It’s been 15 years since Riverhead last won the boys cross-country league title. Tuesday’s 15-47 victory over Half Hollow Hills West at Indian Island County Park finally put an end to that drought.
Riverhead finished with a clean 5-0 in Suffolk County’s League IV.
Blue Waves’ runners were among the first five to finish the 3.1-mile course. Travis Wooten finished first with a time of 17 minutes 53 seconds, it was his final dual meet as he graduates this year. Captain and fellow senior Joe Gattuso finished second, crossing the finish line at 17 minutes 58 seconds.
Third place went to junior Nick Cunha (18:02), fourth to sophomore Connor Behr (18:06) and fifth to sophomore Luke Coulter (18:11). Freshman Eric Cunha finished seventh (18:58).
“It’s been a process,” said head coach Pat Burke. “I’ve had these kids for five years. They’ve been running for me since they were freshmen. It’s been a process of improving ourselves each year.”
“These guys have worked so hard,” he continued. “They deserve everything that they have accomplished so far.”
The total number of runners have increased each year. This year, they had 36 members on the team. Burke attributes the track team’s success to his enrollment numbers.
Because — to put it lightly — cross-country is “hard work,” Burke says. They run 40-50 miles a week and that takes pure dedication. They meet twice a week in the summertime, so they’re prepared come September.
“It’s grueling and in my opinion it’s one of the toughest sports anyone will ever do,” Burke said. “Every time you go out you’re running against yourself and you’re trying to keep improving your times.”
The key to winning the league this year was having a solid core group of runners. In years past, the Blue Waves always had top finishers but never enough to win crucial meets. This year, each meet, the Blue Waves always had finishers throughout the top seven spots, making them nearly impossible to defeat.
“I just think everything clicked this year,” Burke said. “I think things were cyclical.”
“It was Riverhead’s time.”
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl
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