Even with a no. 3 state Class C ranking and a Baldwinsville Invitational title on its ledger, the Skaneateles girls cross country team did not scare every OHSL Liberty division opponent off.
Hannibal, who hosted the Lakers Wednesday afternoon, was no. 14 in that same state Class C poll, and made a fierce resistance, but Skaneateles, led again by Kaitlyn Neal and Julia Willcox, battle to a 25-32 victory.
Neal, who had posted the fastest individual time at B’ville on Sept. 20, and Willcox ran out in front together, and they both crossed the finish line in 18 minutes, 24 seconds, ahead of Hannibal’s top runner, Emily Weaver, who was third in 18:38.
Now a pack of Hannibal runners took over, with only Liz Dwyer, getting fifth place in 18:54, representing the Lakers in between Reilly Harris (fourth, 18:42), McKenzie Mattison (sixth, 18:56) and Vanessa Waldron (19:55).
But right behind Waldron, Finan Malcolm gave the Lakers crucial points when she finished eighth, in 19:59, and when Jillian Van Leer got to ninth place in 20:07, Skaneateles had pulled it out.
The boys meet between Skaneateles and Hannibal proved close, too, but the Lakers could not quite catch the Warriors here, taking a 27-34 defeat.
Cooper Watt ran the fastest race for Skaneateles, finishing second in 15:57 behind Hannibal’s Jason McFarland (15:15), while Chris Niebuhr finished third in 16:25 and Kai Soderberg was fourth in 16:33. But Blake Farnham, who finished fifth in 16:50, led a sweep by the Warriors of the rest of the top 10 positions.
