VSN rolls to fifth county title

Posted

Valley Stream North’s drive for five is complete.
The Spartans made it five consecutive Nassau Class A boys’ spring track and field championships with a dominant effort May 24 at Cold Spring Harbor High School.
Senior Jacob Schoenfeld (400 meter hurdles), juniors Matthew Foster (110 hurdles), CJ Parris (long jump), Christian Cicilia (3000 steeplechase) and Anthony Anderson (pole vault), and freshman Ryan John (triple jump) won county titles as North stockpiled 164 points to win by a wide margin. Malverne and North Shore tied for second with 53 points.
“What made this year’s accomplishment that much more impressive was our track at the high school is closed while they install a turf field,” Spartans coach Mike Frazer said. “We spent a lot more time in the weight room and on the baseball field grass.”
The absence of a track didn’t get in the way of Schoenfeld or Foster succeeding in hurdles. “Jacob’s been our top guy for years and he wanted to go out on top with a county championship,” Frazer said of Schoenfeld, who also took second in Class A in the 200 dash. “Matthew was All-County in the winter in the 55 hurdles and couldn’t wait to get outside because he likes a little more distance.”

Frazer said Parris, who is the school’s top basketball player, invigorates the rest of the jumpers when he joins the program for the spring season. He racked up 26 points at the county meet (second in high jump, third in triple jump) and John totaled 20. “Those guys feed off each other and push each other to another level,” the coach noted. “They’re coming into their own. It’s exciting to know we’ll have both of them back next spring.”
Cicilia cruised to victory in the steeplechase while saving some energy for two more events, including the 4x800 relay. Other top performances were turned in by junior sprinter Ryan Williams, who was All-County in the 200, senior Bernadin Fleurima, who was runner-up in the shot put, and sophomore Milton Morris, who was third in the 110 hurdles.

Lady Spartans regain county crown
For the third time in four years, Valley Stream North’s girls claimed the Nassau Class A championship as well. “It was a three-team race on paper between us, [Valley Stream] South and North Shore,” Frazer said. “We had some big finishes early and it continued to be that type of day.”
Junior Chizuruoke Onuoha, seeded sixth in the 2000 steeplechase, finished a clear third in the opening event to set the tone. Then, the Paul sisters, freshman Ariana and junior Isabellah, finished 1-2 in the long jump for a combined 18 points. Ariana won the county title with a leap of 16-feet, 8 1/4-inches, and Isabellah was next at a shade under 16 feet. Ariana also teamed with senior Idalis St. Juste, sophomore Danielle Phillip and eighth-grader Gabriela Mensah to take the 4x100 county crown.
Top thrower Juel Charles and No. 2 thrower Oluwatobi Adebowale sealed the deal for North. Charles, a senior, was by far the best in the shot put and discus, and Adebowale was runner-up in both events. “We were waiting for Juel to hit on both events in the same meet,” Frazer said. “Now she’s making her eighth trip to a state meet.”