County champs took second at Group 4 relays
By: Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High boys capped another fine indoor track and field season in style at the Nike Indoor National meet.
It was fitting that the shuttle hurdles relay unit of Dan Reiss, Dan Millemann, Brandon Lane and Tyler Szwarc earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish. This foursome proved to be a special group all season. The boys set a school record (30.3) at the Lavino Relays, won gold at the State Group 4 Relay Championships and finished with one final stellar performance that yielded national medals.
Hillsborough had more than just outstanding hurdlers. The Raiders boasted one of the state’s deepest and most balanced teams this winter. With a few breaks, they could have captured the State Group 4 relay team title. HHS finished second behind powerhouse Trenton.
"We really hoped to win the Group 4 relays, but it didn’t happen for us," Raider head coach Rich Refi said. "Still, to be second in Group 4 was very important. We had a chance for the win. That was a focus, but we lost to Trenton and they have incredible athletes."
"We definitely did great as a team," added Szwarc, who anchored the shuttle hurdles team. "We got second place at the state relays but we won the counties. That’s always one of our goals."
The Raiders set the tone for the season with an amazing comeback victory over rival Franklin in the Somerset County Championships between the holidays in December. Trailing by as many as 30 points, the Raiders rallied behind a 1-2-3 sweep in the high jump and monster performance from sophomore distance star Jason Walton. Hillsborough sent an early message to Franklin, a team picked by some to win the State Group 4 title.
"Beating Franklin in the county was a big thing," Refi said. "I was proud of them. They fought hard and fought back. We were down by a lot and the boys never quit."
Hillsborough stood toe-to-toe with Franklin again at the Skyland Conference Championships in February but fell short. An injury to Walton, who missed the second half of the indoor season and is likely out for most of the outdoor campaign, hurt the team’s chances of winning the conference title. Hillsborough couldn’t make up the 20 points Walton had scored in the county meet.
Refi refused to jeopardize Walton’s future at the Skyland meet. The Raiders still put out some big-time performances and ended the meet with senior Warner Jones sprinting for a thrilling victory in the 4×400 relay, but it wasn’t enough to stop Franklin from defending its conference crown.
The Raiders weren’t a big factor in the NJSIAA individual championship meets in February. Reiss and junior shot putter Rocco Mazzagatti were the only HHS boys to qualify for the Meet of Champions. Reiss made the cut in the hurdles and pole vault.
Lane was the only HHS boy to score in two events at the State Group 4 relays, helping the Raiders win the shuttles and place third in the high jump with fellow senior Dave Eilbacher. Lane and Eilbacher were big factors in the county and conference meets as well.
Other HHS boys who contributed during the indoor season included seniors Miles Petrock, Justin Risso, Paul Bernardo and Mike Bitten, juniors Alex Brown, Matt Carnes, Robert Marley and Alex Szela, sophomore Ryan Buerkle and freshman Jordan Magath.
As usual, Refi and the Raiders logged serious mileage traveling all over the East to compete against some of the nation’s top athletes. Hillsborough participated in multiple meets at the Jersey City Armory, New York City Armory, Lehigh University and Bennett Indoor Complex in Toms River in addition to the nationals.
The Raiders already have begun their training for the outdoor season and expected to be loaded for first-year head coach Dave deWolfe. They certainly made plenty of highlights at many different venues throughout the winter.

