Robinson hurdling heroics a major 2001 highlight
By: Rudy Brandl
Head track and field coach Jim O’Connor enjoyed his first season with the Hillsborough High boys for a variety of reasons.
O’Connor, a veteran with vast experience from coaching at other schools, got a chance to supervise the growth and maturity of young athletes while watching one standout reach his peak in his final season in the sport.
Senior Scott Robinson, who is headed to Virginia on a football scholarship, proved that he wasn’t looking that far ahead during the recent scholastic track campaign. Robinson came within .08 of winning a state title in the 110 high hurdles, but settled for second with a 13.74 time that ranks as one of the fastest in the country this year.
While Robinson was the only Raider male athlete to make the Meet of Champions, O’Connor has a stable full of quality runners ready to make an impact in 2002. Many of those younger athletes had outstanding seasons this year before running into big-time competition at the sectional and state levels. Robinson survived those elements and saved his best performance for the Meet of Champs.
"As the season went on, Scott got better and better and his races have been very clean," O’Connor said. "He went against some great competition in a lot of those races."
Robinson broke his own school record several times this spring. After winning the Skyland Conference and Somerset County titles with identical times of 13.8, he erased that mark at the Meet of Champions.
"I’m going out with a Meet of Champions medal," Robinson said. "I think that’s pretty prestigious, especially considering how good our state is in track."
Distance standouts Nick Vaccaro, Mike Klueber and Matt Lunemann learned about the rigors of state competition at the Central Jersey Group 4 Championships. Vaccaro ran his best time in the 3,200 but it still wasn’t good enough to qualify for the states. Vaccaro, fellow sophomore Klueber and junior Lunemann are determined to crack the CJ 4 scoring mix next year.
"You’re pretty confident coming in, but then you see guys running faster," Vaccaro said. "The competition is a lot different than running in a conference or county meet. You just have to do the best you can."
"We stepped up, but this keeps us hungry for next year," Klueber added "We have to get better for next year so our team can win some titles."
O’Connor certainly wasn’t down on his distance crew. He kept tabs on their improvement during the fall cross country and winter track campaigns. O’Connor is confident that continued hard work will lead to even greater results next season.
"I was hoping they could move on to Egg Harbor," O’Connor said. "They were just up against stacked fields. They work hard and they’ll get better. If they put in the same kind of effort for the next year, that whole level will come up a solid notch. It’s going to make us a real contender."
O’Connor has reason to feel optimistic about the future. Robinson and weight man Eric Westfall are the only major contributors graduating. Only three other seniors received letters Tom Polson, Daemon Snead and Caliph Santiago.
A promising crew of sophomores leads a talented list of eligible returnees. Vaccaro and Klueber will return to lead the distance crew, while sophomore hurdler Tony Flores figures to be a force. Flores did his best work in the 400 hurdles, taking third in CJ 4.
Robinson, Flores and Westfall were joined by two sophomores at the State Group 4 Championships. Pole vaulter Nick Confuorto and high jumper Jim Morley both reached personal-bests at the sectionals to keep their seasons alive.
Other underclassmen who contributed and received varsity letters this year included juniors Dan Goldklank and Tony Palmeiri, sophomores Tim Pultorak, Kevin Brommer, Tim O’Connor, Mike Amoroso and Hector Tirado and freshmen Aneil Sahota and Jake Novak, who cleared 5-10 in the high jump at the freshman meet.
"We have the makings of a very good team," O’Connor said. "There’s so many of those guys. Just let nature work for 12 months. They’ll get bigger, stronger and faster."