Haddonfield packed its five scorers between 4th and 9th and rolled to a 13-point win over Bernards in a battle of top-10 teams and two of the greatest programs in New Jersey history in the Varsity E race at the Shore Coaches Invitational Saturday.
Nobody is sure yet whether all the results are correct and accurate, but based on everything that’s out there, Haddonfield went 4-6-7-8-9 and outscored Bernards 34-47 to win its 13th Shore Coaches team title.
The Bulldogs also won Varsity E in 1995, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2017, 2018 and 2021, Varity C in 1978, Varsity D in 1989 and Varsity F in 1998.
Collingswood senior Elijah Forrest won the race in 16:22 and the next eight finishers were from Bernards or Haddonfield. Bernards had two in before Haddonfield’s 1st runner and three before Haddonfield’s 2nd, but Haddonfield placed five before Bernards’ 4th finisher.
Junior Bennett Wright led Haddonfield in 4th place with a 16:32.0 and then it was soph Ryan Gibson [16:42], senior Liam Dougherty [16:44], sophomore Benjamin Andrus [16:55] and senior Reid Gervasi [17:08] in 6th through 9th, giving the Bulldogs a 36-second gap between their 1st and 5th scorer.
None of those five were on Haddonfield’s varsity when they won the 2021 title. Haddonfield didn’t race at Shore Coaches last year.
Haddonfield’s team average of 16:48 appears to be 3rd-fastest ever by a South Jersey school at Shore Coaches. Cherokee averaged 16:35 in 2019 and 16:37 last year. It was 3rd-fastest among all schools Saturday and fastest by a South Jersey school.
Here’s a look at every program that averaged sub-18 at Holmdel this past weekend:
16:48 … Haddonfield [1st, Varsity E]
17:03 … Cherry Hill East [3rd, Varsity A]
17:03 … Cherokee [4th, Varsity A]
17:34 … Shawnee [4th, Varsity B]
17:37 … Washington Twp. [7th, Varsity A]
17:43 … Ocean City [3rd, Varsity C]
17:47 … Paul VI [1st, Varsity G]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 