Overall winner Ryan Gibson led four Haddonfield runners in the top six and the Bulldogs won their 8th straight state title and 23rd overall Saturday morning in Holmdel.
Gibson ran 15:56.54 on the historic Holmdel County Park 5,000-meter course and became Haddonfield’s 16th individual state champion. Luke Andresen, Benjamin Andrus and Peter Simpson placed 3rd, 5th and 6th. Michael Sinnes was 12th, rounding out Haddonfield’s scoring group.
Andresen ran 16:01.79, Andrus 16:06.00, Simpson 16:17.66 and Sinnes 16:55.69.
Haddonfield, ranked 5th in New Jersey, averaged 16:15.54, fastest ever by a South Jersey school at Holmdel, breaking the 22-year-old record of 16:19.12 set by Mainland Regional when they won the 2003 Meet of Champions. The fastest since then was Haddonfield’s 16:19.68 at the 2010 Meet of Champions.
Their time is 12th-fastest in course history and 2nd-fastest ever by a public school behind West Windsor-Plainsboro North’s 16:14.4 with the Rosa twins at the 2008 Meet of Champions.
Andrew Blum [23rd in 17:19.36] and Brandon Stoner [28th in 17:28.56] gave Haddonfield all seven in the top 30.
Haddonfield outscored 2nd-place Bernards 27-120. The Bulldogs’ streak of eight state titles is 4th-longest in state history, behind Bernards [14 from 1974 through 1987], St. Benedict’s [12 from from 1921 through 1932] and CBA [11 straight from 1995 through 2005].
Haddonfield’s 23 state titles are 2nd to CBA’s 34. Bernards also has 23 championships.
Haddonfield’s 27 points are 5th-fewest ever in a Group 2 state meet. Haddonfield won last year with 24 points, fewest in 38 years.
Cinnaminson placed 4th in Group 2, and senior Jacob Wickersham ran 4th in 16:02.66.
Lowest Point Totals in Group 2 history
15 … Bernards, 1985
16 … Bernards, 1986
23 … Mountain Lakes, 1957
24 … Haddonfield, 2024
27 … Haddonfield, 2025
28 … Mountain Lakes, 1958
29 … Haddonfield, 2019
30 … Haddonfield, 2009
Haddonfield won its first state title in 1978 and also won Group 2 in 1980, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Haddonfield won Group 1 in 1985, 1987, 1989 and 1990.
Haddonfield’s state individual champions
1979 … Jim Smith [Haddonfield], Group 2 [16:04.5]
1985 … Dan Gough [Haddonfield], Group 1 [16:57]
1986 … Dan Gough [Haddonfield], Group 1 [16:24]
1987 … Joe Shanahan [Haddonfield], Group 1 [16:23]
1995 … Eric Bonnette [Haddonfield], Group 2 [17:13.9]
1996 … Eric Bonnette [Haddonfield], Group 2 [16:43.6]
2001 … Chris Platt [Haddonfield], Group 2 [16:10.8]
2002 … Chris Platt [Haddonfield], Group 2 [16:10.46]
2007 … Jon Vitez [Haddonfield], Group 2 [16:19.23]
2008 … Jon Vitez [Haddonfield], Group 2 [16:32.28]
2009 … Jon Vitez [Haddonfield], Group 2 [15:56.33]
2010 … Ben Potts [Haddonfield], Group 2 [16:08.56]
2021 … Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield], Group 2 [15:51]
2022 … George Andrus [Haddonfield], Group 2 [15:41]
2024 … Benjamin Andrus [Haddonfield], Group 2 [16:03]
Fastest South Jersey team averages at Holmdel
16:15.54 … Haddonfield, 2025 Group 2 [1]
16:19.12 … Mainland Regional, 2003 Meet of Champions [1]
16:19.68 … Haddonfield, 2010 Meet of Champions [2]
16:21.56 … Haddonfield, 2001 Meet of Champions [1]
16:21.40 … Haddonfield, 2021 Meet of Champions [3]
16:21.0h … Haddonfield, 2024 Group 2 [1]
16:21.79 … Haddonfield, 2024 Meet of Champions [2]
16:22.4h … Mainland Regional, 2003 Shore Coaches
16:22.94 … Kingsway, 2017 Group 4 [1]
16:25.00 … Mainland Regional, 2003 Group 4 [1]
16:26.05 … Cherry Hill East, 2014 Group 4 [1]
16:27.2h … Paul VI, 1988 [1]
16:28.60 … Haddonfield, 2021 Group 2 [1]
16:28.4h … Cherokee, 2022 Meet of Champions [3]
16:28.8h … Paul VI, 1984 Meet of Champions [1]
16:30.28 … Haddonfield, 2018 Meet of Champions [2]
16:30.45 … Cherokee, 2024 Meet of Champions [3]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 