Finley Co-Ed Cross Country Competitive
With snow covering the spacious J. Taylor Finley Middle School campus, the fall cross country season seems like but a distant memory. Not so for the 35 seventh and eighth graders that comprised the squad. It's still a source of pride and happiness.
The Falcons were coached by Krista Kozlosky and captained by Brendan Wirth, Asar Nadi, George Gabriel and Tim Gress. The Finley boys compiled a 3-4 mark in dual meets and the girls went 4-3.
"The group of athletes I had this season were eager to learn and improve as runners and team members," Kozlosky said. The boys were led by seventh graders Tommy Kopstein and Kyle O'Brien while the girls were paced by seventh graders Emma DeGennaro and Gabrielle LaMarco.
Kopstein routinely placed in the top three at dual meets. "Tommy showed consistent effort and drive for competition," Kozlosky said. O'Brien was consistently among the top five finishers. "Kyle was eager to learn and grow as a long distance runner," the coach said. "He set goals for each competition."
DeGennaro and LaMarco were regularly among the first five runners to cross the finish line. "Emma showed great leadership skills and consistent effort," Kozlosky said. The coach also cited LaMarco's fine effort and her "dedication to the team."
Falcon Notes: The Falcon roster included 23 seventh graders, all of whom are expected to return next fall, and a dozen eighth graders . . . The Finley boys won meets against East Northport, Kings Park and Stimson and lost a three-point heartbreaker to Hauppauge . . . The Falcon girls topped East Northport, Candlewood, West Hollow and Stimson and lost by five points against Kings Park.