Pats, Cougars advance to Meet of Champions

Freehold Township High School’s finest cross country season just got better. For the first time in program history, the Patriots’ boys will compete as a team in the season ending NJSIAA state Meet of Champions.

The Meet of Champions is set for Nov. 20 at Holmdel Park in Holmdel.

Coach Brian Golub’s Patriots punched their ticket to the Meet of Champions by earning a wild card entry on the strength of their fifth place finish (178 points) in the state Group IV championship on Nov. 13 at Holmdel Park.

The Patriots’ team average of 16:55.90 for the 3.1-mile race is what got them through to the Meet of Champions. The top three finishing teams from each group automatically qualify for the Meet of Champions and the two teams with the best team average make it as wild cards.

Group IV produced both wild cards with fourth place team finisher Ridgewood joining Freehold Township as a wild card selection for the Meet of Champions.

Senior Keenan Huggins-Filozof led the Patriots by running a personal best time of 16:22. He was 15th overall, but 10th in team scoring. Sophomore Kevin Summonte continued his outstanding season by placing 17th overall and 11th in team scoring by also turning in a Holmdel Park personal best time of 16:24.

Junior Graham Huggins-Filozof was the Patriots’ third scorer (17:02) and was 35th for team scoring. Freshman Dylan Tarpey (17:19) and senior James Faith (17:31) completed the team scoring by finishing 53rd and 69th, respectively.

At this week’s Meet of Champions, the Patriots will have the opportunity to show the rest of the state’s cross country teams that they are one of the New Jersey’s best squads. A top 10 finish in the team standings is not out of the question.

The top 10 individuals in each race at the group championships automatically advance to the Meet of Champions. Wild cards are extended to the 10 fastest times run by nonqualifiers.

Among the girls, Freehold Township’s Brianne Roche fit into the second category. Roche finished 13th in the Group IV race (19:56), but her time was fast enough for the sophomore to earn a wild card entry to the Meet of Champions.

In Group III, Colts Neck’s Mike O’Dowd ran second to a harrier who is one of the Meet of Champions favorites, Jim Rosa of West Windsor-Plainsboro North. Rosa posted a time of 15:45 to win the Group III race, while O’Dowd came in at 16:09.

O’Dowd has run superbly all season and has never finished lower than second in any race. On Nov. 20 he will be trying to run under his personal best time of 15:59 and finish in the top 10.

Colts Neck sophomore John Ward had a breakout race in placing eighth (16:22). He and Summone are two of the fastest sophomores in Freehold Regional High School District history.

The No. 2 and No. 8 finish of O’Dowd and Ward helped the Cougars finish second as a team behind West Windsor Plainsboro- North in the Group III race.

Riley Leder (17:07), John Stouber (17:24) and Colin Chehanske (17:48), at No. 25, 31 and 56, completed the Cougars’ scoring. The team’s average time was 16:58.

Colts Neck’s Arielle Weiner extended her cross country season by finishing 10th in the girls Group III race (19:44) and earning a spot at the starting line in the Meet of Champions.

The Group III race saw Highland Regional’sMegan Venables set a Holmdel Park course record with her time of 17:28. Venables took down one of the legendary records in state history, the 17:35 run by J.P. Stevens’ great Janet Smith in 1983.

— Tim Morris