Wallkill’s Caitlyn Murphy was in a race for second.

That was good enough as there was no catching Cornwall’s Sophia Semo, who won the Section 9 Class B girls’ championship cross country race by 39.1 second. Murphy took second in 18:24.8 at Bear Mountain State Park in Tompkins Cove to clinch her second state berth.

“I felt really good,” Murphy said. “I think I ran the race how I wanted to. We went out a little fast because Sophia likes to take the races out fast, but I was really trying to work the hill, especially the third mile. Sophia’s an amazing runner, so I’m really proud of how I did.”

She will be one of three Wallkill runners attending the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B championships as Nathaniel Diemoz and Mario Verruto qualified for states on the boys’ side.

Diemoz was third in 16:10.2 and Verruto, a senior, was fifth in 16:27.2.

Murphy said her time wasn’t as strong as her run at the Mid Hudson Athletic League championships the week before, but it was a personal best for the course.

“The course this week is definitely a lot tougher,” Murphy said. “It’s almost all pavement, which helps if there’s a hill. It’s almost two miles in, which kind of kills you. I did a lot of hill training this year to try to prepare and I think it definitely paid off.”

Overall, the Panthers finished second in the boys’ race with 68 points. Cornwall won the boys’ team championship with 48 points.

Diemoz and Verruto took the third and fifth individual spots in the state meet. Both will be going for the first time.

“I knew I had a good chance of qualifying,” Diemoz said. “But I’m so happy that Mario came in with me. That race is really fun and actually really hard, also.”

Wallkill coach Nick Mancuso made sure Verruto knew what place he was in as he ran the race’s third mile.

“I realized I was in position as soon as I got down that monster hill and passed another kid who was in fifth,” Verruto said. “My coach was screaming at me, ‘you’re in fifth,’ and that’s when I knew I had to keep it.”

Ryder Kilpatrick was in 10th in 17:05.2 and Ryan Murphy was 24th in 18:41.7. Josh Craypo was 25th in 18:53.6, with Luke Fragetta taking 29th in 19:13.2. Joao Santos was 38th in 20:21.0.
The girls’ team finished sixth with 138 points.

Maria Morales was 21st in 23:41.7 and Giada Post was 40th in 26:58.6 with Rachel Sokota was 42nd in 27:19.9. Elizabeth Monson was 44th in 28:52.3. Mikayla D’Amico was 48th in 30:39.0.

Diemoz and Verruto will be going to states for the first time. Murphy didn’t feel well at states last year and finished 28th.

“That affected how I ran,” Murphy said. “This year, I’m feeling great. I’m excited to go in and show everyone how well I can do and prove to myself how well I can run.”

Class A
Jack Dudzik finished 16th with a time of 17:36.9, as the Valley Central Vikings finished seventh in the Section 9 Class A championship race with 198 points. The Pine Bush Bushmen came in ninth with 267 points.

The Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders swept the team championship in both the boys’ and girls’ races.

Emilio Abdelsayed finished 37th for the Vikings in 18:40.2 and Erich Lachmann was 44th in 18:56.0. Aiden Restivo was 46th in 18:56.3 and Colin Kinsley was 55th in 19:44.5. Ashton Ewald was 58th in 19:57.0 and Peter James Sahlstrom was 60th in 20:03.2.

Raul Rosario led the Bushmen with a time of 18:49.6 and Roscoe Sudol came in 52nd with a time of 19:13.0. Leonard Horne was 53rd in 19:18.9 and Daniel Sassi was 56th with a time of 19:46.6. Ethan Austin was 65th in 20:48.9. Noah Freestone was 68th in 21:08.3 and Jason Hutchinson, Jr., was 69th in 21:49.8.

Emily Frank was 28th in the girls’ race leading Valley Central to an eighth-place finish with 203 points. She finished with a time of 23:16.6. Madeline Legare was 40th in 24:43.1 and Allison Onofry was 43rd in 25:00.0.

Callie Campora was 50th in 26:21.6 and Grace Burns was 54th in 27:34.6. Inez Greiner was 58th with a time of 31:12.9.

Pine Bush’s Julianne Gabriele was 11th in 20:36.4 and Ava Dymond was 27th in 23:08.7. Emma Sorge was 45th in 25:08.0.