Colts Neck High School’s Jordan Brannan, right, completed his breakout season in cross-country by finishing 13th at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park. The junior helped the Cougars retain the Central Jersey Group III championship. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR Jordan Brannan and his Colts Neck High School teammates dominated the crosscountry scene in the Freehold Regional High School District (FRHSD) this fall.
While Brannan, a junior, ran times that put him among the fastest ever in the district, the Cougars were collecting championships, topped by their second consecutive NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III championship. The Cougars won as underdogs in 2014 and came back as the favorites this fall, doing it again. This was the fourth state sectional title in the program’s history.
Colts Neck marched through the dual-meet season undefeated (7-0) en route to the Shore Conference B North Division title, and it won the overall championship at the Thompson Park Class Meet. The Cougars were second in Monmouth County and at the Group III state meet. They had their highest placing ever at the Meet of Champions (MOC) in ninth.
The Cougars didn’t achieve all this because of one runner. Anthony Russo and Rick Sommer had steady seasons, and the Cougars had plenty of depth that allowed them to overcome injuries and still win the Central Jersey Group III crown.
Brannan and teammates Russo, Sommer, Zack Csipkay and Liam Hoagland top the News Transcript’s 2015 All-FRHSD Boys Cross-Country Team. Manalapan High School’s Ethan Seltzer and Howell High School’s Bill Bajohr round out the team.
This was Brannan’s breakout season. The junior was one of the state’s best runners by November and ran impressive times and races along the way.
Brannan began his season with first-place finishes at the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational in Jackson Township and in the Junior Division at the Thompson Park Class Meet. At the Manhattan Invitational at the famed Van Cortlandt Park, Brannan was 35th, and his time of 12:58.2 on the historic 2.5-mile course was the fifth fastest ever by a district runner.
The Cougar was second at the Monmouth County Championships and ran his fastest 5K time of the year (15:27) in taking fourth in the Shore Conference Championships at Ocean County Park (seventh fastest among district runners). He went on to a second-place finish in Central Jersey Group III, leading the Cougars to the repeat championship and second as well in Group III. At the MOC at Holmdel Park, he finished 13th in 16:08, a time that is seventh best all-time in the district.
Brannan ran his last race at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional at Van Cortlandt Park and finished 29th in the Championship race, posting a time of 16:16.16 on the 5K layout, which is third-best all-time behind only legends Craig Forys of Colts Neck (15:15.2) and Tom Fischer of Manalapan (15:24.8).
Russo had a consistent season. The junior was fourth at Six Flags, eighth in the county, 10th in the Shore Conference (15:52), eighth in Central Jersey Group III and 13th at the Group III state meet. He was 54th at the MOC. He ran at the Foot Locker Regional in the Junior Class race and finished second. His time in that race, 16:36.4, is fourth best in the district.
Sommer, a senior, was eighth in the Senior race at the Thompson Park Class Meet, sixth at Great Flags, 19th in the county, 23rd at the conference meet (16:19), 10th in Central Jersey Group III and 38th at the state meet. His steady performances were one of the keys to Colts Neck’s success this year. Csipkay, a senior, rounded into form in November after beginning the season fifth at Six Flags. He was 20th at the Group III championships, helping Colts Neck finish second and qualify for the MOC, where he was the team’s No. 3 runner in 16:57 — one of the year’s best times at Holmdel Park. Csipkay finished his season winning the Senior Division race at Foot Locker in 16:44.2.
The emergence of Hoagland, a sophomore, this year gave the Cougars a real boost. He took third in the Sophomore race at Thompson Park and was 11th at Six Flags. He really came through for Colts Neck in the state meets. He was 14th at the sectional (17:20) and 59th in the group meet. He also ran at Foot Locker and was 24th in the Sophomore Division.
Seltzer had a good season for Manalapan, starting off with his third-place showing in the Varsity A race at Six Flags. He took 10th in the county and 16th in the Shore Conference (16:07) and Central Jersey Group IV, where he was first among all the district’s runners in that group.
Bajohr started the season with a fourth in the Senior race at the Thompson Park Class Meet. He went on to finish 25th in the county and 30th in the conference (16:26). He helped the Rebels have their best team performances at the county (ninth) and Shore Conference (12th) championships.