WINTER PREVIEW BOYS TRACK

Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 12 Dec 2010: 

LARGE SCHOOLS

Defending indoor large school champion Longwood is still loaded with distance runner Donato Geraci, hurdler Shane Cruz, Mark Jackson (sprints) and 600-meter specialist Joe Fuller. 

Bay Shore can never be counted out with hurdler Kadesh Roberts, Jamarie Lawrence (long jump) and shot specialists Angel Rosario and Dominick LaFerrera.

Distance trio Zach Krause, Tyler Murtha and Dom Costanzo will make Connetquot tough to beat. 

Kashaun Boynton (hurdles), all-purpose athlete Treval Hatcher (600, triple jump) and triple jumper Kevin Williams lead a talented Riverhead squad.

Watch out for Sachem East with Phil Rascona (distance), Joe DiRienzo (distance), Greg Markfelder (high jump) and Ryan Scarpelli (middle distance).

West Islip has Ryan Tantone (distance), Freddy Matthews (shot), Don Badolato (600) and jump specialist Stephen Hetterich. 

Commack, paced by distance runner Max Ganz, hurdlers Chris Caracciolo and Chris Grisolia, triple jumper James Kuziw and Dan Hussey (600) could also surprise.

Other large schools to watch include Ward Melville with Chas Abad, Central Islip, led by Ryan Satchell and North Babylon with Kris Moran. 

Copiague is led by Jarrick Ambrose and a quality sprint relay team of John Argueta, Rolando Rowe, Michael Benson and Desmond Guidroz.

BOYS TRACK

Suffolk Crossover Meet D

600 – 1. Ryan Flanagan, Port Jeff, 1:29.30; 2. Chris Weilbacher, Sachem North, 1:32.07. 3, Chase Nackenson, Hills East, 1:33.27. 55 Hurdles – 1, Lucas Hoffmann, Northport, 8.19. 2, John Murphy, Longwood, 8.35. 2, Jon Gortman, Hills East, 8.35. 55 – 1, Mark Jackson, Longwood, 6.91. 2, Andrew Tait, William Floy, 6.93. 3, Christopher Belcher, Sayville, 6.94. 1000 – 1, Greg Perrier, Hhh East, 2:42.39. 2, Greg Apostle, Walt Whitman, 2:51.41. 3, Justin Thomas, William Floy, 2:52.33. 300 – 1, Kyle Prestin, Walt Whitman, 38.32. 2, Taylor Colucci, Stony Brook, 38.63. 3, Christopher Belcher, Sayville, 38.68. 1600 – 1, Cole Conte, Port Jeffers, 4:40.42. 2, Zachary Cammer, Walt Whitman, 4:41.63. 3, Stephen Foppiano, West Islip, 4:41.95. Shot Put – 1, Me Olvide, 47-07 1/2. 2, Mason Thorbjornsen, Hills East, 42-10. 3, Jesse Levine, Longwood, 41-03 1/2. High Jump – 1, Mark Jackson, Longwood, 5-10. 2, Steven O’Connor, West Islip, J5-10. 3, Johan Jiminez, Longwood, J5-10. Long Jump – 1, Thomas Bove, Port Jeffers, 20-10 1/2. 2, John Haggert, Sayville, 20-8. 3, Stephen Hetterich, West Islip, 19-1/2. Triple Jump – 1, Mike Cotton, Longwood, 41-07 3/4. 2, Stephen Hetterich, West Islip, 39-5. 3, Steven O’Connor, West Islip, 39-01 1/2. 4×400 – 1, Longwood ‘A’ (Joe Payton, Shane Cruz, Joe Fuller, Jon Robles), 3:33.73. 2, Port Jeff ‘A’ 3:34.80. 3, Hills East ‘A’ 3:42.49. 4×200 – 1, William Floyd ‘A’ (Rajiv Heron, Isaiah Lawson, Devin Melvin, Devante Smith), 1:38.87. 2, Longwood ‘A’ 1:40.81. 3, Hhh East ‘A’ 1:45.93. 4×800 – 1, West Islip ‘A’ (Stephen Foppiano, Dan Badolato, Vincent Melia, Ryan Tantone), 8:32.07. 2, Longwood ‘A’ 8:36.79. 3, Northport ‘A’ 8:47.72. Jan. 17

BOYS LARGE SCHOOLS TRACK: Longwood runs away with title Jackson wins 55 and Fuller takes 600 in rout Longwood also first in 4×800, 4×400

Henry, Marcus. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 06 Feb 2011: 

The Longwood boys team came to run at the Suffolk Large Schools indoor track championships Friday and it showed. 

