Peyton Shute won the Senior Race by over 100 meters and tied the course record Saturday at the 26th annual Cherokee Challenge.
Shute covered the 3,200-meter course in 9:26.13, finishing about 24 seconds ahead of 2nd-place Matthew Lucas of Monroe Township.
The course record is listed as 9:26 – with no fractions – by Cherokee’s Shawn Wilson in 2012. The official results from 2012 show none of the times with 10ths so Wilson and Shute will share the course record at 9:26.
Shute was the state Group 1 champ at 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters last spring and placed 11th at the Meet of Champions in XC with a 16:05 at Holmdel.
Delsea’s Matthew Littlehales ran 10:13.0 to win the Sophomore Race over Gavin Leffler of Tatnall School in Wilmington, who was 2nd in 10:15.5. Matthew Littlehales’ older brother Andrew won the Senior Race in 2021 in 9:47.
Other runners under 10:30 Saturday included Collingswood’s Elijah Forrest [9:51.9, 3rd in Senior Race], Paul VI’s Will Mrozinski [7th in Senior Race, 10:04.3], Williamstown’s Dylan Saber [10th in Junior Race, 10:10.7], Williamstown’s Dominic Burgio [3rd in Sophomore Race, 10:18.0], Haddon Heights’ Reggie Hernandez [11th in Junior Race, 10:19.7], Audubon’s Aiden Williams [12th in Senior Race, 10:21.5], Moorestown’s Peter Simpson [4th in Sophomore Race, 10:22.9] and Owen Dybus of Haddon Township [16th in Senior Race, 10:27.6].
Salesianum of Wilmington won the boys overall title with a combined 30 points from their top finisher in each of the four varsity races. Paul VI was the top South Jersey school with 82 points. Shawnee had the lowest score among South Jersey schools in the combined boys-girls scoring with 318 points (150 boys, 168 girls). Conestoga of Berwyn, Pa., was the overall combined winner with 153.
Here’s a look at the 10-fastest runners in course history [and also the top 10 South Jersey times]:
9:26 … Shawn Wilson [Cherokee], 2012 [Senior Race]
9:26.13 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 2023 [Senior Race
9:17.69 … Luke Petela [Haddon Township], 2014 [Senior Race]
9:28 … Miles Schoedler [Ocean City], 2010 [Senior Race]
9:29.36 … Andrew Marston [Conestoga, Pa.], 2014 [Senior Race]
9:30.59 … Louis Corgliano [Hammonton], 2013 [Senior Race]
9:32.93 … Chris Romero [Voorhees], 2017 [Senior Race]
9:33 … Jon Vitez [Haddonfield], 2009 [Senior Race]
9:33 … Ben Potts [Haddonfield], 2009 [Senior Race]
9:36 …….. Vitez, 2008 [Junior Race]
9:33.26 … Luke Johnson [West Windsor-Plainsboro North [Senior Race]
9:38 … Nick Costello [Delsea], 2012 [Senior]
9:40 … Roberte Rawls [Triton], 2010 [Senior]
9:40 …….. Corgliano, 2012 [Junior]
9:41.51 … Sean MacPherson [Sterling], 2014 [Senior Race]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 