By Kyle Bogdan, Special Writer
This year’s South Hunterdon Regional High School cross country season began the same as the ones before it. Long runs, intervals and track practices pushed the team to be their very best.
The season’s beginning was seemingly conventional; no one could have predicted its outcome. For the first time in SHR history, the boys cross country team placed third in Sectionals, making it to States.
South Hunterdon Regional High School is a small, close-knit community of merely 200 students. It is the smallest public high school in the state and that fact presents some challenges, especially for its sports teams. The cross country program is especially small. With boys and girls teams made up of only seven and six runners respectively, there is no room for absence or injury.
”A small team definitely has its disadvantages. If we have less than five girls, which happened quite a few times, our scores aren’t counted,” said senior girls Captain Brielle Cameron.
While small numbers proved to be a challenge, they were also a gift. “We are like a family,” junior Juli Riggs said.
”We’re all in different places time-wise. Some kids are faster than others, but it doesn’t matter. When we get together for a practice or a race, we just run. Everyone supports you whether you’re first or last,” said boys Captain Jared Bogdan.
Those who do not participate in cross country often think it is a sport of simply running. Those assumptions could not be more untrue. Running is a sport that challenges the athlete mentally as well as physically.
”You have to be stubborn in order to be a good runner. Running is almost never fun; you have to have to push through the pain to get the reward,” said Riggs.
The incredible accomplishments of the team were not simply handed over on a silver platter. While many sports have a short pre-season in August, South runners could be spotted on early morning runs on the towpath as early as June.
Many ask: “Why would anyone want to do that?” after hearing of the strict practice schedule, and hundreds of miles of running throughout the season.
Sophomore Joey Quinn answered that question perfectly, “I run because I like the feeling of accomplishing something truly significant.”
Hard practices got the team physically prepared for difficult races. However, the entire team agrees they wouldn’t have accomplished anything without the superior leadership and dedication of head coach, Scott Ward.
”Mr. Ward is the most dedicated person that I know. He is really hard on us, but that’s what makes us better runners. We all respect him,” said Riggs.
”His commitment inspires me,” said Quinn. Driving a great distance from his home to early morning Saturday practices, balancing a demanding academic schedule with coaching two teams, and providing great opportunities for his runners was not always easy, but Coach Ward always made it work.
”Mr. Ward pushes me to become greater than I expect to be. Our team wouldn’t be anything without him,” said Cameron.
The success of South Hunterdon’s cross country team is well deserved. The hard work and dedication of the entire team was rewarded as the boys placed 15 out of 20 in the States race, and third in their Sectional group.
”My goal for next year is to simply build on all this success. I hope to see both teams advance to States next year,” said Coach Ward. The cross country team has raised the bar; the boys team has left a legacy never to be forgotten, and showed the entire state that although our school is small, South Hunterdon cannot be ignored.

