Leading off today: There were at least a dozen invitationals across the state on Saturday, but none carried the weight of the second annual Crusader Classic hosted by Monroe-Woodbury. That's because it was contested on the course that will host the NYSPHSAA championships in November, and many of the projected team and individual contenders showed up to take a look around.
When the 10 varsity races were over, the fastest times of the day belonged to Carthage junior Noah Affolder and Corning junior Jessica Lawson. Affolder covered the 3.05 kilometers in 16:10.5, and Lawson won her race in 18:09.2.
East Aurora, ranked No. 1 in the state among Class C girls and second amongst boys, scored a pair of team victories in impressive fashion. The boys scored 36 points in Race 2 and were paced by individual champ Kenny Vasbinder in 16:16.8 for the day's second-fastest performance. The girls scored 41 points in Race 2 and touted individual champ Sophia Tasselmyer (19:37.2).
Corning also boasted of a pair of individual champs. Peter Kane won Race 1 in 16:39.4 to help the team to a winning score of 34 points, and Lawson helped her team to second place in Race 1.
If you put stock in merged results -- risky since conditions can change over the course of the day -- here are the top five teams for the M-W meet:
Boys: (1) East Aurora 110; (2) Corning 139; (3) Warwick Valley 211; (4) Xavier 303; (5) Arlington 321.
Girls: (1) Monroe-Woodbury 109; Shenendehowa 117; (3) East Aurora 193; (4) Warwick Valley 230; (5) Corning 261.
You can view complete meet results on the Leone Timing website.
Coaching milestone: Freeport football coach Russ Cellan recorded his 200th win with the 35-27 victory vs. Plainview JFK on Saturday. The fact that the milestone was achieved on the road contributed to it being a low-key celebration. The fact that the coach neglected to mention it ahead of time made the party even more non-existent.
"Nobody knew. It was just another day at work," Cellan told Newsday. "I like to keep it low key. Our goal is never about personal stuff."
Cellan's coaching career began with a three-year stint at St. Dominic, and he took over at Freeport in 1986.
