Boys Preview

Group 4

Robby Andrews is the obvious individual favorite. But the team picture isn’t so clear cut.
Andrews, a senior at Manalapan who was fifth in this race last year and fourth at the Meet of Champions, won the Central Jersey, Group 4 title in 15:55. Barring a big upset, Andrews should become the first state champion from Manalapan since Tom Fischer captured his second straight Group 3 championship in 1981.
In the team competition, the stacked and wide open field includes No. 7 West Windsor-Plainsboro South, No. 9 Old Bridge, No. 10 Toms River North, No. 11 Randolph, No. 13 Cherokee, No. 16 Washington, No. 17 Ridgewood, No. 18 Cherry Hill East, No. 19 Southern and No. 20 Manalapan.
West Windsor South, the Central Jersey winner, and North Jersey, Section 1 champion Randolph, are each seeking their first state title. Those two, plus Toms River North, averaged very similar times on different courses in winning sectional titles.
West Windsor South, led by junior Sam Macaluso and senior Kevin Foy, averaged 16:45 and defeated Old Bridge, 52-66, at the Central Jersey meet.
Randolph, which has gotten a tremendous lift from former football player Lou Catzione at the front of its pack, ran for an average of 16:47 when it ended Ridgewood's streak of six straight North Jersey, Section 1 titles.
In South Jersey, Toms River North finished first and averaged 16:43 in its 98-107 win over Cherokee.
As for the spreads between each team's 1-5 runners, West Windsor South had a 73-second gap, Randolph 76 seconds and Toms River North 83 seconds.
Another team to keep an eye on is Ridge. Although it averaged just 17:31 in its three-point triumph over Bridgewater-Raritan in North Jersey, Section 2, Ridge ran 16:54 in its previous race at the Skyland Conference Championships at Pleasant Valley Park. And Ridge, the state Group 3 champion in 2006, had a 54-second spread at the conference meet and 60 seconds last week.
Cherokee will be trying to extend its remarkable streak to 12 straight berths in the M of C.

Teams

The best: West Windsor South, Old Bridge, Manalapan, Randolph, Ridge, Toms River North, Cherokee, Washington, Bridgewater-Raritan, Ridgewood, Southern, Cherry Hill East.
The rest: Livingston, Clifton, Kearny, Westfield, Dickinson, Hunterdon Central, East Brunswick, Colts Neck.

Individuals

The best: Robby Andrews, Manalapan; Taro Shigenobu, Ridgewood; Mark Leininger, Colts Neck; Joe Kotran, Toms River North; Sam Macaluso, West Windsor South; Jordan Magath, Hillsborough; Daniel Rondon, North Bergen; Chris Banafato, Bridgewater-Raritan; Max Mittelmnan, Mainland.
The rest: Lou Catizone, Randolph; Brian Mendez, Kearny; Anthony Bellitti, Ridge; Maanek Kumar, Piscataway; Kevin Fot, West Windsor South; Ryan Garvin, Lenape; Aaron Lewkow, Toms River North

Predictions: Andrews will sit and kick for the win around 16:00 and West Windsor South grabs its first title in a tight finish over Toms River North with Randolph grabbing the third and final automatically qualifying spot..

