Eastern’s Mike Myers won the mental battle with Ty Jensen for the second straight time.
At the Group IV meet, Myers surprised Jensen with his calculated surges, and it led to Myers’ reversing an early season loss to the Mustangs and winning the group title, while Jensen dropped back to fifth place and lost his first race of the season.
The two went at it again Saturday at the Meet of Champions with Jensen expecting more of the same from Myers. Myers again sped out to the front, grabbing a five-second lead at the mile but in an entirely different way.
"It was some move that Myers made," said Jensen. "It was a lot faster than last week. I felt like we were sprinting. Once he got away, I knew I was in trouble.
"Mentally, once someone gets away from you, it’s hard to catch them," he added.
As Myers got away from Jensen, Parsippany Hills’ Brian Boyett and Cherokee’s Marc Pelerin joined him in the chase.
"We were together going down the bowl, but on the flat section, Pelerin made a move, and I didn’t go with him," said Jensen. "I should have gone with him, but I didn’t think I could handle the pace.
"I’m doubting myself right now," he added. "If you want to run a good race, you can’t doubt yourself. Running is as much mental as it is physical."
While Myers would go on to win in 15:50.23 and Pelerin, second (16:01.5), Jensen struggled behind them, ending up 12th (16:24.48). The final mile, knowing he was out of contention, was a tough one for the Mustang, who had hoped to be circling the tennis courts vying for the lead.
Looking over a season in which he achieved so much, including becoming the first Marlboro Shore Conference champion and school record holder at Holmdel, Jensen was able to find a lot to be pleased with.
"I’m very mad I didn’t do well at the states," he said, "but I’m still happy with the season. I won the county, conference and Central Jersey, and I broke 16:00 (15:56.4) at Holmdel, which was one of my goals."
Jensen’s season is still not over. He’ll have the chance to erase the memories of the last two weeks at Saturday’s Foot Locker Northeast Qualifier at Van Cortlandt Park, the Bronx, N.Y. The first eight finishers will qualify for the Dec. 9 national championships in Orlando, Fla.
"Hopefully I can put together a strong race," noted Jensen. "No one will think of me as a contender after the last two weeks and that gives me a good chance.
"I have to stop thinking about everyone else and run my race," he added. "If I do that, I’ll be happy no matter what happens Saturday."
If Jensen were to finish in the top eight, he would be just the second Freehold District runner to compete in the National Championships. In 1981, Manalapan’s Tom Fischer finished fourth in the qualifier after winning the MOC title.
Colts Neck’s boys finished 16th in the team competition Saturday, which was won for the sixth straight year by Christian Brothers Academy (61). The Cougars (406) were led by Israel Payan, 33rd (16:49.5) and Jorge Ventura, 47th (16:58.28).
The Cougars’ Group I state champion girls were 18th (501). Ashley Liberatore topped the Cougars in 110th place (21:44.36).
Haddonfield Memorial’s Erin Donohue won the MOC for the second straight year in 18:27.92, and Hunterdon Central was the top team (95).