O.B. wins again, remains state’s top-ranked team
Shore Coaches Invitational is the latest win for the Knights
FARRAH MAFFAI Old Bridge’s Rich LaFergola crosses the finish line in sixth place on the Varsity A race at the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park on Saturday with a time of 16:36.
Rich Gebauer has been around a number of talented cross country teams as the head coach of the Old Bridge Knights, and before that, with Cedar Ridge.
It takes a lot to impress a coach with his kind of experience and success. However, impressed he is by what he has at Old Bridge this year.
The veteran coach fully admits that he’s never had a deeper, more experienced team than he has in 2001. The Knights have the chance to do some very special things this year, like winning a state championship. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime squad.
Old Bridge’s boys are currently ranked No. 1 in the state. The Knights have been thoroughly dominating in all of their invitational wins this year, including their most recent victory at Saturday’s Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park.
The Knights put their first five runners in the top 15 and easily outran Hunterdon Central, 47-78, to win the A Division race. Their five-runner team average of 16:44.9 was more than 30 seconds better than the B Division winners, Christian Brothers Academy of Middletown, the defending state champion and ranked No. 2 to Old Bridge.
"This is the best group that we’ve had," said Gebauer. "We’ve never had this many seniors with this much experience before. We have nine seniors on the team, and five are captains.
"This is the most quality that we’ve had," he added.
Old Bridge’s success this fall comes as no surprise. After all, the Knights were Greater Middlesex Conference and Central Jersey Group IV champions in 2000, and more importantly, finished third at the Meet of Champions.
"We only lost one senior from last year’s team," noted Gebauer. "Everyone else is back and they’ve made a lot of improvement.
"We’ve made progress with this group the last two years," he added. "We were sixth in 1999 and third last year at the Meet of Champions."
Can they move up to first? Their steady progress has led to high expectations, but the Knights are ready for it.
"The kids have set some nice goals," said Gebauer.
Among them, is winning the school’s first state title. Old Bridge has finished third at the Group IV state championships the last two years, and the Knight harriers would like nothing more than to bring that first state title back to the Old Bridge campus. A follow-up win at the MOC, which would solidify the Knights as the No. 1 in the state, would be icing on the cake. Old Bridge has what it takes to do just that.
"This is a very close-knit group," Gebauer remarked. "Everyone is together and is very team-oriented."
The Knights have five senior captains, Dan Harding, Paul Burke, Eric Jimenez, Justin Marquez and Tim Paule, who have been the cornerstones of Old Bridge’s rise to the state’s elite.
"It’s a very unique group," said Gebauer. "There’s no one voice. They do things as a team."
Marquez stands as a perfect example of the team approach at Old Bridge of putting the team before the individual. The senior twisted an ankle before a race early in the season and is just now starting to round into form. He isn’t in shape to run with the varsity just yet and had no hesitation about running and ultimately winning the jayvee race at the Shore Coaches.
"I’m real proud of Justin," said Gebauer.
At Saturday’s Shore Coaches Invitational, the Knights’ goal, in addition to winning, was to get five runners under 17:00, and they came oh so very close to the latter, while easily capturing the former.
Rich Lafergola (16:36) and Paule (16:38.1) led the Knights with sixth- and seventh-place finishes. Harding (16:38.7) and Ryan Bennett (16:47.3) were ninth and 10th. Jimenez was fifth, running a 17:04.5 in 15th place.
Paul Burke (17:17) and Brian McInerney (17:24.7), the team’s sixth and seventh runners, ran well themselves, finishing 21st and 24th.
"I was very pleased Saturday," said Gebauer. "There was a lot of enthusiasm from all of the guys."
On Saturday, the Knights will go to the Bronx, New York City, to run the legendary 2.5-mile Van Cortlandt Park course in the Manhattan Invitational. A good result here can further Old Bridge’s No. 1 status.
On the 20th, the Knights will defend their GMC title at Thompson Park, Jamesburg.
The state sectional is Oct. 27 at Holmdel Park and on Nov. 10, the Knights will look to capture the school’s first State Group title, also at Holmdel. The MOC is Oct. 17 at Holmdel.
There’s a lot of racing remaining in the season and many challenges awaiting the Knights. But they are a seasoned team with one goal in mind, and they know what it’s going to take to stay No. 1.