Group 3

This has all the makings of race for the ages.
There has never been a group race in which more than three runners have broken 16 minutes, but with arguably the deepest collection of talented runners in meet history toeing the line, there’s a strong possibility that as many as seven runners could rip a sub 16. But if the forecast for rain on race day is accurate, the wet course would most likely slow the times down.
And the course record team average of 16:15.2 (CBA in 2005) could also be challenged by West Windsor North, but the chances of that happening depend heavily on the weather.
Joe Rosa of West Windsor North, defending champion Brett Johnson of Ocean City, Tyler Udland of Millburn and David Forward of Shawnee have all broken 16 at Holmdel this season,. Meanwhile, Sean Pohorence of Morris Hills, Jim Rosa (Joe’s twin) of West Windsor North and Mike Franklin of Mendham are all capable of running under 16 under good conditions.
Rosa, a sophomore, is the only runner in the state that is undefeated in major meets (he has allowed teammates to finish ahead of him in duals) and ran a Holmdel sophomore course record of 15:38 when he won his race at the Shore Coaches Invitational on Oct. 4.
This is the first time this season that Rosa will meet Johnson or Udland, and it’ll be the third time Johnson and Udland meet after splitting their two races.
Johnson ran 15:44 to finish first and Udland was second in 15:48 at the Shore Coaches meet. Udland avenged that defeat the following week at the Manhattan Invitational. Forward ran 15:59 when he was second to Rosa at the Shore Coaches Invitational.
Rosa can’t wait.
``Any one of four or five guys can win,’’ said Rosa. ``There will be such a big pack of great runners. It’s going to be a great race and it could take 15:30 or under to win.’’
Only three runners in state history have run under 15:30 on the current Holmdel layout, which has been used since 1979.
Rosa knows Johnson has the edge if the race is close late.
``If we leave it too close, he’ll probably get us since he obviously has the fastest leg speed,’’’ said Rosa. ``So a faster pace would probably favor me and Udland.’’
Johnson, the M of C 1,600 winner last spring, said he’s not worried about what pace everyone else runs.
``I know I have to stay under control in the first mile,’’ said Johnson. ``My best races come when I stay relaxed, react to what is going on around me and negative split. It’s okay with me if I am behind by five seconds or so at two miles because I know I can make it up at the end. Form the tennis courts to the finish I usually keep getting faster and faster. I consider myself the underdog and will do everything to stay in contention and run the race the best way I know how.’’
The team race should also be interesting. West Windsor North, No. 2 in the state and No. 19 nationally, is favored to repeat, but with No. 5 Morris Hills, No. 6 Mendham, No. 8 Millburn, and No.12 Ocean City, and No. 15 Kingsway in the field, there’s a chance that both wild cards will come out of this race.
Last year, Morris Hills was the favorite, but was upset by West Windsor North.
``That’s all kind of switched around this year,’’ said Rosa. ``But we know how good Morris Hills and the other teams are, so we aren’t overlooking anyone. We will have to run a great race to win.’’
As for the course record average, Rosa wasn’t about to make a prediction, but didn’t rule it out.
``Don Bosco (No. 1 in N.J. and No. 7 in the nation) could get it and who knows, maybe we can too,’’ said Rosa. ``But the most important thing is that we win and run something comparable to Don Bosco so we can gain more confidence for the Meet of Champions.’’

Teams

The best: West Windsor North, Morris Hills, Mendham, Millburn, Ocean City, Kingsway, Holmdel, Shawnee, Moorestown,
The rest: Old Tappan, Mount Olive, Sparta, Wayne Hills, Morristown, Phillipsburg, Scotch Plains, Hopewelll Valley, Hightstown, Northern Burlington, Highland Reg.

Individuals

The best: Joe Rosa, West Windsor North, Brett Johnson, Ocean City, Tyler Udland, Millburn, Sean Pohorence, Morris Hills, David Forward, Shawnee, Jim Rosa, West Windsor North, Mike Franklin, Mendham, George Galasso, Holmdel, Liam Tansey, Morris Hills, Tyler Corkedale, West Windsor North, Ryan Sleeper West Windsor North, Ryan Culbreath, Kingsway, Phil Wood, Lacey

The rest:
Dayne Mosconi, Tenafly, Tommy Gaidus, Northern Highlands, Martin Sweeney, Scotch Plains, Brian Robinson, Millburn, Dan Kirschner, Millburn, Mike Bowden, Northern Burlington, Jon Squeri, West Windsor North,Tyler Hendrickson, Morris Hills, Vinny Chiusano, Morris Hills, Kyle Gorczynski, Highland Reg,,
Predictions: Joe Rosa will run around 15:35 to win and lead West Windsor North to a second straight title. Morris Hills will get second and Mendham third.

Group 2

This will probably be the most lopsided team race of the day as Haddonfield, No. 4 in The Star-Ledger Top 20, doesn't appear to have a legitimate threat in its quest for a third straight title and 11th overall.
Individually, South Jersey winner Jon Vitez of Haddonfield is favored to make it two straight, but he should get a push from North Jersey, Section 2 champion Chris Johnson of Gov. Livingston.

