Led by senior Raine Guidarelli, Cherry Hill East packed its five scorers within 20 seconds – and all seven within 29 seconds – and rolled to a commanding win in Division 3 at the South Jersey Open Saturday.
Guidarelli won the race in 16:02, edging Williamstown Dylan Saber, who placed 2nd in 16:04. It was Guidarelli’s first major individual win in track or cross country.
Cherry Hill East, ranked 7th in the state, went 1-3-5-6-7 to score 22 points and finished with a 22- 68 margin of victory over Cherokee, which did not race its top group.
Juniors Nikhil Raman and Brody Bogos also placed in the top five, Raman 3rd in 16:10 and Bogos 7th in 16:22. Sophomore Colin Moore was 6th in 16:20, sophomore Alvin Lin 7th in 16:22 and junior Brandon Lyons 11th in 16:31. Sophomore 6th man Benjamin Sautter also dipped under 17 minutes, placing 19th in 16:58.
Including fractions (which I don’t include in my posts), Cherry Hill East averaged 16:14.05, the fastest average in the six years the South Jersey Open has been at Dream Park and tied for the 10th-fastest average in course history.
The fastest previous average at DREAM Park in this meet looks like Cherry Hill East’s 16:46 at the 2021 South Jersey Open.
Other South Jersey runners in the top 10: Washington Township senior Aaron Kolosowsky [4th in 16:19], Cherokee sophomore Logan Bromley [8th in 16:21] and Williamstown sophomore Dominic Burgio [9th in 16:25].
Also under 17 minutes: Cherokee junior Anthony DiBattista [12th in 16:35], Williamstown junior David Kershner [13th in 16:35], Cherokee junior Enzo Corona [14th in 16:40], Clearview junior Ethan Worst [15th in 16:45], Cherokee sophomore Dominic Pileri [16th in 16:50], Eastern junior Ryan Haefele [17th in 16:52] and Cherokee senior Andrew Free [18th in 16:53].
Here’s what I came up with for the fastest average team times in the course’s brief history (as always, let me know of any errors and omissions in the comments section! Thanks! )
15:48 … Cherokee, 2022 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
15:52 … Haddonfield, 2021 [South Jersey Group 2 Sectionals]
15:52 … Haddonfield, 2022 [South Jersey Group 2 Sectionals]
16:00 … Cherokee, 2019 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:00 … Southern Regional, 2022 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
16:10 … Cherokee, 2022 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:13 … Cherokee, 2021 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
16:14 … Cherokee, 2018 [Olympic Conference Championships]
16:15 … Highland, 2022 [South Jersey Group 3 Sectionals]
16:15 … Cherry Hill East, 2023 [South Jersey Open]
16:19 … Southern Regional, 2021 [South Jersey Group 4 Sectionals]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 