Harriers advance in state x-country
It was a good weekend for the area cross country teams. Red Bank Regional, Rumson-Fair Haven and Shore Regional each had their boys and girls teams qualify for this Saturday's NJSIAA State Group Championships at Holmdel Park.
Only the top five teams and top 10 individuals at Saturday's Central Jersey state sectionals held at Thompson Park in Jamesburg advanced to the Group meet. Harriers had to battle the elements Saturday, running over a grass course made slick by a steady rain.
In CJ Group II, RBR had a pair of second place finishes.
The girls lost a close race to Johnson, 64-77. Elizabeth Dowdy (20:01) and Mary Cerasa (20:14) paced the Bucs with top 10 finishes. Dowdy was seventh, and Cerasa was 10th. Kelliann Dietel was 13th overall (21:01).
The Group II boys' race wasn't as close: Cinnaminson won easily with 70 points to RBR's 109.
Matt Melitz finished fourth overall in 16:45 for the Bucs, and John Arnone was ninth (17:03).
RFH's girls were third in that close Group II race with 96 points. Hannah Satzke led the Bulldogs, finishing eighth (20:05). Samantha O'Brien (21:02) and Molly Hellman (21:03) were 14th and 15th overall.
Max Sparshatt was second in the boys race for the Bulldogs, clocking 16:30. Zachary Wishbow (17:29) was 15th helping Rumson qualify for the Group meet in fifth place (145).
Monmouth Regional's Megan Tursi qualified for the Group II State Championship by finishing ninth (20:06).
In Group I, Shore Regional's girls were second behind Robbinsville, 32-60. The Blue Devils put three runners in the top 10, led by Erika Friend, a freshman, in seventh (21:30). Right behind in ninth and 10th were Cameo Kirk (21:32) and Erin Lagey (21:37).
The Blue Devil boys were third (96). Dylan Cole was the first to the line for Shore in fifth place (17:40). Ryan Flood was 13th (18:26).
In Group III, Ocean Township's Jonathan Goldfarb punched his ticket to the Group championships, finishing 10th (16:57).
At the Group meet, the public schools will be joined by the parochial Non-Public A and B schools on Saturday.
The top 10 individuals and top three teams at the Group meets will automatically qualify for the Nov. 22 Meet of Champions at Holmdel. There will be 10 wild card berths for the 10 fastest non-qualifying times, as well as two at-large berths for teams based on the best team average among the teams finishing outside the top three.
NJSIAA Central Sectional Cross-Country Championships
| High school | Pts. | ||
| Group IV | |||
| Boys | |||
| 1 | West Windsor-Plains. So. | 52 | |
| 2 | Old Bridge | 66 | |
| 3 | Manalapan | 106 | |
| 4 | East Brunswick | 143 | |
| 5 | Colts Neck | 167 | |
| 6 | Middletown North | 170 | |
| 7 | Hillsborough | 175 | |
| 8 | Freehold Township | 212 | |
| 9 | North Brunswick | 275 | |
| 10 | Howell | 279 | |
| 11 | South Brunswick | 303 | |
| 12 | Jackson Memorial | 304 | |
| 13 | Marlboro | 339 | |
| 14 | Montgomery | 374 | |
| 15 | Rancocas Valley | 379 | |
| 16 | Brick Memorial | 381 | |
| 17 | Sayreville | 397 | |
| Girls | |||
