Port Jefferson boys cross country wins second straight Class D public school state championship
Port Jefferson celebrates after winning the state Class D team championship in Queensbury, N.Y., on Saturday. Credit: /Stephen Weaver
QUEENSBURY — It was dangerous to ever let the Port Jefferson boys cross country team drop to Class D.
The Royals scored 51 points to win the Class D title at the public school state championships Saturday at Queensbury High School. It was their second consecutive team state championship, both of which have come since the school moved down a class last year.
The program has been on a mission ever since that day, when its school’s shrinking population relegated it to Class D. However, the desire to complete that mission intensified once longtime coach Rod Cawley died in October 2024. Port Jeff honored Cawley with the 2024 state title, which then laid the foundation for its 2025 goal: become a dynasty.
Thanks to vast progression from junior Sean Grossman and seniors Sviatoslav Zalizniak and Christopher Nam — who placed fifth, sixth and seventh in the team-scoring category — that goal has been reached.
“Obviously, the goal was to repeat, but we lost a couple of people and we knew it was going to be a lot harder than it was last year, but we had that same motivation,” Grossman said. “We just worked hard every single day, every single meet, just for this moment.”
The Royals are trying to establish themselves as a perennial powerhouse and lay the groundwork for a perpetually dominant program. Two years into their Class D tenure, they are off to a perfect start.
“We have a great program and great coaches, and our training plan always pushes us to get better at practices,” Zalizniak said. “These traditions that stay for years allow us to perform at the same level for a long time. Even when the program gets smaller, our legacy still carries onto the next crop, and we are able to stay motivated and have that hunger to get better every single year.”
Junior Christian Paterno alongside seniors Chase Davis and Lucas Sweeney rounded out the championship effort.
In Class B, Manhasset senior Blake Sealy earned his glory in dominant fashion. He won the 5-kilometer race in 15 minutes, 24.2 seconds, clearing the pack by 10.5 seconds. The Rutgers commit got off to a strong start and led for most of the way, allowing him to build a comfortable lead.
Sealy is the first Long Island boy to win a state cross country championship since Westhampton alumnus Max Haynia in 2022.
“I wouldn’t have trained so much in the summer and these past three years if I didn’t think I could be as good as I can, and I think I’m still far from my potential,” Sealy said. “This is really just a step in the right direction, but not the end-all goal.”
At the suggestion of his coach, Sealy rested during the Nassau state qualifier meet to preserve himself for the public school state meet, knowing that the rest of the team would likely be able to qualify in his stead. That move paid dividends, as the extra rest allowed Sealy to push harder at the start and finish stronger through pain.
“I knew it was going to hurt either way, so I didn’t want to hop on a five-hour bus ride knowing that I had left a little bit out there on the course,” Sealy said. “It definitely hurt a lot on that final straightaway, but I respect my competitors and knew anybody could win. A lot of different people started making moves, and I knew I had to match every single one.”
Ward Melville senior Anthony Anatol was the top Long Island runner. His 15:20.7 ranked fifth in both Class A and the merged results.
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
