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DyeStat New Jersey
Conrad's Cross Country
State Meet Preview
by Conrad Haber
STATE MEET GROUP TO WATCH:
The Group IV race looks to be the cream of the crop as 9 teams from the top 20 will fight for the top spot in the state. The big battle will not be for 1st place but for 2nd. #3 Old Bridge, #4 Eastern, #5 Hunterdon Central, #6 Southern and #7 Toms River North will all square off against one another. With teams of this caliber it should be interesting to see what the outcome will be. Some of the pack teams (Toms River, Hunterdon Central) might be hurt by the ability of Eastern and Southern to throw 2 guys up in the top 10. That is not to say that Toms River and Hunterdon Central are not contendors. If either squad runs up to or beyond their potential an upset for 2nd would be possible. It should be a very interesting race. The only drawback from the race will be that the top 6 teams from Goup IV will not all qualify for the Meet of Champions, which is always unfortunate. This year Group IV contains the best competition in the state and it would be a shame for some of the top 10 teams not to compete in the best XC meet of the year (the Meet of Champions). But that is a another topic in itself, one that was decided on earlier in the year by the NJSIAA in favor of keeping the MOC to the Group champions, not necesarily the best team.
MEET OF CHAMPIONS PREVIEW:
Cherokee vs. CBA
At the beginning of the season the answer seemed simple, Cherokee. But as the season has progressed, so has CBA. CBA has steadily moved up in stature to being ranked #9 in the naiton, right behind #8 Cherokee.
Last week at their county meet, held at Holmdel (the site of the state meet), CBA split 16:39 - 16:52 for their 1 thru 5 on the tough course. Tight solid pack running, a formula that normally leads to success.
As of late Cherokee has been lacking a 5th man. Cherokee can compensate for this loss by putting both Pelerin and Joseph ahead of CBA's top runner. More importantly for the chiefs will be there 5th runner. To ensuer success he should be under 17:00. With the scoring at the MOC, putting teams only against teams (not counting indiv.) the front running of Pelerin will not be as big of a factor as once thought. But if Cherokees 5th man runs up to par the Chiefs should come away with a victory at the MOC, something not accomplished by a public school in as many years as I can remember. Good luck Chiefs!!
My prediction - Cherokee takes the Group IV and MOC crowns.
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