BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Old Bridge’s Matt Ciambrillo (above/left) picked a good time to run his best race ever at Holmdel Park, as his fifth-place finish propelled the Knights to the Group IV team championship on Saturday at Holmdel Park. Stephanie Lafergola (l) finished in 30th for the Old Bridge girls. Going into last weekend’s NJSIAA boys Group IV Championships at Holmdel Park, few people gave Old Bridge a chance to win the team title.
All eyes were on Toms River North (TRN), the third-ranked team in the state, and No. 4 Cherokee, with the fifth-ranked Knights generally considered the third best team in the field.
Justin Wheat (16:42), Brian Keating (16:47) and Nick DiChiara (16:54) wrapped up the championship effort, finishing 6-8-10 for the Colts’ 28-point total. The Colts’ 16:37.19 five-runner average was 17 seconds faster than No. 2-ranked Morris Hills averaged (16:54.81) in winning the Group III championship. In the field… The Old Bridge boys were not the only local competitors hoping to extend their season on Saturday at Holmdel Park as a number of local harriers participated in the various boys and girls races. The Spotswood boys team will also be making the trip back to Holmdel Park on Saturday, after finishing second in the Group II race. The Chargers averaged 17:47, well behind first-place Cranford (17:14), but enjoyed another strong meet nonetheless. Junior Brad Schepise set the pace for the Chargers with his 18th-place finish in 17:25, followed by junior Chris O’Dwyer (25th, 17:36), junior Garrett Andren (29th, 17:53), and a trio of seniors — Jim DeMarco, Chad Vidal and Steven Farapan — who finished 34th through 36th respectively. Sophomore Kevin VanDerveer also ran well for Spotswood, finishing in 52nd out of 145 runners. With so many underclassmen performing well, Spotswood can look forward to another solid season next year, and can use Saturday’s MOC as yet another learning experience. In the Group I race, the South River boys took 19th place, led by freshman Tony Gomez’s 39th-place finish (18:36) and junior Anthony Parillo’s 78th-place (19:27). East Brunswick senior Greg Bull has struggled with injuries as of late, but still managed to finish 27th in the Group IV race in a time of 16:56. His teammate, sophomore Eric Sorkin, showed promise for the next two years with a 47th-place finish, in 17:21. St. John Vianney senior Jared Mazur took 48th in the Parochial A race (18:14), while teammate Kyle Braun, also a senior, was 67th (18:43). The Old Bridge girls took 11th in the girl’s Group IV race with a 21:09 average. Roxbury won the team title with an average of 19:23. For the Knights’ sophomore Sarah Root was the top finisher in 18th place (20:08), followed by senior Stephanie Lafergola (20:35). Jackson’s Jen Clausen defended her individual title with a time of 18:25. Tim Morris contributed to this story Nobody will make that mistake again at this weekend’s Meet of Champions (MOC).
The Knights shocked both teams on Saturday by winning the team title at Holmdel Park, as sophomore Matt Ciambriello made the difference, running a 17:09, which was good for 36th place, and was 19 seconds better than his previous best at Holmdel. As the Knights’ fifth runner, Ciambriello’s finish was just enough to hold off TRN, who finished three points behind Old Bridge with 90 points.
GMC champ Umar Saeed had the top finish for Old Bridge, crossing the line in fourth in a time of 16:25, 15 seconds behind race-winner Brian Dennis, of Hillsborough. Chris Bezeg was next to finish for the Knights in 13th place (16:43), followed by Glen Li in 21st (16:52) and Frank Vulpis in 30th (17:01).
While Old Bridge’s average time of 16:49.82 was two seconds slower than that of Toms River North (16:47.81), it was Ciambriello’s surprising finish that sealed the title for the Knights.
Next up for the Knights is this Saturday’s Meet of Champions, where the top 10 individuals and top three teams from the Group championships all qualified automatically.
While the Knights will look to spring another surprise, there is no question who the favorite in the boys race will be.
The CBA Colts, who won the boy’s Parochial A championship last Saturday in easy fashion, 28-85, over second-place Seton Hall Prep, enter the MOC with little left to prove in the state, but with more on the line on the national level.
It has already been a season to remember for the Colts, who last month set the national record for consecutive cross-country dual meet wins with 266. It was a record that took 30 years of perfection.
At the MOC, the Colts will have the chance to not only confirm once again that they are the No. 1 team in the state, but they could earn a trip to the first-ever national championships, the Nike Team Nationals (NTN), Dec. 4 in Portland, Ore.
CBA is ranked No. 12 in the country in the latest national poll and No. 4 in the Northeast. A win in the MOC could secure CBA one of the four “wild card” entries to the nationals. The country is divided into eight regions for the purpose of the national meet, with the top two teams from each region automatically qualifying for the 20-team field. That leaves four wild card entries to be filled. With New Jersey being one of the deepest states in the country, and CBA owning the No. 12 ranking in the nation, a win Saturday should be all it takes to get the Colts to the first team national championship.
All the Colts will be thinking about Saturday, though, is winning the state championship.
“We’re going to try and do our best,” said coach Tom Heath of the MOC. “There’s nothing you can do about it [the NTN rankings].”
The Colts’ Chris Horel captured the individual gold, winning his duel with Pope John XXIII’s Anthony LaMastro. Horel posted a 16:19 for the 5K distance, while LaMastro was at 16:23 in second.
Third place was CBA’s Kevin Rogers in 16:27.