Alex Combs was seeded eighth in New York State in the 800-meter run. His goal was to finish in the top six. He did much better than that.
In a race that was different from what he expected, the Cornwall senior accelerated at the end to place second in Division I and third in the state overall.
In the final half lap in North Syracuse on June 6, Alex passed a number of people who were expected to beat him. A few days later he was philosophical. “You don’t have to be the fastest,” he reasoned. “You just have to be the best that day.”
The pace of the first lap was insanely slow. Alex was fourth in a tightly knit pack, but dropped to eighth as the runners entered the second half of the race.
With 200 meters to go, the Dragon speedster began his kick. “The race is almost over,” he said to himself, “and I still feel pretty good. I still have a lot of energy left.”
Alex passed Jordan Burton of Warwick, who had been his nemesis all season, and sprinted down the straightaway with two runners along side of him. Their final times demonstrated the closeness of the race.
Jay Nevin of Saratoga won in 1:54.24. Cory Wefing from a Division II school (1:54.60) was the runner-up and Alex (1:54.61) was third, as he lowered his Cornwall school record.
It was a good way to end his high school career. Alex, who received two medals, will be running for the United States Military Academy in the fall. His “splits” for the state event surprised him. Usually, he runs both laps at about the same pace. Most runners slow down a little bit on the second quarter mile. But Alex did the reverse. His second lap was five seconds faster than his first.
The group strategy for the race was different from what he expected. “It worked out for me,” he said modestly, “but not for some of the others. I guess I was just feeling better than they were.”
Beatrice Boylan, Conner Russell and Christa Sidoti also qualified for the elite competition. They didn’t win medals, but they’ll be eligible to compete next year.
STATE MEET
June 6-7
BOYS — 110-m hurdles: Conner Russell (15) 15.39. 800 m: Alex Combs (2, 3) 1:54.61 (new school record).
GIRLS — 2000-m steeplechase: Bea Boylan (12, 21) 7:41.34. Pentathlon: Christa Sidoti (12,22) 2577.
First number in parentheses is place in Division I; second is place in the state.
