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Locals To Run At State Meet On Long Island

KINGS PARK — Twenty-seven local boys and girls will compete in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Cross Country Championships this morning at Sunken Meadow State Park on Long Island.

Maple Grove will be battling for Class D team titles in both the boys and girls races.

The Lady Red Dragons will kick off the day’s action with a 9 a.m. start. Senior Bryn Mozzi, sophomores Ava Crist, Christina Peppy, Carling Lockwood and Tori Pavlock, and freshmen Abby Brunenavs and Hannah Tarbrake will look to better teams from Section II Duanesburg, Section III Tully, Section IV Delhi, Section V Red Creek, Section VII Lake Placid, Section IX Eldred, Section X Norwood-Norfolk and Section XI Shelter Island. Defending-champion South Lewis of Section III did not qualify this year.

Based on results throughout this season and last week’s Section VI Championships at Bemus Point Golf Club, Crist and Peppy could very well be competing for the individual title along with the likes of Clymer/Sherman/Panama junior Kylee Odell, sophomore Mackenzie Gratto and eighth-grader Hannah Schauman; Frewsburg sophomore Acacia Barber; and Randolph freshman Sydney Smith.

The girls Class A race will follow Class D at 9:30 a.m. with girls Class B starting at 10 a.m.

Dunkirk junior Jericha Petrella will be the lone local runner competing in Class B.

Class C will be the final girls race of the day at 10:30 a.m. Silver Creek/Forestville sophomore and Fredonia junior Emily Brown will take part in that race.

Maple Grove’s boys will then compete for a state title in their Class D race beginning at 11 a.m. The seven Red Dragons competing for five scoring positions will be senior Frank Colburn, juniors Peter Auer, Riley Auer, Nick Brunenavs, Darius Jones and Tyler McPherson, and sophomore Drew Kelemen.

Other teams competing for Class D team titles will be Section I Haldane, Section II Maple Hill, defending-champion Beaver River of Section III, Section IV Delhi, Section V Oakfield-Elba, Section VII Lake Placid, Section IX John A. Coleman, Section X Norwood-Norfolk and Section XI Shelter Island.

Other local runners competing in the Class D race include Clymer/Sherman/Panama sophomore Hunter Wassink, Frewsburg senior Dylan Davis and Randolph junior Ronan McDonald along with senior teammate Chris Riethmiller.

The Class A boys race will start at 11:30 a.m. followed by Class B at noon and Class C at 12:30 p.m.

Fredonia senior Diego Rey will compete in the Class C race.

According to the NYSPHSAA website, “Sunken Meadow’s 5K course is well known for Cardiac Hill and Snake Hill. Among the toughest courses in the nation, a fast, flat first 1,200 meters always causes runners to go out blazing before heading up Snake Hill. ‘Snake’ is a very steep, but somewhat short hill. After that is the picnic area before a half-mile climb starting at sea level ends at the base of Cardiac Hill — a rather steep 200 meters with faulty footing. Sunken Meadow is also plagued by long sand traps in certain parts and at times hard winds due to its seaside location.”

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