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Coach Bill Aris discusses F-M after a great weekend at Manhattan 2014 - DyeStat

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DyeStat.com   Oct 15th 2014, 7:38pm
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F-M ready to roll into second half of season

 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor


Coach Bill Aris of Fayetteville-Manlius came out of Manhattan Invitational week feeling good about having two teams on a track to reach their potential.


By almost any standard -- even their own -- F-M's performance at Van Cortlandt Park on Saturday was spectacular.


The F-M girls righted the ship after a somewhat perplexing loss at the McQuaid Invitational on Sept. 27.


And the boys broke the five-man average on the historic 2.5-mile course with 12:32.76 per man. Consider, for a moment, that 10 years ago F-M broke the same record with 12:48.82.


"We came to Manhattan knowing that it was not do or die. It's a long season," Aris said. "We had the kind of results I honestly expected us to have. We have some room for improvement there, too."


The Hornets, aka "Stotans," are nation's premier cross country franchise in the NXN era. The girls won seven consecutive national titles before finishing second to Wayzata last year and are back yet again with hopes of an eighth title.


Aris said the 2013 loss caused a few weeks of soul-searching and a new realization.


"First off, the days of global domination are over," the coach said. "We are in the thick of it with everyone else in the nation. And honestly, that's how it should have been all along. I have always had the mindset that everyone was as good as us, and when you've got a program like Saratoga in your state, how can you not? I think other teams across the country have gotten better. This year's team, on paper, is as good or a little better than last year's was, but it's not at the level of 2008, 2009 or 2010."


Aris also has an appreciation for what Wayzata pulled off on last Decemeber's frozen ground in Portland.


"Wayzata, to me ... resembled our 2006 team," he said. "That was the first year we won NXN. Their reactions to winning reminded me of 2006. They had the same emotions. It came at our expense, but it was still nice to see."


Losses come so rarely for F-M cross country teams that the bounce-back that follows them takes on extra meaning.


Last year, the F-M girls lost to Unionville at McQuaid. The girls improved after that and came within 12 points of winning their eighth straight NXN crown.


This year, F-M fell to an in-state rival, Elmira, at McQuaid. And Aris said he doesn't know what happened that day other than the team didn't run well.


"I have heard all kind of speculation as to what happened to us," Aris said. "The soothsayers, crystal-ball readers could all have an explanation, but I still don't know (what was wrong). I have no stories or excuses. I thought they were prepared (to win), so I plead ignorance."


After a 48-point performance at Manhattan in the Eastern States Championships, it all seems like water under the bridge now. Annika Avery finished with a late flourish, moving from sixth to second in the final 500 meters and reaching the finish just four seconds behind Weini Kelati of Heritage VA. Then, F-M also went 9-10-11-16.


"We're on the right track but we have a lot of improving that needs to be done," Aris said. "Things seem to have stabilized."


The boys, led by a sensational runner-up effort for Bryce Millar (12:02), scored 80 points to beat Liverpool (122), St. Anthony's (147), and more surprisingly, CBA (215).


"They're a great group of kids, really close, seasoned veterans, and they're coachable," Aris said. "They are Stotan-like in ways like the boys of 2004. The difference is we've got one guy always up front in Millar and the 2004 team was interchangeable. But the selflessness and team spirit and the desire to work with each other, it's the same."


Millar has elevated near the level of Aris' best runners, Nick Ryan and before him, Alex Hatz and Tommy Gruenewald.


"He's a humble guy who sees the big picture," Aris said of Millar. "(Manhattan) was one of his best races ever and I think he can build on top of that."


Another of the boys that was outstanding for F-M was Kyle Barber, who finished sixth. Barber, during spring track season, finished fifth at the New York state meet in the 400-meter hurdles. He is also a triple jumper.

 

To be fair, he's also been an improving member F-M's cross country team for years. Two years ago he was the eighth man and in 2013 he ran at NXN. Last year he ran 13:08 at Manhattan; this year he weent 12:24. 


"Kyle's the real deal," Aris said. "He has a high degree of athletic potential. It's not suprising to me what he's doing. With racing success, confidence comes."


Another special aspect of this year's F-M make-up are the three members of the Ryan family. Nick Ryan, a 2013 graduate, is a sophomore running at Syracuse. His brother Peter, a junior, is an important piece of the boys team's top five. And two younger sisters, Olivia (senior) and Sophia (freshman), were ninth and 16th at Manhattan.



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