BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
Jim Schlentz did the math and had his Colts Neck (C.N.) High School track and field team losing to defending champion Matawan, ranked No. 2 in the Shore, by 18 points.
He could make a case for his team getting a few points closer with the breaks.
But as the Shore Conference A Central Division dual meet played out in Colts Neck last Wednesday, Schlentz had a change of heart.
“We can win this,” he told his athletes as they began to pile up the points on the track.
Soon, the “we can” became “we did.” The Cougars pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent years in the Shore Conference, knocking off a balanced Matawan team that just doesn’t lose dual meets, 72-68.
The defending division champion Huskies were coming off another undefeated season in 2004, a win in their division at the Huskie Relays, and they were the pick to defend their A Central Division crown because they had sprinters, hurdlers, distance runners, jumpers and throwers. In other words, the works.
Colts Neck wasn’t supposed to even be in the division picture. The Cougars had the distance runners, everyone knew that, but the consensus was that they didn’t have enough athletes elsewhere to win dual meets against quality teams with balance. The Cougars put that notion to rest emphatically, relying on their sprinters and jumpers to make the difference.
It was a win in the 4×400 relay at the end of the day, and second place in the triple jump by Evan Stivala that put the Cougars over the top.
Matawan, as expected, rolled up a big 26-1 advantage in the throwing events, winning all three (shot put, discus and javelin). As the attention turned to the track, and news of Matawan’s 25-point edge in the field events surfaced, it looked like another victory for the Huskies. Then slowly at first, and then quicker than a Craig Forys finishing kick, the lead evaporated.
Pat Six got it going with a win in the 100-meter dash (11.1), an event that was supposed to go to Matawan. He was third in the 200.
Marcus Lewis placed in the 100, providing points that added up big for the Cougars.
“Our sprinters were the unsung heroes,” Schlentz said. “It took all the little things, and our sophomores did a fantastic job.”
The feature race of the day was the 1,600 meters where Matawan’s Tom Walsh, fourth at last year’s outdoor Meet of Champions, went up against Forys. Walsh went to the front at the gun and was stalked by Forys for three laps. Walsh had the unsettled look of someone who was waiting for something bad to happen. It did on the gun lap when Forys struck. He unleashed a long, sustained kick that Walsh was able to match for 250 meters, but when Forys switched gears with 150 meters remaining, Walsh had no answer, and Forys coasted home, winning in 4:36.3. Zach Tedoff finished third for a one-three Cougar finish.
Tedoff returned for the 800, winning in 2:04.0. Just as important as his win was Brenden Krewer’s second place. The one-two finish chipped seven more points off the Matawan lead.
Ryan Jagielski was the Cougars’ start on the track, winning the 400 (51.4), another event that was winnable for the Huskies. Jagielski, though, was simply too strong. He would finish second to Matawan’s Ralph Pica (23.4) in the 200, limiting the damage of the Huskie win.
Forys came back in the 3,200 and paced teammate Joey Schauer to the win in 10:30. A last-lap kick by Ian Price gave the Cougars a sweep, knocking nine more points off Matawan’s once-solid lead.
Colts Neck caught a break in the pole vault. An injury kept Matt Bradley, one of the best vaulters in the state, from competing. In his absence, the Cougars’ Mike Moore finished first, 11-0, as Colts Neck claimed first and second with Devin Moore as runner-up.
Even with everything going Colts Neck’s way, Schlentz knew his team would still have to win the 4×400 relay. It was a race that was up for grabs until it was run. Matawan forged ahead on the first leg against freshman Hunter Karass. The entire feel for the race changed when he handed the baton to Jagielski. Trailing by close to 15 meters, Jagielski methodically gained ground over each of the first 100 meters of his leg. He was within striking distance with 100 meters to go and poured it on, relying on his 800-meter strength. Running another 51.7 400, he handed the baton to Jeremy Gaines with a 10-meter lead. When Matawan had trouble on its baton change, the race was all but over. Gaines extended the lead anyway, and Chris Clark polished the victory off with a strong anchor leg of his own, 51.9. The Cougars’ clocked 3:33.9.
The meet was now anyone’s coming down to the triple jump where Stivala, the field hero, loomed large. The sophomore had won the high jump (5-foot-8) and the long jump (20-0 1/4) already, and second place in the triple jump would put Colts Neck over the top. He did just that, placing second behind Matawan’s Rasheed Edwards (40-11).
And just like that, the Cougars had their upset. They are now 2-0 in the division and Matawan, 2-1.
“Everyone was really excited,” Schlentz said.
The Cougars, Schlentz warned, will not have a smooth ride to the division championship. Raritan, a balanced team much like Matawan, will be a tough team to beat. The Rockets are 2-0. The dual meet between the Rockets and Cougars is May 2 in Colts Neck.
While the boys were pulling off perhaps their biggest dual-meet win ever, the Cougar girls took another step toward winning the A Central title for a second straight year with a dominating 93-47 win over Matawan. They are also 2-0.
Colts Neck’s winners were: Meryl Wimberly (200), Questera Letona (400), Ashley Higginson (800), Rachel Grande (1,600), Allison Linnell (3,200), Amy Lewis (100 hurdles), Jackie Austin (400 intermediate hurdles and triple jump), Jessica Pagliano (high jump), Gretchen Volherbst (pole vault) and Nicole Decker (discus).