High schools across the state participated in the 2017 New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park in Holmdel on Oct. 7. Several boys’ cross-country runners from throughout the regional excelled during the races.
Varsity A
Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) won the Boys’ Varsity A race with 64 points and an average time of 17:01.
CBA’s Luke Reid finished second in the race with a time of 16:23.
“As a team, it feels good,” Reid said. “We held out four of our top seven guys. So to still get the win without our full arsenal feels good.”
Reid was thankful that the day’s hot weather didn’t hinder his performance.
“It didn’t affect me too much,” Reid said. “I usually have trouble with hot weather, but today I got out slow and was just able to close, so that’s good.”
South Brunswick High School was fifth in the team standings with 127 points and an average time of 17:26. The Vikings were led by Brandon Diaz, who crossed the finish line in 12th at 17:05.
Howell High School was led by T.J. Hillyer, who placed 11th at 17:04. As a team, the Rebels were 13th with 424 points and an average time of 18:34.
Varsity F
Shore Regional High School finished eighth in the Varsity F race with 236 points and an average time of 18:30. Shore Regional was led by Cameron Janovic, who finished sixth in 17:08.
“The heat didn’t quite get to me until about the 2-mile mark,” Janovic said. “I was just really feeling it. I kind of got out pretty slow, probably top 20 or top 15. I was able to bait a couple kids during the race and get in front of them.”
Despite the the top 10 finishes both individually and as a team, Janovic still believes the team is destined for better results.
“We obviously want more,” Janovic said. “We had a good first race at Randolph, and we got first place [as a] team in the Varsity C race. We lost our top guy, and I had to step up today to replace him. We obviously want to do better and get that top three finish in the group meet and go on to Meet of Champions. So today was little bit not what we wanted, but we’re going to get better from this from what we learned today.”
Varsity B
Reyden Davies’ fifth-place finish in the Varsity B race with a time of 16:43 put East Brunswick High School in a position to come in third as a team with 154 points. The Bears’ average time was 17:25.
Jackson Memorial High School placed 12th as a team, posting 297 points and an average time of 18:06. The Jaguars’ top runner was Clayton Engle in 18th place at 17:03.
Matt Lepine finished the race in 17 minutes to claim 15th place and lead Middletown High School South to 13th place in the team standings. Middletown South had 322 points and an average finish of 18:10.
William Spector led the way for Manalapan High School. His 11th-place finish in 16:55 was key in the Braves’ 14th-place showing as a team with 324 points and an average time of 18:08.
Varsity C
Matt Hartman finished the Varsity C race in 16:59 for sixth place and played an integral role in Colts Neck High School’s fourth-place finish with 148 points and an average time of 17:55.
Allentown High School was sixth as a team with 243 points and an average finish of 18:31. Matthew Gregor was the Redbirds’ top runner, crossing the finish line 29th with a time of 17:58.
Joseph Guerrieri placed 24th in 17:44, leading Middletown High School North’s efforts to a ninth-place showing in the team standings. The Lions had 295 points and average 18:39.
Jackson Liberty High School was 10th as a team with 298 points and an average time of 18:48. Dan Duffy led the Lions in 46th place with a time of 18:33.
Varsity D
Host Holmdel High School finished fourth in the Varsity D race with 150 points. The Hornets averaged a time of 17:48. They were led by Arun Movva, who finished 17th in 17:28.
Tyler Schwinn led Red Bank Regional High School to fifth place as a team. He finished in eighth with a time of 16:52. The Buccaneers had 157 points and averaged a time of 17:46.