Emily Burns has a finishing kick few Section 2 cross country runners possess.
The Guilderland senior pulled away from Saratoga Springs freshman Peyton Engborg in the final 200 meters to win the girls varsity race at the Ed Springstead Invitational Friday, Sept. 12, at Colonie Town Park.
“If Burns is anywhere near the lead late in the race, I’d put my money on her to win,” said Guilderland girls coach Dave Kosier.
Burns was in a small lead pack with Engborg, Saratoga’s Paris Fenoff and Shaker’s Maryanna Lansing two-thirds of the way into the 3.04-mile race. A short time later, Burns and Engborg pulled away into a duel for the lead. The duel continued until the final turn for the home stretch, when Burns began putting distance between herself and Engborg.
“I could have started my move earlier, but I knew she had a very good kick, too,” said Burns. “So, I had to be very decisive when I went.”
Burns completed the race with a time of 17:59 for her second invitational victory of the season. She also won the varsity girls large school division title at the Guilderland Invitational Sept. 6.
When asked if the Springstead Invitational victory meant more to her, Burns said, “I think so because Saratoga is obviously very good, and Maryanna (Lansing) is very good, too.”
Saratoga showed its overall dominance on the girls’ side. The Blue Streaks had seven of the top nine finishers to claim the team title with 22 points. Guilderland was second with 78 points, and Colonie finished third with 98 points. Host Shaker took sixth place with 141 points.
Guilderland pulled off a small surprise in the boys’ varsity division. The Dutchmen placed three runners in the top 10 to claim the team title with 59 points, 18 points ahead of runner-up Shaker. Defending Section 2 Class AA team champion Saratoga was third with 92 points.
“I think we all ran great,” said Guilderland sophomore Noah Carey, who placed second to Saratoga’s Aidan Tooker with a time of 15:26. “I felt really good, and I think all of the guys felt really good, too.”
Shaker boys coach Ed Springstead – for whom the invitational is named after – was pleased with his team’s performance.
“I was very happy with the effort today. Every kid put forth the effort. That was important,” said Springstead.
There wasn’t much suspense with where the first six runners placed, as there was at least a seven-second gap between them. Tooker finished 11 seconds ahead of Carey with a winning time of 15:15, and Colonie’s Jake Johnson was a distant third with a time of 15:53. Shaker’s Paul Nichols placed fifth with a time of 16:16, 16 seconds behind fourth-place Matthew McDermott of Niskayuna.
The next seven runners were tightly packed. Guilderland teammates Jonathon Feil and Jared Capuano dueled for seventh place, with Feil edging Capuano at the finish line with a time of 16:32. Bethlehem’s Dawson Homer finished ninth with a time of 16:34, and Shaker’s Tom Hale edged Bethlehem’s Simon Powhida for 10th place with a time of 16:35.