| 1 | South Brunswick | 61 | |
| 2 | Hillsborough | 62 | |
| 3 | West Windsor-Plains. So. | 78 | |
| 4 | Colts Neck | 99 | |
| 5 | Howell | 127 | |
| 6 | Montgomery | 140 | |
| 7 | Jackson Memorial | 209 | |
| 8 | Old Bridge | 221 | |
| 9 | Freehold Township | 271 | |
| 10 | Rancocas Valley | 309 | |
| 11 | North Brunswick | 313 | |
| 12 | East Brunswick | 325 | |
| 13 | Middletown North | 342 | |
| 14 | Sayreville | 350 | |
| 15 | Brick Memorial | 379 | |
| High school | Pts. | ||
| Group III | |||
| Boys | |||
| 1 | West Windsor-Plains. No. | 18 | |
| 2 | Holmdel | 76 | |
| 3 | Hopewell Valley | 136 | |
| 4 | Hightstown | 139 | |
| 5 | Northern Burlington | 146 | |
| 6 | Princeton | 156 | |
| 7 | Middletown South | 161 | |
| 8 | Ocean Township | 225 | |
| 9 | Lawrence | 232 | |
| 10 | Freehold Borough | 248 | |
| 11 | Hamilton East | 285 | |
| 12 | Monroe Township | 349 | |
| 13 | JF Kennedy, Iselin | 372 | |
| 14 | Hamilton North | 380 | |
| 15 | Wall | 393 | |
| 16 | Lakewood | 464 | |
| Girls | |||
| 1 | Hopewell Valley | 57 | |
| 2 | Holmdel | 74 | |
| 3 | Princeton | 80 | |
| 4 | West Windsor-Plains. No. | 101 | |
| 5 | Middletown South | 118 | |
| 6 | Wall | 132 | |
| 7 | Freehold Borough | 182 | |
| 8 | Neptune | 205 | |
| 9 | Ocean Township | 206 | |
| 10 | Northern Burlington | 243 | |
| 11 | JF Kennedy, Iselin | 304 | |
| High school | Pts. | ||
| Group II | |||
| Boys | |||
| 1 | Cinnaminson | 70 | |
| 2 | Red Bank Regional | 109 | |
| 3 | Matawan | 118 | |
| 4 | Pt. Pleasant Borough | 133 | |
| 5 | Rumson-Fair Haven | 145 | |
| 6 | Delaware Valley | 169 | |
| 7 | Somerville | 184 | |
| 8 | Manasquan | 210 | |
| 9 | Delran | 244 | |
| 10 | Raritan | 299 | |
| 11 | Johnson, Arthur L. | 302 | |
| 12 | Allentown | 322 | |
| 13 | Spotswood | 335 | |
| 14 | Ewing | 340 | |
| 15 | Monmouth Regional | 342 | |
| 16 | Burlington Twp. | 374 | |
| 17 | No. Plainfield | 428 | |
| GIrls | |||
| 1 | Johnson, Arthur L. | 64 | |
| 2 | Red Bank Regional | 77 | |
| 3 | Rumson-Fair Haven | 96 | |
| 4 | Delaware Valley | 98 | |
| 5 | Manasquan | 108 | |
| 6 | Raritan | 112 | |
| 7 | Somerville | 191 | |
| 8 | Pt. Pleasant Borough | 199 | |
| 9 | Matawan | 230 | |
| 10 | Spotswood | 243 | |
| 11 | Cinnaminson | 280 | |
| 12 | Allentown | 390 | |
| 13 | Ewing | 407 | |
| 14 | Delran | 409 | |
| 15 | Burlington Twp. | 424 | |
| High school | Pts. | ||
| Group I | |||
| Boys | |||
| 1 | Robbinsville | 52 | |
| 2 | Metuchen | 56 | |
| 3 | Shore Regional | 96 | |
| 4 | Henry Hudson | 145 | |
| 5 | New Providence | 165 | |
| 6 | Dunellen | 182 | |
| 7 | Keansburg | 198 | |
| 8 | South River | 216 | |
| 9 | South Hunterdon | 221 | |
| 10 | Keyport | 247 | |
| 11 | Middlesex | 286 | |
| 12 | Manville | 314 | |
| 13 | South Amboy | 367 | |
| Girls | |||
| 1 | Robbinsville | 32 | |
| 2 | Shore Regional | 60 | |
| 3 | Pt. Pleasant Beach | 76 | |
| 4 | New Providence | 95 | |
| 5 | Metuchen | 107 | |
| 6 | Middlesex | 180 | |
| 7 | Keansburg | 206 | |
| 8 | South Amboy | 235 | |
Championships were held at Thompson Park, Monroe Township on Nov. 9th
