The Buckley Rankings CHSAA Cross Country Team Rankings

The Buckley Rankings 2007 Rankings
CHSAA Cross Country Team Rankings

The Buckley Rankings (Post Mortem Edition)

a) can't blend races with PSAL (too many things can go wrong, as witnessed last week);

run earlier or later

b) find owner of runaway dog (previous owner was not Michael Vick)

1. Chaminade...a great season capped off by win at Cities and 10th at Feds; the "Revival"

was a success; kudos to Coach Bill and his athletes; Kiley as top CHSAA at States

2. St.Anthony's...Dearie's charges came up way short; always seemed to be right in the

mix, but never could finish; disappointing

3. Bishop Ford...this writer (scribbler) forced to eat humble pie, here; great effort by

Medina's runners; Pat Gilhouley as Cities winner; brother Joe in 5th; peaked at right

time (and love VCP); happiest man in the universe was Frankelly Fernandez in post

race hanging around; great job by all

4. Monsignor Farrell... Tom Cuffe...you've got to run States; the Lions represented the

CHSAA and one of its five bids; you can't take your ball and go home (I didn't write

this column last week because I didn't want to write this); you're still probably right

for the wrong reasons, as Feds race was probably counter-productive anyway

5. Holy Trinity...fine team effort to make Feds; Coach Muller's Titans were a pleasant

surprise

6. St.Peter's...Kenny...you should've taken Farrell's spot; it's not really a "hand me down"

7. Regis...great team effort by Varsity + one Frosh; gracious and proud to accept CHSAA

State bid; tip of the cap to Coach Donodeo and his team

8. Kellenberg...Nicoletti great as 6th in Cities (and 4th CHSAA in States); where was

anyone else when it counted???; dog takes down Cook near finish line (the two lost

points didn't mean much); no excuses; where's the "warrior mentality?"

9. Iona Prep...Gaels didn't get the job done as a team; Halpin's 2nd, although a good race,

was no ointment for the open wounds

10.Fordham Prep...one of the pre-season favorites goes up in flames; beyond belief that

they did not perform better; Febles joins list of more disappointed coaches (that list

is far longer than happy coaches)

The Buckley Rankings (City Champs Edition)

A. The first set of rankings come directly from "Tullyrunners Speed Ratings" (combining top two performances by the runner); each runner then gets a placing based on the numbers (runners beyond 7th athlete are displaced...all those Chaminade, St.Anthony's &

Farrell runners who are better than your 4th & 5th guy; if "back scorers" did not get a speed rating, I added 10 points for the next scorer, and 20 points for last scorer (if there is no 4th scorer with a ranking)(if you can somegow figure out this byzantine scoring method

than we can move on.org)

B. The next set of rankings is based on my biases and handicapping predictions (this is from the same man who predicted Dewey over Truman, and Mitt Romney)(my last winner at the racetrack was Bucephalus, owned, trained and ridden by Alexander the Great)

A. Tully Runners/Buckley Nonsense:

1. Chaminade (68)

2. St.Anthony's (79)

3. Monsignor Farrell (117)

4. Fordham Prep (178)

5. St.Peter's (179)

6. Kellenberg Memorial (180)

7. Bishop Ford (182)

8. Holy Trinity (194)

9. St.Joseph by the Sea (244)

10.Iona Prep (254)

B. Buckley Predictions: (if I were a betting man and these were my wagers)

1.St.Anthony's (3-1)...the odds are good for a possible upset; lost to Chaminade in

NS Sectionals, but the pre-season favorites have enough talent to breakthrough here;

$100 to win on the Friars at 3-1 (they have a better chance than John McCain)

2.Chaminade (1-2)...odds-on logical favorite, but you won't get rich betting on them;

Coach Carriero should have gotten the Republican nomination for the job he did thusfar

this season ("Bill" would have done better in the swing states than McCain and carries

less "baggage" than both candidates)

3.Monsignor Farrell...(12-1)...they have to finish 3rd; great balance, but not enough punch

to win this; need a nor'easter to move beyond this spot; Coach Cuffe, our future Treasury

Secretary in the Obama Administration, will not be happy about this

4.Fordham Prep (all other teams are listed in "the field" at 25-1, this is a sucker's bet, for

nobody else has a remote chance of winning...sorry)...major disappointment of the year,

but they invariably run very well at this meet

5.Kellenberg Memorial...I must back my own team to qualify for the State Meet; the

Firebirds appear rejuvenated and angry after abyssmal showing last week; if top three

are in the top 20, then Firebirds can make it

6.Holy Trinity...why not as high as 4th???; if break up Kellenberg's top three, they will

beat my #5; have run very well, with lesser talent, in this race in recent years

7.Bishop Ford...seen working out on back hills on Saturday; top 2 get very low numbers,

other scorers are suspect ("round up the usual suspects")

8.Iona Prep...coming on, but I just think it is too much to ask for in this team effort;

obviously, the Tully speed ratings do not reflect the quality of the Gaels; why can't they

even beat Fordham Prep?