Haddonfield is coming off a near-perfect score of 16 in winning the South Jersey title and should post the lowest score of the day in this one.
The battle for the other two automatic qualifying spots should be a dandy between Cinnaminson, Chatham, Summit, Wallkill Valley and Indian Hills.
Summit is seeking its first trip to the M of C after narrowly missing last year. It finished fourth, just six points behind Bernards, which grabbed the third and final qualifying spot. But Summit must bounce back from a subpar race at the North Jersey, Section 2 meet, where it placed second, 45-54, to a surging Chatham team. Summit was 3-0 vs. Chatham on the season prior to that race.
Wallkill Valley, a program on the rise, is also eyeing its first trip to the M of C after its thrilling 63-65 victory over Indian Hills in the North Jersey, Section 1 race.

TEAMS

The best: Haddonfield, Wallkill Valley, Indian Hills, Cinnaminson, Chatham, Summit, Red Bank.
The rest: Pascack Hills, Delsea, Bernards, Gov. Livingston, Cranford, Newton, Ramsey, Matawan, Point Pleasant Beach, Rumson, Pinelands, Bridgeton, Pleasantville.

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Jon Vitez, Haddonfield; Chris Johnson, Gov. Livingston; Colin Baker, Haddonfield; Thomas Bragen, Point Pleasant Boro; Max Sparshatt, Rumson; Rob Albano, Pequannock; Taylor Trumbetti, Pascack Hills; Alan Zaccone, Mahwah, and Ray Schlitt, Haddonfield.
The rest: Josh Baker, Chatham; Nick Beckmann, Jefferson; Mike Galonski, Newton; Brandon Chiesa, Wallkill Valley; Todd Campbell, Cinnaminson; Matt Metlitz, Red Bank; Peter Thorpe, Spotswood; and Ben Potts, Haddonfield.

PREDICTIONS: Haddonfield, with Vitez grabbing individual honors in approximately 16:00, will put its first five in the top 20 and score in the mid-30s to win comfortably, improving its state-title total to 11, No. 4 in state history.

Group 1

Dave Oster has waited a year for this race, and the junior at Verona is determined not to let this chance slip away.
Last year, Oster came out on the wrong end of a memorable sprint duel with Mickey Borsellino of Haddon Heights. Both runners ran 16:19, but Borsellino was half a step ahead.
"Yeah, it's been a big goal of mine to get back to this race and win it," Oster said. "It was tough losing such a close race last year. Hopefully, I can get the win this time."
Oster will have to deal with another very talented Haddon Heights runner in senior Josh Black, the South Jersey winner in 16:37.
If Oster wins, he would be the first state champion from Verona.
In the team race, Haddon Township looks like the favorite after dethroning Haddon Heights, the 2007 Group 1 champion, for the South Jersey, Group 1 crown by a 32-45 margin last week. But if Haddon Township has an off day, first-time sectional champions Robbinsville (Central Jersey), North Warren of Blairstown (North Jersey, Section 1) and Verona (North Jersey, Section 2) as well as Haddon Heights are all capable of winning.
Haddon Township is seeking its first title since 1988 and its sixth overall.

The best: North Warren, Verona, Robbinsville, Haddon Township, Haddon Heights, Leonia and Metuchen.
The rest: Mountain Lakes, Saddle Brook, Pompton Lakes, McNair Academic, Palisades Park, Belvidere, Whippany Park, Shore Regional, Henry Hudson, New Providence, Pennsville, Woodstown and Penns Grove.

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Dave Oster, Verona; Josh Black, Haddon Heights; Victor Lopez, Leonia; Nick Lachman, Robbinsville; Patrick Rono, Lyndhurst; Matt Giacobbe, Cedar Grove; Mike Hookham, Middlesex, and Pat Rochford, Bogota.
The rest: Louis Schiedeler, Westwood; Stephen Lewandowski, Mountain Lakes; Ben Singleton, Univertsity Charter; Joel DeLeo, Hudson County Prep; Kyle Hannis, Dunellen; Chris Hubler, Haddon Township, and Colin Lynch, Haddon Heights.

PREDICTIONS

Oster runs around 16:20 to win and Haddon Township takes a tight one over Haddon Heights.

