By Jim Hintelmann
HOLMDEL –Red Bank Catholic girls and Christian Brothers Academy boys confirmed their status as the state’s top cross-country teams.
While confirmation came Saturday with victories in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (NJSIAA) Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park, the teams did it in different ways.
RBC easily won the Parochial A girls title the previous week, but had a struggle Saturday before outlasting Hillborough, 88-95, for its first TOC title since 1996. CBA, which edged Don Bosco Prep on a six-man count to win its fifth straight title the week before, defeated South Brunswick, 82-113.
“ I thought that we had lost the meet,” said RBC coach Rob DeFilippis after the race, “but the coach from Ridgewood came up to congratulate me for winning.
“This was my first state championship as coach,” DeFilippis said. “Grace Eckstein and Gabrielle Ferrigine, my No. 4 and 5 runners, were the keys. Ferrigine passed about 15 runners late in the race.”
Eryn Mills (21st with a time of 19:12) was RBC’s top finisher followed by teammates Mary Kate McNamara (32nd, 19:29), Caitlin O’Hare (34th 19:33), Eckstein (37th, 19:36) and Ferrigine (60th, 19:55).
CBA used its usual superior depth to defeat South Brunswick. The Colts got a big break when three of Don Bosco Prep’s top runners had off-days, and they finished eighth in the team standings.
“We went out more aggressively this time,” CBA coach Tom Heath said. “The guys we had last year were so good that this group had to wait their turn, but they had a big chance today and came though. They were fantastic – and they are all just juniors.”
Blaise Ferro (18th, 16:18) led the Colts followed by Nick Trigani (28th, 16:23), Sean Martinek (30th, 16:24), Brian Dengler (35th, 16:26) and Jon Dooling (44th, 16:34).