9.St.Peter's...individuals post good times at various meets, but never on the same day;

if put it all together next Saturday, outcome can be different than this prediction

10.St. Joseph by the Sea...can beat a couple of teams listed above, but not really a

state berth challenge

N.B. you can throw a blanket over teams #4 thru #9 for the two last state qualifiers; I

feel Fordham Prep has a slight advantage, but a dogfight will occur; for the losing

teams (and their coaches) there will be "a weeping and gnashing of teeth"

-special mention to John Donodeo, Dave Wood and Pat Dormer, who are always good

fodder for comedy, who failed to even get mentioned above

***all predictions/polls above come with a margin of error of 4% (this is close to the

Gallup, Rasmussen, Clear Politics, AP and Pew surveys)

***remember to "vote early and vote often" (see "swing states")

The Buckley Rankings (week of 10/27)

1.Chaminade...defeats St.Anthony's 28-37 with come-from-behind win; Kiley race winner

(also wins Tom O'Brien scholar/athlete award...Tom O'Brien was former NSCHSAA

Track & XC Commissioner and one fine gentleman); Migliore 3rd (Joe's dad...the "Mig"...

wins Breeders Cup Turf Sprint on Desert Code, then takes "red-eye" from LA to see Joe

run...great weekend for the wonderful Migliore family); congrats to Bill Carriero also

2.St.Anthony's...looked like a sure winner with 1000 meters to go; unfortunately, the race

was not 4k; missed opportunity; football team also lost to Iona Prep (so much for #1

sports program in the universe...doesn't their sign say that)

3.Monsignor Farrell...crush NY Sectional; Orlando as race winner; the Lions are showing

balance and close spread, but need some faster individual times

4.Bishop Ford...Gilhuley exacta as Falcons rout a depleted Queens Section; 5 man

average is OK, but can they get back scorers in to complement the brothers G.

5.Fordham Prep...barely; not seeing the improvement everyone keeps expecting; running

out of time

6.Iona Prep...Halpin wins Section I title, while team finishes 2nd to Scarsdale; Halpin's

outstanding time makes him early favorite for CHSAA indivual title; hybrid Gael squad

fares OK in Catholic Sectional; as with the entire world, back scorers a question mark

(and the Mysterians)

7.Holy Trinity...took step back at 5K, but still good enough to beat regressing Firebirds;

Titans better at VCP

8.Kellenberg Memorial...lose good soph to fractured toe suffered in Tae Kwon Do

(the required Kellenberg gym class); then run dreadful...a tired team that has 2 weeks

to get rejuvenated; still a threat for State Meet spot; all coaches (Buckley, Estrella,

Daly, Perrone) have been dismissed and replaced by Joe the Plumber, Jake Plummer,

the Watergate/Nixon Plumbers, and Eve Plumb)

9.St.Peter's...Eagles 10 points shy of Fordham Prep in NY Section; it just doesn't seem

to be happening

10.St.Joseph by the Sea...a further 10 shy of St.Peter's in NY Section; on Sat. night,

yours truly ventured nearby to attend a testimonial at St.Joseph/St.Thomas grammar

school for track coach and friend Bob Smith; it's still too far away from Elmont and

what is the status of the "Big Blue" track?

11.Regis...finally edge past Xavier by a scant two points

12.Xavier...certainly not where they (and Dormer) thought they would be at this stage of

the campaign

13.St.John the Baptist...Cougars struggling

14.Archbishop Molloy...young, but have to do better than this vs. Ford

15.Mt.St.Michael...quite a ways back for the Mountaineers

The Buckley Rankings (week of October 20)

1.Chaminade...maintain #1 with victory at Nassau Coaches Meet at Bethpage; I know they

won, but no results available anywhere; usual complex pre-entry system results in no

results

2.St.Anthony's...nice job at NYC XC Carnival; Cherkis as race winner; Friars still not

instilling fear in opponents; I view them as slight favorite vs. Flyers at Sunken Meadow

next Sunday; "home field advantage" over 3.1

3. Monsignor Farrell...2nd to St.Anthony's; re-establish themselves as a threat in "Cities"

following Manhattan debacle

4. Holy Trinity..."Remember the Titans";"we are the Titans...the mighty, mighty Titans";

huge move up in placings and times to finish ahead of Fordham Prep; now a solid

threat for "States"

