Interesting week for Brian Russell and Liam Vogt.

On Tuesday the St. Joseph by-the-Sea seniors opened the CHSAA baseball season with a win against highly-touted Iona Prep. Twenty-four hours later the Viking duo was changing gears, competing in the CHSAA Relay Carnival and teaming up to win the long jump relay at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island.

This is what the spring will be like for Vogt and Russell as they tackle the ambitious task of competing in two sports in the same season.

“This is not something that the school normally lets happen,” said Sea coach Chris Mancusi. “A big part of it is because their grades are OK. That’s the first priority. Working with coach (Gordon) Rugg has made it easier. He’s pretty flexible.”

“We’re working around their game schedules,” added Mancusi. “They both pitch so we’re working around their rotation also. It’s a challenge but it’s definitely doable.”

While baseball is the priority, the pair is clear to compete in any meet they can fit in their schedule, with one significant exception. Because the PSAL does not allow athletes to complete in two sports in the same season, they won’t be able to compete in is the Staten Island championships. Aside from that, Mancusi is waiting to see what the Vikings’ playoff schedule becomes, hoping they’ll be available for the CHSAA Sectionals and Intersectionals.

Mancusi had plenty of motivation to keep Russell and Vogt competing with the track team during the outdoor season. Both won CHSAA Intersectional indoor championships over the winter, Vogt in the long jump and Russell in the high jump.

There are a lot of variables to work with as the baseball team schedule includes practices, CHSAA games and non-leaguers. Mancusi has tried to enter the pair in meets that don’t interfere with league games in particular. On non-gamedays, Vogt and Russell will do a workout with the track team in the afternoon before switching over to the diamond for baseball practice.

They’ll have to fight to squeeze some things in. Both have qualified to compete at the prestigious Penn Relays on Saturday, April 28, so after the Vikings play Monsignor Farrell the day before they’ll either drive down to Philadelphia Friday night or Saturday morning.

Vogt has been competing in both sports since he was a freshman, but aside from two meets last spring — CHSAA Sectionals and Eastern States — this is the first time he’s trying to double up.

“I feel pretty good about the way it worked out,” said Vogt. “During the summer I focus on baseball. Then when I get back to school I focus on track. Then when March came, after Nationals, I focused on baseball. This is going to be a little harder, having to focus on two at once. But I feel like, from the past, it won’t really be a problem.”

Vogt, who’s beginning his second season as the Vikings’ starting shortstop, went out for cross country as a freshman, mostly to keep in shape for the baseball season. Mancusi quickly saw him as a potential jumper and Vogt topped 16-feet as a freshman. He’s added about two feet of distance each season, leaping 19 feet, 7 inches as a soph and 21-7 as a junior.

“Junior year was a big breakthrough for him,” said Mancusi.

As a senior, his 22-7 1/2 at the Intersectionals was the third-longest jump in Island history. He’s considering UConn, Manhattan, Monmouth and Wagner as college options.

This is the first track season for Russell, a pitcher who also played basketball his first three years at Sea.

“We’ve been wanting him to come out for the program since he was a freshman,” said Mancusi. “The kid’s unbelievable. He’s 6-3, he’s strong and fast. I said just give me a season because you could do a ton of events.”

That finally happened this year after Russell decided to skip basketball season to prepare for baseball. That effort began with workouts on the school track back in the fall, and Mancusi saw an opening.

“Coach Mancusi saw us and he knew I could jump from basketball,” said Russell. “He told me to come down for a week, I came down for a week, I liked it, and the rest is history.”

Combining a beginner’s struggle with technique and a senior’s strength and speed, Russell made huge gains over the course of the season, clearing 5-8 in his first meet and eventually winning the Intersectionals and jumping a high of 6-6 at states.

“It’s amazing,” said Mancusi of Russell’s progress. “But he was so new. I told everybody we had an 18-year-old freshman on the team because he literally didn’t know anything. The questions he would ask at a meet were freshman questions.”

Russell has come far enough quickly enough that he’s considering trying both sports in college, as is Vogt. He’s been recruited for baseball by Pace, Fairleigh Dickinson and Manhattan. Mancusi believes he’s talented enough to expand into multiple track events in college.

For now he’ll settle for one event, and two sports.