ED GRANT'S GROUP PREVIEW

 Before looking into what might happen at the all-group meet this Saturday, it might be well to remind everyone 
that the races are an hour earlier this year, with the boys going at 10 a.m. and the girls at 10:45 a.m. It would 
hardly do for anyone to miss what should be a pair of excellent races----even though it takes a helicopter to see 
all of them.

       It would not appear that the team titles are at issue in eiether event. Christian Brothers seems certain to reclaim 
the boys' crown after a three-year lapse; it will be their 14th all told. Roxbury should claim its first girls' title but is no 
more a favorite than Voorhees was a year ago and we know what happened then.

      CBA was easily the fastest over the course last week at the group meet even though it rested its No. 2 (or is it No. 3) 
man, Greg Leach to give senior Connor Campanella a chance to run with the varsity for the first time this fall. The real 
battle will be for second with Gr. IV winner Old Bridge, Toms River North, Cherokee (particularly if Sean McLaughlin 
can get back into the lineup) and Gr. III champ Morris Hills the leading contenders.

      Roxbury had a clear edge on its only real competition, Msgr. Donovan, as both won handily last Saturday, but it would 
take only a bad race for one of the Gaels' top four to even things up. Jackson seems safe for the third spot.

      It is in the individual battles that we can look for some real competition. There is no clear favorite in either race.

      Bobby Papazian of Gill St.-Bernard's was the fastest boys' winner last weekend, but not by much. The (probably) 
Colorado-bound senior ran away with the Parochial B title in 15:59, leaving a couple of obviously tired runners in his 
wake. But is going to have to win tbis one in the hills, for Gr. III champ Korey Edwards of Parsippany Hills, who ran 
16:04 in his upset win over Craig Forys of Colts Neck, is likely to take any dash for the finish line.

     Forys and Papazian are likely to set the pace in this one, followed by Edwards, the close 1-2 finishers from Gr. IV, 
Brian Dennis of Hillsboro and Chris Pisano of Toms River North and Parochial A champ Chris Horel of CBA, who ran 
only to win last Saturday and clocked 16:19.

      There can be no favorite in the girls' event with defending champ Brittany Sedberry of Ocean City and Jen Clausen 
of Jackson having run matching 18:26 races in taking the Gr. III and IV titles, respectively. And Leah Brogan of Msgr. 
Donovan, who had beaten Clausen in the Shore Conference meet a week earlier, continued her winning ways as she 
took the Parochial A race in 18:48. Vanessa Wright of Haddonfield, undefeated this year, has to break the jinx which 
has seen her run far out of the money in her two previous all-group races.  

      If there is a dark horse in this race, it is outdoor AG 1600-meter champ Danielle Tauro of Southern Ocean, who has 
been improving with every race this fall and broke 19:00, placing third in Gr. IV.

      An extra prize for the top teams may be a trip to the first national meet in Eugene, Oregon, on Dec. 11. CBA seems 
almost certain to be invited for the boys' race, but Roxbury has has yet to gain much regional recognition despite a series 
of brilliant races. Its 19:24 average last Saturday, for example, has been bettered at Holmdel only by two truly legendary 
teams: the 1982 Bernards outfit, led by Meg Waldron and Amy Meyer, which put all five girls under 20:00, and the 1985 
edition of North Hunterdon's "Fast Ladies," which had a 1-2 finish from Jodie Bilotta and two-time Olympian Anne Marie 
Letko.