5. Fordham Prep...time running out for the Rams; chance for redemption vs. Farrell next

weekend

6. Bishop Ford...the brothers Gilhouley with excellent finish and speed ratings at Brown;

still concerned over back scorers

7.Kellenberg Memorial...sat out three scorers at NYC; still an "obamanation;" either Joe

the Plumber is running Varsity "A" next week or he's coaching the team; "I, Kevin

Buckley, do solemnly swear never again to run a B+ team against "A" competition"

8.Iona Prep...idle, idol, idyll

9.St.Peter's...see Iona Prep above

10.St. Joseph by the Sea...see #'s 8 & 9

11.Xavier...beats Jesuit rival Regis at "Carnival B"

12.Regis...glimmer of hope, but still not enough

13.St.John the Baptist...not a good weekend; they're always good at the end, however

14.Archbishop Molloy...need to improve to challenge anyone above them

15.Mt.St.Michael...struggling

The Buckley Rankings (week of Oct.13)

1. Chaminade...by a whisker; 2nd to North Penn in Manhattan "B"; only CHSAA team with

all scorers under 14:00; North Penn averaged 13:04, going 1,2,3,4,9 (wow)...where was the pride from

the team that prides itself as being the top 4 x 800 in the country? go in the Easterns,

North Penn (was the field too large, the trip too long, or are we prepping for something

else soon)

2. St.Anthony's...3rd to Merrimack & Washingtonville in Manhattan "A"; same 5-man

average as Chaminade and scores would have beaten Chaminade in dual meet, but

just feel Flyers have more depth at this point (see JV race)

3.Monsignor Farrelll...first 4 finishers within 4 seconds of each other (nice compression);

the bad news...we're do we begin...no one under 14:00; 30th and last in Easterns (the

Lions still have more pride (terrible pun) than the aforementioned Penn staters; also lost

to MSIT; if this were football, we'd throw the game film in the garbage; obviously, still

a contender for top stop; one bad race does not a season make (Shakespeare or

Byron?)

4. Kellenberg Memorial...fair 6th in "F" race; Cook excellent in 6th; need back scorers

before its too late (13:54 average won't challenge top teams)

5. Fordham Prep...12th in "D" race; M.Jenning ok, but not getting enough help; 14:01

average; tenuous hold on last state qualifier spot

6.Bishop Ford...that's more like it; big race from Paul Gilhuley (13:14 as top CHSAA time

at Manhattan; 7th in "B"; last scorer last seen on Mosholu Parkway

7.Iona Prep...win "Mickey Mouse" or "mickey mouse" team title at Disney; defeat Tully

( that's really Cicero for you Latin scholars) without Lopez Lomong, and Naples (a long

trip for the paisanos); Sean Halpin very good in winning individual title; Shephard 6th

8.St.Peter's...get one more chance; 18th in "G" race (ouch)

9.Holy Trinity...very, very good in beating a not-trying St.Anthony's in dual meet; tailed off

a bit at Manhattan; can be a challenger for 5th spot overall, as nobody should scare you

from #4 down

10.St.Joseph by the Sea...two good scorers at Manhattan, but not much else; young and

still can improve

11.St.John the Baptist...gave Kellenberg a real good run in dual meet (both teams trying);

much worse at Manhattan

12.Xavier...4th to Iona Prep at Disney; overwhelmed Regis by a single point; Manhattan

Jesuit championship plus a date with Minnie Mouse (she's married)

13.Regis...5th to Iona Prep; I'm really glad these Florida trips to Disney were scheduled

early; how do the parents of Iona, Xavier and Regis pay for these trips now that they've

lost their retirement in their 401K's? next year the overnight trip is to Van Cortlandt or

Sunken Meadow with accomodations provided by the Cross Bronx Motor Inn and the

Commack Motor Inn, respectively; the Firebbirds are staying home to pay for my

Giants' PSL's; a special word of thanks goes out to the hedge fund short-sellers and

the Yale & Harvard endowment funds who made this all possible...they rank on the

food chain somewhere between the primordial ooze and the dregs of a wine barrel

(pond scum was too obvious a reference); we've written this much and did not mention

Coach Donodeo

14.Archbishop Molloy...a little better than Mount

15.Mount St.Michael...not as good as Molloy

The Buckley Rankings (week of Oct. 6)

