’Pac Cross Country Teams Look for Strong Fall Season

MAHOPAC—The Mahopac High School boys cross country team is hoping to return to the top of Section 1 this season after falling off last season.

The team finished in fourth at the county meet and at the league meet last season, and was not among the top 10 teams in Section 1, which is unusual for the Indians.

Coach Erik Yost would like to see his team begin its climb back to the top this season, one in which he will have 13 seniors.

"When we toe the line, I want our team to be in the top 10 of the section," Yost said

One of the top returning athletes for the Indians this season is James Mc- Donough, a senior who qualified for the state meet last season and won the county meet.

"He is by far our best guy this year. He is one of the top returnees in Section 1," Yost said.

The other key returning team members are senior captain Josh Cavis, senior James Schiavone, senior Frank Verde and senior captain Kevin Mallon.

Since there are so many seniors this year, some of them will not participate on the varsity level this season.

Key newcomers to the team include sophomores Jake Stam and Farris Ramada. Yost has been impressed with their work so far and believes that they have a great future in the sport.

"They came to a lot of the summer workouts and put their time in. They are the future of the program," Yost said.

One thing that Yost is concerned about is the fact that many of the students on the cross country team participate in other sports during the year instead of taking part in winter and spring track. Because of this, they don't have as much running experience as many other athletes on opposing teams.

"It kind of limits us as a team," said Yost. "We don't do as well because we don't have pure runners."

Because of that, his team will have to rely on other things to be successful.

"We are going to rely on having more heart and athleticism," Yost commented.

The girls team, which is coming off a 2009 season in which it finished among the top five teams in the section and took third in the county and league meets, looks to continue its success this year.

The team's key loss from last year's team was Kristin Nicholas.

Despite that loss, coach Adam Fetzer believes that the girls will have another strong season.

"They are a team with a lot of potential," he said. "They return the majority of the varsity squad and should have a strong season."

The team's key returning athletes are sophomore Molly Gardineer, senior Serena Hughes, Junior Alex Desarden and junior Rebecca Levy.

Newcomers include sophomore Devin Napolione and freshmen Kiera Sheridan and Amber Wendler.

For Mahopac, the goal is simple. They want to be considered among the best in the area.

"The girls want to be one of the best in Section 1," Fetzer said.

Arlington is one of the elite teams in the section, having finished at the top of the Section last season. Mahopac would not mind being right behind them.

The Indians begin their season Sept. 11 at the Somers Boathouse Invitational.