NJ TOP 25 RANKINGS (week 4)

BOYS CROSS-COUNTRY TOP 25

There wasn’t a whole lot of movement this week as Christian Brothers Academy stays on top for the second straight week following its easy victory at the Monmouth County Championships on Tuesday at Holmdel Park. CBA held out its seniors and still averaged 16:54.8 in an 81-point win over #22 Holmdel.

A couple Group 4 teams, which occupy 12 of the top 19 spots, climbed a few spots.

Ridge went from #11 to #9 after averaging 16:39.0, No. 2 all-time at Pleasant Valley Park, in its 41-47 win over No. 12 Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday at the Somerset County Championships.

Old Bridge went from #10 to #7 after its 16:40 average and 22 point win over Bridgewater-Raritan at last Saturday’s Old Bridge Classic at Thompson Park in Jamesburg.

The big one on tap for this weekend is tomorrow’s matchup between No. 8 Don Bosco Prep and No. 16 Ridgewood in the A Division race at the Bergen County Group Championships at Darlington Park in Mahwah.

There will also be some hot rematches over the next week, starting today with a showdown between No. 13 Cherokee, No. 19 Lenape and No. 20 Shawnee at the Olympic Conference Championships at Gloucester County College. Cherokee came out on top when they met last week at Burlington County Open with Lenape second and Shawnee third.

No. 9 Ridge will square off with No. 12 Bridgewater-Raritan again at the Skyland Conference Championships on Thursday at Pleasant Valley Park in Bernards Township.

No. 13 Cherokee, No. 19 Lenape and No. 20 Shawnee. Cherokee beat both of these teams at the Burlington County Open with Lenape second and Shawnee third.

Others teams in action this week include #6 Westfield, which should runaway with the Union County title on Wednesday at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth.

Rank-Team (Previous rank)

1-Christian Brothers (1)
2-Haddonfield (2)
3-Toms River North (3)
4-Millburn (4)
5-West Windsor-Plainsboro North (5)
6-Westfield (7)
7-Old Bridge (10)
8-Don Bosco Prep (6)
9-Ridge (11)
10-East Brunswick (8)
11-Southern (9)
12- Bridgewater-Raritan (12)
13-Cherokee (13)
14-West Windsor-Plainsboro South (14)
15-Hopewell Valley (15)
16-Ridgewood (16)
17-Randolph (18)
18-Mendham (19)
19-Lenape (21)
20-Shawnee (17)
21-Ocean City (20)
22-Holmdel (22)
23-Delsea (23)
24-Red Bank Catholic (24)
25-Wallkill Valley (25)

NEW JERSEY GIRLS XC TOP 25

As the unofficial championship season closes its second week, the top six teams in the DyeStat New Jersey girls cross-country Top 25 held firm.
Hillsborough, in action for the first time since it started paying rent at the top spot two weeks ago, finally grabbed the Somerset County title it so longed after watching #9 Ridge win the title the last eight years.
Ridge was second at the meet, #16 Bernards moved up to spots after placing third and #17 Pingry placed fourth.
Hillsborough’s average of 19:38.4 is #2 all-time in meet history at Pleasant Valley Park in Bernards Township. PVP has hosted the county event since 1996.
Hillsborough will put its #1 slot on the line for the second straight week on Thursday in the Skyland Conference Championships, also at Pleasant Valley Park. The meet is loaded, with #2 Voorhees, #3 Hunterdon Central, Ridge and #10 North Hunterdon all in action.
#4 Red Bank Catholic, powered by a 1-2 finish by Molly McNamara (18:43) and Michelle Capozzi (18:55), captured the Monmouth County title at Holmdel Park. RBC jammed four in the top nine and averaged a solid 19:46.8. #20 Howell placed second.
#5 Randolph was busy earlier this week, winning the American Division title of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, 32-67, over #21 Roxbury at Freedom Park in Randolph. #22 Morris Knolls was third and #25 Morristown was fourth.
Also at Freedom Park, #7 Pope John won the NJAC National Division title after six straight years of winning team trophies in the now-defunct Sussex County Interscholastic League.
The biggest poll mover of the week is #15 Southern Regional, which moved up nine spots for placing second behind #6 Toms River North, 53-59, at the Ocean County Championships at Ocean County Park in Toms River. Chelsea Cox (18:36) and Corrie Getheard (18:50) earned a 1-2 finish for Southern, but North had its sixth runner in before Southern's fourth.
A big South Jersey shakeup is possible today at the Olympic Conference Championships at Gloucester County College, where #12 Cherokee, #13 Lenape and #14 Bishop Eustace are in action.

Other Top 25 teams in action include #8 Immaculate Heart and #11 Holy Angels in the Bergen County Group Championships on Saturday at Darlington Park in Mahwah. IHA is the defending champion in the Varsity A division and Holy Angels is the defending champion in Varsity B.

Rank-Team (Previous rank (Oct. 15)

1-Hillsborough (1)
2-Voorhees (2)
3-Hunterdon Central (3)
4-Red Bank Catholic (4)
5-Randolph (5)
6-Toms River North (6)
7-Pope John (8)
8-Immaculate Heart (9)
9-Ridge (10)
10-North Hunterdon (12)
11-Holy Angels (13)
12-Cherokee (NR)
13-Lenape (7)
14-Bishop Eustace (15)
15-Southern Regional (24)
16-Bernards (18)
17-Pingry (14)
18-Haddonfield (16)
19-Delsea (17)
20-Howell (19)
21-Roxbury (20)
22-Morris Knolls (21)
23-Williamstown (22)
24-Seneca (23)
25-Morristown (25)