1.Monsignor Farrell...still suffering from jet lag from taking the red-eye; SAT takers abound

for all the teams

2. St.Anthony's...beat up by North Rockland at Friars own invite, but 17:33 average is not

bad; 3rd in merge (losing to Warwick Valley); handled Kellenberg handily at dual meet

24-33 (Friars top 2, Firebirds next 3); Kellenberg had a blessing of the animals in honor

of St.Francis on Friday...I wonder if the Franciscan Friars did likewise

3.Chaminade...many, many SAT takers

4.Kellenberg Memorial...smarting from loss to St.Anthony's; Nicoletti injured at KMHS Pep

Rally (it's all about prioroties)(status day-to-day; probable for Manhattan College); you

can hurt at that meet trying to stay out of the way; is Gaelic Park available for parking??

5.Fordham Prep...did they bless the "rams" and the "ewes?"; are the Jesuits too

intellectual for that

6.St.Peter's...3rd at Mayor's Cup to MSIT and Curtis; it's really tough to be the 3rd best

looking girl on Staten Island (oh, make that the 4th...I forgot Farrell); the Eagles are

better than that race

7.Iona Prep...6th at Sunken Meadow (14th in merge) sans Halpin; Disney a relief

8.Bishop Ford...at St.Anthony's, but no team score

9.Holy Trinity...preparing for something

10.St.Joseph by the Sea...they're on Staten Island too, but they're Vikings (blond, but

not included in best looking girls contest)

11.St.John the Baptist...also in state of preparation; vs. Kellenberg on Wed.

12.Xavier...more Jesuits; "nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition"...sorry, those are

Dominicans and St.Dominic's didn't get ranked

13.Mount St. Michael...emerge from the doldrums (those Vikings again) for 7th at Sunken

Meadow

The Buckley Rankings (week of Sept. 29)

1. Monsignor Farrell...a new #1...venture to Oregon for Pre-Nationals ( is this because it

comes before the Nationals or is it a bad allusion to Prefontaine...I surmise it is both;

a weak attempt at humor...something like I would do); good effort as Lions, led by Alex

Orlando place 7th in Jim Danner Championship vs. quality teams

2. St.Anthony...Rhode Island brought rain and an off-track to the "Black Wave," and it

wasn't handled well; 7th in Ocean State Championship Race; speed ratings low and no

high finisher; deserve another chance; dual meet Wed. vs. Kellenberg will also be

contested in the "ole muck and mire"

3. Chaminade...nice effort at Suffolk Coaches...wait a minute, the Meet was cancelled;

this is XC...???

4. Kellenberg Memorial...as far as invitationals go, resting on laurels until Manhattan;

given the construction at VCP, all existing fire laws for an outdoor venue will be

challenged

5.Fordham Prep...M.Jennings runs very well at McQuaid; so many obscure designations

of races in this meet; the Rams ran in the AK-47 Race

6. St. Peter's...supposed to compete at Wave Mania at Warwick; never did; did not Eagles

get swamped by an overflowing Kill Van Kull

7. Iona Prep...2nd at Dewitt Clinton; much better showing by back scorers; getting ready

for their annual "Mickey & Minnie trip"

8. Bishop Ford...also fell to Paul III (he called the Council Of Trent; the "Counter-

Reformation Pope") at Clinton (governor & canal builder); not living up to pre-season

hype

9. Holy Trinity...enjoyed WPIX rain-out theater with rain-out at Sunken Meadow

10.St.Joseph by the Sea...also swamped on S.I.

11.St.John the Baptist...did not have to travel far to stay home on Saturday

12.Xavier...a little better in AARP Race at McQuaid

The Buckley Rankings (week of Sept. 22)

1. St.Anthony's...like the B-1 stealth bomber, the "men in black" are powerful, can deliver

a lethal blow, but can't be seen

2. Monsignor Farrell...balanced 5th in Champ race at Bowdoin Park; plenty of depth, but

need higher scorer/scorers to emerge to challenge the inivsible #1

3. Chaminade...obtain Marianist bragging rights with 27-30 dual meet victory over

Kellenberg (Kiley 1st, Kellenberg gets next 3 spots); middle of the pack 6th in Champ

race at Briarwood (Phila.); no one in top 20; Phillie fans have booed Santa Claus...did

they boo Coach Carriero???

4. Kellenberg Memorial...OK 8th in tough Champ heat at Bowdoin; two in before Farrell's

first; where are the back scorers???

