Since at least the 1960s, there has never been a Mamaroneck boys or girls Cross Country team that has won the Section One Championship. Cross Country is a sport that tends to be dominated by the northern county schools due to their size, but that did not stop the Mamaroneck boys team this year. In a highly competitive field on Saturday, November 6, the Mamaroneck boys won by two points** against Arlington High School.

Mamaroneck’s six person team consisted of Jason Markopoulos (’22), Matty Doherty (’23), Sam Young (’23), Max Robinson (’24), Sam Carrillo (’23), and Cameron Lee (’22). The course in Bowdoin State Park in Wappingers Falls made for a challenging run. However, the boys were unfazed by the countless gradual inclines and steep hills, taking each one in stride. Ultimately, Mamaroneck had the fastest combined time in Class A. 

Markopoulos and Doherty led the entire race from the starting gun to the finish line, coming in first and second, respectively. Despite his wide lead, Doherty never let himself get comfortable. “I knew the pressure behind placing top five to help my team qualify and win,” Doherty explained. “I knew it was gonna be really tight to win sectionals.” The motivated and determined boys were able to pull through, with each team member running an impressive race full of grit and heart. 

Carrillo played a particularly essential role to the team, finishing as the fifth Mamaroneck runner with a time of 18 minutes and 41 seconds – securing their spot to states. “The pressure of being the fifth man was probably the sole reason I got my time and my placement,” he said. “When a MileSplit NY article came out [a day before the race] doubting the number five Mamaroneck person [referring to Carrillo], it felt like the entire thing [chance of States] was riding on me. The pressure absolutely motivated me.”

Coaches Robert “Bob” Morrissey and Nick LaRosa are ecstatic for the boys and their impressive accomplishments. After a long season of hard work, running six days a week with a variation of long runs, interval speed work, and regular runs followed by strides, the boys undoubtedly earned this title.

Training for the performance they wanted required an early start, well before the August preseason began. “We started early July and hammered a lot of miles,” Markopoulos said. Young agreed, adding, “[We] increased our mileage, which definitely helped. We normally did 40 miles per week, so boosting up to 50 [miles] was gonna be a challenge, but in order to get better we had to do it. It was hard and definitely a struggle to work up [to that distance], but once we were there it was smooth sailing.”

Following the announcement of their win, the boys were thrilled that they would advance to the next level as a unit. “It was this feeling of ‘we made it,’” Doherty commented. After many years of building the program up, the victory felt like it was a long time coming for the boys.  

They will move on to compete with the best teams in the state on November 13 at the New York State Cross Country Championships in Chenango Valley State Park in upstate New York. The team hopes to finish in the top 10 as well as place high individually. MHS wishes them the best of luck and is excited to watch them race!

**Cross Country scoring is based on place. First place gets 1 point, second place gets 2 points, and so on. A team’s score is based on its first five runners to finish. The team with the lowest combined point value wins.