2011 Harrier News

Read more about the 2011 J-E Cross Country season via the Eagle Harrier news.

Visit www.jecrosscountry.com to see photos, race results, and former J-E teams.

September 4, 2011                                                                                              Edition - No. 1
The Eagle Harrier
Lock and Load! 

Jordan, New York - The boys from J-E are looking forward to the challenge of winning another championship.  

They will definitely have their hands full.  The 2010 team was state ranked for the entire season and finished a 

strong second in both the league and sectional standings.  Graduation hit the Eagles hard as six seniors left to 

take their talents onto college, five of these seniors were scorers or among the top eight runners on the team. 

This graduating class had a four-year record of 28 and 4 in the Liberty Division, winning it outright in 2009.  They 

also were co-sectional champs in 2008, and C-1 champs in 2007, and runners up the last two years in Section III.  

State qualifier and captain Greg Bader is running at Adelphi University, a nationally ranked division one college.  

Also graduating were fourth man Tom Poppe, 8th man Carlin Coomey, 6th man Derrick Cheney, 5th man Scott 

Sullivan, and Nick Byrnes, not a scorer but a provider of great senior leadership.  It will be tough to fill these 

shoes.

     How will J-E be able to cope with such graduation losses?  Simple, they lock and load.  Returning back for the 

Eagles is number-two man Steve Slonosky, a first team all league runner.  Slonosky just missed going to the 

state meet last year when he finished 9th in sectionals, a mere 11 seconds behind the last state meet qualifier.  

Slonosky has also run the 3000 meter steeple chase in 10.24, good enough to make the state qualifier meet in 

that event.  Slonosky has been clearly the Eagles number one man in early season workouts.  

     The fight for the 2nd slot is clearly between sophomore Jack Gugel and senior Mitch Alpha.  Gugel, in 2010, 

finished tied as the team's number-two scorer with 114 points and has clearly grown up a lot since his freshman 

year.  Gugel had great indoor and outdoor track seasons following last year's cross country season, culminating 

with the freshman school record in the outdoor 3200 (10.23) - guaranteeing him to the state meet qualifier, an 

amazing feat for a freshman.  Both Slonosky and Gugel were members of the J-E indoor track team that broke 

the school record in the 4 by 800.  Alpha returns back to the cross country team after essentially missing the 

entire 2010 season due to having surgery to his knee.  Alpha tried to make a comeback in late October after 

being cleared to participate but his body just wouldn't cooperate, forcing him out of his one and only race.  

Alpha went on to dominate on the wrestling mats by compiling a 30 and 1 record at112 pounds, winning the 

League and Class titles and only losing 1 to 0 in the Sectional finals.  Alpha is also a two-time Liberty 

Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler.  Having Alpha back, and running healthy again is going to give the 

Eagles a tremendous boost.  Both Gugel and Alpha are pushing each other hard in practice and both look 

really fast.  "The trio of Slonosky, Alpha, and Gugel make us pretty darned good up front" said J-E Coach 

Roman, "I am extremely confident that these guys will have terrific seasons, any of these guys are capable 

of going to states."

     The group just behind J-E's top three are battling and much improved from last year.  Sophomore Dylan 

Wittico looks like the favorite for the 4th scorer's position - showing huge improvement.  Wittico was J-E's 

11th best scorer from 2010 and finished 70th in Sectionals as a freshman.  Wittico's personal best in cross 

country for 5 K is 18.56, and he also ran 5.09 in the mile during outdoor track.  To go from 11th to 4th in one 

year is pretty unheard of, but Wittico has dedicated himself to becoming the best runner he can be, and the 

results so far are astounding.  Competing for J-E's fifth spot are two seniors - Ben Cheney and Rob Patterson, 

both outstanding returning members of the 2010 team.  Ben was J-E's 10th leading scorer (29 points) in 2010 

and Patterson was the team's 9th man (35 points).  Patterson finished 60th at Sectionals and Cheney was 

battling bronchitis and unable to participate.  Cheney was the JV winner in the Bville Invitational in September 

of 2010.  "These three guys can really make or break this team" said Roman, "if they can improve enough to 

run close to J-E's top three - we could surprise a lot of teams in 2011."  Cross country races are scored by 

adding the first five team members' places of finish, placing equal emphasis on the number one man and the 

number five man.

