Even if they had to wait a few days, and go to a different venue, to get the work done, the Cicero-North Syracuse and Liverpool indoor track and field teams didn’t mind, as long as the results in last Saturday’s Section III state qualifying meet remained as strong as they did.
They were originally scheduled to have the meet last Wednesday at SRC Arena, but weather concerns caused a postponement. Three nights later, they were at Utica College’s Hutton Dome, where the Northstars and Warriors would flourish.
Jeremiah Willis led the boys Northstars. On his own, he won the long jump going 22 feet 2 inches and went 43’2” to prevail in the triple jump over a field that included Liverpool’s Paul Dewan, who was third by going 41’7”.
Not only that, but Willis was part of the C-NS victory in the 4×200 relay, joining Zak Kennedy, Anthony Pauli and Matt Kilian as they posted a time of 1:32.80 to beat runner-up Jamesville-DeWitt (1:34.91) by more than two seconds.
Joe Williams continued his season-long dominance in the 55-meter hurdles for C—NS, going 7.77 seconds to reach the final and then winning in 7.66 seconds, with only Isaiah Brooks (East Syracuse Minoa) close as he took second place in 7.88 seconds.
Allen Garnes was third in the 600-meter run in 1:24.92. Ward Couillard tied for sixth in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet as Alex Hepel and Liverpool’s James Gaffney both cleared 10’6”.
On the girls side for C-NS, Shayla Webb swept to victories in both jumping events. Webb’s top long jump of 17’1” beat out Liverpool’s Marissa Baskin, who was second with 16’6”, and in the triple jump Webb won by going 37’ ½” to top a field that included teammate Sierra Davis (34’5 ¼”) in fourth place and Baskin (34’3 ½”) in fifth place.
Kierrah Butler, with a shot put toss of 32’6 ¾”, beat out Liverpool’s Trinity Gray (32’ ¾”) for third place as Gray also took eighth place in the weight throw with 31’3 ¾”. Liliana Klemanski rose to fourth place in the high jump, clearing 5 feet as Malerie Belles (4’8”) was 11th.
Cassie Baldwin qualified fourth for the 55 hurdles finals, but then rose to second place as her time went from 9.11 seconds in the first round to 8.96, beaten only by B’ville’s Adrianna Straughter (8.85 seconds) as Liverpool’s Lauren Fradette (9.16 seconds) and Haley (9.52 seconds) were sixth and eighth, respectively.
Mia Pestle posted a time of 4:51.81 in the 1,500-meter run to gain second place behind Fayetteville-Manlius star Sophie Ryan (4:31.36) as Annina Marullo got eighth place in 5:10.03, with Liverpool’s Madison Neuner taking fifth place in 4:59.66. Pestle, Marullo, Abbey Szumloz and Megan Trubia were fourth in the 4×800 relay in 10:39.25.
Liverpool got a victory in the mile from Josh Hickmott, who in a time of 4:24.95 held off West Genesee’s David Leff (4:25.24) at the line as Stephen Schulz finished third in 4:29.40.
Later, in the 4×800 rleay, Hickmott, Ty Brownlow, T.J. Praschunus and Cullen McLaughlin went 8:19.07 in the 4×800 to beat Baldwinsville (8:20.34) as C-NS had Garnes, David Ware, Sam Barber and Nathan Poirier take third place in 8:21.32.
Ty Brownlow went 9:30.46 in the 3,200-meter run to finish second behind F-M’s Patrick Perry, who prevailed in 9:23.29.
Moving to the 55-meter dash, Liverpool’s Brandon Mayfield won it, edging Nottingham teammates Jawill Brown and Shaheed Bashar-Dickerson, who both finished in 6.69 seconds. C-NS had Kilian take fifth place in 6.81 seconds and Pauli get seventh place in 6.89 seconds.
On the girls side for Liverpool, Kierra Richardson won the 300-meter dash in 41.96 seconds, nearly a full second ahead of the field, with Anne Gullo fifth in 43.48 seconds. Kelley Townley won in the pole vault by clearing 10’6”, the only athlete to do so as Mackenzie Case (8 feet) was ninth.
Also, Windsor Ardner qualified for the state meet in the 600, for though she finished in second place, her time of 1:37.66 topped the qualifying standard of 1:38.74 by nearly a second as West Genesee’s Carly Benson prevailed in 1:36.52.
Richardson, Ardner and Gullo joined Natalie Kurz to finish second (4:07.11) behind West Genesee (4:01.97) in the girls 4×400 relay. Natalie Tauro, Amina Sinclair, Alexa Ostrander and Abby Haley were fourth (1:54.40) in the girls 4×200.
Marissa Baskin got third place in the girls 55-meter dash in 7.51 seconds, not far from the winning 7.46 posted by Baldwinsville’s Lauren Addario. Khalil Wailes was third in the boys 300 in 36.77 seconds, where the Northstars had Pauli get 10th place in 37.84 seconds and Kilian (38.61 seconds) take 14th place. Arthur Bittel threw the shot put 43’4 ¼” to take fifth place.
Now this large Liverpool and C-NS contingent would get set to travel to New York City – or, more specifically, Staten Island’s Ocean Breeze Athletic Center – where the state championship meet takes place on March 4.
