Long Beach peaks at perfect time

With everyone on the roster “peaking at the right time,” coach Greg Milone said, Long Beach enjoyed a perfect regular season and finished fourth in the Nassau Class AAA boys’ track and field championship meet.

“It’s a special group,” Milone said. “We’ve got a lot of talent and depth and were able to cover all the events.”

The Marines went 14-0 to capture the Conference II title, edging Calhoun by a half-point in the final meet, and took the Division 2-A crown for a second consecutive spring. They backed up both wins by totaling 52 points in the county meet, led by individual champions David Henry (Triple Jump) and Dylan Palacio (3200 meter run, 3000 Steeplechase.)

“I was confident we’d score well in the county meet,” Milone said. “We’ve got a bunch of super hard-working kids.”

Henry, a senior, had the “best jump of his life,” Milone said, at last week’s county meet at Westbury High School. His 45-foot, 1-inch leap put the pressure on the rest of the field and held up by nearly a one-foot margin. “David’s the type of athlete who always steps up in the spotlight,” Milone explained. “He has a good chance to get to the state meet.”

Palacio’s performance this spring can be traced to his outstanding work ethic and desire to succeed, Milone said. Palacio, a senior bound for Cornell, is All-County in soccer, a New York State champion wrestler, and All-County in track and field. “He ran one of the most impressive two-mile races I’ve ever seen,” Milone said. “He just took off with 400 meters to go. His late kick was unbelievable.”

Palacio pulled away to win the 3200 in 9-minutes, 28.6-seconds, setting a school record in the event in the process. Sidharth Kakkar of Port Washington was second in 9:31.5. Palacio’s winning time in the Steeplechase was 9:48.4. “He’s as physically and mentally strong as anyone I’ve ever coached,” Milone said.

Senior Brandt Scott and junior Kyle Mosley earned All-County in the 400 and 110 Hurdles, respectively, after winning Division 2-A championships in the same events. Scott, who also tied for first in the 400-meter dash at the division championships, finished in 56.6 seconds in the county meet in the hurdles, while Mosley ran 14.8 in the county meet.

The Marines had a slew of division champs who contributed points in the county meet, including juniors John Anfossi (Long Jump) and John Delahanty (Pole Vault), sophomores Tariq Cole (Shot Put), Tyquan Scott (High Jump) and Stefan Pitts (200 meter dash.) Moreover, all three Long Beach relays finished second in the division meet. The top relay, the 4-x-400, consisted of Delahanty, Brandt Scott, senior Andrew Still and sophomore Kevin Matthews.