2026 Section IV Class B Boys XC: Vestal Repeats, Hayes Wins & the Eight-Point Team Battle

Vestal's 20-Point Repeat and the Eight-Point Race Behind It

Vestal's scoring five were Tyler Hayes (16:35.6, first scoring place), Kevin Middendorf (17:00.0, third), Thomas Ciaravino (17:02.3, fourth), Oliver Parsons (17:32.5, fifth), and David Drew (17:50.3, seventh). Their scoring positions added up to 1 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 7 = 20 points. The tight front group gave Vestal its second straight Class B title.

Maine-Endwell versus Johnson City: The Fifth-Runner Difference

After four scorers, Maine-Endwell led by only three points, 41 to 44. The fifth runner added a further five-point advantage, turning a tight race into the final eight-point margin. Connor Smith gave Johnson City an exceptional start with a runner-up finish, but Maine-Endwell's later scorers closed the difference. This is the most competitive team storyline in Class B Boys.

Hayes and Smith: A Rivalry With a Changing Gap

Tyler Hayes finished second in the 2025 Class B championship, just behind Owego's Javan Belokur. In 2026 he moved to the top of the podium with a 16:35.6 win. Johnson City's Connor Smith climbed from seventh last year to second, running 16:48.3.

Smith improved by nearly a full minute from his 2025 sectional performance. His climb from seventh to second makes him one of the most important individual stories of the race, even though Johnson City did not win the team title.

Twelve Days Earlier: Hayes and Smith at STAC

At the October 24 conference championships at Fortin Park, Hayes ran 16:30.9, and Smith finished in 16:34.2, only 3.3 seconds behind. At Chenango Valley State Park, Hayes finished 12.7 seconds ahead. The order stayed the same, but the gap expanded.

The two races used different courses, so the time comparisons are not adjusted measures of fitness. The head-to-head finishing pattern nonetheless adds a clear narrative: both competitors improved greatly over 2025, and Hayes held the advantage when the sectional title was at stake.

The 2025 Comparison: Same Vestal Score, Different Competition

Vestal's 2025 boys team won Class B with 20 points, led by Hayes, Ciaravino, Titus Patton, Middendorf and Parsons. It recorded another 20-point score in 2026. Last year Owego FA was second with 53 points; this year Maine-Endwell was second with 55.

Hayes' transition from runner-up to winner is the biggest headline, but the consistency of Vestal's team total is the more revealing team statistic. Middendorf improved by 30.1 seconds, while Hayes improved by 30.2 seconds. Smith's 54.3-second leap, meanwhile, brought Johnson City a valuable individual result and kept him among the leading runners all season.

The Road to Queensbury: Five Individual Positions

Vestal earns the team berth to the November 14 NYSPHSAA Championships at Queensbury High School. After removing Vestal's runners, the first five apparent individual positions from the Class B field belong to:

Only 1.5 seconds separated Brazinski and Paff, with both among the calculated five. The next eligible runner, Anthony Isenberg, finished in 19:29.6. The exact state team and individual selections should be checked against the official Section IV qualification list.

What This Race Tells Us

Vestal repeated with extraordinary scoring consistency, and Hayes converted his 2025 runner-up finish into an individual title. Smith gave Johnson City an individual performance worth celebrating. But Maine-Endwell's stronger fourth and fifth scoring positions explain why the runner-up team spot went the other way. In a race decided by points, those later finishers matter every bit as much as the names at the front.