Here we go!! The greatest day of the season is finally upon us! Get ur NJ XC State Group Championships on!!!
It just doesn't get any better than this. Anyone who disagrees should have their heart rate checked! Don't get me wrong here. I love Christmas as much as anyone, but this is the best time of the year!!!!
Group Championships Info & Coverage Hub
The NJSIAA Meet of Champions (Nov. 11 at Holmdel) is obviously a great event, but it comes and goes way too fast.
Nothing compares to the State Group Championship because of the never ending drama that plays out all day over 12 races at New Jersey's cross country Cathedral - Holmdel Park, the Holy Grail of NJ XC courses!! The Group Championship meet on Saturday is quite simply NJ XC's Mardi Gras!!!
There's nothing better than seeing fans running all over the course screaming, blowing horns, banging drums, and coaches trying to get from the top of the start hill to the mile mark or from from the tennis courts to the finish line.
The sites, the sounds, and the electricity!!!! Nothing in any other sport can match it!!
We know you can't get enough of this stuff, and we aim to please. So NJ MileSplit has put together a list below of some of the awesome storylines to follow on Super Saturday.
NJ MileSplit will have full results, updates, race videos, interviews, photos, and more from NJSIAA Group Championships.
Boys Group Championships Preview
CLASH OF TITANS
Sparks will be flying and lots of ashes will be left on the course when defending champion Christian Brothers Academy, ranked No. 1 in NJ and No. 3 nationally, squares off with Union Catholic, No. 2 in the state and No. 7 in the country!!
And the individual battle up front between Joe Barrett of CBA and Jimmy Wischusen of Union Catholic has the potential to be an instant classic as the two studs could push each other to some of the fastest times in course history. More on that shortly.
CBA, which has been torching courses all season, has the edge on paper.
The Colts, who have won a NJ record 31 State Group Championships, ran a No. 2 all-time average of 16:07 at Bowdoin, dropped a 15:59 at Holmdel at the Shore Coaches meet, and burned a 12:44 avg. at Van Cortlandt, No. 2 all-time on the 2.5-mile layout. CBA has been targeting the course record average of 15:52 at Holmdel (set by CBA in 2013), and the Colts certainly have the firepower to take that sacred record down.
When you consider that the conversion from Van Cortlandt to Holmdel for most top runners and teams over recent years has been roughly 3:05, that would put CBA right around 15:50 at Holmdel. Keep in mind that Vanny was a mess when CBA ran that 12:44, so who knows how fast this team can run at Holmdel on Saturday when the conditions are expected to be ideal and they will have their hands full vs. a UC squad that has a knack for running its best when they are the underdog.
But first, let's dive into the titanic clash between CBA and UC, who will clash for the first time this fall in the most eagerly anticipated showdown of the season.
Union Catholic ran its best race of season to knock off favored Westfield at the Union County Championships when the Vikings threw down a course record average of 15:46 at Warinanco Park. UC also ran a course record 15:44 when it finished first at the Union County Conference Championships at Oak Ridge Park.
As with any race, there are lots of different scenarios that could unfold.
No disrespect meant to any other teams in this race, but this is a 2-team race that should be very close because there just aren't many runners who will break up the scorers for CBA and UC.
Will CBA solidify its status as the top team in the state with a convincing victory? Will UC rise to the challenge and give CBA a run for their money, and possibly pull off the upset? Will both teams run their best races of the season and produce an that epic finish?
It remains to be seen how things will play out, but two things are for certain-this is a can't miss race and these two teams will leave everything they have on the course.
Back to Barrett vs. Wischusen.
Barrett and Wischusen are the two top runners in the state and two of the very best of the country.
The University of Virginia-bound Wischusen owns a Holmdel PR of 15:22 that he ran last year at the Shore Coaches Invitational, and he shredded the course record at Warinanco Park last month when he stopped the clock at 15:12! That's 16 seconds faster than the previous record.
Barrett, a junior, is undefeated this season with victories at Bowdoin (15:50), the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel (15:36), and he ran 12:13 to win the Eastern States Championship at Vanny.
This is the matchup everyone in the state has been waiting all season for.
How fast can they run!!!
Barrett and Wischusen are so fit and talented that the meet record of 15:16 set in 1988 by Jason DiJoseph of Paul VI is in serious jeopardy.
