South Side runs to top finish

South Side ran away with conference titles in girls’ and boys’ cross-country this fall, going undefeated in the process, and the ladies followed up with a repeat Nassau County Class II championship.
In muddy and slippery conditions at Bethpage State Park last Saturday, South Side had three of the top five finishers and out-legged Calhoun and Manhasset by a considerable margin.
“The girls were underdogs on paper, but it was well within their reach and they absolutely peaked at the right time,” coach Chris Webster said. “They all ran huge.”
Junior Cameron Coletti finished one second under 20 minutes to pace the Cyclones. She was second overall. “Cameron is considered one of Long Island top runners,” Webster said. “She’s been our best all season,” he said.
Freshman Lana Jewett, a transfer from Bellmore, burst onto the scene for and emerged as South Side’s No. 2. She was fourth in the county meet. Sophomore Claire Bohan features a “smooth stride,” the coach noted, and finished third on the team in most races and did so again last Saturday when she was fifth overall. Sophomores Kelsie Reinholdt and Morgan McKenna completed its top five and finished 17th and 22nd overall, respectively.

“You can’t win cross-country meets with one or two fast kids,” Webster said. “You need a full lineup and then some.”
South Side’s boys’ team placed fifth in the county meet. “The last time the boys had an undefeated regular season was 1999, so it’s a pretty big deal,” Webster said. “Beating Manhasset was unprecedented.”
It was Sept. 20 at Bethpage State Park where the Cyclones edged Manhasset by two points to set the tone for their conference title. Though Brendan Conniff won the race for the Indians in under 18 minutes, South Side had the next three finishers — Kieran Cook, Josh Garelle and Colin Grace — and two others — Matthew Gallego and Finn Maier — in the top 13.
Cook, a senior, won the other four conference meet races and posted a best time at Bethpage of 18:14 and a top finish at Eisenhower Park of 18:06. “Kieran has been a rock-solid runner for four years who’s running better than he ever has,” Webster said. “He had the kind of season I expected and played a big part in scheduling the team’s workouts.”
Cook and senior Rob Casey served as captains for a second straight season. “Rob consistently ran times where we needed him to be,” Webster said. “He was always in our top 5 and is a tremendous leader along with Kieran.”
Grace, another senior and fourth-year runner, came a long way since the spring and showed marked improvement this fall. “He never stopped working since the spring and was obviously ready to go in September,” Webster explained. “Colin was our third finisher basically every race.”
Basketball might be Garelle’s No. 1 sport, but he used his lengthy stride to contribute every race. He posted South Side’s fastest time at Eisenhower (17:57) and won the conference race Sept. 27. In addition to Gallego and Maier, both seniors, Webster noted the rise of sophomore Dominic Rossiello.