CJ Recap: Lee Smashes CR, Metuchen, Colts Neck Sweep

Nov 03, 2024

Allison Lee dropped the biggest bomb of Sectional Saturday with her jaw-dropping course record run and Metuchen pulled off another sweep to highlight action at the Central Jersey Championships at Thompson Park in Jamesburg.

Here is a quick look at each race.

GIRLS

Lee, a junior at West Windsor-Plainsboro North, absolutely shredded the layout at Thompson, burning a 17:47!!! That destroyed the course record of 18:02 that was set by Caroline Kellner of West Windsor-Plainsboro South in the Group 4 race at the 2010 Central Jersey Championships. Lee finished 27 seconds ahead of two-time defending champ Liliah Gordon of Northern Burlington. Gordon, a two-time State Group 3 champ and a Foot Locker National Finalist last year, was second in 18:13.

The undefeated Lee and Gordon will clash again next week at the State Group 3 Championships where Gordon will be seeking revenge as she chases her third straight title.

In the Group 3 team competition, Colts Neck, ranked No. 8 in the state, avenged its two defeats this season to defending champion and No. 7 ranked Middletown South with a 52-65 victory.

Colts Neck, which lost to county rival Middletown South at both the Monmouth County and Shore Conference championships and was second to Middletown South at the sectional meet last year, used a 6-7-9-14-16 scoring combination, averaged 19:46, and put six runners in front of the No. 4 for Middletown South to secure the victory. Middletown South, the Monmouth County champ, countered with a 3-8-13-19-22 scoring combo.

The Group 4 race featured three top ten teams, No. 3 Princeton, No. 6 Freehold Township, and No. 10 Manalapan.

Manalapan used its superior frontal firepower to finish 1-2-3 with Sadie Honig first in 18:14, but Princeton had the tightest pack, which propelled the Mercer County champs to a 49-64 victory over defending champion Freehold Township, 49-64. Manalapan was third with 74.

Princeton's top five finished 4-6-8-15-16. Freehold Township went 5-10-12-14-23 and Manalapan's five scorers finished 1-2-3-29-39.

In the Group 2 race, freshman Leah Starkey of Ocean Township finished first in 18:24 and No. 8 Rumson crammed its scoring five in the top 14 and averaged 19:46 en route to an impressive 32-86 win over Allentown. Rumson's top five finished 2-3-4-9-14 as the Bulldogs, the 2022 champs, regained their title.

Metuchen, the GMC champs, dominated the Group 1 race by putting five runners ahead of Shore Regional's No. 3 runner to secure a second straight title with a 29-49 victory over Shore. Metuchen's top five placed 2-4-6-7-10 and averaged 20:12. It's the 12th sectional title for the Bulldogs.

BOYS

No. 10 ranked Manalapan, sparked by individual champion Clay Stevens, broke through and ended a 32-year title drought by winning the Group 4 title for its first sectional championship since 1992.

The Braves, second a year ago by just six points, put together a 1-10-13-14-23 scoring combination, placed their No. 4 runner ahead of South Brunswick's No. 2 man and averaged 16:30 to defeat No. 17 South Brunswick, 61-82. South Brunswick, the GMC champ averaged 16:46 and had a remarkable 1-5 split of 27 seconds.

Stevens, a junior, won the race in 15:43. It's the third straight year that a Manalapan runner has won the CJ Group 4 title, and Manalapan boy has now now captured a total of nine individual sectional titles. Stephen Kyvelos, the State Group 4 champ last year, won the previous two titles for the Braves.

The Group 3 race was all about Colts Neck.

The Cougars, ranked No. 3 in the state, went 1-2-3-10-12, averaged 16:42 and had a compression of just 25 seconds to roll to its third straight championship, 28-58 over West Windsor-Plainsboro North. Senior John Shapiro, who finished first, senior Hunter Celkupa, and junior Jay Adimala all ran 16:34 to fuel the 1-2-3-finish for Colts Neck, who held back in this one as they gear up for a run at the State Group 3 Championship next week.

An cool family note about Shapiro. His sister, Lilly, won 3 CJ Group 3 titles for Colts Neck from 2019-2021. How many brother-sister combinations can you name who have captured sectional XC titles?

I know of two and I'm digging to see if there are more.

Joetta Clark (1977, '78, '79) and J.J. Clark (1981) accomplished the brother-sister double for Columbia High, and Grace Wassell (2019, '20, '21) and Cole Wassell (2020) of Highland Regional pulled it off in the same year in 2020.

n Group 2, Point Pleasant Boro, who won its first title last year,, made it two in a row with an 88-94 victory over runner-up Spotswood. Point Boro, the Ocean County champs, had a scoring combination of 2-4-8-18-56 and Spotswood countered with a 13-17-19-22-23.

Cinnaminson junior Jacob Wickersham won the race in 16:20.

The Group 1 race featured a three-peat by Metuchen, who outscored runner-up Dayton, 38-54. The Bulldogs, who have now won 12 sectional championships, were led by senior Eric Schleif, who won the race in 16:18. Senior Matt Ware of Dayton, running XC for the first time this season, was second in 16:20.