BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
It would be easy to just call the 2006 track and field season Craig Forys’ year.
Certainly the magnificent Cougar had another brilliant season, culminating with his meet-record 8:56.14 in the 3,200 at the NJSIAA Outdoor Meet of Champions. However, there were other outstanding athletes who turned in memorable performances that made the 2006 high school track and field season in the Freehold Regional District a very special one.
Besides Forys, who set new District standards for the 1-mile, 3,000 and 3,200 meters, there was Freehold Borough’s Justin Frick and Manalapan’s Adam Hegel setting new District standards, and Howell’s Ben Edwards becoming an MOC medal winner.
Colts Neck’s Cougars were much more than Forys, as they won the B North Division title, going undefeated in dual meets, and adding the Freehold Regional District title to their trophy case.
Manalapan reemerged as a force, winning the public schools A North Division crown.
Forys (1,600-3,200), Frick (high jump-triple jump), Hegel (long jump) and Edwards (110 hurdles, 400 intermediate hurdles and 4×400 relay) are the top of the class on the News Transcript’s 2006 All-Freehold Regional District Boys Track and Field Team.
On the track, Colts Neck’s Brenden Krewer (800) and Michael Moore (100), Freehold Township’s Sean Coyne (200), Howell’s Brian Newman (400) and the Rebels’ 4×400 relay team round out the track team.
In the field, the additions are Colts Neck’s John Krewer (shot put/discus) and Kevin Kelly (javelin) and Manalapan’s Mike Goldwasser (pole vault).
Forys battled through physical adversity for much of the season. It was discovered that he had an iron deficiency that left him feeling fatigued after workouts and during races. You wouldn’t know it from the results on the track, where he won the 1,600 at the District and Monmouth County championships, and won both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the Central Jersey Group III meet. He even set a District mark in the seldom run 5,000 meters (14:42.66), which was fifth best in state history.
Once the iron deficiency was diagnosed, Forys recovered in time to peak in June, putting on a overpowering display at the MOC. Running 4:16.7 for his final 1,600 and 2:03 for his last 800, Forys destroyed one of the strongest MOC fields ever. His winning time lowered the meet record and was a state junior class record. It also broke the District record 9:02.6 run by Manalapan’s great state champion Tom Fischer way back in 1982.
Forys started his season with a second place at the Penn Relays in the 3,000, running 8:21.82, the fastest time ever run by a New Jersey athlete at the Relays and lowering another Fischer District record, 8:30.2, in the process.
Then came weeks of struggle for Forys, who found the time to run 1:55.31 for 800 meters by the way, until he announced his return at the State Group IV championships. A stunning 2:01 last 800 won the 1,600 (4:15.58) and he also won the 3,200 in 9:14.85. That set the stage for one of his greatest races, his MOC victory.
Forys concluded his season earning All-American honors at the Nike Outdoor Nationals with a sixth place in the 1-mile run 4:11.30. This time, he took down the District record of 4:11.5 held since 1978 by Marlboro’s state champion Guy Emmons. En route to the mile, he ran the 1,500 in 3:53.66, a new state junior class record and District mark as well, erasing Marlboro’s Sean Dailey and his 3:56.6.
The 2005-06 season saw the Cougar sweep the MOC distance crowns. He won the cross country title in November, won both the 1,600 and 3,200 at the indoor MOC, and finished with his meet-record 3,200 outdoors. Still a junior, Forys will look to add to his growing legend next year.
Frick also earned All-American honors at the NON. The Freehold Borough senior, headed to Princeton, turned in his best high jump of the season, 6-8 1/4, in tying for the third place. During the season, he won the District, county, conference and Central Jersey Group III titles. He was third in State Group III and third again at the MOC.
Frick, who co-holds the District record in the high jump at 6-10, also set records in the triple jump. He had never jumped 40-0 until this spring, and continually improved until he landed 45-10 1/2 from the board in winning the Central Jersey Group III title. He won the District title in a meet-record 42-9, was second in the county and fifth in the conference.
Princeton envisions Frick as eventually being a multi-event decathlete.
