Kechejian, Kevin Sutcliffe, Andy Hayes and Kiley, who was running on 30 minutes rest after the 4x800.
Kiley was back in third, 60 meters off the leader from Farrell on the anchor leg. But Kiley and St. Anthony’s Todd Sather threw surges at each other until they reeled in the leader and Kiley took over with two laps left.
“I was just trying to pace with the runner from St. Anthony’s,” Kiley said. “I knew I was tired but they all seemed tired to so I figured I’d go for it.”
He said he the team didn’t line out many goals for the race but intended on a hard effort.
“It’s just to get used to running track again,” he said.
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.