Chittenango – The Section III XC Championship was like a Drake song for the New Hartford and Sauquoit Valley boys as they went back-to-back as Section III Champions during Saturday’s meet at Chittenango High School.
New Hartford earned the Class B title with 63 points over Carthage (105 points) and Chittenango (110 points). “The week before Sectionals we had great practices. The boys all shared the same goal of bringing back another Sectional championship,” said Bob Byrd, the Spartans head coach. “They were relaxed and confident. This win was great for our kids and the school. I know how hard it is to win a Sectional championship but to win two in a row is unbelievable.”
Josh Farmer closes in on the Class B boys championship (Photo Courtesy of Chris Mayer)
Josh Farmer of New Hartford placed 1st overall to be the individual Class B Champion in a time of 16:26.4. Patrick Dye of Jamesville-DeWitt finished 2nd after leading most of the race, but Farmer had a solid race strategy going into the race to finish on top. “My game plan was to stay comfortable for the first mile and a half and keep Patrick Dye in my sights and pick up the pace once I hit that point in the race,” Farmer said. “During the race, I kept telling myself that my goal all season was to win this race and nothing was going to stop me from doing it. I knew the last hill before the finish was going to be crucial, and if him and I were tied going into the finish, I was going to give everything I had to bring home the title.” Farmer’s race strategy worked perfectly as he took the lead in the last 50 meters to cross the finish line first.
Senior Troy Henderson placed 9th for the Spartans in a time of 17:35.5. This was Henderson’s first season running cross country. “Sectionals definitely reinforced sort of why I decided to run cross country,” said Henderson. “The race itself was extremely intense but extremely rewarding. It was one of those moments that I’ll be able to have with me for the rest of my life.”
Sauquoit Valley defended their Class D title with a score of 50 points over Tully (65 points) and Beaver River (74 points). Head Coach Steve Philpotts reiterated similar sentiments about his team leading up to the big race, “We started off the week relaxed and focused. As Saturday got closer, I felt like they got nervous, but they were still confident.” Philpotts contributes his team’s success to the hard work they put in day in and day out.
Sauquoit Valley’s Dylan Canarelli was the Class D individual champion. He finished in a time of 16:35.3. Taylor Philpotts was 3rd for Sauquoit Valley in a time of 17:12.3.
Sauquoit’s Dylan Canarelli is the 2016 individual Class D Champion. (Mid-York Sports Report File Photo By- Jeff Pexton)
In other Section III action, Fayetteville-Manlius posted a perfect score of 15 points to win the Girls Class A Championship; the Westhill-Ludden girls beat Jamesville-DeWitt by 9 points to win the Girls Class B title; CBA ended up on top in the Girls Class C race; and South Lewis won the Girls Class D crown. For the remaining boys’ races, Liverpool topped Fayetteville-Manlius in Class A, and Marcellus was the Class C champions.
The following athletes also qualified for the State Meet as individuals:
CLASS A
Jenna Schulz, Liverpool (6th overall, 18:53.3)
Justus Holden-Betts, Baldwinsville (7th overall, 19:19.0)
Madison Neuner, Liverpool (8th overall, 19:26.3)
Emily Young, West Genesee (9th overall, 19:28.0)
Mia Mitchell, West Genesee (10th overall, 19:33.1)
Davone Hernandez, Rome Free Academy (4th overall, 16:01.6)
Patrick Perry, Fayetteville-Manlius (5th overall, 16:20.2)
David Leff, West Genesee (6th overall, 16:26.2)
Ben Otis, Fayetteville-Manlius (7th overall, 16:37.3)
Joe Walters, Fayetteville-Manlius (8th overall, 16:40.9)
Rome’s Davone Hernandez leads VVS’ Owen Walker do battle in Rome earlier this season (Photo By – Jeff Pexton – Perfect Game Imaging).
CLASS B
Hannah Butler, Jamesville-DeWitt (1st overall, 19:16.6)
Elizabeth Lucason, Camden (2nd overall, 9:43.1)
Brianna Wilbur, New Hartford (3rd overall, 19:53.1)
Sophia Vinciguerra, Jamesville-DeWitt (4th overall, 19:58.5)
Morgan Lucason, Camden (6th overall, 20:08.9)
Patrick Dye, Jamesville-DeWitt (2nd overall, 16:29.8)
Owen Walker, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (3rd overall, 16:34.7)
Kenneth Deloff, Fulton (4th overall, 16:35.1)
Brian Lamonica, Carthage (5th overall, 16:36.2)
Nick Berg, East Syracuse-Minoa (6th overall, 16:49.0)
New Hartford’s Bri Wilbur heads for home in the girls Class B race. (Photo Courtesy of Chris Mayer)
CLASS C
Eva Borton, Clinton (1st overall, 18:59.9)
Clara Rowles, Cazenovia (2nd overall, 19:46.3)
Gabrielle Dewhurst, Clinton (3rd overall, 19:47.1)
Meggie Hart, Cazenovia (4th overall, 20:09.4)
Emma Novak, Clinton (5th overall with a time of 20:20.6)
Eva Borton (left) and Emma Novak (right) both of Clinton, are headed to the NYSPHSAA Championships. (Photo by- Jeff Pexton – Perfect Game Imaging).
Dominic Morganti, CBA (1st overall, 16:42.0)
Adam Vanvalkenburgh, Canastota (2nd overall, 17:00.6)
James McPherson, Cazenovia (3rd overall, 17:06.2)
CJ Militello, Clinton (4th overall, 17:19.7)
Chris Celecki, Holland Patent (5th overall, 17:21.2)
CLASS D
Brooke Rauber, Tully (1st overall, 19:00.0)
Abbey Copperwheat, New York Mills (2nd overall, 19:26.6)
Sarah Sharpe, New York Mills (6th overall, 20:17.2)
Rylee Campeau, Beaver River (7th overall, 20:19.8)
Maggie Keady-Dooley, Utica Notre Dame (8th overall, 20:24.1)
Ryan Hanson, Tully (2nd overall, 17:08.6)
Dylan Durgan, South Lewis (4th overall, 17:14.5)
Connor Demo, Beaver River (5th overall, 17:22.0)
Logan Carnicelli, Cato-Meridian (6th overall, 17:25.7)
Cory Demo, Beaver River (7th overall, 17:26.8)
The Section III team champions and individual qualifiers will compete at the NYSPHSAA State Championship this Saturday, November 12th at Chenango Valley State Park.