     Battling for the last two varsity spots are junior Jared Bard (12th man in 2010 - 13 points) and senior Alex 

Suslik (7th man in 2010 - 43 points).  Both are capable of being on varsity and have been looking outstanding 

in early workouts.  Suslik was J-E's fourth man in Sectionals in 2010 finishing 34th in a time of 19.04.  "Alex 

knows that he can compete on the varsity level and is just getting into shape" said Coach Roman, "he will be 

much better in a few weeks after some serious training."  Bard ran in Sectionals as a freshman in 2009, finishing 

100th, but did not qualify last year.  Bard may be a dark horse to crack into the scoring ranks but has been 

looking strong so far in practices.  Freshman Nathan Hollis is another dark horse candidate to make the varsity 

squad.  Hollis was 10th in the team time trial and had an outstanding modified cross country career, finishing 

in the top ten in three invites, including a 3rd place finish at the Weedsport Invite.

     J-E has a 21 man squad so anyone who doesn't make the ‘varsity 7' runs on the JV team.  So far, sophomore 

Jacob Patterson is leading the way.  Other JV team members are sophomore Nick Parkolap, junior Christian 

Marrero, sophomore David Fixler, freshman Austin Milton, junior Nick Muehlberger, senior Eric Gross, 

sophomore Jay Paquette, sophomore Dean Comstock, juniors Bill Direnzo and Tyler May, and freshman 

Gunnar Ferris.  

     From the look of the intensity of practices and the dedication to the sport, J-E will be among the best teams 

in New York State in Class C.  Although graduation hit the Eagles hard, do not expect a big letdown, it's just not 

in the nature of J-E Cross Country, nor its Spartan-like warriors.

 Visit www.jecrosscountry.com to see photos, race results, and former J-E teams. 

September 11, 2010                                                                                        Edition - No. 2