Hegel has multi-event competitions in his future at Temple. He first tied the District long jump record, then broke it, and then shattered it, taking it out to 23-2 3/4. The senior won the District, county and conference crowns during the season. He first broke the District mark on his final jump at the county meet, reaching 22-5 3/4 and sealing his title. He snatched the conference crown on his final jump, a new District standard 23-2 3/4.
He was highly competitive in the triple jump (he holds the District indoor mark) as well. His best jump of 43-11 got him a third place in the county. He was fourth in the conference and third in the District. He placed in the 200 meters and the high jump at the District championships.
Edwards wanted to take his place among the best hurdlers in the state this spring, and he accomplished that and more. He was the District champion in both the 110 highs and intermediates. He won the intermediate at the Monmouth County Championships and was third in the 110s.
The Rebel was fifth in both events at the conference meet. He was second in the intermediates in CJ and sixth in the 110s (15.1). A second place at the State Group IV Championships got him to the MOC, where he tied for fifth in a school record 53.73.
He concluded his career with a 10th place at the national championships (53.76).
With Edwards running the anchor leg, the Rebels had the best 1,600-relay team in the area. The team of David Hayes, Francisco Bueno, Jason Leacock and Edwards won the District title in a meet-record (3:25.1), took fifth in the county, third in the conference, second in CJ (3:23.7) and earned a wild card to the MOC, where they finished 18th (3:23.55).
Krewer and Moore were big reasons the Cougars were able to win the division title outright this year.
Krewer, who has great range on the track, won the 800 meters at the Freehold District meet. He was fourth in the county (1:58.54), fourth in Central Jersey and sixth in State Group IV. He was very competitive in the 1,600 with a ninth place in the county (4:30.32).
When last year’s top sprinter, Pat Six, went down to injury, Colts Neck had a problem until Moore stepped in and helped the Cougars win the division title with his first place in the critical dual meet against Matawan.
At the District championships, he showed his heels to the District’s best, running 10.7. He followed that up with a sixth place in the county. Moore was a solid 200 sprinter with a third place in the District and seventh place at the county.
Coyne has been one of the best all-around sprinter/hurdlers in the District the last couple of years. He was a challenger to Edwards in both hurdles and finished fourth in the 400 intermediates in Central Jersey (56.5). In the 110s he was second in the District (14.7), fourth in the county and eighth in the SC.
The Patriot senior was pretty fast when he wasn’t running over the hurdles, winning the 200-meter dash at the District meet (22.6).
Colts Neck had more going for it than its runners; the Cougars were strong in the field as well, which explains their championships.
John Krewer, the twin brother of Brenden, surfaced as the District’s best in the shot put and discus. He won both at the District, and was sixth in the shot put and fourth in the discus in Monmouth County. The junior was third in the discus at the conference meet. At the state sectional, he was third in both throws, doing 50-1 for the shot and 146-9 for the discus.
Kelly had a big season in the javelin for the Cougars. He started it off winning the District title. The Cougar was ninth in the county, but bounced back with a fourth at the conference meet. He threw his season’s best in CJ III, taking second (180-10). He was also second in State Group IV and the junior was 13th at the MOC.
Goldwasser topped the pole vaulters because of his consistency. Freehold Township’s Steve Pugliese won the District title; however, Goldwasser enjoyed the edge thereafter. He was sixth in the county, eighth in the conference and sixth in the state sectional. The junior’s best was 12-6.
Those earning honorable mention in 2006 are: Evan Stivala, Shane Hart, Devin Moore and Jason Weiner, Colts Neck; Scott Harman, Freehold Borough; Paul Proctor, Steve Pugliese, Abe Hamami, Chris Ernst, Derric Harris and Chris Rash, Freehold Township; Mike Rupp, Matt Borzomati, James Sullivano, Bill Moody and Mike Gallucci, Howell; Cordell High, Joe Kreppien, Rob Andrews, Joe DeMauro, Brett McCarron and Jack Gilburn, Manalapan; Corey West and Joe Lindenauer, Marlboro.