Non Public A

Don Bosco Prep versus Christian Brothers Academy.
It is one of cross-country's best rivalries and promises to provide another thrilling chapter when the titans clash again for a state championship.
Don Bosco Prep of Ramsey, No. 1 in The Star-Ledger Top 20 and the Northeast and No. 7 nationally, and Christian Brothers of Lincroft, No. 3 in the state and No. 5 in the Northeast, have combined to win the last 13 titles. Christian Brothers won 11 straight from 1995 through 2005 and Don Bosco has taken the last two.
Last year, Don Bosco finished first with 55 and CBA was second with 71. But CBA is stronger than it was a year ago, so the outcome is expected to be closer.
Don Bosco, the state's only undefeated team, beat CBA at the Manhattan Invitational on Oct. 11 when it scored 154 points and averaged 13:04.92 over Van Cortlandt Park's 2.5-mile course. Christian Brothers was sixth with 221 and averaged 13:18.69.
Since then, both teams are unbeaten. Don Bosco ran a course-record 15:42.1 to win the Bergen County M of C at Darlington Park on Nov. 1. Christian Brothers won the Shore Conference title with an average of 15:53.8, No. 2 in course history, at Ocean County Park on Oct. 30.
"We know we're going to have to run our best to win," said Syracuse-bound Rob Molke of Don Bosco. "CBA has been getting better every week and has a very strong pack, so it should be a great race."
For CBA to pull off the upset, it needs to put together its best race of the season. Tom Heath, CBA's veteran coach, is an expert at setting up a race plan at Holmdel, so if his team can execute it this could be a great finish.
If CBA wins, it would tie Bernards for the most titles in state history with 23.
Individually, Molke and Leighton Spencer of Don Bosco, Pat Schellberg of Delbarton of Morris Township, D.J. Thornton of Union Catholic of Scotch Plains, Bobby McGann of Red Bank Catholic and Mike Mazzaccaro of Christian Brothers should form a tight lead pack.
Molke ran 15:17.1 to win the Bergen County Meet of Champions and has a Holmdel best of 16:08.
Schellberg, Thornton and Mazzaccaro have all run 16:20 at Holmdel this season and McGann has a personal best of 16:21 at Holmdel. At the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference Championships last week at Warinanco, Schellberg won in 16:51.3 and Thornton, who slipped and fell in the mud, was second in 17:06.4.

TEAMS

The best: Don Bosco Prep, Christian Brothers, Red Bank Catholic, Delbarton, Pope John, Paul VI and St. Augustine.

The rest: Notre Dame, Bishop Eustace and Bergen Catholic.

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Rob Molke, Don Bosco; Leighton Spencer, Don Bosco; Pat Schellberg, Delbarton; D.J. Thornton, Union Catholic; Mike Mazzaccaro, Christian Brothers; Bobby McGann, Red Bank Catholic; Mike Rankin, Paul VI, and Phil Fanz, St. Augustine.
The rest: Conor Cunningham, Delbarton; Mike Belgiovine, Don Bosco; Dennis Smith, Christian Brothers; Dan Bailey, Christian Brothers; Ryan Mathews, St. Augustine, and Tom Hoban, Paul VI.

PREDICTIONS

Don Bosco's frontal attack with Molke and Spencer will be the difference as Don Bosco makes it three straight by about 12 points.

Non Public B

Doug Smith will look for an historic three-peat while Roselle Catholic and Pingry will square off in what should be a dramatic duel for the team title.
Smith, a senior at Gill St. Bernard's, is favored to become the first runner in Non-Public B history, and just the sixth boy in any group, to win three straight titles.
With a victory, Smith would join five all-time greats, Gene Fekete of Lower Camden County (1948-50); Russ Taintor of Brick (1965-67); Jason DiJoseph of Paul VI (1986-88); Brendan Heffernan of North Hunterdon (1990-92), and Matt Elmuccio of Westfield (1994-96), as the only runners in state history to capture three straight state titles.

Oskar Nordenbring of Montclair Kimberley won three Parochial B titles, but not in a row. He won in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
"Winning three in a row is definitely something that would mean a lot," Smith said. "It means I've been around for a long time and running well for a while."
After a slow start to the season by his standards (16:28 at the Shore Coaches meet at Holmdel on Oct. 4), Smith ripped a 15:29 to win at the state prep championships on Nov. 5.
"My plan all season has been to run my fastest in November and I feel I'm ready to do that," Smith said.
Smith was third at the M of C in 2006 and was one of the favorites last year before illness caused him to drop out midway through the race.
"I know I'm running out of time and want these next few weeks to be the best races of my career," Smith said.
Smith, who ran a personal best at Holmdel with a Non-Public B record of 15:44 last year, wants to make a statement with a fast time.

