We are family: Warren JFK girls claim district title

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CORTLAND -- One is a freshman, the other wants to act like one. One is brimming with confidence, the other bursting with promise. One is a state champion, the other still dreams of Columbus.
Their names are Angelene Cicero and Jamie Prezioso. And the Warren Kennedy High teammates might be the two best athletes on the best girls team in their district.
"A big point about this team is family," said Cicero, last year's Division III state champion in the 300 hurdles. "We try to cheer everyone on and make everyone feel like a part of the team."
No kidding. The Eagles entered the day in eighth place in the team standings and finished in first for their third straight district title.
Prezioso, a freshman, won the 100-meter dash in a district record time of 12.8 seconds at Saturday's district meet at Lakeview Stadium. She also finished fourth in the 200 and helped the Eagles win the 4x100 and 4x200 relays -- both in record times.
"She's a hard worker," Cicero said of Prezioso. "We knew she was a strong runner and that she had the potential to be doing what she's doing."
Running free
Because Kennedy coach Tim McNeil stresses the family aspect, Prezioso doesn't have to worry about outside factors or team jealousy. She's able to focus on what she does best -- running fast.
"I always knew I had the team's support," Prezioso said. "I just go out and run and don't worry about anything else."
Cicero isn't so lucky.
"I think winning the state championship put a target on my back," she said. "But it's a new year and a new race. I'm trying to run like I'm a freshman and I want to convince the freshman coach to put me in something."
Like most elite athletes, Cicero is constantly tinkering with her technique, trying to find ways to get better and get faster.
"Today I was trying to stay smooth and quick and stay calm," she said.
And?
"I felt good," she said. "Really good."
Guess so. Cicero won the 300 hurdles (breaking her own stadium and meet record), finished second in the 100 hurdles (behind Maplewood senior Jen Grayson's record time of 14.9) and helped the Eagles run record times in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
If all goes well next week, Cicero will have a lot of her teammates with her in Columbus.
"Kennedy is a family," Cicero said, "and we're showing that this year."
Boys
On the boys side, Springfield's incomparable Nick Panezich won the shot put and sprinter Matt Morell won the 100 and 200 and was a member of the winning 4x100 relay as the Tigers edged Inter-County League champion South Range for their first district title since 1959.
Southington senior Ryan Gilanyi set a meet record in the 1600 (4:24.1), Mineral Ridge senior Levi Leigh broke his own meet record in the 110 hurdles (14.5), South Range's Mike Leskosky set a record in the high jump (6-4) and Maplewood sophomore Andy Arnio shattered his own meet record in the 3200 by almost 18 seconds (9:41.9).
Gaining respect
Lordstown senior Tom Andriko, meanwhile, may have finally stolen some of the spotlight from distance running powers Maplewood and McDonald. Andriko anchored the Red Devils' winning 4x800 relay on Thursday, then set meet records in the 800 (1:55.6) and 4x400 relay (3:27.9) on Saturday. His 800 time tied the 2003 mark set by Maplewood's John Palmer.
"When I was a freshman, I told my coach I wanted us to be compared to Maplewood and McDonald," Andriko said. "Four years of hard work is paying off."
Andriko was pleased with his district performance, but he isn't getting ahead of himself.
He knows respect comes in Columbus, not Cortland.
"A lot of people still doubt us and we haven't really got a lot of respect," he said. "We ran well at the beginning of the year, but that doesn't mean anything.
"We haven't proven anything yet."
scalzo@vindy.com