1. Old Bridge
2. CBA
3. Cherokee
4. Toms River North
5. Paul VI
6. Haddonfield
7. Middletown South
8. Eastern
9. Hunterdon Central
10. Don Bosco
The Streak will END!!! For as many years as any NJ cross country
fan can remember, the Meet of Champions has been dominated by Christian
Brothers Academy, a private school. Not any more. I know last year
I prophesized the triumph of public schools, penning Cherokee as
the favorite, but this year I REALLY am positive. Old Bridge is
poised to become the team that brings the MOC championship back
to the public schools.
Old Bridge returns the entire squad that finished 3rd overall
at the MOC last year with a team average of 17:02. Plus, look for
Dan Harding to be a seriouscontender for the MOC individual title
after his stellar outdoor season
where he ran 9:17 for the 2 mile.
Of course you can not count out CBA. Last year they happened to
find the right blend of guys to get the job done, so you can never
count them out. Even if they don't look or seem strong now I can
assure you they will make the race interesting.
As could Cherokee. Cherokee boasts the strongest front 3
in the state with Pelerin, Krieger and Mueller. Last year all three
finished in the top 10 at the MOC with times ranging from 16:01
- 16:30. Although their 4th and 5th runners look to be questionable,
the Chiefs still look tough. With the potential talent of an incoming
freshman (4:55 mile in 8th grade) and the if Steve Ridenour can
get back into his form of a few years past, Cherokee could be battling
it out with Old Bridge for the MOC title.
My favorite team this year is Haddonfield. No one will have
them penned in as contenders but I assure you, they are. If Skip
Stiles and Brenton Bonnette run XC and do not play soccer, as I
think they do in the fall, Haddonfield could be a monster. Stiles
is a 9:24 two miler and Bonette has run 9:55 for 2 miles. Combine
them with Platt, who will be on the top runners in the state, and
the return of their 4th and 5th runners who both ran between 17:30-17:50
at Holmdel and you have yourself a solid little squad. If Stiles
and Bonnette do not compete in XC, do not look for Haddonfield to
be mixing things up at the state level. They will, however, remain
dominant in Group II regardless.
Eastern maintains the traditions of years past with strong
front running and poor 4th and 5th men. Although I heard a rumor
that they are getting a very talented freshman, Eastern still has
there work cut out for them. They need to
tighten the gap between their lead runners and the rest of the pack
if they are to be successful. I heard that the freshman has run
some sick PR's on the track at AAU meets; so this year could be
interesting.
Hunterdon Central and Don Bosco will follow the pack
running mantra. No one outstanding as of yet to mention on either
squad but the season is young. If either these teams find a real
good lead runner they might be to give the better teams in the state
a scare at big competitions.
Paul VI is just tough. Take ten of there guys out and you
will see 10 more just like them filling the gaps. They may not have
a lead runner but it is hard to beat a team that is separated by
only 20 seconds between their 1st and
5th runners.
Toms River North looks to have a great year. Last year they
started strong but faltered a bit at seasons end. This year they
look to be up with the big boys. Although Cherokee and the other
top 3 teams may be a bit out of there league they are by no means
a weak squad. They return the team last year that was 11th at the
MOC and I guarantee they will run much better.
Middletown South is another squad that some might not consider.
Most will shun this team off but they are a force
to be reckoned with. Although their 5th man is a little weak, if
they were to see marked improvement in him, Midd. South could be
right with Paul VI in terms of pack running which would make them
formidable foes. Plus, Sean Rath and Danny Ciambre both broke 17
last year at Holmdel, leaving the possibility open that they could
be state caliber runners.
|
