The successful tradition of distance running in the Freehold Regional High School District is in good hands with Colts Neck High School’s Mike O’Dowd.
The Cougars’ junior emerged as one of the state’s best distance runners in 2009, winning the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV state sectional cross country championship. O’Dowd finished his season with a place on the podium at the state Meet of Champions, with another scholastic season to go.
While O’Dowd was the class of the area, Freehold Township High School put together its best season in years. The Patriots relied on depth to win three titles: the FRHSD team title, the Shore Conference A North Division title and the Large School title at the Cougar Invitational in Colts Neck.
O’Dowd heads up the News Transcript 2009 All-Freehold Regional High School District Boys Cross Country Team.
Rounding out the All-FRHSD squad are Freehold Township’s Eric Dynarski, Keenan Huggins-Filozof and Graham Huggins Filozof, and Manalapan High School’s Kingsley Prophete, Anthony Silvestri and Adam Nilsen,
O’Dowd was motivated during the cross country season by the All-American certificates he earned last year in track and field with the Cougars’ relay teams. That drove him to work harder than ever during the summer. The mileage O’Dowd put in paid off as he put together an outstanding season, highlighted by his state sectional crown.
In September, O’Dowd was second to returning Meet of Champions winner Tylard Udland of Millburn High School at the Randolph Invitational. He won the Cougar Invitational Championship Race, posting the seventh fastest time ever at Bucks Mill Park, Colts Neck (15:32). At the Shore Coaches Invitational, he was sixth.
At the Monmouth County and Shore Conference championships, O’Dowd was out-kicked by Christian Brothers Academy’s Mike Mazzaccaro both times.
O’Dowd scored his biggest win of the season at the state sectional meet at Jamesburg’s Thompson Park, where he posted a time of 15:50. He ran his fastest Holmdel Park 5K (16:00) in finishing second at the State Group IV Championships. He finished 19th at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.
In his final race of the 2009 season, the Foot Locker Northeast Region Championships held at Sunken Meadow State Park, Kings Point, N.Y., O’Dowd finished 15th (16:25) and earned All-Northeast honors.
The Colts Neck junior has many big races in front of him.
A late-season injury slowed Dynarski, but by then he had put together a successful year. He helped Freehold Township win the Cougar Invitational Large Schools Division title by finishing ninth.
Dynarski enjoyed his finest hour — or 16:36, to be exact — at the Freehold Regional High School District Championships as he pulled away from the field in the second half of the race to win his first title. He followed up that performance with a seventh place finish at the Monmouth County Championships and a 36th-place finish in the Shore Conference Championships.
Keenan Huggins-Filozof was Freehold Township’s most consistent runner from start to finish of the 2009 season. The Patriots’ junior was 10th at the Cougar Invitational and runner-up to his teammate Dynarksi at the FRHSD meet. He was 13th in Monmouth County, 19th at the Shore Conference meet and eighth in Central Jersey Group IV.
Prophete, a senior at Manalapan, ran his best race at the Monmouth County Championships, where he was 10th overall and third among all of the FRHSD harriers who took part in the race. He was fourth at the FRHSD Championships, 18th in the Shore Conference, where he was second only to O’Dowd among FRHSD harriers, and 20th in the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional meet.
Nilsen ran third at the FRHSD Championships, leading Manalapan to a secondplace team finish. He was 14th at the Monmouth County meet and the senior was 21st at the Shore Conference meet (fourth among all of the FRHSD runners who competed in that race).
Silvestri, a junior at Manalapan, is another underclassman with a bright future. He was fifth at the FRHSD Championships, 18th at the Monmouth County meet and 32nd at the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional meet.
Graham Huggins-Filozof was one of the key newcomers who gave Freehold Township the depth that made the Patriots the dominant team in the FRHSD this fall. The sophomore ran sixth at the FRHSD Championships. He was slowed by illness at midseason, but had a strong finish, placing 21st in the Central Jersey Group IV state sectional meet.
With their top three harriers all underclassmen, Freehold Township can become one of the Shore Conference’s real powers next fall.
Athletes who earned All-FRHSD honorable mention recognition for their performances in 2009 are John Ward, Colts Neck; Cody O’Flaherty, Freehold; Randy Spadola and Kevin Summonte, Freehold Township; Aansh Mehta, Matt Motto and Tyler Gilles, Howell; and Rohit Chaki and Mitchell Biler, Marlboro.