ED GRANT'S 2004 GROUP WRAP UP

The Christian Brothers boys and Roxbury girls confirmed their No. 1 rankings in New Jersey with 
easy victories today (Nov. 13) at the state group championships at Holmdel County Park.

       Weather conditions were just about perfect for the 12 races at the difficult  5K Monmouth 
County course. The temperatures were ideal, an overnight rain failed to damage the footing and 
the only problem was the wind which increased in velocity as the day wore on.

      CBA won its 20th (and 10th in a row) Parochial A title. 28-85, over Seton Hall and also had the 
best team average of the day at 16:37.8. The Colts also had their eighth individual winner as Chris 
Horel crossed the line 20 yards ahead of fellow junior Anthony LaMastro of Pope John in 16:19.

        Roxbury had another in a series of spectacular team efforts as it won its first state title in the 
Gr. IV race, 41-131, over Jackson. The Gaels also turned in the third-fastest team performance in 
the history of the course, averaging 19:24 as they placed four runners in the top 10, led by Jenn 
Ennis in second at 18:52.

       The fastest boy runner in six races was Bobby Papazian of Gill-St. Bernard's in  a Parochial 
B runaway at 15:59. Next came Korey Edwards of Parsippany Hills who scored the day's major 
upset when he edged previously undefeated sophomore Craig Forys of Colts Neck in the Gr. III 
race in 16:04. There was also a mild surprise in Gr. IV where junior Brian Dennis won by three 
yards from Chris Pisano of Toms River North in 16:10.

        The Gr. IV race also provided the only thing close to an upset in the boys' program when Old 
Bridge edged previously second-ranked Toms River North, 87-90. The other results were as expected: 
Morris Hills (which won Gr. II a year ago), taking Gr. III this time, 61-114, over Ocean City; Cranford 
routing Spotswood in Gr. II, 58-124; Bernards picking up a record 23rd state title in a Gr.1 repeat over 
Keansburg, 51-110, and Roselle Catholic winning its first title in 35 years over Oratory in Parochial B, 
76-83.

     The most surprising winner of the day was Thomas Walsh of Matawan, who scored his first win of 
the season in Gr. II by 15 yards over Kevin Brown of Cranford in 16:31. The two sophomores who had 
gone into the race was co-favorites, Joe McKenney of Cranford and Mike Burke of Haddonfield finished 
eighth and seventeenth, respectively, Burke failing to qualify for next week's all-group meet.

      Chris Guerriero of Saddle Brook gave his school its first state title, individual or team, as he won the 
Gr. I race by 45 yards from Eric Mills of Schalick in 16:48.

      In a curious coincidence, last year's two New Jersey Footlocker finalists, Jen Clausen of Jackson and 
Brittany Sedberry of Ocean City won their races in the identical time of 18:26. Clausen finished 130 yeards 
ahead of Ennis in Gr. IV, while Sedberry was 150 yards to the good over Arianna McKinney of Highland in 
Gr. III.

      The other two all-group hopefuls also won their races. Leah Brogan led No. 2 ranked Msgr. Donovan to a 
24-42 win over Pope John in Parochial A, finishing 25 yards ahead of sophomore Lara Heigis of the Lions in 
18:48. Junior Vanessa Wright of Haddonfield won her third Group  II title by 200 yards from Alexis Weiner of 
Caldwell in 19:02.

     Nor did the other two races produce any such surprises as in the boys' program. Amy Van Alstine of 
Midland Park, whose sister Lindsay won the all-group race for Hawthorne Christian three years ago, took Gr. I 
by 100 yards from Lindsay Ritchings of Pt. Pleasant Beach in 20:09 and Amanda led Pingry to the Parochial 
B title with a repeat win over Emily McMillan of St. Rose in 19:30.

     The only surprise in the girls' team results was the ease of Shore Regional's victory over Chatham by a 
74-116 margin in Gr. II. This was the fourth consecutive state title for coach Mel Ullmeyer, the first two in Gr. I, 
and in all four
he has had support from his own daughters, Julie and Nicole. Julie, who won the Gr. I race in 2002, is now a 
freshman at the College of New Jersey, but Nicole was the No. 2 Shore finisher this time, placing 14th in 21:04.

     Voorhees, which had won Gr. III last year before suffering a crushing upset by Shawnee in the all-group race, 
rebounded with only one holdover to defeat Ridge , 108-139.

     There was an "upset" of sorts in Gr. I where Palisades Park reversed its sectional loss to Verona, but this was 
predicable because of the Hillbillies' fifth-girl problems; they were slightly ahead after the first four girls from each 
team had finished, but wound up failing to even qualify for the all-group meet when they lost third place to North 
Warren on a sixth-girl comparison. It was the first girls' title for Palisades Park which had won three boys' crowns 
in the past decade and it was a close one, 82-84, over Mountain Lakes.

     Msgr. Donovan's largely freshman team was second-best to Roxbury with a 19:46 average, but may have to 
wait at least till next year for its first all-group title.      



 
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