It looks like it’ll be yet another successful year for Commack as they’ve gotten off to a hot start of the 2023 boys cross country season. They’re 3-0 in dual meets so far, matching up against some tough teams in League III in North Babylon, Copiague, and Connetquot. They also have placed first at the Bob Pratt Invitational. This comes after a season in which they finished second in the Section XI Division 1 Championship, and fourth in the Section XI Class A Championships.
The first race came in a dual meet at Sunken Meadow’s 2.5 mile course on September 12. They faced North Babylon and won in dominating fashion. Commack nearly swept first to eighth, with only second place going to North Babylon. Senior Sam Byrd placed first in this one with a time of 14:14 leading the charge.
Finishing third overall, second for the team, was Junior Ben Molino finishing at 14:39. Junior Sean Famighetti was right behind at 14:58 claiming fourth place in the race. Finishing fifth through eighth were sophomore Aidan Piracci (15:01), junior Harris Cantley (15:05), senior Alex Walsh (15:06), and senior Thomas Goldberg (15:21).
This was a great start to the season that saw some new guys make their way to the top seven for Commack.
Commack’s next race saw them take first place at the Bob Pratt Invitational on September 15. This was a 5K course at Sunken Meadow in which Commack was matched up against some of the best teams in Long Island. Commack’s best runner of the day was Alex Walsh who placed ninth overall with a time of 17:18. Byrd was close behind finishing at 17:29, good for fourteenth in the race. Right behind him was junior Dylan Manning who finished fifteenth with a time of 17:33.
Two more Commack runners helped them win the invitational with Ben Molino finishing twenty-ninth, with a time of 18:20, and Aidan Piracci finishing fortieth, with a time of 18:41. These five runners earned them their first invitational victory of the season.
Shortly after on September 19, Commack matched up against Copiague in another dual meet. This was a 5K race on a flat course, Copiague’s home course. Ultimately, Commack came out with another strong victory.
Manning took first place in this one with a 5K time of 16:31. Other top runners from Commack were familiar faces in Byrd (17:09), Cantley (17:15), Piracci (17:39), and Goldberg (17:41).
Commack took this dominant win into their most recent dual meet against Connetquot back at Sunken Meadow’s 2.5 mile course, on September 26. They had complete control yet again as they swept their opponents from first to fifth place. The top 5 consisted of Byrd (13:59), Manning (13:59), Walsh (13:59), Molino (14:11), and Piracci (14:19). This race leaves them at 3-0 and gives them high hopes for the rest of the season.
“The boys have been putting in the work since early July. We know that we are a talented team and we really want to win,’ said Dylan Manning, one of the team’s best runners.
The Commack boys cross-country team is dominating this year and is clearly in full control. They have a deep team with guys who can all place in the top 5 on any day. Their next races come at the St. Anthony invitational where they will face even tougher teams from all over the island. They look to have an impressive season and hopefully win a few championships along the way.
