Sophomore becomes first-year phenom
By: Rudy Brandl
It’s not every day that a small school like Manville High finds an athlete who loves to run long distance. Sasa Todorovic emerged as one of those diamonds in the rough for the Mustangs this fall.
The MHS sophomore caught head coach Jim O’Connor’s eye early in the season and emerged as the team’s most talented runner. But that’s only part of the story.
Here’s the kicker the kid loves to run cross country.
There are plenty of teenage athletes who enjoy shooting hoops and tossing around a football. Running long distance can be painful, especially for somebody who’s new to the sport.
That didn’t stop Todorovic from falling in love with cross country.
"It’s challenging and it’s basically just you out there," Todorovic said moments after finishing 18th in the Central Jersey Group 1 Championships at Holmdel Park in early November. "It’s a mentality. It’s a good way to keep fit and stay in shape and I like the competition level."
Manville second-year head coach Jim O’Connor loved the enthusiasm of his No. 1 runner.
"Sasa’s really into it," O’Connor said. "He’s discovered a whole world he didn’t know existed. It’s a sport that schools all over the state and country are into and he’s fallen in love with it. If he has the desire, who knows how good he can be? He’s done very little training until now."
Todorovic also likes to keep an eye on the competition even when he’s not on the race course.
"He reads the paper and he goes online to check times," O’Connor said. "He’s really embraced the sport."
"I just look for upcoming meets, people’s times and try to match myself against other runners," Todorovic said. "You can see the runners you’re going against and set goals for yourself."
Todorovic entered the season without any previous experience. He learned the hard way that keeping a proper pace is vital to survival in cross country.
After struggling to finish his first race at Manville’s home course, Todorovic spent the rest of the season chopping minutes and seconds off his times.
Although the Mustangs didn’t win any dual meets, Todorovic produced a victory for the program when he finished first in a home tri-meet against South Hunterdon and Belvidere. Todorovic learned from past experience and won the race in a time of 18:44. He ran with the intelligence and patience of a veteran and strolled home to victory.
"That was the highlight," O’Connor said. "He went out too fast and ended up in pain at the end of that first race. He bounced back and showed savvy and experience way beyond his racing. He was a very pleasant aspect to the season."
"It was pretty easy," Todorovic added. "I didn’t take the lead until the last mile. When I felt it was my time, I just surged right past him."
Five days later, Todorovic faced his most challenging test of the season in the CJ 1 meet at Holmdel Park, a course that’s frightening for even the most seasoned of runners. Todorovic was hoping to crack the top 10 and earn a spot in the State Group 1 Championships but came up a bit short.
"It’s a lot more competitive," Todorovic said, referring to the difference between a regular season meet and championship race. "There’s always people around you and you have to watch out. When you run with 12 or 13 people, you always know your place. It’s hard to see that in such a big race."
Todorovic plans on being more competitive in the bigger races next year. The key for any cross country runner is off-season mileage. He plans to do some serious training next summer.
"I’m going to be training over the summer to improve my time and distance," said Todorovic, who plans to play basketball in the winter and run track in the spring. "I want to do better next year."
Todorovic has already shown the physical ability and mental desire to achieve those goals.

