by Ed Grant
Boys - Girls
Here is my New Jersey all-state team with a little comment to boot:
Though it was no surprise, the failure of the Newark Star Ledger to select Bryan Scotland of St. Benedict's tto its first all-state indoor track and field team is a total disgrace to American journalism.
Few even in New Jersey know what is behind this deliberate discrimination against a boy who was the top runner in the state this past winter. Bryan led the nation in the 800M until the final week of the season and also ranked among the best at 1000 meters and the mile. He is an honor student who will attend the prestigious Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania next fall. So why did the Ledger not give him his proper due?
This story goes back three years when the scholastic sports department of the paper was told by the central office that it could no longer select athletes for all-state or all-area honors unless their school was a member of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Aassociation. The school department was told it could not protest the policy, not even mention it. To this date, the Ledger has given no explanation for why the policy was adopted, but it is no secret that it was aimed particularly against the St. Benedict's soccer team which usually has several boys from other countries (chiefly Latin Americans) on its roster.
The policy suffered a severe embarrassment last year when the school department was told it had to select an all-state girls' hockey team to go along with the boys' squad. They protested that there were only a handful of girls' teams in the state, the most prominent being two non-member schools, Lawrenceville and Peddie, each of whom has its own rink. They were told to pick the team anyway even if it had to include players from those schools. So, in the same issue, the boys and girls teams were printed, the boys without any Lawreneceville or Peddie players, the girls first team entirely composed of students at the two schoos.
With this prelude, we present the New Jersey Track indoor all-statre track and field team with two "banned" athletes on the first team: Bryan in the 800M and Brian Cortina of Hun, third at the Landover meet, in the shot put
Boys
FIRST TEAM 55M Latif Brewer, Union Junior
200M Bryant McCombs, Old Bridge Junior
400M Shaquan Brown, Paterson Kennedy Junior
800M Bryan Scotland, St. Benedict’s Senior 1600M Greg Leach, Christian Brothers Junior
3200M Joe McKenney, Cranford Sophomore
HH Chris Haley, Union Senior
HJ Chris Haley, Union Senior
PV Anthony Abitante, Berkeley Heights Senior
LJ Jamar Byrd, Vineland Senior
TJ Harold Blyden, Bergenfield Senior
SP Brian Cortina, Hun Senior
800R Winslow Twp
1600R Seton Hall
3200R Colts Neck
4MR Cranford
SMR St. Benedict’s
DMR Colts Neck
SHR Irvington
SECOND TEAM
55M Thomas Walls, Wilson Junior
200M Trini Flavaney, Sayreville Senior
400M Carl Smith, Camden Senior
800M Rob Novak, Bordentown Senior
1600M Joe Simpson, Southern Ocean Senior
3200M Chris Horel, Christian Brothers Junior
HH Danny Oquendo, Hackensack Senior
HJ Justin Frick, Freehold Boro Junior
PV Matt Bradley, Matawan Senior
LJ Mike Turner, Phillipsburg Senior
TJ Kyle Lindsey, Paterson Eastside Sophomore
SP Steve DiGiorgio, Bayonne Senior
800R Camden
1600R Camden
3200R Christian Brothers
4MR Seton Hall
SMR Bordentown
DMR Christian Brothers
SHR Union
THIRD TEAM
55M Bruce Owens, Deptford Senior
200M Austin Casey, Parsippany Hills Senior
400M Marcel Van Eeden, Mendham Senior
800M Mikey Pachella, Wallkill Valley Junior
1600M Anthony LaMastro, Pope John Junior
3200M Ben Massam, Chatham Junior
HH Tyrell Ross, Clearview Senior
HJ Oderick Turner, Teaneck Senior
PV Brad Lawrence, Voorhees Senior
LJ A.J. Parillo, South River Senior
TJ Dan Oquendo, Hackensack Senior
SP Sal Delhierro, Toms River East Senior
800R Irvington
1600R Willingboro
3200R Seton Hall
4MR Morris Hills
SMR Lakewood
DMR Seton Hall
SHR East Brunswick
Girls
FIRST TEAM 55M Shavon Greaves, Lakewood Sophomore
200M Symone O’Connor, Franklin Sophomore
400M Krystal Cantey, Winslow Twp Junior
800M Janine Davis, Queen of Peace Senior
1600M Danielle Tauro, Southern Ocean Sophomore
3200M Ashley Higginson, Colts Neck Sophomore
55H Trier Young, Neptune Senior
HJ Alaina Alfano, Hanover Park Senior
PV Julianne Toto, Middletown South Senior
LJ Alaina Alfano, Hanover Park Senior
TJ Danielle Kroll, Indian Hills Senior
SP Daria Zivanovic, St. Dominic Acad Senior
800R Woodrow Wilson
1600R Hopewell Valley
3200R Ridgewood
4MR Colts Neck
SMR Hopewell Valley
DMR Roxbury
SHR Jackson
SECOND TEAM
55M Toneisha Friday, Franklin Junior
200M Krystal Cantey, Winslow Twp Junior
400M Tiffany Grant, Ocean Twp Junior
800M Emily Sherrard, Hopewell Valley Junior
1600M Leah Brogan, Msgr. Donovan Senior
3200M Karen Guthrie, Mendham Senior
55H Sonya Sullivan, Manchester Twp Senior
HJ Bianca Stewart, Columbia Freshman
PV Kristen Hafford, Warren Hills Junior
LJ Celeste Holder, Parsippany Junior
TJ Sherashi Franklin, Paterson ES Junior
SP Sable Sweeper, Passaic Senior
800R Franklin
1600R Franklin
3200R Morris Knolls
4MR Pope John
SMR Willingboro
DMR Ocean City
SHR Woodrow Wilson
THIRD TEAM
55M Shardae Anderson, Paulsboro Senior
200M Toneisha Friday, Franklin Junior
400M Celeste Holder, Parsippany Junior
800M Stephanie Herrick, Wayne Vall. Senior
1600M Jenn Ennis, Roxbury Junior
3200M Jen Clausen, Jackson Junior
55H Bryanna Johnson, Jackson Senior
HJ Jessica Malacrida, Paramus Senior
PV Robin Friedman, Hillsboro Junior
LJ Sable Loper, Wilson Junior
TJ Shenise Halsey. Old Tappan Junior
SP Amanda Marshall, Hightstown Senior
800R Piscataway
1600R Willingboro
3200R Colts Neck
4MR Ridgewood
SMR Franklin
DMR Msgr. Donovan
SHR Willingboro
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