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2018 Cross Country
Boys Pre-Season Sectional Preview |
Note: As I say every year, this is just a projection. It's pretty much everyone's best Saratoga State Park times and some adjustments where I felt it was needed. I have not included any new runners that teams have added but I may have adjusted team scores if I have an accurate guess on where to put them.
Boys: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D
Boys Class A - 1:30pm
What to Look For: Niskayuna took home their first sectional title since 1981 last year but were hit pretty hard by graduation and that leaves a very tight three team race for the title this year. Saratoga gets the slight edge on who they bring back and the potential they have for improvement. Especially Peter Moller, who joins the team this season after a 4:32 1600m last year. Guilderland has two top ten runners returning and could take it if their 3rd through 5th runners can close the gap to their top two. Shenendehowa has the best 1-7 depth but they need those runners to improve from the mid 16's and get close to 16 minutes if they want to take the title. Individually, Saratoga's Shea Weilbaker is the favorite as the only runner in the race to dip under 15 minutes last year and he will want to make up from last year's disappointing 3rd place. Tindale and Cavaliere will battle next as Tindale will want to come back from missing states last year and Cavaliere coming back after making it to states last year.
Top 20 Class A Returning Individuals
| 1. | Shea Weilbaker-Sr. | Saratoga Springs | 11. | Thomas Ragone-Jr. | Niskayuna |
| 2. | Noah Tindale-Sr. | Guilderland | 12. | Isaac Menis-Sr. | Schenectady |
| 3. | Matthew Cavaliere-Sr. | Bethlehem | 13. | Ezra Ruggles-Sr. | Saratoga Springs |
| 4. | Marty Dolan-Sr. | Niskayuna | 14. | Aidan Waite-Jr. | Saratoga Springs |
| 5. | Alex Hislop-Sr. | Shenendehowa | 15. | Dustin Chambers-Sr. | Columbia |
| 6. | Ben Guerin-Jr. | Ballston Spa | 16. | Bryan Spence-Jr. | Shenendehowa |
| 7. | Nicholas Soldvere-Sr. | Guilderland | 17. | Ryan Shanahan-Jr. | Shenendehowa |
| 8. | T.J. Randall-Jr. | Shaker | 18. | Jack Parsons-Jr. | Guilderland |
| 9. | Liam Danaher-Sr. | Columbia | 19. | Vinny Levchenko-So. | Shaker |
| 10. | Anthony Verro-Sr. | Saratoga Springs | 20. | Nick Logan-Jr. | Queensbury |
Class A Team Preview
| PL | School | Pts. | Brief Summary of team |
| 1. | Saratoga Springs | 75 | Return everyone and add Moller to give them the slight edge |
| 2. | Guilderland | 79 | Solid two top but need their 3rd through 5th to move close to contend |
| 3. | Shenendehowa | 81 | Great depth with Hislop leading but rest of team need to be right around 16 minutes |
| 4. | Shaker | 120 | No seniors in the top 7 with Randall having a shot at states |
| 5. | Ballston Spa | 147 | Guerin has a good shot at states but 3rd through 5th need to close the gap |
| 6. | Niskayuna | 163 | Lost a ton from last year's championship but Dolan and Ragone are a solid top 2 |
| 7. | Bethlehem | 184 | Graduation killed them but Cavaliere should return to state, everyone else is over 17 min. |
| 8. | Columbia | 194 | Solid top two with Danaher and Chambers but need rest of the team to close the gap |
| 9. | Colonie | 255 | Zukowski and Rickert are the only two under 17 min. Need the rest to improve. |
| 10. | Queensbury | 256 | Logan is the only one in the 16's. 3rd through 5th need to close to their 2nd runner. |
| 11. | Schenectady | 296 | Lose last year's champ, Ahmed. Menis and Medina under 17 but everyone else way back |
| 12. | Albany High | 358 | Eveleth is the only one in the 17's. Need big improvements from the rest of team |
| 13. | Amsterdam | 359 | Dzikowicz is only one in 17's and can improve a lot. Rest of the team need to close the gap. |
| 14. | Troy | 431 | Daupinais is in the 18's but everyone else is over 22 minutes |
Boys Class B - 2:00pm
