Senior Conor Jacob, juniors Nick Kuenkel and Robert Poplau and senior Patrick Ditmars finished the season with a monster 4-by-800 performance at the 54th annual Meet of Champions Thursday at Franklin Township.
Cherokee ran the 3rd-fastest time in South Jersey history, 2nd-fastest time in meet history and 17th-fastest time in state history and won the MoC 3,200-meter relay for the second year in a row.
The Chiefs ran 7:41.17 and finished 15 meters ahead of Toms River North, which was 2nd in 7:43.17 – the 5th-fastest time in meet history and an Ocean County record.
Jacob led off in 1:55.74 and gave Cherokee a slim lead over Toms River North at the first handoff. Kuenkel extended the lead with a 1:55.70 split, Poplau held the lead in what was now a two-team race with a 1:55.91 split and Ditmars ran away from North with a 1:53.82 anchor leg.
Toms River North was the top seed with it 7:49.61 at sectionals, but Cherokee ran 7:51.85 without Ditmars. Cherokee won the MoC last year in 7:54.34 with the same four runners.
The only faster time in meet history was recorded by River Dell, which ran 7:40.57 in 2016 with the Daly twins, William and Colin, who both went on to run for Notre Dame.
Cherokee is the first school to win consecutive Meet of Champions 4-by-8s since the race was added to the meet in 2010.
The only faster times in South Jersey history are Old Bridge’s 7:40.43 at 2017 Greensboro Nationals and Willingboro’s 7:40.98 at the 1983 Penn Relays.
The previous fastest 4-by-8 by a South Jersey school at the Meet of Champions was 7:43.57 by Haddonfield’s Austin Stoner, Jack Wood, Greg Pelose and Chris Goings.
Here’s a look at the all-time Meet of Champions top-10:
7:40.57 … River Dell], 2016
7:41.17 … Cherokee, 2023
7:42.34 … Old Bridge 2015
7:42.59 … Morris Hills], 2016
7:43.17 … Toms River North
7:43.46 … River Dell], 2015
7:42.95 … Bergen Catholic], 2014
7:43.57 … Haddonfield, 2015
7:44.09 … Ridgewood], 2014
7:44.46 … Ridge, 2019
And here’s the all-time New Jersey top-20:
7:31.60 … Morris Hills, 2009
7:32.00 … Ridge, 2022
7:34.67 … Christian Brothers, 2012
7:35.87 … St. Benedict’s, 2018
7:38.48 … Ridge, 2019
7:39.06 … Ridge, 2021
7:39.32 … Pope John XXIII, 2012
7:39.36 … Old Bridge, 2015
7:39.54 … Colts Neck, 2005
7:39.57 … Ridgewood, 2014
7:39.5h … Trenton, 1978
7:40.43 … Egg Harbor Twp., 2017
7:40.57 … River Dell, 2016
7:40.71 … Pleasantville, 2013
7:40.99 … Willingboro, 1983
7:41.13 … St. Benedict’s, 2019
7:41.17 … Cherokee, 2023
7:41.27 … Lawrenceville School, 2010
7:41.84 … Hopewell Valley, 2018
7:42.59 … Union Catholic, 2010
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 