Schenectady High School senior Erin MacBeth says cross country running will be fall sport of choice, rather than soccer, when she heads off to college next year.
The 16-year-old MacBeth is in her second season as a member of both Schenectady teams. As a junior, she was selected a Big 10 first team all-star in both sports.
“I’ve played soccer since I was six years old, and I’ve been on [Schenectady’s] varsity since my freshman year,” MacBeth said earlier this week. “I still enjoy it, but over the summer my focus turned more toward cross country. I like it. I like to run, and I want to run in college.”
Despite being relatively new to the sport of cross country, MacBeth has drawn interest from several colleges for her running ability. She said she’s in the process of narrowing down her choice.
“There’s a bunch,” she said. “I’m still deciding.”
MacBeth ran the second-fastest time ever on LaSalle Institutes 2.5-mile course Tuesday afternoon, winning in 16:39.1, in Schenectady’s Big 10 opener with Catholic Central. She did not compete in Schenectady’s soccer game that evening against Albany.
“If there’s a conflict, cross country has got to come first now. Last year it was the other way around,” MacBeth said.
MacBeth placed first in her division at the Fonda-Fultonville Invitational early this month, two days after scoring a goal for Schenectady’s soccer team in its season-opening 3-1 win against Johnstown. MacBeth ran second at the Fort Plain Invitational, and finished 12th in a stacked field at the Guilderland Invitational.
MacBeth is also a member of Schenectady’s indoor and outdoor track and field teams.
FOOTBALL
Following impressive wins last week, Lansingburgh (3-0) remained at No. 1 in Class B, and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (3-0) stayed at No. 2 in Class A, in the latest set of football rankings released by the New York State Sportswriters Association.
Troy (Class A, 3-0), Albany Academy (3-0, Class B) and Cambridge (3-0, Class C) all have a No. 8 ranking this week, marking a one-position move up for each of the unbeatens.
Here’s a look at all of Section II’s ranked teams.
Class AA: LaSalle (3-0, No. 12), Ballston Spa (3-0, No. 19), Saratoga Springs (2-1, Honorable Mention); Schenectady (2-1, HM), Shenendehowa (2-1, HM).
Class A: Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (3-0, No. 2), Troy (3-0, No. 8), Gloversville (2-1, HM), Queensbury (2-1, HM).
Class B: Lansingburgh (3-0, No. 1), Albany Academy (3-0, No. 8), Hudson (3-0, No. 20), Cohoes (2-1, HM).
Class C: Cambridge (3-0, No. 8), Hoosick Falls (3-0, No. 11), Chatham (3-0, No. 15), Canajoharie (2-1, HM), Fonda-Fultonville (2-1, HM), Granville (3-0, HM), Watervliet (3-0, HM).
Class D: Rensselaer (3-0, No. 10), Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons (2-1, HM), Greenwich (1-2, HM), Lake George (2-1, HM).
The state’s other No. 1-ranked teams are Monroe-Woodbury-Section 9 (3-0, Class AA), Sweet Home-6 (3-0, Class A), Jamestown Southwestern-6 (3-0, Class C) and Westmoreland-3 (3-0, Class D).
GOLF
Bethlehem ninth-grader Victor Fox, last week’s Suburban Council Tournament individual champion, carded a two-under-par 33 Thursday in the Eagles match with Niskayuna at Normanside Country Club.
Earlier in the season Fox fired a 32 on the same front nine at Normanside (Bethlehem’s home course), and one of Section II’s rising young golfers nearly matched that Thursday. His putt on the ninth hole came up a quarter of an inch short.
Fox carded a four-under 68 to win the Suburban Council title at Van Patten on Sept. 17, beating out Kyle Lewis Saratoga Springs by two strokes. Shaker and Shenendehowa finished 1-2 in the team standings after a seventh-man tie-breaker, and Bethlehem was third. ...
Mark Sabatino and Chad Murphy both fired an even-par 36, and Stillwater completed a perfect Wasaren League season Thursday with a 5-0 sweep of Hoosick Falls at Saratoga Lake Golf Club.
Stillwater went 14-0 in the league this year, and also owns non-league victories over Schenectady and Mechanicville. The Warriors have won 43 consecutive matches dating back to the 2007 season.