What to Look For: Burnt Hills have won the last two state titles and are a big favorite for a third, returning just about everyone. The battle will be for second as Scotia-Glenville, Schalmont and Mohonasen are all in the mix. Scotia-Glenville has the best depth but Schalmont has the best front running with the Beltrans. Mohonasen also has good depth but need just a little more from their 4th and 5th. Albany Academy moves up to Class B after two Class C titles because private schools must be punished when they have a couple of good seasons. Individually, Berg is the only returning runner under 15 minutes but teammates Gillooley and Brennan are not far off. Schalmont's Beltran's could break that top four up
Top 20 Class B Returning Individuals
| 1. | Tyler Berg | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 11. | Nate Nagle | South Glens Falls |
| 2. | Aidan Gillooley | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 12. | Nick Graziano | Albany Academy |
| 3. | Evan Brennan | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 13. | Cowen Leininger | South Glens Falls |
| 4. | David Metacarpa | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 14. | Gabe Winters-Bona | Scotia-Glenville |
| 5. | Francisco Beltran | Schalmont | 15. | Kevin Sherameta | Mohonasen |
| 6. | Antonio Beltran | Schalmont | 16. | Kyle Ostrander | Scotia-Glenville |
| 7. | Nick Hunziker | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 17. | Mikhail Troyan | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake |
| 8. | Kevin Board | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 18. | Alex Tebano | Scotia-Glenville |
| 9. | Nathan Belcastro | Mohonasen | 19. | Nick Berube | Mohonasen |
| 10. | Dante Ubriaco | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 20. | Adam Limoges | Averill Park |
Class B Team Preview
| PL | School | Pts. | Brief Summary of team |
| 1. | Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake | 17 | 2 time state champs bring back just about everyone. Should easily repeat with top four |
| 2. | Scotia-Glenville | 92 | No front runners but 21 second spread give them the slight edge for 2nd place |
| 3. | Schalmont | 100 | Great top 2 with the Beltran's. Need their 5th to close the gap if they want 2nd. |
| 4. | Mohonasen | 107 | Belcastro leads 3 in the top 20 but need 4th and 5th to close the gap |
| 5. | C.B.A. | 147 | Haring and West in the mid 17's. Better depth than everyone under them will help |
| 6. | Averill Park | 177 | Limoges and Malefant in the 17's but need everyone else to close the gap |
| 7. | Albany Academy | 183 | Graziano has shot a states but graduation killed them, nee 4th and 5th to improve a lot |
| 8. | South Glens Falls | 184 | Nagle and Leininger could both make states but rest of team need to close the gap |
| 9. | Gloversville | 238 | Reed is in the mid 17's but everyone else needs to close the gap |
| 10. | Glens Falls | 271 | Lose Class C state champ, Hughes, Trackey and Powell only ones in the 18's |
| 11. | Hudson Falls | 275 | Saville in the low 18's but 4th and 5th are over 23 min. |
| 12. | Lansingburgh | inc. | Brito is in the low 18's but need to fill up team. |
| Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons | inc. | Incomplete last year and return no one :( |
Boys Class C - 2:30pm
What to Look For: When it comes to the smaller schools is usually comes down to who has the best depth and Class C's this year is the perfect definition of that. Schuylerville has the favorite with two runners in the top ten and the only team with five returners under 19 minutes. They are by no means a big favorite as a handful of teams could challenge with a few improvements. Broadalbin-Perth, Ichabod Crane, Catholic Central, and Voorheesville could all take shot with improvements from their 4th and 5th runners. Stillwater could be a darkhorse with John Gannon returning after not running last year. The individual title opens up with Greenwich and Rensselaer/Doane Stuart moving up to Class C. Ensslin returns with the best time but Goca and Yusaitis are not far behind. I also wouldn't be surprised if Peyton Howard challenges for the title. His 15th place preseason doesn't take into consideration is sub 4:30 1600m in outdoor.