"Since I'm running in the first race to start the day, hopefully I'll give them (the other runners) something to look at," Smith said. "I want to put together a strong, full race and simulate the type of effort I'll need at the Meet of Champions. A definite goal would be something under my p.r. of 15:44."

In the team race, Roselle Catholic, the Non-Public B champion in 2004, and Pingry, which has won three of the past five years, are expected to have a great battle for the top spot. But also keep an eye on Newark Academy, which is coming off its first state Prep B title in 13 years and is seeking its first berth in the Meet of Champions.
Pingry has a big edge up front with Dan Schuchinsky and Matt LaForgia, who should get across before Roselle Catholic's first. So Roselle Catholic will most likely need to get four runners in before Pingry's fourth and get a big race from its No. 5 to rally for the win.
Schuchinsky and LaForgia should have a good battle for second with Paterson Catholic's Anthony Andrews , a sophomore star on the rise.

TEAMS

The best: Roselle Catholic, Pingry, Newark Academy, Gill St. Bernard's and St. Joseph (Hamm.).
The rest: Montclair Kimberley, Mater Dei, St. Rose and Moorestown Friends.

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Doug Smith, Gill St. Bernard's; Dan Schuchinsky, Pingry; Matt LaForgia, Pingry, Anthony Andrews, Paterson Catholic, and Bob Engel, Moorestown Friends.
The rest: Ben Press, Newark Academy; Travis Boscia, Roselle Catholic; Vinny Nicastro, Roselle Catholic, and Joe Skydel, Newark Academy.

PREDICTIONS

Smith will get his three-peat by putting up a solid 15:50 and Roselle Catholic captures its fifth title in a squeaker over Pingry

Girls

Group 4

Of the 20 teams that automatically qualified for the state Group 4 race, only four of them have ever won a state title. And of those four, only one, the defending champion, Toms River North, has a realistic shot at contending for another crown.
All of which means that the Group 4 battle is a wide-open shootout with as many as five teams -- Ridge, Randolph, Toms River North, South Brunswick and Hillsborough -- racing for the trophy.
Perhaps the team with the most to gain from winning is Ridge. This is coach Tim Mooney's best team and he's endured four straight runner-up finishes in Group 3, so he and his Basking Ridge team are certainly not lacking for motivation.
Ridge won its first sectional title in three years at the North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 meet last weekend.
"I think we have a good shot at winning," said Ridge's Richmond-bound Dana Guglielmo, who is aiming for the Holmdel Park school record of 18:47, set two years ago by former teammate Nicol Traynor, now at Richmond.
"I think we can run faster than last week," said Guglielmo, a senior. "There wasn't much competition last week, and once we have a bunch of other teams in the race we'll definitely go faster. None of us are nervous. We don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves, but if we're all healthy, we have a really good chance."
Randolph is enjoying a season that it ended a couple title droughts. Coach Len Pietrewicz's squad won its first Iron Hills Conference's Iron Division title since 1997 and won its first Morris County title since 1999. It captured its second straight North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 title on Saturday.
"It's definitely one of our goals now, to win state (title)," Randolph sophomore Joelle Amaral said. "Our goals at the beginning of the season was to win conference, county and sectionals. Now that we're here, we can definitely do it. There are some good teams but if we put together one of our best races, it's possible."

