Red Raiders refuse to lose, and don't
rcristino@lohud.com
NEW YORK -- North Rockland junior Alex Andre remembered what it felt like to lose to the New Rochelle boys track team in last winter's Section 1 Class A championships. It was a feeling he didn't want repeated in Monday's meet at the Armory.
Nick Calabria of North Rockland battles for better position in his heat of the 600 meters during Monday's Section 1 Class A championships at the Armory.
With his first-place performance in the 1,000 meters, Andre helped a deep Red Raiders team dethrone the Huguenots to win the Class A title. Andre overcame Temi Bajulaiye of New Rochelle and finished in 2 minutes, 34.2 seconds.
"I knew it would be a battle going into the race," Andre said. "Temi was seeded first and went out with a good pace. By the 260-275 mark, I was able to take the lead and eventually win with a good final push.
"This race is special because I'm not just representing myself, but my team for the Section 1 Class A championship. I just kept in my mind that I had to get 10 points for my team so we could get on the bus with a first-place plaque. We were disappointed losing by six points last year. That was a motivator in itself."
James Naglieri helped set the tone for the Red Raiders by winning the 3,200 with a time of 9:41.2, one of his best races of the season.
North Rockland also had help from Nick Bien-Aime's first-place finishes in the long jump and triple jump and Tim Mendez's victory in the 1,600.
"We've come up short in sections the past couple years," Naglieri said. "Losing just wasn't an option. It's my senior year, and I wanted to do everything in my power to help win this meet for our team. I knew my team counted on me."
New Rochelle's Malcolm Mosley has been battling pain in his lower back for the past six weeks, but still found a way to finish first in the 55 hurdles.
"It's an event that I really like and have been doing since the 10th grade," the senior said. "Now with this soreness in my back, it's been more of a challenge, but it's a good feeling to place first. I'm looking forward to what's coming up ahead at the state qualifier on Saturday."
The defending champs kept the meet close for the first half of the meet, while Mount Vernon slowly crept up on North Rockland. In the end, though, neither the Huguenots nor the Knights could match the Red Raiders' depth.