Top 20 Class C Returning Individuals
| 1. | Evan Ensslin | Voorheesville | 11. | Dylan Oliva | Mechanicville |
| 2. | Henry Goca | Rensselaer/Doane Stuart | 12. | David Millard | Mechanicville |
| 3. | Joe Yusaitis | Stillwater | 13. | Michael Vecellio | Ichabod Crane |
| 4. | Ethan Burch | Schuylerville | 14. | Micah Smith | Broadalbin-Perth |
| 5. | Manuel Calvo | Greenville | 15. | Peyton Howard | Greenwich |
| 6. | Spencer Daley | Catholic Central | 16. | Caleb Jeralds | Chatham |
| 7. | Joseph Marchese | LaSalle | 17. | Aiden Scott | Hoosick Falls |
| 8. | Max Dwyer | Schuylerville | 18. | Bruce Gregg | Greenwich |
| 9. | Alex Christian | Ichabod Crane | 19. | Ronan Coughlin | LaSalle |
| 10. | Shane Viscosi | Fonda-Fultonville | 20. | Jonah Stewart | Schuylerville |
Class C Team Preview
| PL | School | Pts. | Brief Summary of team |
| 1. | Schuylerville | 116 | Best top 2 with Burch and Dwyer. Will want 4th and 5th close to 18 min. to seal the deal. |
| 2. | Broadalbin-Perth | 165 | Smith is the mid 17's but everyone else need to improve from mid 18's-19's |
| 3. | Ichabod Crane | 179 | Solid top two with Christian and Vecellio but 4th and 5th need to dip under 19 for team to move up |
| 4. | Catholic Central | 181 | Daley is a solid number 1 in the 17's but need 4th and 5th to close gap |
| 5. | Voorheesville | 185 | Ensslin one of the tops in the class but rest of team 2 min. behind and need to close |
| 6. | Stillwater | 206 | Yusaitis should return to states. Team could make big jump with Gannon returning to team. |
| 7. | LaSalle | 207 | Marchese and Coughlin good top 2 but need 4th and 5th to close the gap |
| 8. | Greenwich | 254 | Howard will be much improved compared to last year but tough to figure out rest of the team. |
| 9. | Cobleskill-Richmondville | 309 | Top three in the mid 18's but need a big improvement from their 5th spot if they want to move up |
| 10. | Fonda-Fultonville | 326 | Viscosi leads in the mid 17's but some new blood should bring the team up at least a few notches |
| 11. | Greenville | 363 | Calvo has a good shot at states but 3rd-5th are all over 20 min and need improvements |
| 12. | Cohoes | 365 | Kelly and DeCelle in the mid 18's but 4th and 5th are far behind and need to get closer |
| 13. | Mechanicville | 372 | Oliva is solid in the mid 17's but 3rd-5th are over 20 min. and need to close the gap. |
| 14. | Fort Plain/Canajoharie | 384 | Perue and Wintermute are in the mid 18's but 4th and 5th are far behind. |
| 15. | Johnstown | 405 | Cwiakala is only runner under 19 min. need drop in times from basically everyone |
| 16. | Granville/Whitehall | 426 | Top 3 in the mid 19's but 4th and 5th over 21 min and will need to improve |
| 17. | Rensselaer/Doane Stuart | 445 | Goca is one of the top runners in the class but everyone else is over 20 minutes |
| 18. | Chatham | 454 | Jeralds was in the 17's but only three return but had younger runners in track |
| 19. | Cairo-Durham | 470 | DiGiovanni is in the mid 18's but 3rd and 4th are over 21 minutes. |
| 20. | Tamarac | 475 | Top 3 were in the 19's last year with everyone else over 21 min. Modified from last year could help. |
| 21. | Catskill | 475 | Davies is in the low 18's but everyone else is over 20 min. and need improvements |
| 22. | Hoosick Falls | 508 | Top runner transferred to Columbia. MacDonald is only runner under 20 min. |
| 23. | Coxsackie-Athens | inc. | Only two returning runner, both over 20 minutes |
| Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk | inc. | Only have 4 runners at the moment. Waddingham in the mid 18's with 2nd and 3rd in mid 19's | |
| Taconic Hills | inc. | Nack was in the low 19's last year and their only returning runner | |
| Watervliet | inc. | Trying to start rebuild with three new runners | |
Boys Class D - 1:00pm
What to Look For: Maple Hill is the defending champion and returns just about everyone from last year which makes them a huge favorite to repeat with them having four out of the top seven times returning. Hadley-Luzerne, Duanesburg, and North Warren/Johnsburg should challenge for second with Hadley-Luzerne holding the edge with the better depth. Duanesburg and North Warren/Johnsburg need a little more help from their back end to challenge. Individually, North Warren/Johnsburg's Brandon Olden is the returning champion and is the favorite to repeat. Duanesburgh's Andrew Drescher and Maple Hill's Noah Albanese and Nick Mannion could challenge but Olden was help by Henry Goca and Peyton Howard moving up to Class C's.
