SECTION 4 BOYS' CROSS COUNTRY: CORNING SENDS FOUR RUNNERS TO STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS (24 PHOTOS) (2024-11-08)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
CHENANGO VALLEY — While the Corning Hawks weren’t able to get their whole team to states, they claimed four of the five individual spots for the state meet.

Ithaca won the team title at 22 points, with Corning next at 34.

Jaxyn Mahoney led the Corning Hawks with a third-place finish in 16:29.

“I don’t think it was how bad I wanted it (a strong race like Thursday), I think it’s how much I needed it,” Mahoney said. “I’ve been losing a lot of confidence in myself over the course of the season so I think for me this is very redeeming.”

For Mahoney this race is one of his best of the season.

“I would say he’s been having good races all season and this was a step toward a great race,” Corning coach Ray Lawson said. “I think he has even more. I’m proud of what he did today and he’s enjoying training.

“I think he just struggled a little bit last year. He went too nationals with a group and had really close friendships and those guys all graduated and sometimes that’s tough when now that group you trained with goes, he’s adjusted well this season. He’s enjoyed the training, he’s been a great leader, happy with where he’s at and excited for him.”

Sebastian Boutwell was fifth in 16:42 and Nicholas Ferratella was seventh in 16:51 followed by Gregory Homa in 17:02 as all four made states.

“The guys, Ithaca, I hope they can go and win a state title, they are good enough, they have a chance,” Lawson said. “If we are going to get beat then get beat by a team that has a chance to win a state title. We can live with that. We came to race and our guys, we were in the mix. But, they literally are better than us right now.”

The Corning runners feel like they did what they needed to do, but Ithaca just ran well.

“It feels really good,” Boutwell said of four going to states. “You always want to try and compete in a strong environment and that’s what states is going to be.

“The mindset was we had to stick with them as long as we can because if they get ahead of us early there is no way they are coming back to us. I was really proud of the guys, because as I was looking around we were all with who we needed to be at two miles and we gave ourselves a chance even if we didn’t get it done.”

In the end it was just some strong Ithaca runners that decided the team race. Riley Hubisz of Ithaca won in 16:04 followed by Noah Hilker in 16:28.

“The last mile was let the best team win,” Ferratella said. “I’m glad we gave ourselves a shot.”

“All season we weren’t really thinking about this (four to states),” Homa said. “We were thinking about winning, but this is a good thing to fall back on. I’m a senior, so looking forward to one more race with my boys.”

Mahoney finished strong, nearly catching HIlker for second at the finish line.

“I feel kind of silly,” Mahoney said. “It makes me feel like maybe I had a little bit more. But, the course, the way it goes after two miles you kind of go down on this old dirt road and you come back up and I knew just looking at the way Noah looked, the way I looked I knew he’d get me on the hill. I think I let him go a little too much and I tried, I had Everett (Shaw of Ithaca) coming up and Sebastian behind me and I tried to make the last 400 look and feel good”

The race Thursday gives Mahoney confidence going into states.

“Makes me feel really good,” Mahoney said. “Makes me feel like those goals I set for myself at the beginning of the season I was starting to think maybe I wouldn’t hit them and now it gives me a lot of confidence going into the last two meets thinking maybe I can get something done.”

Now it’s onto states for the Corning seniors.

“It’s a great environment to be in,” Homa said. “I got to go to my first state meet last year, such a great experience to be on the line with such a fast group of guys.”

“We almost have a full team going, it will feel like we are competing with the other teams,” Boutwell said.

And, the Corning runners can run together and push each other at states.

“It’s great, some of us are definitely going to be working in the pack, trying to get some PRs,” Ferratella said.

Bryce Hammond missed states by one spot, finishing 11th in 17:30 and Christopher Lawson was next in 17:39. Graham Wightman was 19th in 18:22 followed by Michael Naylor (18:23), Ashtyn Stark (18:26) and Samuel Kirk (18:29).
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PHOTOS BY BRAIN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE MEET:


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