Senior Nicholas Krol and sophomore Dylan Saber finished in the top 10 and the Williamstown boys won their first 9th Gloucester County cross country title but first in 27 years Friday afternoon at West Deptford Park.
Krol ran 16:25 and placed second to Peyton Shute of Woodbury, who ran 15:44, and Saber ran 16:55 for 6th place.
The Braves packed their five scorers in 76 seconds and topped Washington Township by two points, 46-48, to win their first county title since the 1995 team defeated Clearview 54-83 at Kingsway. That team was led by Geoff Valentine in 5th and Ed Douglas in 7th.
Williamstown also won Gloucester County team titles in 1970, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1983.
On Friday, Williamstown senior Brad Aidan, senior Walker Cristinziani and freshman Dominic Burgio clinched the team title by placing 12th, 13th and 14th in 17:29, 17:31 and 17:41. It was the first lifetime 5,000-meter championship race for Burgio.
Washington Township was led by sophomore Hunter Bostwick, who ran 16:38 for 4th place, senior Colin Keane, who was 7th in 17:06, junior Alan Kolosowsky and senior Tellus McDonald, who crossed the line 9th and 10th in 17:12 and 17:17, and junior Patrick Lant, 18th in 18:10.
Shute’s official time of 15:44.78 just missed the course record of 15:44.24 set last year at the Gloucester County meet by Kingsway’s Kyle Rakitis, when he edged Shute, who ran 15:51.
Also in the top 10 Friday were Woodbury senior Michael Torelli [3rd in 16:33], Clearview senior Cavan Agatone [6th in 17:03] and Kingsway senior Cesar Pedro [8th in 17:06].
This was the second straight very tight team finish. Washington Township edged Kingsway 45-46 last year, ending the Dragons’ streak of nine straight team titles.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 