It was a perfect way for Baldwinsville boys cross country runner Jack Michaels to wrap up high school career – even if it required running in subfreezing temperatures.
That winter-like chill was what greeted Michaels and hundreds of other top runners as they traveled to SUNY-Plattsburgh for Saturday’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships.
Michaels was part of a strong Section III All-Star team, joined by Liverpool’s Carter Rodriguez, West Genesee’s Matt Bartolotta and Rome Free Academy’s duo of Nick Ferretti and Nate Sletten.
Together, they, along with the superstars from Fayetteville-Manlius that earned yet another state Class A crown, they would help Section III finish first among all sections with 193 total points, well clear of the 305 from runner-up Section II.
For his part, Michaels finished quite well, his time of 15 minutes, 18.5 seconds on the 2.8-mile Plattsburgh course (shortened from 3.1 miles due to safety concerns) putting him in 36th place among 108 runners in the field.
Everyone on the Section III side ran well, though, from F-M having Peyton Geehrer (second, 14:35.5), Sam Otis (third, 14:39.5) and Geoff Howles (fifth, 14:50.5) all claiming individual top-five spots to the guys just behind them.
Rodriguez made his way to seventh place in 14:53.1, with Ferretti tearing to ninth place in 14:54.5 as Sletten finished 16th in 15:04 flat. Bartolotta, in his third state meet, got 22nd place in 15:10.7.
Section III dominated the state meet as a whole, with team titles going to F-M’s boys and girls, plus Camden in Class C girls and Beaver River in Class D boys.
Also, Section III won five of the eight sectional team competitions to go with individual wins by Caleb Bender (Skaneateles, boys Class C), Elizabeth Lucason (Camden, girls Class C) and Tully’s Brooke Rauber, who took her fourth straight state Class D crown.
