ONONDAGA COUNTY – It was time for the Jamesville-DeWitt and East Syracuse Minoa cross country teams to meet each other.
They did so Tuesday afternoon on ESM’s home course, and it was the Red Rams winning both the boys and girls races as both sides also raced against 0 and swept – Fulton.
Connor Clarkson led the J-D boys’ 20-41 victory over the Spartans, finishing in 17 minutes, 41.3 seconds, well clear of the 18:24.9 from teammate and runner-up Hudson Groat.
ESM’s John Courcy was third in 18:28 flat and Brandon Cerlanek fifth in 19:11.6, but Peter Drew took fourth for J-D in 19:05.2 as Paul Fischi, in 19:21.0, led a pack that included Isaiah Sternberg (19:28.2), Chris Donaghue (19:53.3), Nathan Warren-Fancy (19:58.1) and Garrett Fuller (20:05.1).
In the girls race, ESM earned the individual title thanks to Rachael Ladd, who in a time of 21:46.7 pulled away from J-D’s Molly McIntyre, who was second in 21:59.4.
Still, the Red Rams won 24-37 and also topped Fulton 20-41 because, after Ainsley McKenna’s third-place 22:30.4, Megan O’Malley, fourth in 22:41.7, led a Red Rams pack that included Meghana Reddy (23:25.7), Rebecca Mendez-Squier (23:55.0) and Norah Kirch (24:12.9) as
Fayetteville-Manlius would not have the girls showdown with Cicero-North Syracuse as the Northstars rested its top runners in between two large-scale meets.
Virtually unchallenged by C-NS or host Baldwinsville, the Hornets had Hannah Kaercher tear to a time of 18:08.8 ahead of Izzie Sullivan’s 18:44.3. Maria Khalifeh finished in 19:15.5 as Camille Ryan posted 19:39 flat and Isabelle Adrian (20:08.5) was behind Bees freshman Kamryn Barton’s 19:48.2.
Meanwhile, F-M’s boys lost to Baldwinsville 26-31 while it beat C-NS 15-46, with the battle at the front including Nolan McGinn, in 15:25.4, taking second to the Bees’ Solomon Holden-Betts (15:19.6) on the latter’s home course.
Anthony Otis was third in 15:46.8, with Ben Perry (16:52.3), but Noah Covert was fourth for the Bees and four others – Jeff Ragonese, Arthur Bauer, Jack McAllister and Ryan Wilson – crossed before Kyler Patrick (17:45.0) and Will Ditre (17:47.5) for the Hornets.
Manlius Pebble Hill beat Weedsport 19-38 as Oliver Dreyfuss tore to a time of 17:43 for the Trojans, with J.J. Braverman finishing in 18:59 and Tae-Jin Shah adding a 19:52.
