Barker boys, Newfane girls claim N-O league titles in cross country

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 19 October 2024 at 5:44 pm

Liam Betteridge and Eden Hillman, both of Newfane, top finishers

Photos by Tom Rivers: Ryder Jones of Medina rounds a corner in the course along Lake Ontario at lakeside Beach State Park. Jones made the all-league first team by finishing sixth. Tristian Tilbe of Albion is right behind him and finished seventh, which also earned Tilbe a spot on the first team.

CARLTON – The Barker boys and Newfane girls capped undefeated seasons in the Niagara-Orleans League today by winning the league championship race at Lakeside Beach State Park. Both teams also won all of their league races earlier in the year.

The Barker boys were first with the low score of 36 points, followed by Roy-Hart in second with 69. Newfane and Medina tied at 76, but Newfane had the faster sixth man and won third, followed by Medina in fourth. Albion was fifth in 101. Wilson and Akron didn’t have full teams of at least five runners.

The Barker boys cross country team celebrates its league title at Lakeside Beach State Park today.

The team is led by head coach Paul DerSarkissian and assistant coach Sharon Lamb.

“I’m so proud of these boys,” DerSarkissian said. “They work so hard and hard work pays off.”

Barker is the smallest school in the N-O League but typically has the biggest cross country team. There were 18 runners on the biys team this year. Barker won the league title despite an injury that sidelined one of their top runners, Luke Fay.

“We’re a family,” DerSarkissian said. “It’s a culture that we create. It’s fun to be in and be a part of.”

The Newfane girls cross country team celebrates another league title today, making it 10 straight N-O championships.

The Newfane girls had the lowest point total of 22, followed by Roy-Hart in second with 66, Akron in third with 71, and Barker in fourth with 74. Albion, Medina and Wilson all had incomplete teams.

(Left) Liam Betteridge, a Newfane senior, won the boys race in a time of 18:07. (Right) Eden Hillman, a seventh-grader form Newfane, won the girls race in her first year on varsity.

Liam Betteridge of Newfane won the boys race. This is only his third year running cross country.

Betteridge has a gymnastics background. He won the 800 meter, 1 mile and 2 mile races last spring in N-O track championship.

“I enjoy working hard and pushing myself,” he said after the race. “The mental aspect of running is the most fun. It’s what brings me to the sport.”

Newfane has strong camaraderie on the team, and Betteridge said the runners “have an amazing way of pushing each other.”

Eden Hillman, the winner of the girls race in a time of 21:41, is in her first year on varsity. She is only in seventh grade.

Some of the top runners took a wrong turn early in the race. Hillman had to back track and went from being in about 20th place to first.

“I just work hard and achieve my goals,” she said after the race.

Hillman stated running long distances in third grade with the 1-mile Newfane Panther Chase. She trains by running nature trails with her dogs.

Newfane coach Mike Heitzenrater said Hillman has been a strong runner for Newfane all season.

“She has the athleticism and attitude, and she has a solid work ethic,” he said.

These three run along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. They include, from left, Cordelia Rivers of Albion who finished fifth overall; Hayden Barlow of Wilson, sixth overall; and Mikala Woock of Barker seventh overall. They all made first team all-league.

Peyton Wagner of Barker, left, finished second overall. He got out to a fast start at the beginning of the race.

Josiah Rodriguez of Royalton-Hartland finished third, just ahead of Quinn O’Malley of Akron who was fourth overall.