The Eagle Harrier

Mud, Slime, Slide

 
East Syracuse, New York - Racers Saturday at the E.S. - M. Invitational took a mud bath throughout the race.  
There was standing water everywhere, and the mud abounded.  The J-E Cross Country team handled the slipping 
and sliding well cruising to a sixth-place finish in what was their season opener.  The Eagles finished behind five 
much larger schools in the race that was held without class distinctions.  Class A Baldwinsville H.S. was the race 
winner with 64 points, followed by class A or B squads from ESM (95), Central Square (117), Marcellus (127), 
and Jamesville-Dewitt (162).  Jordan-Elbridge was a mere three points out of fifth place with 165 points, finishing 
ahead of fifteen other schools.  Just another day at the office for J-E.
     Senior Stephen Slonosky was the lone Eagle in the top ten of the race finishing 10th in a fast time of 17.33 
over the slick 4900 meter course.  "I should have been up with Fallon" is all that Slonosky said after his race 
referring to Marcellus' Joe Fallen who was six places ahead of Slonosky.  The race was won by Marcellus junior 
Ryan Manahan who was hardly affected by the mud at all, finishing with a strong time of 16 minutes and 23 
seconds.
     Second for J-E was sophomore Jack Gugel was was 18th (18.20).  "I got out hard and was in good position, 
but Steve dropped me pretty early" said Gugel.  "Don't worry, I should have been in the top 10 too but I didn't 
do what I needed in the middle."  "I know where I need to be and next time I'm gonna be there."
     Third man Mitch Alpha, completing his first cross country race since November, 2009 was refreshing his 
knowledge of how to race.  "I got out so hard with Steve and Jack, that at about the half-way mark I was 
thinking, how can I even come close to holding onto this pace"?  "It was like I'd never raced at all" said Alpha, 
"I totally forgot the feeling of racing since it's been so long".  The J-E senior was 27th in 18.38.  
     Sophomore Dylan Whittico was J-E's 4th man, finishing in 49th place (19.32).  This is the first time that 
Whittico has ever scored in a varsity race.  "I want to be an elite runner" said Whittico, "this is why I stopped 
playing other sports - there's no turning back."  It appeared that Whittico was slowed mightily by the mud and 
slippery conditions.
     J-E senior Ben Cheney was J-E's fifth man for the first time ever, placing 62nd (20 minutes and 10 seconds).  
"I felt only O.K." said Cheney, "I can be much better and hope to be able to run with Dylan next race."
     Juniors Rob Patterson and Jared Bard were 74th and 96th respectively (20.53 and 22.06).  Both had Junior 
Varsity runners run faster times.
     The J-E Junior Varsity squad was third out of nine complete teams.  Freshman Nathan Hollis was J-E's top 
runner in the race, finishing 9th (20.19).  "I felt really good" said Hollis, "my dad has been working with me to 
stay focused during races and it helps."  Senior Alex Suslik was 14th (20.39) and feeling really great after the 
race.  "I felt awesome and I know I'm on my way back to where I belong" added Suslik.  It should be noted 
that Suslik was the 2010 team's number four man at the Sectional Championships when the Eagles took 2nd 
place.
     J-E third man was sophomore Nick Parkolap (22nd place - 21.10), followed by Christian Marrero (31st place - 
21.25), and Jacob ‘J.P." Patterson (35th place - 21.36) rounded out the scoring.
     Also competing for the Junior Varsity squad was Bill Direnzo (51st - 22.34), Eric Gross (55th - 22.39), Dean 
Comstock (57th - 22.41), Austin Milton (70th place - 23.23), Jay Paquette (71st - 23.27), David Fixler 
(72nd - 23.29), Gunnar Ferris (107th - 26.35), and Tyler ‘T-May' May (120th - 32.01).  May, competing in his 
first ever cross country race was a muddy mess, and would have been smiling had he not tweaked his back 
in one of his three falls during the race. 
     The Eagles travel to VVS H.S. on Saturday to compete in the VVS Invitational - the site of this year's state 
cross country meet.

Visit www.jecrosscountry.com to see photos, race results, and former J-E teams.

September 18, 2011                                                Edition - No. 3
 

The Eagle Harrier
 

State Secrets!

