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DyeStat New Jersey
Conrad's Cross Country
NJ Boys Rankings - Final
a competitive season of surprises
by Conrad Haber
Final New Jersey X-Country Top 20 Poll
1. CBA
2. Cherokee
3. Old Bridge
4. Delbraton
5. Don Bosco
6. Eastern
7. Memorial
8. Paul VI
9. Mount Olive
10.Middletown South
11.Toms River North
12.Hunterdon Central
13.Haddonfield
14.Cranford
15.Southern
16.Bridgewater-Raritan
17.Scotch Plains
18.Morristown
19.South Brunswick
20.Highland
This final poll was created by using the results of the Group Championships and the State Meet of Champions.
Not much that I can say in regards to this final poll, aside that this past season of cross country came to be one of the most competitive in recent memory. CBA came together at seasons end to defeat a very powerful Cherokee squad. Mike Myers rolled away to victory while the early season favoirte, Ty Jensen, finished 12th. Paul VI, one of the pre-season favorites for the Meet of Champions title failed to even qualify for the meet. It was a season for the fans, which in turn led to frustration for all of us stat geeks and poll creators like myself. Week in and week out the poll changed it's face several times to its present state. How about Haddonfield, the Group II state champs, coming out of nowhere to knock off Toms River North and Crandford at the MOC. The season was littered with surprises and will go down in recent memory as one of the best. When was the last time we had the 8th and 9th teams in the nation squaring off for the state title and bragging rights? It was drama like this that made this past Cross Country season one to remember.
So what will happen next year...will CBA retain the title? The answer: NO! And it will be at the hands of a public school: Old Bridge. Old Bridge finished 3rd at Groups and 3rd at the Meet of Champions. So why am I so sure that they will be the best team in the state next year? They are all sophomores and juniors. While Cherokee and CBA reload, Old Bridge will just improve on the superb talent they already have. Private schools may have dodged the bullet and retained the state title this year but next year they are going to be under the gun again. It should be exciting.
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