By Justin Feil, Contributor
After losing one of the best runners in school history, Mitchel Baron and Dom DiNardi weren’t exactly sure how good their 4×800 relay would be this year., They got an answer Saturday., They teamed with Joe Bevilaqua and Jeremy Shipley to win the event at the Group IV state relay championships at the Bennett Center in Toms River., “I think it’s a huge deal for us,” said Mitchel, a senior who anchored the race in 2:00.7. “One thing is last year we relied on Brandon Tubby all year. We didn’t expect a lot out of us after he graduated. To be in a place where we’re running almost as fast without him is huge. I think all four of us have stepped up.”, Joe, a senior, who stepped in for Brandon, ran 2:06.1 in the leadoff leg. It was just his second time running the event. He handed to Dom, a junior, who came off a breakthrough sophomore year and ran a personal-record split of 2:01.8., “Last year, we went to nationals and I wanted to get a really good time,” Dom said. “My previous best was 2:02. We went to the New York Armory and I ran 2:01.9. I hadn’t run a 2:01 for almost a year. Then we had this race and I got the 2:01.8. It was a very nice time.”, Dom pulled the team up into fourth place as he handed to Jeremy. The senior put in a tremendous leg of 2:00.9 to give Mitchel the lead., “I’ve trained with (Dom) all four years, I knew he was going to give me the baton in the best position to do what we wanted to do,” Mitchel said. “He got us all the way to the front. I personally don’t like having to lead. I like being able to catch up and run people down. I was running pretty strong. Going into the final lap, the guy passed me on the bell lap. I was glad he went past. Most runners when they pass, they surge and keep going. He didn’t. He got ahead but didn’t really keep moving. So as we got to the home stretch, I thought, why not try? The final kick I was pushing hard. I knew when I went past him we had it, and it was a great feeling.”, Their 8:09.55 clocking was a season best and held off runner-up Freehold Township, which ran 8:10.87. Hunterdon Central went third in 8:14.22., “It was like a dream come true,” Dom said. “I knew we were a strong team so I wanted to come in top three. For us to actually win, after starting off fourth or fifth, I couldn’t believe it. It felt like something was going to happen to take it away from us. But nothing did. It was definitely fun to watch. I’ll definitely remember it.”, Not bad on a day when they didn’t feel all that good originally. Mitchel wasn’t sure he was going to run after he felt sore and was limited all week. Even the team members who were healthier didn’t feel like a great race was ahead., “Before it, we were all feeling terrible,” Dom said. “For some reason, we all felt tired and drained. It’s kind of funny, if one person feels bad, we get worried and scared about that person. But when we were all feeling terrible, we were all nervous, we didn’t feel ready, and I don’t know what happened. Once we got to a certain point, our adrenaline turned on. It just helped us in the end.”, For Mitchel, the finish was a bit of retribution. He recalled having the lead last year only to lose the title in the end., “I didn’t think about it much during the race,” Mitchel said. “Now, I think it’s a better feeling being ahead.”, He also believes that the win will help the team as it goes forward. There aren’t many chances to compete in the 4×800 indoors, and taking advantage of each opportunity is important., “This is really promising for us,” Mitchel said. “Right now, where we’re at, I don’t think we’ve won this race since 2008 since Jason Walton. It adds more encouragement that we can run these times and compete against the best teams.”, The Raiders also gain more big-race experience. It’s important as the team tries to set its sights high for the remainder of the winter., “I think it’s going to help us a lot with confidence,” Dom said. “We all PR’d this season except our new one, Joey. He has to learn to race a little more. This is only his second 4×8. He’s still learning the race. He’s never started as the leadoff in this race. He’s learning how to run the race. He still did well his second time. We might have to adjust the lineup. I think it’ll help us a lot. It’s going to push us more. We’re going to have a bigger goal and try to make nationals again and try to win bigger meets.”, This year’s indoor Meet of Champions will include the 4×800 and Hillsborough wants to be among the competitors. It means that they have to keep a top 20 time in the state through the season. They would also like a shot at reaching nationals, which takes teams that run 8:07 or faster., “It’s going to be really exciting,” Mitchel said. “I think last year we were around 8:12 around now. Every second matters, so we’re about three or four seconds faster this year. Going back to not having Brandon, we’re faster now. It’s amazing we can do it without him.”, Dom points out that all three returning runners have improved since last year. He started out as a sprinter as a freshman and then last year began to gain experience as an 800 runner after showing some talent for mid-distance running., “Last year, I kind of followed kids,” Dom said. “I didn’t really race my own race. I’d follow them and try to pass them. This year, I wanted to take the lead and wanted people to chase me. I didn’t want to be the kid that followed everyone and then passed. I wanted to race with kids in first and second and then pass and absolutely kill the race. Even if I’m in fifth place, I want to catch up to fourth and third and second and absolutely scare people when they see me. I wanted to really get my name out there.”, Dom has kept in shape coming into track and field season by playing football. He enjoys being a part of that team, but sees his college future in track., Mitchel started running cross country two years ago after playing soccer early in his high school career., The switch helped him better acquire a base for mid-distance. That base has helped him build a solid start to his final high school year., “I want to qualify for MOCs individually too,” Mitchel said. “That’s something I’ve tried to set my goals on. Group IV Central Jersey is probably the toughest. Ray Rivera is probably best in the state. There’s a lot of talent there. A race like this opens my mind that we can compete against the best people in the state. This race opens us up to show we can compete with the best teams. I want place top six in sectionals which gets you on to groups and go from there.”, Dom, too, has plenty of motivation in his final year running with his three teammates who will all graduate after this year. He has his eyes on the MOC and nationals, but acknowledges one of them is more motivating., “I definitely think qualifying for nationals,” Dom said. “It’s also a great experience that I want to experience again and hopefully next year. Jeremy really wants to think about getting into Meet of Champs and placing and if we work hard and if we decrease our time, maybe win it. We’re around fourth, so going to Meet of Champs with that time and still not having everyone PR is a little motivational for us. Some of us think Meet of Champs is pretty big. I think nationals is a bigger thing. It’s a fun experience and a much bigger stage.”, After winning the Group IV title, Hillsborough has newfound confidence that its foursome has enough speed to do just about anything it dreams., “Earlier in the season, we ran a 4×8 and we were running decent times,” Mitchel said. “This race does show we do all have the potential and if we put it together on the same day, we can compete with the best teams in the state.”
