Freehold Township High School’s Thomas Sabol and William Joyce run stride for stride as they compete in the 400-meter dash at the Monmouth County Indoor Track and Field Championships in Toms River. For more photos, see Photo Galleries at www.gmnews.com. ERIC SUCAR staff Anthony Menza’s window of opportunity was rapidly closing. In a split second, the Manalapan High School sprinter had to decide whether to muscle his way through a small gap between Christian Brothers Academy’s Theo Foster and Freehold High School’s Eric Kahana before it closed or wait until they finished running the curve and hit the final straight.
Waiting would mean that Menza would have to run around Foster and Kahana and lose momentum in the process.
“That’s what’s different about indoor track,” Menza said later. “You have no margin of error.”
Indoor track, he noted, is much more physical than outdoor track and it becomes even more imperative for a runner to protect his position.
As the two-time defending champion in the 400-meter dash at the Monmouth County Indoor Track and Field Championships, Menza took the aggressive approach on Jan. 20. He pushed through the small gap and into the lead hitting the straightaway.
In the end, Menza was able to hold off the charging Kahana at the line to win his third consecutive indoor county championship.
Menza stopped the timer at the Bennett Indoor Sports Complex in Toms River in 50.96, just ahead of Kahana (51.03), to become a rare three-time champion in the event. His winning time in 2011 was 51.45.
“This was my main goal for the season,” said Menza, who has committed to attend Bucknell University.
Menza warmed up for the county 400 by setting a school record for the indoor 200- meter dash (23.27) at the Colts Neck and Friends Invitational. That win and time gave him the confidence that he could run hard up front and still have a finishing kick.
Another goal for Menza is to win the Shore Conference 400-meter title that has eluded him the last two years. He will have that chance on Jan 27 in Toms River.
Menza and Kahana have had many races against each other at a variety of distances and there is amutual respect between the two athletes.
“He’s a great runner,” Menza said about Kahana.
Kahana expressed his admiration for Menza and said the 400 was “a good race.” He said the 400 was a good warm-up for the other two races yet to come for him, the 55- meter dash and the 55-meter hurdles. Kahana came back to win both races at the county meet.
In the hurdles final, Menza edged Manalapan’s Jason Dijols, 7.85 to 7.89, as both runners improved on the times they ran in their heats.
In the flat 55, Kahana, the defending county champion, had a scare from St. John Vianney’s Ishmael Hyman. Kahana won in a photo finish, 6.61 to 6.62. Last year, Kahana posted a time of 6.73 in the 55-meter final. Freehold’s Ian Curry was fourth in the 55- meter dash in a time of 6.86.
Freehold Township High School’s Ryan Barrera was the third Freehold Regional High School District athlete to win a gold medal in Toms River. Barrera continued his outstanding season in the pole vault by winning the title with a best vault of 13-0.
“I was second all last year,” he said. “I was tired of losing.”
However, Barrera came close to not even being in the medal picture. He needed the maximum three attempts to clear the opening height of 11-6.
“I was really stressing,” he said.
Barrera changed poles for his third attempt at 11-6, he made it and then was clean all the way up to and including 13-0. He won the event at 13-0 and then had three unsuccessful attempts at clearing 14-0 (the FRHSD record). His best vault this season is 13-6.
Barrera has been very consistent throughout the season and he chalked that up to the weather (prior to the Jan. 21 snow).
“This winter has been very warm,” he said. “I’ve been able to get outdoors and jump.”
Two Freehold Township pole vaulters, Paul Yoncak (12-0) and Collin Mascola (11-0), were fourth and fifth, respectively, and Howell High School’s Colts Lambert was sixth (10-6).
CBA won the team championship with 122 points, followed by Freehold Township (40) in second place, Freehold (32) in third place and Manalapan (27) in fourth place.
Freehold Township scored big in the 1,600-meter run where Dylan Tarpey (4:24.09), Graham Huggins-Filozof (4:25.95) and Kevin Summonte (4:28.97) finished second, third and fifth, respectively, behind CBA’s champion, George Kelly (4:19.48).
In the high jump, DwayneWells was second for the Patriots (6-0), with Howell’s Vincent Mortillaro (5-6) and Dijols (5-6) tying for fifth place.
Marlboro High School’s Brandon Mazzarella (2:00.46) placed sixth in the 800- meter run.
Manalapan (3:35.25) and Freehold Township (3:39.22) were second and fifth, respectively, in the 4×400-meter relay.
In the girls competition at the Monmouth County Championships, Colts Neck High School had a trio of second-place finishers: Juliana Whitman in the 55 dash (7.61), Julia Petruch in the 55 hurdles (8.87) and defending 3,200-meter champion Arielle Weiner, was second behind Holmdel High School’s Lennon Cooper (11:30.49 to 11:32.17).
The Cougars tied with Middletown South for fourth place in the team standings with 25 points. Neptune High School won the team title with 63 points.
Howell’s Kendal Hand placed second in the 800 (2:21.91) and her twin sister Jamie Hand was sixth in the 1,600 (5:16.87). Howell’s Monet Masters was second in the pole vault (9-6).
Manalapan’s MaryGrace Monahan lost a fast 400-meter dash to Neptune’s national champion Ajee Wilson with both runners going under 1:00. Wilson’s time of 58.72 bested Monahan’s time of 59.48. Marlboro’s Jessica McFadden was sixth (1:01.81).
Monahan placed fifth in the 55-meter dash (7.72).
Freehold’s Marissa Montanaro (4-1) was fourth in the high jump, and Marlboro’s Cassandra Spano was fifth in the shot put (33-10½).
Freehold Township (4:12.53), Howell (4:20.95) and Colts Neck (4:23.17) were second, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 4×400-meter relay.