Despite Missing Three Starters, East Hampton Boys Cross Country To Compete at Counties

For a day that began “pretty disastrous,” as East Hampton boys cross country head coach Kevin Barry termed it, it ended not so bad.

Set to compete in the Division Championship 5K race at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park on Monday afternoon, Barry got a call around 7 a.m. earlier that day, that his number two runner, Sean Perez, would miss the meet with an iliotibial, or IT band injury. Then he found out that his number three runner, Watts Comly-Bolick, who was away for the weekend, had his flight delayed and that he would miss school and the meet. On top of that, the team’s number five runner, Max Bellenoue, was already scheduled to miss the meet due his training for the upcoming New York City Marathon this weekend.

In order to score as a full team and have a five-man average time to get them to next week’s state qualifier, Barry had to call three different freshmen who all obliged and took the trip to Sunken Meadow. While the Bonackers finished last, in 20th place, Barry was sure his team’s average would get it to counties, which are Thursday, November 6, back at Sunken Meadow at 2 p.m.

“So we were without our two, three and five, but we could still qualify for counties with a five-man average if they all popped a good one today, and they did, they all popped up a good one,” he said.

A big part of that was a big personal best by sophomore Jasper Samuelson, who finished the 3.1-mile race in 17:40.30, shaving 33 seconds off his previous best and placing 24th out of 143 runners. He said he knew, being down three starters, he was going to have to come up big to keep the season going.

“I knew I had to step up to the role and really push our team,” he said. “It was definitely a struggle. I was just trying to stay with the front pack, kind of have them pull me toward a better time and a better place.”

Prime conditions for the race certainly helped, Samuelson agreed, with seasonable temperatures that, at times, have eluded that particular race.

“I think it was perfect racing conditions,” he said. “Not very windy, not very cold.”

Samuelson said, with about a week and a half until counties, now is the time to lock in if he wants to make a bid to go to the New York State Championships on November 15 at Queensbury High School.

“I’ve just really got to work hard and put in my best effort every day to get that spot. Earn it,” he said.

Liam Knight, a senior, finished 55th overall in 18:24.60. Junior Andrew Perez finished 120th in 20:43.40; freshman Chase Bohnsack finished 130th in 21:19.50; freshman Carson Diamond finished 135th in 22:22.40; and freshman Zimmerman Levy finished 142nd in 24:07.60.

Barry knew coming into the race on Monday that his team wasn’t going to be strong enough to beat Eastport-South Manor for a Division III title, but as far as he’s concerned, it was mission accomplished.

The Bonackers finished 5-1 during the dual meet season with their only loss to Sayville, which Barry said was very good and better than he expected. Samuelson chased down a pair of Golden Flashes and was closing in on their top runner before running out of time.

Barry said Samuelson is just on the outside looking in, in terms of his current best getting him to states, but he’s right there.

“We’ll be running for a Class B title with ESM, Sayville, Westhampton, and Miller Place, can’t rule them out,” he said. “We’re hoping to finish top three in the county and hopefully get a seat on the bus to represent.”

The East Hampton girls finished the regular season with only three runners so head coach Diane O’Donnell decided to split them up into two different races on Monday. Since Laura Martinez had solid times from throughout the season, she competed in the championship 5K. The junior finished 46th out of 109 runners in 21:45. 80. Danette Gonzalez-Alcala, a sophomore, and freshman Madison Giraldo ran in the team qualifier and finished 36th and 142 out of out of 154 runners in 23:38.30 and 30:16.80, respectively.