Knights dominate Stewart Invitational behind Harding
Old Bridge harriers are state’s top-ranked team
Old Bridge’s boys cross country lived up to its state No. 1 ranking with another pulverizing invitational victory Saturday.
One week after sweeping the senior, junior, sophomore and freshman division races at the Magee Invitational, the Knights were back at Warinanco Park in Elizabeth for the Stewart Invitational, where they romped to the A Division win with a low score of just 31. Runner-up Hunterdon Central was a distant second with 109, followed by East Brunswick, 118.
Dan Harding again paced the Knights with his third place over the looping 3.2-mile course that ends with a lap around the park’s track. Harding clocked 16:46 and behind him was a sea of purple and black. Rich LaFergola (16:54.32) was fifth, Tim Paule, seventh (16:57), Eddie Jimenez, eighth (17:06.8), and Ryan Bennett, ninth (17:07.8), completing the Knights’ total domination of the race.
The combined average time for the Knights’ five scorers was 16:58.4, easily the fastest of the day. Red Bank Regional, the B Division winners, had the second best time, averaging 17:18.38, almost 20 seconds off the Knights’ average.
The Knights were so strong that their sixth and seventh runners, Paul Burke (17:34) and Brett McInery (17:44) were 15th and 23rd overall.
Old Bridge was expected to have a head-to-head showdown with the team it replaced as No. 1 in the state, defending Meet of Champions winner Christian Brothers Academy, but the Colts ran their B team. Although the Knights will be in the A Division and the Colts the B Division at Saturday’s Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park, look for the two teams to be studying each other’s results carefully and comparing times. It will be the first time that they will have raced at the same meet this year, and whoever is the best that day will be the odds-on favorite to win the MOC on Nov. 17 at Holmdel Park.
East Brunswick’s third-place effort was led by Alex Shatskov. The junior posted a 17:10.83 and placed 10th in the race that went to Gary Reinhard of Morristown in 16:33. The week before, at the Battle of Monmouth Invitational in Manalapan, Shatskov won the Junior Division race and led the Bears to the team title there.
Cliff Gerber, also a junior, was 13th in 17:29 for the Bears and Mike O’Rourke, 22nd (167:44).
Over in the C Division, Spotswood’s Kevin Thorpe was 16th (18:24) helping the Chargers to a sixth place (181). The Chargers also got solid runs from Ricky Pace (18:44) and Mike Moriarty (18:56), who finished 22nd and 25th respectively.
Oskar Nordenbring from Montclair-Kimberly was the individual winner (16:43), and St. Rose of Belmar was the team champion (53).
In the girls’ A Division competition, Old Bridge’s Stephanie Zottoli clocked 20:29.22 to place sixth. Courtney Epps of Columbia won the race in 19:50.67.
Old Bridge’s girls were 10th (262) behind champion Middletown South (86).
East Brunswick’s girls were ninth (239) and were led by Erinn Goldenberg (21:26).