Cross country team shows well at MCC

Lawrence cross country

By: Jim Green
   The Lawrence High School boys cross country team kept improving right up to the end of the season, culminating in solid performances at the Mercer County Championships and the Central Jersey Group IV sectional meet.
   Lawrence finished eighth at counties Oct. 28 at Veterans Park in Hamilton, tallying 244 points as all seven runners achieved personal bests.
   "The county meet turned out to be the highlight of the season," Lawrence coach Dave O’Neal said. "They’re setting the stage up for a great year next year."
   Those seven runners included Brendan O’Brien, Kevin Raymond, Mike Scott, Mike Duke, John Stever, Adam Hinson and Joe Tissot. The biggest jump was had by Duke, who improved on his previous best time by 25 seconds.
   "Mike Duke ended his career on a high note," O’Neal said. "His time was by far his best. As a senior, he stepped up."
   For a Lawrence team that suffered through a rash of injuries this year, eighth place was a very respectable finish.
   "Our goal coming into the season was to finish seventh," O’Neal said. "With all the injuries, to come up one spot short of that was a good job."
   On Saturday, the Cardinals closed the season with a solid showing at the CJ IV meet in Holmdel. Lawrence finished 17th in the section, receiving several fine performances, including those by O’Brien (18:46), Raymond (19:10), Scott (19:38), Hinson (20:48), Stever (21:00), Tissot (22:14) and Ben Muzi (22:39).
   That effort was a fine cap to a strong building-block season for Lawrence.
   "I would definitely consider it a success," O’Neal said. "I know we came up short of some of the program’s goals we set. But the goal of being a team — finding out what the sport is about. The amount of learning was extraordinary for the team. They really started to understand the group concept and what it takes to be a championship team. They understand that now.
   "In that idea, they came a long way. They’re ready to make the commitment to the sport and take the next step to be a highly competitive team."