TEAMS

The best: Ridge, Toms River North, Randolph, Hillsborough and South Brunswick.
The rest: Cherry Hill East, Clifton, Colts Neck, Howell, Hunterdon Central of Flemington, J.P. Stevens of Edison, Livingston, Millville, North Hunterdon of Annandale, Ridgewood, Southern Regional of Manahawkin, Westfield, West Orange, West Windsor-Plainsboro South and Williamstown

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Jill Smith, Southern Regional; Katie Kellner, West Windsor-Plainsboro South, and Briana Jackucewicz, Colts Neck.
The rest: Joelle Amaral, Randolph; Natalie Anthony, Randolph; Cayla DelPiano, South Brunswick; Dana Guglielmo, Ridge; Caitlin Orr, Lenape; Jill Prentice, Montgomery; Angela Rugino, Toms River North; Maria Ruiz, Williamstown, and Ashley Smolinka, Hillsborough;

PREDICTIONS

Southern's Smith will win this race hands down in about 18:15, but the team race is not be so easy to forecast. Considering experience, the depth of each contender and the time separation of its pack between first and fifth runners, Ridge wins here in one of the state's tightest finishes.

Group 3

Kingsway junior Chelsea Ley could smash the Holmdel Park course record and not win the race.
It's a cruel reality Ley said she has already considered when thinking about her battle with Voorhees senior Lanie Thompson in the NJSIAA/Star-Ledger Group 3 Championship on Saturday at Holmdel Park.
The record is 17:35, set by Janet Smith of J.P. Stevens in 1983. Holmdel has served as the state's championship layout since 1979.
Ley posted a shocking 17:43, No. 3 in state history, at the Shore Coaches Invitational on Oct. 4. Thompson's career best at Holmdel is the 18:02 that she ran to win the Meet of Champions title last fall.
Ley also has one other nugget in her favor. On Oct. 30, the runner from the Gloucester County school became the first and only New Jersey girl to break 17 minutes on a certified 5-K course when she won the Tri-County Conference title at Cumberland High in 16:54.
Ley made it clear at the Shore Coaches meet -- and she reiterated it this week -- that she thinks she will break the record.
"We are evenly matched," Ley said. "If she winds up beating me with a record, she deserves it. It would be a huge letdown if I got the record and she beat me, but it would be because she deserved it. If she can do that she's definitely a great runner."
Ley may have the advantage of owning the better Holmdel time, but Thompson may have two factors in her favor. Thompson, who has won the last two Group 3 titles, is unbeaten in 10 career head-to-head meetings with Ley. And, whereas Ley is concerned with racing the clock, Thompson is focused on racing Ley.
Following a training session at Holmdel with her team earlier this week, Thompson said she hasn't been thinking about the course record, only the state title.
"Whoever wins will be running fast, that's for sure," Thompson said. "We always say to run the race, not the pace. I just plan on competing with Chelsea. I've never gone into a race having a plan for time. If Chelsea wins or we all run under 18 (minutes), it's something to be happy about. As competitive as I am, I'll be happy about a fast time."

TEAMS

The best: Voorhees, Hopewell Valley, Seneca and Holmdel.
The rest: Central Regional, Highland Regional, High Point, Middletown South, Millburn, Morris Hills, Morris Knolls, Morristown, Northern Highlands, Phillipsburg, Princeton, Roxbury, Shawnee, Timber Creek, Wayne Hills and West Windsor-Plainsboro North.

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Chelsea Ley of Kingsway and Lanie Thompson of Voorhees.
The rest: Tori Berard, Morris Knolls; Clare Buck, Hopewell Valley; Corinne Fitzgerald, Morris Hills; Julie Jablonski, Hopewell Valley; Megan Venables, Highland Regional; Laura Vigilante, Mendham, and Colette Whitney, Voorhees.

PREDICTIONS

If the course is in good condition -- the forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-50s and a chance of rain -- Ley will break the course record with a 17:30, but she'll be following Thompson, who will win her third straight Group 3 title with a course-record 17:28. Voorhees is too strong for Hopewell Valley and will claim its third straight title.

