East Boys XC Squeaks Past Connetquot

It was the most anticipated meet of the year for the Sachem East boys cross country team. With Connetquot in town, the top four returnees from last year's Class AA state qualifier race were in the field, and in all likelihood, the Thunderbirds posed the biggest threat to the Arrows' bid to win both the league and repeat as county champs.

For the biggest meet of the year, East delivered with its very best performance, downing the T-Birds 27-29 in front of a substantial crowd, which was there to watch the East girls roll as well.

Alex Saavedra and Joe DiRienzo set the pace for the boys, placing 1-2 in the meet, but it was the next wave of Arrows who sealed the victory for the home team. Ryan Scarpelli, Gavin Jenkins and Zach Patsy took seventh, eighth and ninth respectively, and with their efforts, Sachem remained unbeaten in League II.

"I'm very proud of the guys," said Arrows head coach Joe Orenzo. "Some of the guys needed to step it up and they stepped up. We knew it was going to be a tough race, and they were so strong and determined."

It was the narrowest margin of victory for Sachem East since it beat North 28-29 in October 2008. East has now won 12 straight league meets, with its last loss coming in September '08 to the team it faces next week – Commack. With three wins under their belt and the highest hurdle cleared, the Arrows are now the overwhelming favorites to win League II.

The biggest reason for that is Saavedra, who has competing at Syracuse or Oregon in his sights next fall. The senior powered through the 3.1-mile course in a time of 16 minutes, 32 seconds. He was first into the Arrows' baseball stadium, where the course finished, and shortly after it was DiRienzo crossing the line in 16:48.

"He's a machine," Orenzo said of Saavedra. "He's one of the best in the county and has been since he was a freshman. He runs on guts. I can't say enough about him."

There was some uncertainty for East because it entered the Connetquot meet with Phil Rascona, ordinarily its No. 3 runner, at full strength. The senior captain had tweaked his knee and, while he was able to compete and complete the race, the Arrows needed everyone to take it up a notch. After Saavedra and DiRienzo had crossed, the next four finishers bore Connetquot colors, but that's when the trio of Scarpelli (18:07), Jenkins (18:13) and Patsy (18:25) came through to secure the win.

The four top returnees from last year's Class AA state qualifier placed – Saavedra (2nd), DiRienzo (3rd), and Connetquot's Tyler Murtha (5th) and Zach Krause (6th). They placed second through fifth in the '09 Division I rankings, also at Sunken Meadow State Park. On Monday, Krause grabbed third with a time of 17:05, while Murtha was fourth in 17:14. The T-Birds' Scott Litts (17:25) and Dom Costanzo (17:40) placed fifth and sixth respectively.

"We've been talking about this for two weeks now," Orenzo said. "We knew it was going to be a battle, and we prepared for it and trained hard for it."

Following their meet at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx this weekend, the Arrows are back on the starting line on Wednesday, Oct. 12 at Sunken Meadow where they'll face Commack (4:15 p.m.).