Eagles Prove Worthy 

Vernon, New York - Senior Ben Cheney lay prostrate on the ground following Saturday's race, exausted, unable 
to catch his breath as vomit flowed freely from his mouth.  This image pretty much summed up the J-E day.  
Despite a fairly impressive sixth-place finish, the Eagles found no joy in Mudville as the saying goes.  To the 
man, J-E runners looked bedraggled and disappointed, and most were off their games.  "I guess the 
excitement of the Pep Rally on Thursday and the Jordan Fall Festival may have zapped our energy" said J-E 
Coach Roman, "we competed exceptionally hard, but just didn't have the legs today."
     The V.V.S. Course, site of this year's N.Y. State Cross Country Meet, attracted an incredibly strong field 
of teams interested in practicing the course where many will by vying for a state championship in November.  
There were seven varsity boys races and over 3,000 runners competing on the day.  Jordan-Elbridge held its 
own by finishing in sixth place out of the seventeen competing teams in their race.  The Boys Varsity ‘V' race 
was won by class B power Honeoye Falls-Lima was a low score of 47 points.  Queensbury was 2nd (85), Notre 
Dame-Bishop Gibbons was 3rd (99), Penfield was 4th (161), Jamesville-Dewitt was 5th (173), followed by the Eagles from 
J-E in 6th (174).  Greenwich, Newark Valley, West Seneca East, and Notre Dame-Batavia rounded out the top ten.  
Once again, J-E was the top Class C finisher.
      Senior Stephen Slonosky led the Eagles again across the finish line in 
16th place in a time of 17 minutes and 52 seconds for the 5 kilometer V.V.S. course.  "I held back in the 
beginning waiting for my teammates to catch up" said Slonosky, "I never could quite recover the places 
I 
lost in the beginning."  
     Fellow senior Mitch Alpha was J-E's second man, looking more like the old racer from two years ago,  
finished in 25th place (18.11).  "I am slowly getting back into racing form" said a pleased Alpha, "I felt a 
whole lot better today than I did last week at East Syracuse."  Alpha moved up from third-man to second 
man, and closed the gap to 19 seconds behind fellow captain Slonosky.  Alpha was one minute and 
six 
seconds behind Slonosky last week. 
     Sophomore Jack Gugel was 40th overall in a time of 18.59 and clearly was not happy with his race.  "I 
came through the mile in 5.45" said Gugel, "and I need to be through much faster, like at 5.20."  "I just 
couldn't get my legs to go."  "I ran over a minute faster last year here as a freshman" lamented Gugel, 
"I gotta get going."
     A surprise to the J-E scoring ranks was senior Alex Suslik was 
J-E's 4th man (54th place - 19.22).  "I'm really starting to feel better" said a pleased Suslik, 
"I really 
pushed today and am really happy I was 4th man."
     A bruised and disappointed Dylan Whittico rounded out the Jordan-Elbridge scoring.  Whittico 
was 
58th in a time of 19.36.  "My ribs feel like what Tom Poppe felt last year in Sectionals" said a weakened 
Whittico, "I feel as if someone were punching me in the side."  Whittico was over a minute faster on Saturday 
than the two races he competed in at V.V.S. in 2010.  "I was really pleased with Dylan" said Coach Roman, 
"I tried to get him out faster and I wanted him to close the gap between him and our third man."  
"He was 
right there through two miles too" said Roman, "Dylan just faded a bit down the last mile."
     Senior Robby Patterson was J-E's sixth man for the first time in 2010 and finished 69th overall in 19.51.  
Freshman Nathan Hollis was the team's seventh-man for the first time ever, finishing 83rd (20.08).  
Hollis continues his assault on the varsity lineup, placing in the top seven for the second-straight weekend.  
Last week, Hollis was J-E's sixth fastest runner.
     J-E's Junior Varsity Squad fared better than their Varsity counterparts by finishing third overall.  Only 
Queensbury (25 points), and Honeoye Falls-Lima (30) beat J-E's 105 points.  Since there was no separate 
Junior Varsity race, JV scoring was assessed by scoring each team's top five runners after their top seven 
finished.  For J-E, last week's number-five man Ben Cheney was its first JV runner.  Cheney was 87th overall, 
but was the 16th placed JV runner.  Cheney struggled with the race strategy and a head cold to a 
disappointing time of 20.14.  "I couldn't breath through my nose" said Cheney, "my race really sucked."  
Jared Bard (90th overall) placed 17th in a time of 20.19.  "I'm pleased that Jared made a nice comeback 
from last week" said Roman, "he was behind some runners on our team that he shouldn't have been."  
Rookie Christian Marrero was next for J-E (92nd overall) in 18th place (20.22).  Jacob ‘J.P.' Patterson was 
J-E's 4th man (100th overall) in 21st place (20.34).  Patterson was three minutes and 19 seconds faster in 
2011 than he was one year earlier.   Freshman Austin Milton scored for the first time ever by placing 33rd 
(134th overall) in 21 minutes and 42 seconds.  Senior Eric Gross was lamenting Milton's late surge across 
the finish line when he said: "Did you see that Milton, he stepped in front of me at the finish."  Gross was 
135th overall in a time identical to Milton's (21.42).
     Also competing for the JV Squad were: Dean Comstock (142nd overall) finishing 36th in the JV scoring 
in 21.56.  Comstock was one minute and 14 seconds faster in 2011.  Bill Direnzo finished 151st (22.09), 
followed by Jay Paquette (23.10) in 184th, Gunnar Ferris (26.19) in 209th, and Tyler ‘T-May' May who finished 
215th (28.48).