Nothing in area high school cross country racing is more difficult than having to face Fayetteville-Manlius, for it can leave even the best of opposition far behind.
Baldwinsville knows this, and it would hosts the Hornets machine twice in a nine-day span, starting with Tuesday’s head-to-head race at the Durgee Cross Country Trail and then with all of the other CNY Counties League sides gathered for next Wednesday’s league championship meet.
The boys meet involved B’ville, who sat at no. 13 in the state Class A rankings, going head-to-head with state no. 2-ranked F-M, and despite some strong individual efforts, the Bees still lost, 19-36, to the Hornets.
B’ville did have half of the top-10 finishers. Austin Bolton finished in 16 minutes, 45 seconds, just ahead of Cameron Morrissey (16:52), while Joe Licameli and Ben Timmons both finished in 16:58 and Andrew Olds had a time of 17:06.
However, they all trailed an F-M group that earned each of the top four spots, led by Patrick Perry, who won in 15:53, well clear of Garrett Brennan (16:33) in the runner-up spot. The Hornets’ Ben Otis was third in 16:36, ahead of Jack Boltman (16:39) in fourth place as they both were just ahead of Bolton. Max Perry was ninth in 17:01.
F-M’s girls, no. 1 in the state rankings and winners of nine of the last 10 national championships, again displayed its quality against a state no. 23-ranked B’ville side during a 15-49 decision.
Justus Holden-Betts finished in a time of 19 minutes, 36 seconds, but that only put her in seventh place, inches behind the Hornets’ Reilly Madsen (19:35) in sixth place. F-M’s Sophia Ryan won in 18:06, with Claire Walters (18:20), Phoebe White (18:47), Rebecca Walters (19:02) and Palmer Madsen (19:27) part of a top-five F-M sweep.
