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]

Kingsway’s Ryan Duffy continued his assault on the South Jersey freshman record book Saturday with what appears to be the fastest time ever recorded by a South Jersey 9th-grader at historic Holmdel County Park.

Duffy placed 3rd in the Varsity B race at the Shore Coaches Invitational in 16:22.50, which according to the MileSplit database is the 4th-fastest time by a freshman on the hilly 5,000-meter layout and fastest in 14 years.

The only faster times on record are a 16:15 by Colts Neck’s legendary Craig Forys at Shore Coaches in 2003, a 16:16 by West Windsor-Plainsboro North’s equally legendary Joe Rosa at the 2007 state Group 3 meet and a 16:19 by Barnegat’s Matthew Nelson at the 2009 Meet of Champions.

The database only goes back to 2000 and then into the 1990s including some races. It’s possible a freshman ran faster, but considering the dramatically slower state of the course from the 1970s through the 1990s and the evolution of times with course improvements at Holmdel over the last decade it’s not likely.

The previous known South Jersey freshman record at Holmdel belonged to another Kingsway runner, Joe Grandizio, who ran 16:31 at the 2014 state Group 4 meet.

As for the years before 2000, I checked some of the fastest pre-2000 South Jersey XC runners – guys like Jason DiJoseph [17:16 as a freshman] and Urie Ridgeway, Murad Campbell, Mike Mantini, Nate Miller, Mike Myers and Ron Deckert (none of whom ran at Holmdel as freshmen) – and couldn’t find anybody close to 16:22.

There were numerous results irregularities and errors in the final results, so every performance is under some question but it does appear that Duffy’s 16:22 is accurate.

Duffy finished behind Ridgewood junior Luke Pash [16:00.44], a 9:06 two-miler last spring, and Ridge junior Brenden McMahon [16:14.80], a 9:08 two-miler last spring. Duffy’s time was tied for 4th-fastest among all South Jersey runners Saturday at Holmdel.

Here’s a look at all South Jersey runners who went sub-17 Saturday:

15:43 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 1st, F race
15:49 … Nick Kuenkel [Cherokee], 3rd, A race
16:14 … Elijah Whitaker [Glassboro], 2nd, F race
16:22 … Elijah Forrest [Collingswood], 1st, E race
16:22 … Ryan Duffy [Kingsway], 3rd, A race
16:32 … Bennett Wright [Haddonfield], 4th, E race
16:42 … Ryan Gibson [Haddonfield], 6th, E race
16:44 … Liam Dougherty [Haddonfield], 7th, E race
16:44 … Will Mrozinski [Paul VI], 1st, G race
16:47 … Brady Bogos [Cherry Hill East], 20th, A race
16:49 … Aiden Williams [Audubon], 3rd, G race
16:50 … Dylan Saber [Williamstown], 21st, A race
16:51 … Liam Tindall [Cherokee], 23rd, A race
16:52 … Colin Moore [Cherry Hill East], 24th, A race
16:55 … Reid Gervasi [Haddonfield], 9th, E race
16:55 … Aziz Muhammad-Kane [Highland], 9th, C race

Senior Will Mrozinski became the first Paul VI individual winner at Shore Coaches in 30 years and led Paul VI to its second consecutive team title in the Varsity G race Saturday at Holmdel County Park.

We’re still not sure about the accuracy of the Shore Coaches results, thanks to some timing issues, but we’re pretty sure Paul VI packed all five scorers among the top 25 finishers to outdistance Metuchen, 62-92.

Mrozinski ran 16:44 and edged Hasbrouck Heights junior Aidan Morrow by one second. The Eagles’ first four finishers all ran between 16:44 and 16:49, with Audubon’s Aiden Williams placing 3rd in 16:49.

PVI’s four other scorers all ran between 17:50 and 18:22, with junior Sean Alemi 13th in 17:50, junior Christian Napoli 14th in 17:51, freshman Caden Briggs 20th in 18:08 and freshman Chris Monaghan 23rd in 18:22.

The team title is Paul VI’s 11th at Shore Coaches. The Eagles also won Varsity A in 1984 and 1989, Varsity B in 1981, 1993, 1994 and 2000, Varsity C in 1995 and 1999 and Varsity G in 2017 and 2022.

Mrozinski was 4th last year in 17:03. He’s the first Paul VI runner to win a Shore Coaches title since John Williams ran 17:00 to win Varsity B in 1993. PVI’s other Shore Coaches winner was Joe Margre in Varsity A with a 16:42 in 1987.

Haddon Heights junior Reggie Hernandez placed 7th in 17:21 and led the Garnets to 3rd place behind Paul VI and Metuchen with 120 points. Senior Jayden Gonzalez was Heights’ second runner with a 17:49 for 12th place overall.

