Raiders Expect to Run to League Championship

Beginning his third season as the head cross country coach at Ramapo High School, coach Michael Nangle is at the helm of perhaps the most promising squad that he has encountered throughout his eight-year coaching experience. With six returning seniors on the men's side, three of whom were at the core of Ramapo's success a year ago, Nangle believes that anything is possible.

"Our goal is to win our league and be competitive against some of the better teams in the state," Nangle said. "We've got a dedicated group of kids who are always willing to work hard, which is evident by how much they're constantly improving."

With the men's top three runners all finishing within 30 seconds of each other in 2009, the Raiders' fourth and fifth-place scorers will need to narrow the gap in order to tighten the team's pack. Having a closely-knit top five will be especially important in the larger meets later in the season, when every second counts.

"Our fourth- through eighth-place runners were all in the low to mid 18-minute range last year," Nangle said. "We'd really like to get some of those guys down into the 17s in order to give us more balance throughout our top five."

At the heart of a talented men's squad is senior captain Andrew Wilson, who cracked the 10-minute mark in the 2-mile during spring track last year by running a personal best 9:57.44 at the state sectional meet. On that same day, Wilson also shattered his personal record in the mile by nearly four seconds, crossing the line in 4:38.86.

Wilson's tireless work ethic and determination over the past three years have earned him the right to be considered one of the most prolific long distance runners in the state. However, it is not simply his individual accolades that make him an enormous difference-maker for the Raiders, but rather his selfless commitment to the team and ability to lead by example.

"Our goal is to have four guys that are under 17 minutes this season, and the fifth guy should be close too," Wilson said. "If we can do that, we should have a legitimate shot at winning our league championship."

Wilson's persistent work over the summer may translate into a memorable season.

"We held captains' practices twice to three times each week and had quite a few people on board with it," Wilson said. "For me, it was really a matter of building up my base mileage by running 55 to 60 miles per week as a maximum and mixing in a couple of speed workouts every once in a while too."

In addition to Wilson, Raiders' senior co-captain Bradley Paternostro ranks among the state's elite runners, as well. Paternostro's 800-meter time of 1:51.86 was fast enough to give him first place at the Meet of Champions last spring. His 4:14.12 mile at croup championships was also among the fastest times recorded in the state. Unfortunately for the Raiders, though, Paternostro is suffering from tendinitis and may miss the first few weeks of the season.

"Getting Bradley healthy and back to where he should be is going to be essential to our team performing at its best," Nangle said. "He's being recruited heavily for his middle-distance abilities, but he and Andrew should be neck and neck in the mid 16's this year if they're both healthy."

Behind the one-two punch of Wilson and Paternostro, the Raiders have Mike Mortillo, Chris Cohane, Brad Patanostro and Anthony Darakjy rounding out a solid varsity lineup. Mortillo, who ran 4:42.89 in the mile and 10:28.82 in the 3200 at the Bergen County Championships last spring, is someone who Wilson feels can get into the mid to high 16-minute range this season. Likewise, Cohane, who also ran a sub 5-minute mile at 4:54.40 and has a personal best 5K of 17:30, should have a reasonable shot at running in the 16s this year as well.

"It's a team sport," Nangle said. "You can't win with one or two guys. It takes five, and I feel that we have that and more this season."

Racing their duel meets at Darlington and Garret Mountain, Nangle is optimistic that this schedule will help in preparing his team for the championship meets held there later in the season.

"It definitely helps to get to know the courses that are going to really matter at the end of the year," Nangle said. "We've got a dedicated and experienced group of kids who will be well-prepared for each of the championship venues. For those reasons, we have our expectations set high."

Girls distance runners

While it is difficult to know what to expect from the women's team this season, which comprises of nine incoming freshmen that make up the majority of the squad, its returning senior captains will be at the core of a youthful and ambitious group.

"There is no telling what to expect on the women's side," Nangle said. "Girls can improve so quickly so we're just going to stick to our workout plan and see where it takes all of our newcomers."

Within a largely young and inexperienced women's squad, senior captains Allie Antosy and Emily Brown will be vital to keeping the team together and moving forward. Antosy, a talented distance runner who clocked a 12:19.78 in the 3200 meter at the North Bergen Interleague Championships last spring, figures to be leading the way for the Raiders. Brown, who ran 23:15 at the Passaic Coaches Invitational 5K last fall, should also be near the front of the team's pack.

"You never know what will happen throughout the season," Nangle said. "We're just going to do our best each day and see where that leads us. For both our men's and women's teams, the sky is the limit."