Planted atop both of their respective state rankings, the Fayetteville-Manlius cross country teams returned from their long break to begin what they hoped was a month’s worth of championship efforts.

The first of them proved the easiest as the Hornets knocked off all challengers in Saturday’s Section III Class A championship races at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School.

On a chilly, windy morning at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School the boys Class A race was the first on the card – and F-M runners were the first three to cross the finish line.

Running together, Peyton Geehrer and Sam Otis easily outpaced the field, Geehrer prevailing in 15 minutes, 59.1 seconds and Otis, in 15:59.2, one-tenth of a second behind. Geoff Howles was by himself when he took third place in 16:12.6, nearly 20 seconds ahead of fourth-place Nick Ferretti (Rome Free Academy).

That top-three sweep accounted for most of F-M’s eventual winning margin as, with 30 points, it was clear of Liverpool’s second-place total of 58 points.

To lock up that team title, James Peden made his way to 11th place in 17:09.1, while Jack Altimonda was close behind, getting 13th place in 17:12.5. Ben Perry was 21st in 17:55.5 as Daniel Patrick got 26th place in 17:58.4, followed by William Seamans finishing 29th in 18:04.7.

Two hours later, the girls Class A sectional race was underway, with F-M getting closer to the vaunted team approach that has carried it to 11 different national championships in the last decade and a half.

Claire Walters again tore to the front, the North Carolina State-bound senior finishing nearly a full minute ahead of her future Wolfpack teammate, Liverpool’s Jenna Schulz, as Walters won in 17:29.6 and Schulz got 18:21.3.

Then the Hornets swept the rest of the top five, starting with Hannah Kaercher getting to third place in 18:36.5, with Phoebe White fourth in 18:48.7 and Grace Kaercher claiming the battle for fifth place in 19:29.6.

Emerging as F-M’s fifth runner, Debbie Lucchetti made her way to eighth place in 19:53 flat as the Hornets finished with 21 points to Liverpool’s 55. Ani Sydorowych finished 12th in 20:15.9, with Amelia Amack earning 20th place in 20:58.5.

It is likely this group of runners that will join the F-M boys as they all make their way to SUNY-Plattsburgh next Saturday for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships. The girls Class A race is at 9 a.m. and the girls race is at 11 a.m.