A frenzied start to OHSL Liberty division saw each of the local cross country teams quite busy and mixing in wins and losses.
The Marcellus boys team, with the no. 9 state Class B ranking, swept Westhill/Bishop Ludden 18-38 and Homer 16-41 to get off to a quick league start. Westhill/Ludden topped the Trojans 20-41.
Joe Fallon and Ryan Manahan ran together at the top, both finishing in 18:40 ahead of John Bell, in third place (18:46), and Justin Garn, who was fourth in 19:03.
Jon Moore, in sixth place at 19:18, led the Westhill/Ludden group as Peter Lynch was seventh (19:29) and Will Downs (19:47) was eighth. The Mustangs’ David Lilly (19:54) beat Kyle Fitch (20:04) for the ninth spot.
In the girls match, though, Westhill/Ludden, led by Jessica Curry and Betsy Black, beat Marcellus 25-30, while also topping Homer 19-40. Marcellus also beat the Trojans 21-39.
Curry posted a top time of 20:18, part of a 1-2 finish as Black, in 20:36, got the runner-up spot. Following them, Rachel Garn led the Mustangs with a third-place clocking of 21:03, while Maggie Dunn was fourth in 21:36.
Emily Washburn helped Westhill/Ludden by running to fifth place in 22:03, while Erin Christensen finished in 23:32. Molly McGuane (22:55) and Mary Morocco (23:00) were eighth and ninth, respectively.
Solvay’s boys team staged its own sweep last Wednesday, beating Jordan-Elbridge 25-30 and also rolling past Skaneateles 15-44 at the Lakers’ Polo Grounds home course.
It was the Eagles’ Steve Slonosky taking individuals in 16:43, five seconds ahead of the Bearcats’ Cody McCarthy, with Solvay’s Matt Cregan third in 17:18.
After J-E’s Mitch Alpha took fourth place in 17:38, Solvay went ahead for good when Matt Battaglia finished fifth (17:46) and Eric Goodrich took sixth in 17:57. Nate Carr, in 18:07, was behind the Eagles’ Jacob Patterson and Jack Gugle (both in 18:03), but ahead of Dylan Wittico (18:11) in 10th.
The J-E girls team split its three-way meet, beating Solvay 20-43, but losing to Skaneateles 15-48. Individually, the Bearcats’ Phebe Riggins posted a time of 21:25, seven seconds better than the Eagles’ Phebe Alley, but the Lakers swept the top five positions.
Competing in Saturday’s McQuaid Invitational in Rochester, Manahan gave Marcellus a fourth-place finish in the Varsity AA race in a time of 15:48, while Fallon was 15th (16:17) and Bell 16th in 16:19. J-E’s Slonosky was 18th in the Varsity A event in 16:40.
In the girls AA race, Rachel Garn claimed 11th place in 18:57, with Dunn 22nd (19:38), McGuane 47th and Morocco in 52nd place.
At the Tully Invitational, Westhill/Ludden’s boys team was third among large schools behind powers Fayetteville-Manlius and Cicero-North Syracuse. Lynch finished 11th, in 17:33 flat, with Casey Bunce in 22nd place (18:15.6), Liam Rodgers 34th and Kyle Fitch in 40th.
Westhill/Ludden’s girls had the same finish on the girls side, third behind F-M and CNS, even without Curry or Black. Washburn did run, though, and was 11th in 20:06.9, while Erin Morrell was 29th (21:10.2) and Erin Christensen (21:22.7) took 32nd place.
