A season ago, the Liverpool boys cross country team had to absorb numerous defeats to Fayetteville-Manlius before beating them when it counted most and riding that momentum all the way to Section III and state Class A championships.
Things were different when the two sides went head-to-head again last Tuesday afternoon on F-M’s home course. Even individual brilliance couldn’t keep the Warriors from falling to the Hornets in a tense 27-30 battle.
On his home course, F-M’s Patrick Perry sped to victory in 15 minutes, 47 seconds, getting away from Liverpool’s trio of top runners, who did take the next three spots as Ty Brownlow finished second in 16:17, half a minute behind Perry, while Josh Hickmott was third (16:18) and Stevie Schulz fourth in 16:19.
Just behind them, though, was F-M’s Garrett Brenna, who rose to fifth place in 16:20 to commence the Hornets’ comeback. Ben Otis made it to sixth place in 16:23, with Matt Tripp seventh in 16:30.
When Jack Boltman made it to eighth place in 16:40, F-M clinched the victory, regardless of what Liverpool could do, though the Hornets’ Max Perry made it to ninth place in 16:48 ahead of the Warriors’ Cullen McLaughlin (17:02) in 10th place.
In the girls meet, meanwhile, F-M, winners of nine of the last 10 Nike Cross Nationals titles, followed up its Eastern States Championship victory in the Oct. 8 Manhattan Invitational by, three days later, defeating Liverpool 15-48.
Vanessa Eberhard ran well for the Warriors and posted a time of 19:14, with Madison Neuner finishing in 19:29. That only gave them the seventh and eighth spots, though.
F-M swept the top six, led by Claire Walters, who prevailed in 17:28 as Sophia Ryan finished second in 17:38. Palmer Madsen (17:59), Phoebe White (18:23), Rebecca Walters (18:28) and Reilly Madsen (18:46) followed.
Both of the Cicero-North Syracuse teams would meet the same fate at Baldwinsville on Wednesday afternoon, with the girls meet a close contest where the state no. 25-ranked Northstars took a 26-31 defeat to the state no. 20-rankedBees.
Annina Marullo got into a close race for the individual title and finished in 19 minutes, 36 seconds, but that was just behind B’ville’s Justus Holden-Betts, who won in 19:26. It was the same for the next two spots as Sarah Davis, in 20:11, got fourth place and the Bees’ Sarah Klein was third in exactly 20 minutes.
Mia Pestle gave C-NS a sixth-place time of 20:25, just ahead of Emily Dembowski, who was seventh in 20:32. However, B’ville had Anna Demer take fifth place in 20:15 and then swept the rest of the top 10 behind Dembowski thanks to Leah Carpenter (21:11), Elizabeth Fawwaz (21:12) and Sarah Rodman (21:15).
Meanwhile, in the boys race, C-NS fell to B’ville 15-50, only landing one of its runners, Sam Barber, in the top 10 as he finished eighth in 17:15. On its home course at Durgee, the state Class A no. 13-ranked Bees swept the top seven spots, led by Adam Davis, who won in 16:46 by one second over teammate Joe Licameli.
C-NS and Liverpool would compete in Saturday’s Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Invitational, where the girls Northstars, in Varsity Race 1, earned 59 points to hold off Christian Brothers Academy (63 points) for the top spot.
Dembowski finished fifth in 21:04.4, trailing the CBA duo of Cory Knox (third, 20:48.3) and Lea Kyle (fourth, 20:48.5), but leading a trio of Northstars that included Pestle in sixth place (21;14.1) and Davis taking seventh place in 21:20.4.
CBA’s Bri Pucci was 10th, but the Northstars’ Haedan Wilson was 19th (22:18.6), two spots ahead of the Brothers’ Claire Bargabos in 21st place, and when Leah Bisgrove finished 24th in 22:36.6, C-NS clinched the win as Mia Falgiatano finished 29th in 23:00.1.
In girls Varsity Race 2 at VVS, Liverpool, with 61 points, was second to Beaver River’s 56 points. Madison Neuner finished third in 19;43.3, but the Beavers got three runners in front of Isabella Brancato, who got 10th place in 21:41.2.
Beaver River put five runners in the top 20, though Liverpool had Rosie Petrella finish 13th in 22:14.2 and Mallory Woytowicz finish 16th in 22:36.1. Janae Dewan (23:36.4) was just ahead of Sarah Sedlock (23:48.1) and Rebecca Dromms (23:53.4).
Moving to the boys races at VVS, Liverpool, without Brownlow, Hickmott and Stevie Schulz available, also finished second in Varsity Race 2, with 68 points to Beaver River’s 52.
McLaughlin topped the Warriors on an individual basis, getting ninth place in 18:14.1 as Nathan Reeves finished 10th in 18:17.6, with three Beaver River runners in front of them, something Liverpool could not overcome despite Dawson Newbern finishing 14th in 18:21.1, inches ahead of Gaganjot Sekhon (18:21.3) in 15th place. Ben Zinger (18:34.7) and Nick Brancato (18:38.2) were 20th and 21st, respectively, as T.J. Praschunas was 24th in 18:46.2.
The C-NS boys were fourth in Varsity Race 1 with 109 points as Baldwinsville (41 points) prevailed, this despite Eric Bowen finishing third among individuals in 17:42.2 and Lucas Sharron taking 10th place in 18:09 flat. Allen Garnes was 28th in 19:07.0 ahead of Calvin Garnes (19:25.1), Christian Carlin (19:53.2) and Nick Gazzillo (19:56.7).
