St. Anthony’s repeated as Federation champion
St. Anthony's Ryan Dearie during the regional race held in Wappingers Falls on Nov. 28, 2015. Credit: Errol Anderson
Excellence is the standard at St Anthony’s. If more proof of that is needed, the Friars provided it at the state Federation championship at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls on Nov. 21.
That’s where the Friars edged Xavier, 89-91, to win their second consecutive Federation team championship. It was the eighth such title in school history and the second time they have won in back-to-back years, coach Tim Dearie said.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Sean Vierling, the Friars’ sixth man at the Federation race, said. “I ran in middle school and always wanted to come here and be part of the team.”
Perhaps no one knows more about the culture of St. Anthony’s than Ryan Dearie, who grew up watching his father, Tim, mold the team into a dynasty.
On a team that oozed balance all fall, Dearie took the front position for the Friars at the Federation meet, finishing 11th in the 5-kilometer race in 16 minutes, 19.1 seconds.
“Me and (Ryan) Kutch, and Freddie (Buckholtz) have pretty much been interchangeable this year,” Ryan Dearie said. “Leading these guys to a win feels great.”
Kutch finished 16th in 16:27.9. Buckholtz was 19th in 16:30.3.
“We really showed up,” Buckholtz said. “Especially the back varsity. They did really well.”
Christopher Langer was 37th in 16:42.5 and Dutch Schultz rounded out the scorers, finishing in 17:06.5.
The victory sealed yet another trifecta of triumph for the Friars. They topped Xavier, 42-54, in the CHSAA Intersectional championship and dominated the field in winning the NSCHSAA League Championship.
