Though Cicero-North Syracuse is not hosting the New York State Public High School Athletic Association track and field championships this weekend, both the Northstars and its neighbors from Liverpool will have a big presence for the competition at Union-Endicott.
Between them, C-NS and Liverpool won 10 different events during Friday’s Section III state qualifier at Bragman Stadium, three of them by Northstars standout Jeremiah Willis.
In the long jump, Willis prevailed by going 22 feet 2 inches, with Liverpool’s Ryan Dewan (20 feet) and Paul Dewan (19’5 3/4″) fourth and fifth, respectively. Then, in the triple jump, Willis flew 46’4 1/4″ despite the cool,windy conditions to get another title, with Paul Dewan (40’11 3/4″) edging out Ryan Dewan (40’11 1/2″) for fourth place.
Willis also went 1-2 with Matt Kilian in the 200-meter dash, Willis prevailing in 22.31 seconds, while Kilian got the runner-up spot in 23.15 seconds.With one spot available for the state meet in the boys 4×100 relay, C-NS had Willis, Kilian, Joe Williams and Anthony Pauli post 43.99 seconds, just behind Nottingham, who won in 43.78 seconds.
Liverpool countered with a sweep of the individual distance races, starting in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, where Josh Hickmott prevailed in 9:35.27, chased by two Northstars as Nathan Poirier was fifth in 10:13.96 and Sam Barber (11:04.53) was ninth.
Ty Brownlow took his turn at the top in the mile, his time of 4:20.63 well clear of Fayetteville-Manlius challenger Patrick Perry (4:27.69) and the field. And in the 3,200-meter run, Steve Schulz won in 9:19.25 over the Hornets’ Joe Walters (9:24.27) by more than five seconds.
Joe Williams, favored in the 110 high hurdles, could not finish his final due to interference, while Kilian was fourth in the 100-meter dash in 11.18 seconds and Ryan Dewan (11.89 seconds) was seventh.
Liverpool had Nathan Reeves get third place in Division I in the 800-meter run in 1:59.22. Arthur Bittel threw the shot put 45’5 1/2″ to finish third.
Jacob Barnes had his own third-place finish in the discus, throwing it 125’11”. Khalil Wailes finished fifth (51.99 seconds) ahead of the Northstars’ Ryan Williams (52.40) in sixth place in the 400-meter dash.
The only victory for the Liverpool girls team on the track came from Marissa Baskin, who in the 100 sprint went 12.60 seconds to edge Nottingham’s Jakia Howard (12.62) at the line as Baskin’s teammate, Grace Kouame, was seventh in 13.16 seconds, to go with an eighth-place finish in the 200.
Kelley Townley won the pole vault when she cleared 10 feet with fewer misses than Jamesville-DeWitt’s Gabrielle Tanksley. Also, Sarah Lavalley threw the discus 116’1″, second to Rome Free Academy’s Sarah Crockett (124’9″), but just above the 115’11” she needed to advance to the state meet.
Madison Neuner was second in the 2,000-meter steeplechase in 7:10.30, just behind F-M’s Claire Walters, who won in 7:05.94. Jenna Schulz was third in the Division I 3,000-meter run in 10:20.82. Anne Gullo took fourth place in the 400-meter dash in 1:01.86, while Windsor Ardner was fourth in the 800 in 2:19.19.
For the C-NS girls, Shayla Webb needed 16’10” to match Willis and prevail in the long jump, with Sierra Davis third by going 16’5 1/2″. Liverpool had Baskin in fifth place (16’2″) and Meghan Milazzo (16’1 3/4″) in sixth place.
Mia Pestle emerged with a 1,500-meter victory in 4:53.09 as Liverpool’s Vanessa Eberhard was third in 5:09.29, Pestle adding a fifth-place time of 2:21.72 in the 800. Liliana Klemanski claimed the high jump as the only competitor to clear 5’1″.
Webb took second place in the triple jump, going 36’4 1/2″ as Davis was fifth with 35’7 1/2″, ahead of Baskin in eighth place (33’3 1/4″) and Milazzo (32’6 1/2″) in 10th place. Kierrah Butler was third in the shot put with a throw of 35’2 3/4″. Cassie Baldwin was third in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.14 seconds, with the Warriors’ Lauren Fradette fourth in 16.51 seconds.
