Three local runners take a shot at state cross-country titles

HARLEM VALLEY — On Nov. 13, three of the area’s finest ran in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association cross-country championships in Pawling, where hundreds of long-distance runners from across the state gathered, each hoping to become the fastest in New York to run 5,000 meters.

Two juniors from the Pine Plains Central School District, a Class C school, qualified this year, coached this season by Neil Murray. Devin deJoode and Ndue Palushi both placed high enough during Section 9 championships to earn a spot at states.

 Last Saturday deJoode placed 38th overall in a race of 129 runners and third among all Section 9 athletes with a time of 17:41.8 and a 5:43 split.

Palushi finished 71st in the same pool and seventh among Section 9 runners with a time of 18:34.5 and a 6-minute split.

From the Webutuck Central School District, a Class D school, sophomore Jesse Capellaro was the only runner to qualify. He finished 84th in a race of 118 runners, coming in at 19:51.2 with a 6:25 split.

This was the second time qualifying for deJoode and the first for both Palushi and Capellaro. All three of the runners, sitting down for interviews after the race, expressed some disappointment with their state performances, saying their respective races did not represent their best efforts.

DeJoode said he felt confident throughout the season that there was a good chance he would make states. He was injured last spring during the outdoor track season and did little training over the summer. He said it wasn’t his best season, and thought that despite his disappointment that his run at states was probably his best performance of the year.

“I think my only issue was that I saved too much for the end,� he said. “I didn’t push myself enough early on.�

Palushi felt the opposite of his teammate, that he had in fact trained too hard. An already tight hamstring got worse on the downhill section of the course, making for a painful end to the race.

“But it was a good weekend,� Palushi said, with his teammate agreeing. “You get to watch some really fast runners throughout the day.�

Any tips or running advice learned from the experience at states?

“Don’t get too excited,� Palushi continued, with deJoode nodding in agreement. “There’s a big difference between a lot of training and smart training.�

Both Bomber athletes participate in indoor track during the winter season and outdoor track in the spring. Palushi said his strength is more in the mile, calling himself more of a middle-distance runner. DeJoode singled out the 2,000-meter event in winter track.

From Webutuck, Capellaro said he wasn’t expecting to make it to states, and attributed his time (which was almost a minute slower than his results at sectionals) to a training schedule that had not anticipated that last race.

“The state meet was definitely hillier than sectionals,� he said. “The course was pretty difficult, too, but we trained all season as if sectionals would be my last race.�

Capellaro, who also runs track, said he is definitely more of a long-distance runner and is happy that he even has teammates to run with. This was Webutuck’s first year back with a cross-country squad, coached by Sean Hosier. That’s thanks in part to the success of Jimmy Boeding last year, who was literally a one-man team for the Warriors and an advocate for a cross-country program at the school.

Boeding, who graduated this past spring, has trained and even participated in a triathlon with Capellaro.

“I’ve definitely enjoyed having a team this year,� Capellaro said. “Having people running with you is always going to push you and help increase your times.�

Webutuck has six athletes on its varsity team and four on a modified squad, a small beginning that Capellaro hopes will grow in time.

“We definitely have to advertise it in school,� he said. “Next year I’ll be a junior, and I’d like to be in the 17-minute range. With 17 minutes I could qualify for states again, and maybe get more people to run.