The members of Freehold Township High School’s 4×400-meter relay team (l-r), Kelly Berg, Rhianna Zalewski, Emily Pereira and Kelly Pereira, were all smiles after finishing second in the Suburban High School Girls 4×400 at the Millrose Games on Jan. 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. TIM MORRIS The Millrose Games were everything Kelly Pereira expected them to be and more. Pereira along with her twin sister Emily, Kelly Berg and Rhianna Zalewski made up the Freehold Township High School quartet that finished second in the Suburban High School Girls 4×400-meter relay on Jan. 28 at the prestigious Millrose Games held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“It was exciting,” Emily Pereira said after the Patriots had shocked themselves with their second-place finish behind another team from New Jersey, Columbia High School of Maplewood.
“I never thought I would be able to do something like this,” said Kelly Pereira, who ran the anchor leg for the Patriots.
Until two weeks ago the Millrose Games were not even on their radar until coach Todd Briggs suggested that the foursome try running in the Millrose Qualifier at the New York Armory. In that race the Patriots set a Freehold Regional High School District record with a time of 4:00.23 in finishing second to Columbia.
And it was Columbia that the Patriots were chasing again at Madison Square Garden in the Millrose Games.
The hardest job of the night, Briggs said, was Berg’s leadoff leg in the 4×400 relay. With 10 teams running on a small four-lane track (10 laps to a mile), positioning is everything. Berg could not afford to be boxed in and fall behind and at the same time, she could not afford to take it out so fast that she would tie up in the final meters.
“I was really nervous,” Berg said. “I had stay to up there with the Columbia girl.”
And that is what Berg did as she weaved her way through traffic and passed the baton to Emily Pereira with the Patriots in second place.
Pereira held that position, as did Zalewski on the third leg, and she gave Kelly Pereira some daylight from the third-place team for the anchor leg.
The hard work done, according to Kelly Pereira, her job was to finish off the team’s great run, which she did. Freehold Township ran 4:07.33 to finish just behind Columbia (4:06.47).
When the girls gathered in the Madison Square Garden basement after the race, they were justifiably proud of the race they had run .
“We didn’t have expectations,” Zalewski said. “We said, ‘let’s have fun and run the best we can.’ ”
Under the circumstances, running under the bright lights for the first time in an historic meet like the Millrose Games, performing their best was a great achievement for the Freehold Township student-athletes. The only concern the Patriots had during the race was where to make the handoff of the baton. They have always run on indoor 200-meter tracks where the baton is passed after two laps by each runner and always in the same spot.
On the smaller Madison Square Garden track the hand-offs were made in three different areas. It could have been confusing, but the Patriots passed the test with flying colors as they lifted the Freehold Township track and field program into the big time.
While the Patriots’ 4×400 relay team was distinguishing itself at Madison Square Garden, the Shore Conference Indoor Championships were held on Jan. 28 at the Bennett Indoor Complex in Toms River.
Colts Neck’s Mike O’Dowd won his first Shore Conference title by posting his best 1,600 of the indoor season, 4:20.77. Earlier this season he won his first Monmouth County title (3,200) and he won two races (800/1,600) at the Shore Conference division championships. O’Dowd will head into this week’s state sectional championships on a roll. Freehold Township’s Keenan Huggins- Filozof (4:27.65) and James Faith (4:31.09) finished third and fifth, respectively, in the 1,600.
Freehold Township’s Kevin Summonte (9:48.31) and Howell’s Tyler Gilles (9:54.35) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Shore Conference 3,200-meter run.
Manalapan’s Anthony Menza lost his first 400-meter dash of the season to Wall High School’s Terrence Maliff by 0.04 seconds, 51.34 to 51.38.
Menza’s Manalapan teammate, Thomas Buffone, was second in the shot put as he reached 50 feet for the first time this season with a toss of 50-6¼.
Malboro’s Rob Renna (1:58.80) and Mitchell Biler (1:59.73) each broke 2:00 in the 800, finishing third and fourth, respectively. Renna and Biler then teamed up with Alex Abadiotakis and Brandon Mazzarella to place sixth in the 4×400-meter relay (3:35.42).
Freehold High School’s Eric Kahana won medals in two events at the conference meet. He was second in the 55 hurdles (7.72) and fourth in the 55 dash (6.66). Freehold Township pole vaulter Paul Yoncak tied for the sixth place with a best effort of 12 feet.
Among the girls, Howell’s Jamie Hand placed third in the 1,600 (5:23.77) and Colts Neck’sArielle Weiner ran fifth in the 3,200 (11:37.69) at the conference meet.
Colts Neck’s Julia Petruch ran fourth in the 55 hurdles (9.08). Petruch, Alex Ivanicki, Rachel Ivanicki and Jacklyn Wold teamed up to finish third in the 4×400 (4:14.64). The Cougars won their heat.
Freehold Township’s Sarah Morrison showed everyone how talented and deep the Patriots are at 400 meters. Morrison won her heat in a time (1:00.12) that held up for fourth place overall.
The NJSIAA Central Jersey state sectional championships will be held this week in Toms River. The local Central Jersey Group IV schools (Howell, Freehold Township, Manalapan, Marlboro) will compete on Feb. 2, and the local Central Jersey Group III schools (Colts Neck, Freehold) will compete on Feb. 3.