Finley Cross Country Puts in Miles

There’s more interest in the J. Taylor Finley Middle School cross country program this fall than there has been in several years as two dozen seventh and eighth graders are putting in mile after mile after school.

The Finley girls’ team is coached by John Walsh. It includes seventh graders Constance Bublin, Motserrat Mani Munoz and Olivia Ng and eighth graders Arielle Melendez, Vivian Morrissey, Juliana Musun, Alyssa Peck and Khloe Williams.

Jarrad Richter coaches the Finley boys’ team, which features seventh graders Yahel Barak Elitsur, Matthew Barch, Jovani Campos, Layne Cranz, Jack Habel, Stewart Henry, Byron Jimenez, Palmer Laycock and James Oppenheim and eighth graders Gregory Brandine, Dylan Goodwin, Gavin Kline, Hunter Kline and Tyler McDiarmid.

Separate meets for the boys’ and girls’ teams have been scheduled against Commack, Oldfield, Kings Park, Northport, West Hollow, Hauppauge and Candlewood. There will also be a county invitational at Sunken Meadow State Park.

Finley practices daily after school behind the building. The two coaches and laid out a course. There are various stretching and conditioning activities incorporated into each of the practice sessions.

Huntington varsity cross country head coaches John Romano and Elizabeth Andersen are both striving to build up their respective programs and increase their competitiveness. The two are looking to the middle school teams to develop runners who can ultimately compete for league, county and state championships.