Group 2

Marielle Hall and her Haddonfield teammates may be competing in the one race on Saturday that won't be up for much discussion as far as predicting winners.
Hall, a junior, is the defending individual champion, and Haddonfield has won the last three Group 2 titles.
Just don't tell Johnson coach Cindy Calnen or Delaware Valley runner Julia Mark that the race has already been decided.
"I think we have realistic expectations," said Calnen, whose Clark team won its first Central Jersey, Group 2 title on Saturday. "I never say don't shoot for No. 1. However, the girls are very well aware of the depth Haddonfield has. That's not to say we're not going to give 'em heck. To be honest, for us it's more like let's get in (the Meet of Champions)."
Johnson is aiming for its first automatic berth for the M of C, which is can achieve by finishing among the top three teams.
Mark, a senior at the Hunterdon County school in Alexandria, is 2-3 in her last five meetings with Hall, both on the cross-country course and on the track. The last time they faced each other was the Shore Coaches Invitational Oct. 4, when Hall out-sprinted the Delaware Valley runner in the final 300 meters to win, 18:52.5 to 18:53.4.
Mark's last victory over Hall came in the outdoor track state Group 3 1,600 meter race, 5:11.39 to 5:12.84.
"It's pretty hard to pick one of us because in most races we're neck and neck at the finish," Mark said. "It will be interesting to see how it turns out on Saturday. I'd like to get down to 18:30 and not worry about mile splits. It's whoever has the better day, because we're going to run pretty similar times."

TEAMS

The best: Haddonfield, Johnson and Red Bank.
The rest: Barnegat, Chatham, Cranford, Delaware Valley, Delsea, Glen Rock, Hanover Park, Indian Hills, Mahwah, Madison, Manasquan, Pascack Hills, Ramsey, Rumson, Sterling, Summit and West Deptford.

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Marielle Hall of Haddonfield and Julia Mark of Delaware Valley.
The rest: Mallory Anderson, Madison; Kaitlin Chegwidden, Wallkill Valley; Alexandra Clinton, Ramsey; Emma Giantisco, Delaware Valley; Cathy Goncalves, Johnson; Kat Grimes, Chatham; Meghan McGlinchey, West Deptford, and Sara Vagie, Johnson.

PREDICTIONS

Hall will out-kick Mark by one second in around 18:25, while Haddonfield makes it four in a row.

Group 1

The state Group 1 championship race could end up serving as the sweetest redemption for Robbinsville's Megan Flynn.
Flynn, a junior, missed all but one cross-country race last fall because of tendinitis in her right knee and an Achilles' tendon. She carefully and patiently rehabbed until she was ready to go full speed which came last winter when she won the indoor track Group 1 3,200 meters in 11:25.83.
She capped her outdoor track season last spring by winning another Group 1 3,200 title, this time in 11:28.0.
Despite her success on the track, the possibility of a cross-country state title would be the one Flynn savors the most. She set up the biggest race of her career to this point by winning the Central Jersey, Group 1 title in 19:27.2 last weekend.
"Last cross-country season I didn't really do much, so I'm ready to show something," Flynn said after her rain-soaked effort on Saturday at Thompson Park in Jamesburg. "I'm going to go into it with confidence. I've put everything I have into my training and I'm ready for this moment."
If she is, indeed, ready, Flynn will be the first Mercer County girl to win a state title since Beverly Rockhill of Hamilton won the Group 4 title in 1979. That was the first year the state went to a 3.1-mile format for the girls.

TEAMS

The best: Haddon Township, Mountain Lakes, North Warren and Robbinsville.
The rest: Belvidere, Dayton of Springfield, Haddon Heights, Hasbrouck Heights, Kinnelon, McNair Academic, Maple Shade, Metuchen, New Providence, Pennsville, Pitman, Point Pleasant Beach, Shore Regional, Verona, Waldwick and Whippany Park.

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Brianna Feerst of Point Pleasant Beach, Megan Flynn of Robbinsville, and Kristen Landry of Mountain Lakes.
The rest: Elise Brevet, Metuchen; Olivia Clyde, New Providence; Elizabeth Eickelberg, Leonia; Rachel Greenberg, Pitman; Lindsey McKee, North Warren; Rachel Murray, Dayton, and Shona Potrzuski, Pitman.

PREDICTIONS

Flynn will win in 19:00, while Mountain Lakes will gain revenge on North Warren for its sectional defeat last week and grab its second state title and first since 2005.