Mark Jackson won the 55 meters in 6.66 seconds and Joe Fuller took the 600 in 1:26.52 as Longwood ran to a first-place finish with 86 points. 

Brentwood was a distant second with 44 points, followed by Northport with 26. 

Longwood was also efficient in the relays as its 4×800 team of Kris Barsauskas, Mike Engesser, Donato Geraci and Marc Weilandics won in 8:32 and the 4×400 team of Joe Payton, Shane Cruz, Sebastian Bush and Fuller finished first in 3:38.34. 

It didn’t end there with the Lions, who also had several second-place finishers, including Payton in the 55 hurdles (7.89), Jackson in the high jump (6 feet, 3 inches) and Cruz in the long jump (20-11). 

Other first-place finishers included Sachem East’s Alex Saavedra in the 3,200 (9:37.52), Greg Perrier of Half Hollow Hills East in the 1,000 (2:36.78), Riverhead’s Kashaun Boynton in the 55 hurdles (7.88), Connetquot’s Tyler Murtha in the 1,600 (4:31.03) and Neil Yodice of Northport in the 300 (36.93). 

In field events, Brentwood’s Dorrell Lumsden won the long jump (21-6), Treval Hatcher of Riverhead won the triple jump (46-6) and Fred Walter of Smithtown West won the shot put (50-5 3/4).

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD STATE QUALIFIER: Fuller finds his best form Longwood senior passes Sanders in last 100 meters Also runs anchor leg on winning 4×400 team

Henry, Marcus. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 13 Feb 2011

Longwood sprinter Joe Fuller said his coach would bake a cake for him if he wins the 600 meters at the NYSPHSAA state championships March 5 at Cornell University. 

Fuller took a big step toward getting his just dessert, winning the 600 at yesterday’s state qualifier in a Suffolk CC-Brentwood record time of 1 minute, 23.71 seconds.

Fuller trailed Shoreham-Wading River’s Kevin Sanders for most of the race, but passed him with about 100 meters left. Fuller said it was exactly how he envisioned the race. 

“That’s how I usually do it,” Fuller said. “I wait until the beginning of the third turn and then I kick it in.”

Sanders (1:24.50) qualified with his second-place finish. So did Southampton’s Nicholas Collazos, who finished third in 1:24.91. 

Fuller’s day didn’t end there. The senior ran the anchor leg of Longwood’s winning 4×400 team (Soba Vincent, Shane Cruz, Joe Payton), which took first in 3:31.18. 

Longwood coach Joe Reilly was pleased with Fuller’s day, but was lukewarm about the cake.

“I’ll buy him a Ring-Ding or something,” Reilly joked. 

Longwood’s Mark Jackson also qualified for the state meet with a second-place finish in the 55.

“It looks good upstate,” Reilly said. “We could do all right.”

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD: Fuller’s finish brings a crown Passes two on anchor leg of 400 relay for Longwood Central Islip’s Satchell wins public schools triple jump

Henry, Marcus. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 06 Mar 2011

ITHACA, N.Y. – When Longwood’s Joe Fuller took the handoff to start the anchor leg of the 4×400-meter relay, the chances of his team winning a state championship looked slim.

Longwood was third entering the final leg, trailing Middletown and DeWitt Clinton.

The senior sprinter put all doubts to rest as he overcame a 10-meter deficit and led Longwood to a first-place finish and a Federation championship in a school-record time of 3 minutes, 24.38 seconds yesterday in the state track and field championships at Cornell. 

None of Longwood’s remaining 4×400 team members panicked when faced with the deficit. In fact, once Fuller got going, it was just a matter of time, according to Joe Payton, who ran the first leg.

“I knew we had a shot,” Payton said. “Every time it gets to Joe, something happens and he just runs. It was just important for us to keep it close.”

Soba Vincent ran the second leg and Shane Cruz was on the third leg.

It wasn’t the easiest turnaround for Fuller, who ran to a sixth-place finish in the 600-meter Federation final (third in public schools) less than an hour earlier. “I knew I was a lot stronger than the other runners,” Fuller said. “I knew if I could pass one, I could pass the other.”

Longwood coach Joe Reilly was impressed.

“Are you kidding? It was amazing,” Reilly said. “I couldn’t believe he ate everyone up like that, especially coming off that 600.”