FYI-Only eight runners have ever broken 15:20 on Holmdel's current course, which has served as the state championship course since 1978. In case you are wondering about the course record - the great Edward Cheserek of St. Benedict's Prep owns that with the 14:53 he ran at the 2011 Shore Coaches Invitational. Hey, you never know!
10 RANKED TEAMS CLASH FOR GROUP 4 SUPREMACY
As usual, the Group 4 race is absolutely stacked!! It's a gauntlet of powerhouses!!!
How stacked?? How many powerhouses?
How about 10 teams ranked in the Top 20, five of which won county championships!
Not only are these teams chasing the coveted Group 4 trophy, but there will also be a mad scramble to secure one of the eight wild cards into the Meet of Champions. Remember, just the winning team from each race automatically advances. Last year, four of the eight wild cards came out of Group
And with just the winning team of each race automatically advancing to the Meet of Champions, there and a total of eight wild cards, there will be a scramble for the wild cards will come from this race.
And the amount of individual firepower is just ridiculous as ? county champs will toe the line, and there are a bunch of other super fast runners in this field.
Let's take a look at the tale of the tape for the top teams that will be chasing
No. 3 Westfield - The Blue Devils are favored to win their first title since winning a third straight in 2011 as they seek to avenge their runner-up finish to Cherokee last year by just 9 points.
Westfield averaged 16:08.9, the fastest time ever by a Public School at Holmdel and No. 9 all-time in course history, at the Shore Coaches Invitational earlier this season, and it's coming off a course record 15:56 at Greystone when it won the North 2 title without top gun, senior Avery Keith. Keith is perfectly fine and will be on the line on Saturday.
After the sectional race, the Blue Devils talked about how it was time to level up and win the state title that they were so close to capturing last year. If Westfield runs up to its potential, it's going to be very difficult for anyone to stop the Blue Devils from extending its Group 4 record to 16 championships.
No. 4 Ridgewood- Look for the Maroons!!!
Ridgewood produced one of the most eye-popping results last week when it threw down a shutout with 15 points to win the North Jersey, Section 1 title. Ridgewood, led by junior Luke Pash, averaged 16:44 at the sectional meet at Garret Mountain, which is the most challenging sectional course in the state. Ridgewood won their two state titles in 1991 and '92.
No. 5 Cherokee - The Chiefs, the South Jersey champs, are seeking a second straight title first title and eighth overall. The leader of the Cherokee pack is Nick Kuenkel, who owns the fastest Holmdel PR in this race of 15:49. Cherokee averaged 15:54 and had a 1-5 split of 66 seconds at the sectional meet.
No. 9 Ridge - The 2021 champion won the Somerset County title, and finished second to Westfield in North 2. Ridge has won three state titles (one in Group 2, one in Group 3, and one in Group 4).
No. 10 Cherry Hill East - The runner-up behind Cherokee at the SJ meet, Cherry Hill East averaged 16:29 and had a 53 second compression last week. CHE is seeking its first state title since winning its first title in 2014.
No. 12 Monroe - The Falcons are flying high after winning its first sectional title ever last week when they averaged 16:55 to win the CJ title at Thompson Park. Can Monroe advance to the Meet of Champions for the first time? I think the answer is yes!!!
No. 13 Manalapan - The Braves, who have never won a state title, advanced by placing a close second behind Monroe (66-72) at the CJ meet. Last year, the Braves narrowly missed advancing to the M of C when they placed 6th in Group 4.
No. 16 Southern - The Ocean County champion finished behind third behind Cherokee and Cherry Hill East in SJ. The Rams, who advanced to the M of C last year when they placed third in Group 4, are seeking their first state title.
No. 18 Montgomery -The Cougars averaged 16:12 and finished a very impressive third in the CJ race with 88 points, just 22 points behind the first-place Monroe.
No. 20 Toms River North - The Mariners, who advanced by placing a strong fourth in SJ behind Cherokee, Cherry Hill East, and Southern.
After he finished first to lead Mendham to the NJ Sec. 2 Group 3 title last week, junior Tommy Jendryka talked about how the great runners who have come before him in the Mendham program, particularly All Americans Jack Stanley and Jack Jennings, inspired his team to return Mendham to the top.