Non Public A

The 2006 Non-Public A race featured the tightest finish in state group meet history, as the top four teams were within four points of each other.
Holy Angles won that year with a 69 points, followed by Msgr. Donovan with 71 and Red Bank Catholic and Pope John, each with 73.
This year's race could very well mirror that day two years ago, with Red Bank Catholic, Pope John, Holy Angels and Immaculate Heart as the leading contenders.
Based on results alone, it's hard to tell where the favorites begin and the contenders end, because it seems as if they have gone back and forth all season, taking turns beating each other.
Red Bank Catholic beat Immaculate Heart at the Bowdoin Park Classic on Sept. 20, but Immaculate Heart repaid the debt by beating Red Bank Catholic in the Eastern States Championship race at the Manhattan Invitational Oct. 11.
The only meet where all four contenders raced on the same turf on the same day was the Manhattan meet, where Pope John posted the fourth fastest five-runner average (16:06.8 for 2.5 miles) for a New Jersey team, while Immaculate Heart was sixth (16:15.4), Red Bank Catholic (16:33.0) was 10th and Holy Angels (16:54.6) was 15th.
More recently, Holy Angels leaped to stun Immaculate Heart, 47-70, at the Bergen County Meet of Champions Nov. 1.
Pope John won the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference title on Saturday, and although Immaculate Heart and Red Bank Catholic were in the field, they did not bring their full strength teams.

TEAMS

The best: Holy Angels, Immaculate Heart, Pope John and Red Bank Catholic.
The rest: Bishop Ahr, Bishop Eustace, Camden Catholic, Gloucester Catholic, Holy Cross, Holy Spirit, Immaculata, Msgr. Donovan, Notre Dame, Paul VI, St. John Vianney.

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Anjelica Brinkofski, Bishop Ahr; Michelle Capozzi, Red Bank Catholic; Sarah Cariati, Pope John; Krissa Loretto, Msgr. Donovan, and Sarah Pagano, Immaculate Heart.
The rest: Pauline Dabrowski, Msgr. Donovan; Chelsea Delaney, St. John Vianney; Maddy Fischer, Notre Dame; Jenny Heigis, Pope John; Erin James, Immaculata; Suzana Markolovic, Holy Angels; Molly McNamara, Red Bank Catholic, and Erin Thompson, Immaculate Heart.

PREDICTIONS

Pope John holds off Holy Angels to win its second state title in four years -- it won the Non-Public A title in 2005. Pagano, a senior, is the class of this field and will beat out Cariati to win in 18:35.

Non Public B

On Saturday, Ines Simoes learned a valuable race lesson.
Simoes, a sophomore at Roselle Catholic, had gotten used to racing alone and from the front while winning the individual titles at the Mountain Valley Conference and Union County meets last month at Warinanco Park's 3.19-mile dual meet course in Elizabeth.
But at the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference Championships on Warinanco's 3.25-mile championship course last Saturday, she was faced with a herd of talented runners. She ended up in fifth with a time of 20:08.71, 42 seconds slower than she had run there in September.
Simoes has her sights set on becoming Roselle Catholic's first Meet of Champions qualifier in four years. In fact, Simoes has a chance of winning and thereby becoming the first girl from her school to claim a group title.
Roselle Catholic coach Paul Irwin said she can do one or both of those things if she does not get intimidated by the lead pack.
"Saturday was the best thing that could have happened to her," Irwin said. "She was thrown off. She wasn't used to having girls around her. Does she have a chance to win? Absolutely. But she needs to remember that everybody in these races are good, so one move early in the race isn't going to shake the crowd."

TEAMS

The best: Mater Dei, Mount St. Mary, Our Lady of Mercy, Pingry and St. Rose.
The rest: Moorestown Friends, Mount St. Dominic, Roselle Catholic, St. Joseph (Hamm.), Villa Walsh, Wildwood Catholic,

INDIVIDUALS

The best: Ines Simoes, Roselle Catholic; Kristen Traub, Eastern Christian; Marie Walsh, Mater Dei, and Caroline Williams, Mount St. Mary.
The rest: Chrissy Casiello, Wildwood Catholic; Nicole Donahue, St. Rose; Annie Murphy, Oak Knoll; Ariel Quintana, Gill St. Bernard's; Liz Shaw, Mater Dei; Olivia Tarantino, Pingry; Melanie Wiechecki, Our Lady of Mercy, and Tara Wuko, Wildwood Catholic.

PREDICTIONS
Simoes will hand Walsh a close loss while crossing in 18:50, and Mount St. Mary will hold off Pingry and the defending champion, St. Rose of Belmar, as the Watchung school wins its first title since capturing back-to-back Non-Public B titles in 2002-03.