Overall winner Mason Wassell led Highland to a commanding team title in the Varsity B race Saturday at the Six Flags Wild Safari Invitational in Jackson.
Wassell, a senior, ran 15:48 over 5,000 rainy, sloppy, wet meters at Great Adventure, finishing 35 meters ahead of 2nd-place Brandon Williams of Charter School of Wilmington, who ran 15:55.
That 15:48 is an all-course PR for Wassell, 11 seconds faster than his 15:59 at DREAM Park in Logan Township earlier this month. It’s also 4th-fastest by a South Jersey runner at Great Adventure and fastest since Sebastien Reed of Pitman ran 15:31 in 2019. Highland’s Steve Maine ran 15:38 in 2013.
Highland placed its first four finishers in the top 20 and all seven in the top 35 out of 171 runners, won by a whopping 88 points over East Meadow, 68-156, with Garden City a close 3rd with 157 and Clearview 4th at 168.
Junior Andrew Dopkin placed 6th for Highland in 16:34 and Colin Roznowski and sophomore Pierce Dopkin finished back-to-back in 16th and 17th, Roznowski in 17:11 and Dopkin in 17:12. Senior Andrew Kellern ran 17:27 for 28th and Highland’s top five were backed up by junior Daniel Gee [34th in 17:39] and sophomore Liam Murphy [35th in 17:42].
Clearview senior Ethan Worst, Cherry Hill East junior Rex Takakjy and Winslow junior Vincent Perri also finished in the top 10, Worst 4th in 16:28, Takakjy 5th in 16:29 and Perri 9th in 16:40. Also under 18:00 were Clearview’s senior Ryan Handley [21st in 17:16] and junior Quentin Gannone [38th in 17:47].
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 