5. Fordham Prep...using St.Anthony stealth technology

6. St.Peter's...tough to figure anything from the mish-mosh combo races at Xavier; Cannon

with top Tully speed rating for CHSAA, but only off a single race

7. Bishop Ford...from Xavier results, you're starting to see that the Falcons can threaten

for a State berth

8. Holy Trinity...3rd in Class Race at Bowdoin (ahead of Iona Prep), but lose to the Gaels

in merged results???

9. Iona Prep...Halpin wins Class Race at Bowdoin, with Shephard 7th, but place 7th

overall as a team; top guys need some help quickly

10.St.Joseph by the Sea...visually impressive at Xavier, but times don't move them up yet

11.St.John the Baptist...8th in Bowdoin Class Race; the Cougars appear to have about

15 runners competing for the Varsity "A" squad; I don't know if that's a good thing

12.Xavier...I'm looking for improvement down the road (I'm not seeing it right now)

The Buckley Rankings (week of Sept. 15)

1. St.Anthony's... the "Black Wave" is lying low; smashed Baptist in dual meet

2. Monsignor Farrell...fine debut at own Rob Breen Invite, capturing 4 of first 5 places;

times not great, but course was mushy; practiced in VCP hills on Saturday; prepping

for Bowdoin and Oregon (in two weeks); will always remember Rob Breen as a fine

runner and quality gentleman

3. Chaminade...waiting for their unveiling in an invitational; go up against Marianist rival

Kellenberg on Wednesday; Phila. on Saturday

4. Kellenberg Memorial...won a division at Wizard (Washingtonville)(would have lost 51-65

to Wizards, if races combined; Firebirds get 3 of top 4 vs. Wizards); Washingtonvile

should be ahead of Firebirds in State Rankings; distant 2nd to killer Burnt Hills at

Guilderland

5. Fordham Prep...2nd, but no match, for Washingtonville at North Rockland (26-62); fall

a spot on basis of comparative races with Kellenberg

6. St. Peter's...beat Ford & Sea on Staten Island, without Cannon being a factor (injured?)

7. Bishop Ford...not a good start to the season on Staten Island after pre-season hype;

looking to rebound

8. Iona Prep...7th place at Randolph Invitational in Jersey does not put a scare into

anyone; at least we know what Willie Randolph is up to; Halpin a strong 3rd

9. Holy Trinity...didn't show too much at Guilderland, but missing some of the pieces;

no excuse for the rankings

10. St. Joseph by the Sea...better at Regis; can see improvement coming from young

team

11. Xavier...failed to rise to the occasion at Guilderland, but Dormer says it's a long

season

The Buckley Rankings (Pre-Season)

1. St.Anthony's...plethora of distance runners return (Sather, Walshak, Cherkis, Murphy,

et al); will their slogan be "Yes, We Can," as the Friars look to return to the halcyon

days of the Carter administration

2. Chaminade...we all know that the Flyers (Dayton U. is the hometown of the Wright

Bros.) were decimated by graduation; however, Carreiro's charges are like Mao

Zedong's Red Army in Korea (they're numerous and relentless); Kiley leads

3. Monsignor Farrell...many pundits have the Lions at #1, but must rebound from debacle

of last year's XC Cities; "Alex Orlando & Dawn" will be knocking at the ceiling for the

top spot

4. Fordham Prep...three quality returners led by the elder Jennings; if Febles can convert

all the 800 meter speed to the 2 1/2 distance, the Rams can conceivably win it all

5. Kellenberg Memorial...better than others think; a resurgent Posch + Cook (16th last

year in Cities)+ an underappreciated Nicoletti will make the State Meet (I say as a

team, you say as individuals)

6. Bishop Ford...the last set of twins still standing, the Gilhuley's lead the Falcons; back

scorers are a problem for all teams from #5 down

7. Iona Prep...terrific one-two punch of Halpin/Shephard; Jan Mitchell will have to be at his

best to bring along others; the Gaels are rated this low due to the school's connection

to the Mara family; I now must pay $5000 each for my 2 season tickets to the Football

Giants for my PSL (Personal Seat License); I have had these tickets since 1963 and

my wife's father served with Wellington Mara on the USS Randolph in the Pacific during

WW II (along with Soupy Sales); this is the only remaining forum in which I can

complain

8. Holy Trinity...Muller's Titans have a nice returning core group that performed so well in

2007 XC Cities; maybe

9. St.Joseph by the Sea...buoyed by last year's very strong Soph squad, the Vikings will

look to improve on this rating

10.St.Peter's...James Cannon is certainly a top contender, but can last year's Frosh

Champs help enough; Eagles can be a real wild card

11. Xavier...two fine returnees in Mirand and Elie-Vieux, but Dormer needs a lot more