Highlights from Battle at OCP

I'm parked here next to the finish line along with NJ MileSplit State Editor Robert Kellert and his crew at Ocean County Park for the Battle at Ocean County Park.

It's sunny and breezy here!!! Strong headwind at the start!!! Temps around 70. 

This is the PR capital of NJ XC. Why?  It's as flat as expired soda and shorter than 5K. I'll get the exact distance to you shortly. I'm being told the course is  approx 3.07 

There will be 8 races-all by class. Freshmen races are 2 miles. Everything else is the full course.

The freshman girls are scheduled to go off first at approx. 3:40 p.m. 

If you're new here, live updates will be down below. If you don't see the latest info right away, it's because I don't have it yet or my laptop got stolen by wild geese, or I got kicked off line. I promise that you'll be the second to know everything that happens here.  

Just got back from a run around the course and I joined the Colts Neck boys freshmen crew for a quarter mile or so. Great line from one of the Colts Neck runners, who said this was his first high school race ever.

I asked him if he was all jacked up for his high school debut. His response - "I'm just using all my energy now to keep from throwing up.'' I wished him good luck and sprinted away (well, I guess it's was more like a fast jog). Got to love freshmen XC runners!!!!!  

LIVE UPDATES

3:42 p.m. Girls freshman race is off. Boys freshman in 10 minutes 

3:54 p.m. Reese Fahys of Middletown South makes huge move in final 400 meters in her high school debut to pull away for the win in 12:02 over the 2 mile course. Led by Fahys, Middletown South rolled to the team title with 13 points and a 12:39 avg.!!! The top 3 score. 

Fahys, who has the makings of a big star and has is very motivated to achieve some big goals, has been running since she was 8 years old when her running mother inspired her to run.

REESE FAHYS!!! Don't forget the name. 

3:56 p.m. Boys freshman are off.

4:10 P.M. Girls sophomore race is off

4:28 p.m. Lilly Shapiro of Colts Neck wins her XC debut in the girls soph. race in 18:03!!! She finshed just ahead of Hayley Amisano of Mater Dei (18:03). Shapiro, a soccer player until this year, ran 5:09 in the 4x1mile and 2:16 in the 800 last indoors.

Shapiro ran very smart and poised for an XC rookie, and her presence in coach Jim Schlentz's lineup will give Colts Neck a great shot at repeating as state Group 3 champs in November! 

Middletown South wins the girls soph. team title with 17 points and an average of 19:37.

4:42 p.m. Connor Kinch of Middletown North wins the boys soph. race in about 16:16.

4:55 p.m. Emma McGill, who overcame a wrong turn, continues her red hot start to the season by winning the girls junior race in 18:46.

5:10 p.m. YOWZAA!!!!! GET UR INSTANT CLASSIC ON!!!  JACKSON BRADDOCK WINS THE BOIYS JR RACE IN 15:22, EDGING MATTHEW BOGDAN, ALSO IN 15:22.!!! 

5:40 P.M. CORINA VIDAL OF HENRY HUDSON WINS THE GIRLS SR. RACE IN 18:21!!!!

5:55 p.m. HOLY SMOKES!!!!! GET UR Liam Murphy ON!!!!! HOW ABOUT A 14:52!!!!!  THAT'S NO. 5 ALL TIME AT OCP AND IT'S ONLY SEPTEMBER AND HE 5WON BY 49 SECONDS!!!!!!! YOWZAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW LOW WILL HE GO AT HOLMDEL?????

KEEP N MIND THAT 2016 M OF C XC WINNER ELLIOT GINDI OF OCEAN TOWNSHIP RAN 15:26 AT HOLMDEL WHEN HE WON THE GROUP 3 TITLE IN THAT EPIC FINSH WITH MATT GROSSMAN. GINDI'S PR AT OCP YOU ASK??? 15:05 AT THE 2016 SHORE CONF. MEET.

GO GET IT MURPH!!!!

FYI-THE MERGE TEAM WINNERS TODAY WERE THE CHERRY HILL EAST BOYS AND THE HOLMDEL GIRLS!! 

7:15 P.M. THAT'S A WRAP FROM OCP!!!

THANKS FOR FOLLOWING ALONG AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK BACK ON NJ MILESPLIT FOR VIDEOS, INTERVIEWS, PHOTOS, RECAP AND MORE!!!

HEY-GET UR NJ XC ON!!!!