All through the spring, the Liverpool track and field teams watched Cicero-North Syracuse finish ahead of them most of the times they got together for large-scale weekend meets.
But when they went head-to-head Wednesday afternoon, it ended quite differently, the Warriors winning both meets and sweeping the CNY Counties League regular-season championships in the process.
It was a close, tense boys meet at Bragman Stadium, where Liverpool turned back C-NS 72-69 by getting timely and exciting victories in both relays and distance events to offset the Northstars’ depth.
Ben Petrella, just a freshman, came from behind to catch and pass C-NS’s Anthony Lupia to win the mile in 4:35.6 to Lupia’s 4:37.6. Then, in the 3,200-meter run, Petrella let Lupia’s teammate, Neil Gill, have the early lead, only to catch Gill on the final lap and somehow lean to the finish line ahead of Gill, though both finished with a time of 9:46.4.
Ryheim Lawes also stood out for the Warriors, winning both the 100-meter dash in 10.9 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 22 seconds flat, with C-NS’s Mark Broughton second in both events. Also, Lawes was second in the long jump (20 feet 5 inches) and teamed with Brockton Barton, Colin Gwit and Alex Christensen to win the 4×400 relay in 3:34.5, giving the Warriors the clinching points.
Christensen needed 2:02.5 to beat C-NS’s Bryan Sibble (2:04.1) in the 800-meter run, this after teaming with Nick LeClair, Landon Veney and Connor Buck to prevail in the 4×800 relay in 8:57.8.
Liverpool also found success in field events, where Travis Chewning-Kulick cleared 12 feet in the pole vault to beat the Northstars’ Connor Osborne (11 feet), while Chris Granell (132’2″) and Zach Harris (128’2″) went 1-2 in the discus and Mark VanMarter went 20’9 1/2″ to prevail in the long jump.
C-NS had its fair share of wins, too, including Pete Girardi going 58.9 seconds to beat teammate Evan Russell (1:01.4) in the 400-meter hurdles and Avery Yarn going 52.3 seconds to dominate the 400-meter dash. Broughton, Shawn Webb, Steve Mirizio and Jalen Jenkins helped C-NS win the 4×100 relay in 45.2 seconds.
Bryson Mayes, going exactly 40 feet, held off Vanmarter by half an inch in the triple jump. Joe Castaldo, with a throw of 42’8″, edged Liverpool’s Joe Duffus by seven inches in the shot put, while Marcus Banister topped 6’2″ to easily win the high jump.
Over at LHS Stadium, the girls meet proved more decisive in Liverpool’s favor, a 79-52 decision that ended C-NS’s four-year domination of the rivalry and included a bit of history.
It came in the pole vault, where the Warriors’ Angela Kulpa not only won the event, but set a school record by clearing 10 feet 1 inch, also easily topping her previous best vault of 9’6″ in the process.
But the Warriors did most of its point damage in running events. Ore Akinpelu led the way, claiming the 200 sprint in 26.42 seconds and the 400 hurdles in 1:08.3, also running a leg in the 4×100, where Liverpool prevailed in 52.4 seconds.
Catherine Rowell and Jazmine Herbert, who joined Akinpelu in that 4×100 victory, also won on their own, Rowell taking the 400 sprint in 1:01.47 and Herbert prevailing in the 100.
In the longer races, Liverpool saw Abby McNamara roll to first place in the 1,500-meter run in 5:05.47, right before Morgan Mahoney, in 10:46 flat, beat the field in the 3,000-meter run. Rowell, Akinpelu, Danelle Sims and Yasmeen Griffin combined to win the 4×400 in 4:09.99.
C-NS got most of its wins in field events, including the long jump, where Javielle Fanizzi went 16’5″ as Jade Jenkins won the triple jump by going 34’10 1/2″. Destiny Monica had a top shot put toss of 36 feet as Candace Segars took the discus, heaving it 80’3″. Hannah Szumloz was victorious in the 100 hurdles in 16.63 seconds.