With Jendryka leading the charge, coach Roy Hamblen's pack has done exactly that, and now the Minutemen appear to be on the verge of winning its first state title since it won its fourth straight championship in 2020, when Stanley and Jennings were the front runners.
Mendham is peaking at the right time, and comes into the Group 3 race ranked No. 7 in the state. Last week, Mendham averaged 16:49 and defeated a very good Summit team, 38-51.
Summit, ranked No. 8 in the state, is the defending champ and will be jacked up to avenge its sectional loss. But don't forget about No. 16 Ocean City, the SJ champ who averaged 16:33 last week, and No. 19 Colts Neck, the CJ winner.
W.I.N. ONE FOR BAKER
What's Important Now!!!! Or W.I.N. for short.
That was one of Nick Baker's favorite motto's, and you can be darn sure that 'What's Important Now'' for the Haddonfield boys XC team is to win one for Baker, the legendary XC and T&F coach at Haddonfield who passed away last month after a Hall of Fame career.
The Haddonfield pack will be running with heavy hearts and lots of added incentive when the Dawgs, ranked No. 6 in the state, aim for their sixth straight title and 21st overall.
Haddonfield is coming off a very impressive 16:27 average and 1-5 split of 40 seconds when the Dawgs won the SJ Group 2 title last week. Haddonfield's compression is they key to their success. If they can keep that spread tight, the Dawgs will be very tough to knock off.
No. 15 ranked Bernards, the NJ Sec. 2 champ. appears to be the only team that can challenge Haddonfield. Bernards, which has a potent frontal attack, averaged 16:51 at the sectional meet at Greystone. If it can close the gap at the back of its back, the Mountaineers could make things very interesting. Bernards, which won, its last title in 2004, has captured 23 State Group titles, No. 2 in state history behind CBA's 31.
HOW LOW CAN THEY GO
How many guys will go under 16? With great competition and ideal conditions expected, I think there's a strong possibility that well over 10 runners can break 16!!
There are six guys who will toe the line with Holmdel's PB under 16- Jimmy Wischusen (15:22), Joe Barrett (15:36), Jack Falkowski of CBA (15:41), Group 3 favorite Peyton Shute of Gateway/Woodbury (15:43), Nick Kuenkel (15:49), and Avery Keith (15:56). And Luke Pash has run 16:00.
Who else can get under?
I like sectional champs Stephen Kyvelos of Manalapan (16:12 Holmdel PR), and Brenden McMahon of Ridge (16:14 Holmdel PR) to break 16. Kyvelos won the CJ 4 race in 16:07, and McMahon went 15:35 to win the NJ 2 title. And there are three runners who have run between 16:04 and 16:10 at Holmdel, and another 11 who will be in action who have run between 16:10 and 16:20 at Holmdel. So there could be lots of guys burning Holmdel PR's!
UP OR GRABS
The toughest team races to predict are the boys Group 1 and Non-Public B.
In Group, 1 there just isn't a whole lot separating CJ winner Metuchen, SJ champ Haddon Township, and NJ Sec. 2 winner McNair, and NJ. Sec. 1 champ Glen Rock.
Metuchen, seeking its first title since 2016 and its 6th overall, ran the fastest at the sectional championships with its 17:45 average at Thompson Park. Haddon Township, chasing its 12th state title, averaged 17:57 at Dream Park, McNair went 17:48 at Greystone, and Glen Rock averaged 18:05 at Garret Mountain. Don't let the 18:05 fool you. As most of your now, Garret is the toughest/slowest of all the sectional layouts.
In Non-Public B, the virtual scoring has Wilberforce coming out on top, but at the Kiessling Invitational last week, Bishop Eustace placed third with 66 points and Wilberforce finished fourth with 81.
Good luck to everyone toeing the line!!!
Get ur Holmdel on!!!
Get ur Bowl on!!!
Get ur PR's on!!!
Get ur NJ XC on!!!
Here we go!! The greatest day of the season is finally upon us! Get ur NJ XC State Group Championships on!!!
It just doesn't get any better than this. Anyone who disagrees should have their heart rate checked! Don't get me wrong here. I love Christmas as much as anyone, but this is the best time of the year!!!!