Junior Isaac Linden of Moorestown Friends ran 17:47 for 11th place. That’s a 42-second Holmdel PR for Linden.

Collingswood senior Elijah Forrest was the overall winner, and Haddonfield won the team title Saturday in the Varsity E race at the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel County Park.

There were numerous timing and results irregularities, so all results are kind of iffy, but according to what’s currently posted, Forrest ran 16:22 – a lifetime best at Holmdel – and Haddonfield outscored Bernards 34-47 to win the team title.

Forrest’s previous Holmdel PR was a 16:49 at last year’s state Group 2 meet. This was Forrest’s first major race since he placed 4th in the Meet of Champions 3,200 in 9:19.24.

Assuming the results are correct, Haddonfield placed all five of its scorers in the top 10 in a 36-second pack to win its 13th Shore Coaches team title.

Junior Bennett Wright led the Bulldog pack in 4th place in 16:32, with sophomore Ryan Gibson, junior Liam Dougherty, sophomore Benjamin Andrus and senior Reid Gervasi taking 6th through 9th in 16:42, 16:44, 16:55 and 17:08.

Haddonfield also won team titles in 1995, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2017, 2018 and 2021 in Varsity E, 1978 in Varsity C, 1989 in Varsity D and 1998 in Varsity F.

Also in the top 20 were Bishop Eustace senior Ryan Gaulrapp [11th in 17:22], Haddonfield sophomore John Leibrandt [16th in 17:38], Bishop Eustace senior Matt Colden [18th in 17:45] and Bishop Eustace junior Ethan Caprarola [20th in 17:50].

Northern Burlington junior Liliah Gordon moved into the all-time top-10 on the South Jersey Holmdel County Park performers list with her 18:18 to win C race at the Shore Coaches Invitational Saturday.

We think?

There are all kinds of issues with timing and results, which is why we haven’t posted anything on Shore Coaches yet, but if the results we do have are correct, Gordon won the Varsity C race by 50 meters over Middletown South senior Rosemary Shay, the Meet of Champions 3,200 runner-up last spring.

The win is Gordon’s second at Shore Coaches. She ran 19:00 to win the 2021 Varsity B race. Northern’s only other Shore Coaches winner was Colleen Sunderland, who ran 20:50 to win the D race in 1993.

Assuming the results are correct, Gordon’s time is fastest by a South Jersey girl at Holmdel since Alyssa Aldridge of Mainland Regional ran 17:55 at the 2016 Meet of Champions. It’s fastset by a South Jersey girl at Shore Coaches since 2010, when Megan Venables of Highland ran 17:50 and Megan Lacy 18:12 in the same race.

Ocean City’s Maeve Smith placed 3rd in the C race Saturday in 18:42 and Mainland duo Sofia Day and Gillian Lovett took 4th and 5th, Day in 18:51 and Lovett 19:48. Mainland is listed as placing 3rd with 133 points.

There are definitely some results that look wrong – I find it hard to believe 19:56 won the Varsity B race -but here’s a look at all the sub-19 times currently listed in the results:

(Coaches who see errors or omissions are encouraged to contact Viper Timing at Vipertimingnj@gmail.com.)

Alleged Sub-19 South Jersey times Saturday
18:18 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 1st, Varsity C
18:23 … Emma Zawatski [Freehold Township], 1st, Varsity A
18:26 … Paige Sheppard [Union Catholic], 1st, Varsity E
18:29 … Rosemary Shay [Middletown South], 2nd, Varsity C
18:36 … Courtney Kaiser [Union Catholic], 2nd, Varsity E
18:42 … Maeve Smith [Ocean City], 3rd, Varsity C
18:51 … Julia Scrudato [Montgomery], 2nd, Varsity A
18:51 … Sofia Day [Mainland Regional], 4th, Varsity C
18:56 … Shaelan McNally [Paul VI], 1st, Varsity D
18:57 … Olivia Murray [Pingry School], 1st, Varsity F

All-Time Top-10 South Jersey Performers at Holmdel
17:27.83 … Megan Venables [Highland Reg.], 2010
17:40 … Michelle Rowen [Washington Twp.], 1982
17:44 … Chelsea Ley [Kingsway], 2008
17:45 … Briana Gess [Haddonfield], 2013
17:55 … Megan Lacy [Cherokee], 2010
17:55 … Alyssa Aldridge [Mainland], 2016
18:08 … Holly Bischof [Bishop Eustace], 2010
18:12 … Brittany Sedberry [Ocean City], 2004
18:16 … Marielle Hall [Haddonfield], 2009
18:18 … Theresa Cattuna [Cherry Hill East], 2006
18:18 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2023