It was another stellar state cross country meet for Section II teams.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake swept the boys and girls Class A titles, while Shenendehowa claimed the boys Class AA crown and Greenwich won the girls Class D title at last Saturday’s state championships at Sunken Meadow State Park on Long Island.
BH-BL was locked in a duel with Section V champion Pittsford Mendon in the boys Class A race, but the Spartans got their first five runners across the finish line before Mendon’s top five finished the hilly course. BH-BL finished with 51 points, while Mendon settled for second place with 67 points.
Otis Ubriaco led the Spartans with a second-place finish in a time of 16:32.85. Scott Maughan was 11th in a time of 16:47.07, and Kent Harlow finished 13th in a time of 16:56.29. Sean Pezzulo (43rd, 17:43.84) and Matt Rusilas (45th ,17:55.34) rounded out BH-BL’s top five.
There was less drama in the girls Class A race, as BH-BL placed five runners in the top 15 to take the team title with 23 points, 34 points ahead of runner-up Cornwall.
Sam Roecker and Molly Pezzulo led the Spartans with top-five finishes. Roecker was fourth in a time of 18:59.40, and Pezzulo placed fifth in a time of 18:59.77. Meaghan Gregory finished eighth in a time of 19:36.04, with Riley Wilk (12th, 19:47.44) and Alyssa Drapeau (13th, 19:48.37) rounding out BH-BL’s top five.
The Shen boys had two runners in the top 10 and five runners in the top 25 to claim the Class AA state title with 30 points, 17 points ahead of Section III champion Fayetteville-Manlius.
Alex Leuchanka led the Plainsmen with a second-place finish in a time of 15:59.47, .2 seconds behind state champion Alex Hatz of Fayetteville-Manlius. Dan Harris (eighth place, 16:27.74) was Shen’s second runner, while Jamie Glover (15th, 16:37.72) was the third Plainsmen to cross the finish line. Mike Danaher (17th, 16:40.35) and Brian Trainor (25th, 16:54.64) sealed Shen’s victory.
Section II’s individual representatives also fared well in the Class AA boys race. Saratoga’s Demetri Goutos was seventh in a time of 16:26.83, while Shaker’s Craig Weiss placed 28th in a time of 16:59.71. Saratoga’s Sam Place (41st, 17:17.00) also finished in the top half of the 105-runner field.
Saratoga’s girls team placed second to defending state champion Fayetteville-Manlius in the Class AA race. F-M won with a score of 22 points, while Saratoga finished with 48 points.
Cassie Goutos led the Blue Streaks with a fifth-place finish in a time of 19:09.06, less than two seconds behind Shen’s Lizzie Predmore, who was the top Section II runner with a fourth-place time of 19:07.71.
Brianne Bellon followed in 14th place for Saratoga with a time of 19:23.58. Then, there was a group of three Blue Streaks Keelin Hollowood (16th, 19:29.50), Amanda Borroughs (17th, 19:35.83) and Sydney King (18th, 19:39.57).
Shen’s Cara Janeczko (20th, 19:43.47), Jordan Westcott (21st, 19:43.92) and Alex Burtnick (45th, 20:32.49) all placed in the top 50 of the Class AA race.
BH-BL, Shen and Saratoga will be among the teams competing at Saturday’s New York State Federation Cross Country Championships at Bowdoin State Park in Wappinger Falls.`