Shortly after Rumson-Fair Haven High School’s girls had won the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II cross country championship, co-head coach Tim McLoone turned his attention to the group championships the following week.
He stated that his Bulldogs were going to have to close the gap between their second through fifth runners if they were going to upend the state’s topranked team, Voorhees, which relies on its pack running, at the Nov. 12 group race at Holmdel Park.
McLoone, who co-coaches the team with Henry Mercer, proved to be an accurate forecaster: his Bulldogs broke up the Voorhees pack early and went on to score a 63-70 victory at Saturday’s Group II state championships, making the case for themselves as the new No. 1 team in New Jersey. It was RFH’s first Group championship since 1999, when the Christy Planer-led Bulldogs won Group I.
“What won it for us was our fourth and fifth runners,” said McLoone. “It was our best group effort.”
Michaella Irvine (20:11) and Isabella Maita (20:13) both finished ahead of Voorhees’ fourth and fifth scorers, assuring the championships. They were 17th and 18th in team scoring while Voorhees’ were 18th and 26th.
RFH got its usual fine race up front from Rachel Christ, who turned in her fastest time at Holmdel, 18:47, finishing fifth.
Behind Christ, Hannah Anderson (19:43) and Shannon McCarthy (19:48) finished one after another in 12th and 13th as they both beat Voorhees’ No. 3 to the line.
“Voorhees uses pack running and our goal was to disrupt them, and we did it with great success,” said McLoone. “We broke them up right away.
“They [the Bulldogs] went out hard and hung one,” he added.
Rumson’s team average of 19:44.4 was the best of the day.
The Bulldogs, McLoone noted, had an added incentive when most in the media dismissed them as a threat to Voorhees, which was looking for a sixth straight Group title.
“That was one of the motivating factors,” he pointed out, adding that his harriers are “real competitive.” McLoone has had an inkling for some time that this RFH team could do some special things this year. He and Mercer had depth they hadn’t had before (six of RFH’s all-time fastest runners are on this year’s team). McLoone explained that this year’s jayvee team would have finished eighth at the Monmouth County Championships.
Along with the depth, the Bulldogs had the emergence of a newly committed Christ as their No. 1, and Irvine, whom McLoone called the “game changer.” Irvine strengthened the middle of the team’s pack. Only 30 seconds separated RFH’s second through fifth runners Saturday.
The Bulldogs will have to do it all over again this Saturday when the New Jersey season comes to a conclusion with the Meet of Champions. They will again tangle with Voorhees as well as two-time defending champion Hillsborough at the Meet of Champions, which is back at familiar
Holmdel Park.
Rob DeFilippis’ Red Bank Catholic girls captured their second straight Non-Public A state crown on Saturday with a 51-point margin over Pope
John XXIII, 62-113.
MaryKate Byrne came up with the best cross country race of her career for the Caseys, finishing second with a Holmdel Park personal best 19:38.
Lindsey Bellaran was sixth (20:06) and Liana Marzano was 18th (20:343). Completing the scoring for RBC were MaryKate McNamara (20:53), 18th, and Eryn Mills (21:17), 23rd. In team scoring, Marzano, McNamara and Mills were 14-18-22.
The top 10 individuals and the top three teams automatically qualified for the MOC.
In the girls Group II, Red Bank Regional’s Krysten Gilmartin (19:27) finished ninth.
RBC’s Rob Napolitano was eighth in the boys NP-A race (16:30).
Christian Brothers Academy, the nation’s No. 1 ranked team, went 1-2-4-5- 6 in an overwhelming display of its power, winning the NP-A title with just 18 points.
Senior George Kelly led the Colts’ pack, winning the race in 16:05, with Mike McClemens next in 16:06.
CBA will look to extend its state record for MOC titles, which stands at 16, to 17. The Colts are the defending champions.
The girls will start things off with their race at 11 a.m., followed by the boys championship race at 11:45.