Petrella Takes Third at State Cross Country

Liverpool's Brady Petrella placed third overall in the boys cross country state championships held Saturday at Queensbury High School.

Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Running

Expressive editorial sports illustration of a lone distance runner in a solid-color singlet mid-stride along a wooded autumn cross country course. — Liverpool's Brady Petrella finished third overall at the New York boys state cross country championships Saturday at Queensbury High School, covering 3.1 miles in 15:07.08. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Liverpool's Brady Petrella finished third overall in the boys cross country state championships, completing the 3.1-mile race in 15:07.08. Ryan Sykes of Horace Greeley won the overall race in 14:57.6.

Why it matters

Petrella's second-place finish in Class A helped Section III runners capture four of the top eleven places in the state meet. The results show the depth of Section III's distance program at the state level.

Petrella's time of 15:07.08 over the 3.1-mile course placed him .05 seconds behind runner-up Christopher Lawton of Corning, with winner Ryan Sykes of Horace Greeley finishing in 14:57.6. Results were recorded through Leone Timing, and the source does not report comparisons to prior-year state times.

The players

Brady Petrella

Liverpool runner who placed third overall and second in Class A at the state cross country championships.

Kevin Heller

Fayetteville-Manlius runner who finished eighth overall and fifth in Class A with a personal best time.

The details

The boys state championships were run Saturday at Queensbury High School. Heller of Fayetteville-Manlius set a personal best of 15:26.9 for eighth overall, while Oswego's Colin Wallace finished 13th in 15:35.5.

Saturday, November 14, 2026: Boys cross country state championships held at Queensbury High School.

Season Trajectory

Section III's four top-eleven finishes at the state meet show regional depth in New York boys distance running this fall. The placings give Liverpool and Fayetteville-Manlius a strong marker as the season closes.

Petrella's third-place finish and Section III's four top-eleven placings shape the state's team and individual standings for the fall season. Runners and fans tracking Class A results can use the individual times to compare against their own training benchmarks.

The takeaway

Strong pack running can lift a section's state standing even when no single runner wins the title. Watching split times and pack placement, not just finish order, reveals how a team builds its state-level depth.