Hurdling duo leads Cyclones

Nassau Class AA two-event winner Kyle O’Neil and two-time runner-up Chris Boss helped South Side amass 49 points—good enough for fourth place out of 17 schools—in the county track and field championships at Mitchel Athletic Complex.

O’Neil, who is headed to Princeton, capped a stellar high school career at the state qualifier on June 3 at Westbury High School, placing second in the 400 Intermediate Hurdles with a time of 56.71 seconds.

“He’s just an amazing athlete and person,” Cyclones coach Ken Bohman said of O’Neil, who tied a personal best in the event and came within a stride of breaking a 23-year-old school record. “He’s a three-season standout in cross-country and track and one of the best students in the school.”

Bohman said as a sophomore, O’Neil had a breakout race in the New York Relays and never looked back in terms of success. “He’s always been a fighter who wins most of the close races,” Bohman said. “He ran the race of his life at the qualifier. He went out like it was the 100-yard dash and was leading at the seventh hurdle. Even though he didn’t make the state meet, it was a great way to see him go out.”

Baldwin’s Karl Desil won the event in 55.89, followed by O’Neil and East Meadow star Baffour Obiem. In the Nassau Class AA meet, O’Neil nipped senior classmate Boss in the 400 IH, 56.7 to 57.8, and edged Jericho’s Sahir Raoof in the 400, 50.7 to 51.0.

With O’Neil and Boss, Bohman said he’s never coached such a tremendous 1-2 punch in hurdles in 23 years at South Side. They were also part of South Side’s 4 x 400 relay, along with senior Will Marrin and junior James Hallwood, that placed fourth in the county. Boss, who is bound for Richmond, was nosed out by Westbury’s Wayne Stewart for the 110 High Hurdles county title. 

“Chris is also an excellent student-athlete,” Bohman said. “He was slowed by injuries in recent years but always had the potential. He has fantastic form.”

Senior Chris Valant peaked at the right time in the Triple Jump and earned All-County with a leap of 40-feet, 3-inches. He was also sixth in the Long Jump. “He developed a lot this year,” Bohman said. “He was at his best for the big meets.”

Junior Christian Lethbridge represented the Cyclones in the Pentathlon at the state qualifier and placed third or better in four of the five events. He scored highest in the shot put and 1,500 meter run. In the county meet, Lethbridge was fifth in the High Jump.

Hallwood, with his 6-foot-5 frame, had a strong Division 3A meet last month. He was second in the 200 and fourth in the 100. “He has incredible stride length,” Bohman said. “When he gets going, look out.”

Other key contributors for South Side this spring were junior Steve Meoli (shot put, discus), and sophomores Nick Suss (sprints), Sean Culkin (distance) and Ben Sellitto (middle distance, hurdles.)