Top 20 Class D Returning Individuals
| 1. | Brandon Olden-Sr. | North Warren/Johnsburg | 11. | Holden Decker-Jr. | Galway |
| 2. | Andrew Drescher-Jr. | Duanesburg | 12. | Jon Fraser-Jr. | Hadley-Luzerne |
| 3. | Noah Albanese-Jr. | Maple Hill | 13. | Sal Gallo-Sr. | Duanesburg |
| 4. | Nathan Mannion-Sr. | Maple Hill | 14. | Griffin Day-Sr. | Saratoga Catholic |
| 5. | Ken Mulvey-Sr. | North Warren/Johnsburg | 15. | Reese Steele-Jr. | Maple Hill |
| 6. | Thatcher Deyoe-Sr. | Maple Hill | 16. | Cody York-Sr. | Hadley-Luzerne |
| 7. | Quinn Practico-Sr. | Maple Hill | 17. | Paul Munson-Jr. | Duanesburg |
| 8. | Collin Douglas-Jr. | Berlin | 18. | Thomas Moore-Jr. | Warrensburg/Bolton |
| 9. | Caden Awad-Sr. | Saratoga Catholic | 19. | Nathan Shader-So. | Maple Hill |
| 10. | Erik Schreiner-Sr. | Hadley-Luzerne | 20. | Austin Lints-Jr. | Schoharie |
Class D Team Preview
| PL | School | Pts. | Brief Summary of team |
| 1. | Maple Hill | 35 | Defending champs return just about everyone and should repeat easily with Albanese leading |
| 2. | Hadley-Luzerne | 96 | Schreiner and Fraser in the 17's and with some good depth should give them 2nd |
| 3. | Duanesburg | 112 | Drescher should return to states. Need improvement from their 5th spot to move up |
| 4. | North Warren/Johnsburg | 121 | Olden is returning champ and Mulvey also under 17 but 4th and 5th need to close the gap |
| 5. | Berlin | 169 | Douglas leads invthe mid 17's but 4th and 5th over 20 min. and need to close the gap |
| 6. | Saratoga Catholic | 178 | Awad and Day in the 17's but rest of team over 20 min. and have to close the gap |
| 7. | Galway | 198 | Decker leads in the 17's and Ingle in the 18's, everyone else over 20 min. and need to improve |
| 8. | Lake George | 199 | Unkauf is only runner under 19 min. Pack isn't bad but times need to improve |
| 9. | Schoharie | 222 | Lints and Hahn are in the 18-19 range, everyone else over 20 min. and need to close gap |
| 10. | Hawthorne Valley | 240 | Top 3 in the 19's but everyone else over 21 min. and need to close the gap |
| 11. | Warrensburg/Bolton | 292 | Moore in the mid 18's but everyone else over 20 min. New runners could help |
| 12. | OESJ | 311 | Root is only runner under 20 minutes. 3 min. 1-5 gap need to close |
| 13. | Hoosic Valley | 319 | Graduation hit hard. Cipolla and Yando lead in the mid 19's |
| 14. | Argyle/Fort Edward | 341 | Jarvis leads in the mid 18s but everyone else is more than 3 minutes behind |
| 15. | Mekeel Christian | 367 | Lillenthal leads in the mid 19's but everyone else is over 22 minutes |
| 16. | Berne-Knox-Westerlo | inc. | Bungay's only returning runners, both were in the 19's last year |
| Hartford | inc. | Harrington, in the mid 20's, is their only returning runner | |
| Mayfield | inc. | Two returning runners with both over 20 minutes. |