HHS boys reloaded with young runners

Team nearly returned to M of C

By: Rudy Brandl
   Despite returning only one varsity starter, the Hillsborough High boys’ cross country team nearly extended its season to the same final race as last year.
   The young Raiders didn’t miss qualifying for the NJSIAA Meet of Champions by much. Last year, the HHS boys made the M of C for the first time and finished fourth in the state. After losing most of their 2005 team, including star harrier and Meet of Champs medallist Brian Dennis, to graduation, the Raiders didn’t exactly retreat into rebuilding mode.
   Hillsborough did not defend its team titles at the Somerset County and Skyland Conference meets, but the team was peaking at the end of the season according to plan. If not for a freak injury to senior and lone varsity veteran Joe Bernardo, the Raiders may have gotten back to the season’s final race at Holmdel Park.
   "That would have been quite an accomplishment for these kids," Refi said. "We improved every week with the boys and the girls except for the boys in the Group 4 meet. If Joe doesn’t get hurt, we would have made the Meet of Champs again."
   Bernardo appeared to be peaking for the November series of state meets after cutting over a minute off his Somerset County time with a big-time race at the Skyland Conference Championships just eight days later. Bernardo’s 16:42 that day ranks as the fastest time by any HHS male runner this season.
   The Raiders needed their senior leader to continue running faster along with everyone else if the team expected to duplicate its special finish of the prior season. The team finished fourth in the Central Jersey Group 4 meet to advance to the Group 4 Championships but the season ended on the second Saturday of November.
   Refi and assistant coach Bob O’Rourke followed the usual plan of building up to the end of the season. The strategy called for the HHS boys to run hard in six competitions – the dual meet vs. Bridgewater-Raritan, the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park, the Somerset County and Skyland Conference races at Pleasant Valley Park, the CJ 4 meet at Thompson Park and the Group 4 Championships in Holmdel.
   Bernardo led the Raiders in three of those contests (B-R, Shore, Skyland), while the sensational sophomore duo of Jordan Magath (Somerset County, CJ 4) and Jason Walton (Group 4) set the pace for the team in the other target meets. Magath and Walton were peaking at the end of the season for sure.
   Magath showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman and became a very consistent runner in his second year as a harrier. Walton, an outstanding 800-meter runner on the track, became more comfortable and confident on the cross country circuit as the season progressed. These two should be fun to watch for the next two years in front of the HHS pack. They’ll certainly battle for the leading role.
   "I think it’s going to make them both better," Refi said.
   While the big three of Bernardo, Magath and Walton were the only Hillsborough boys to run under 17 minutes, seven others clocked in under 18 to show the great depth in this program. That list includes seniors Justin Risso (17:22) and Mark Fineza (17:47), who ran their best races in the CJ 4 meet at Thompson Park.
   Other Raiders who contributed throughout the season and ran times under the 18-minute mark include juniors Alex Brown (17:23 in Skyland), Michael Rath (17:40 vs. Immaculata), Brian Keohane (17:50 at Shore), Rahul Doshi (17:55 at Montgomery) and Kevin Brower (17:59).
   Refi pointed to Rath and sophomore Anthony Tricarico as the team’s most improved runners. Rath became a regular varsity scorer and even won a race during the team’s 5-0 regular season and Delaware Division championship run, while Tricarico cut two minutes off his opening time during the season.
   With Walton and Magath leading the way, the Raiders expect to return to the spotlight in 2007. However, there are no guarantees, even with a talented group of young runners in the program. They must work hard in the off-season to succeed in the competitive world of cross country in New Jersey.
   "If they commit themselves to a real good summer, we should be right back near the top," Refi said.