Cherokee-Washington Twp Dual Meet

2 of New Jersey's top 4 teams duel

9/22/99 at Deptford NJ

by Reuben Frank

DEPTFORD - Cherokee, ranked No. 2 in New Jersey, placed its first six runners before No. 4 Washington Township's fourth runner and cruised to a 24-34 Olympic Conference dual-meet win in a clash of two of New Jersey's top four cross country teams at Gloucester County College Wednesday.

Cherokee and Washington Township - who will meet five more times this fall - finished first and second in last year's state Group 4 meet and second and third in the state all-group meet.  

Washington Township's Bryan Skelly, the top junior in the state last year, was the overall winner in 15:54 over a rolling 5,000 meters. Cherokee soph Mark Pellerin (16:37) and junior Kevin Hurley (16:41) both finished ahead of Township's Mark Weems, a 1:56 half-miler in the spring.   Cherokee also placed seniors Mike Caputi and Gregg Robinson fifth and sixth in 16:54 and 16:55 and sophomore Steve Ridenour eighth. Township's No.  3 runner, Adam Driscoll, took ninth.  

Cherokee senior captain Joe Halin, a 9:29 two-miler in his first 5K race since missing a month of training with back problems, was the Chiefs' sixth man in 17:10.