Senior Liam Dougherty, junior Bennett Wright and sophomore Ryan Gibson finished 2nd, 3rd and 4th and Haddonfield cruised to its 20th consecutive sectional cross country title Saturday.

After Collingswood senior Elijah Forrest crossed the line first to win the South Jersey Group 2 individual title, Dougherty placed 2nd in 16:11 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township, Wright was 3rd in 16:22 and Gibson took 4th in 16:22.

The Bulldogs then placed sophomores Luke Andressen and Benjamin Andrus 6th and 7th to lock up their 42nd sectional title overall, Andressen taking 6th in 16:33 and Andrus 7th in 16:52.

That’s a 41-second gap from 1 to 5.

Sophomore Brian Stoner [12th in 17:21] and junior Linus Kucer [18th in 17:56] made it all seven Haddonfield runners in the top 20.

Haddonfield scored 22 points, their fewest since they scored 20 in 2018. Manchester Township [82] was 2nd, and Haddon Heights [96], Cedar Creek [140] and Cinnaminson [144] also earned spots in the state Group 2 meet Saturday at Holmdel County Park.

Scoring vs. the field, Haddonfield wins, 22-33.

Haddonfield’s 22 points are 6th-fewest in the meet’s 59-year history. Here’s a look at every score under 30:

16 … Haddonfield, 2008
17 … Haddon Township, 1971
20 … Haddonfield, 2010
20 … Haddonfield, 2018
21 … Haddonfield, 2009
22 … Haddonfield, 2023
23 … Haddonfield, 2013
23 … Haddonfield, 2019
26 … Clearview, 1965
26 … Haddonfield, 2014
27 … Overbrook, 1968
27 … Haddonfield, 2001
27 … Haddonfield, 2015
28 … Haddonfield, 2021
29 … Cinnaminson, 2003

Haddonfield won its first sectional title in 1967 in Group 3, then moved down to Group 2 and won four straight from 1977 through 1980. Then it was down to Group 1 and eight titles in the next nine years – 1982 through 1987 and 1989 and 1990 after Haddon Township won in 1988.

After a four-year dry spell, Haddonfield won Group 2 in 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. Since finishing 2nd to Cinnaminson in 2003, the Bulldogs have won 20 in a row.

So overall, the Bulldogs have won 41 sectional titles in the last 47 years going back to 1977. Ridgewood [27], Bernards [27], Westfield [23] and Haddon Township [22] have also won more than 20.

Forrest ran 16:02.09 to become Collingswood’s first sectional individual winner in 37 years. Pat Fogarty ran 16:38 to win the 1985 race and 16:00 to win the 1986 Group 2 race, both at Clearview.

Forrest has now won titles this fall at Shore Coaches, the South Jersey Open and Group 2 sectionals.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Haddon Heights junior Reggie Hernandez [8th in 16:55], Cinnaminson sophomore Jacob Wickersham [9th in 17:15] and Cedar Creek senior Matthew Winterbottom [10th in 17:17].

For those of you who like to keep track of this stuff … here are the lowest scores in South Jersey sectional history across all groups:

16 … Haddonfield, 2008 [Group 2]
17 … Haddon Township, 1971 [Group 2]
20 … Pennsville, 2006 [Group 1]
20 … Haddonfield, 2010 [Group 2]
20 … Haddonfield, 2018 [Group 2]
21 … Haddonfield, 2009 [Group 2]
21 … Haddon Township, 2011 [Group 1]
22 … Haddonfield, 2023 [Group 2]
23 … Highland, 1989 [Group 3]
23 … Haddonfield, 2013 [Group 2]
23 … Ocean City, 2018 [Group 3]
23 … Haddonfield, 2019 [Group 2]
25 … Mainland Regional, 2003 [Group 4]
25 … Ocean City, 2019 [Group 3]
26 … Clearview, 1965 [Group 2]
26 … Burlington Twp., 1966 [Group 1]
26 … Haddonfield, 2014 [Group 2]
26 … Kingsway, 2017 [Group 4]
27 … Burlington Twp., 1967 [Group 1]
27 … Overbrook, 1968 [Group 2]
27 … Haddon Township, 1988 [Group 1]
27 … Highland, 1988 [Group 3]
27 … Haddonfield, 2001 [Group 2]
27 … Haddonfield, 2015 [Group 2]
28 … Haddonfield, 2021 [Group 2]
28 … Haddon Township, 2010 [Group 1]
28 … Haddon Township, 2012 [Group 1]
28 … Haddon Township, 2014 [Group 1]
29 … Burlington Twp., 1967 [Group 1]
29 … Williamstown, 1971 [Group 1]
29 … Cinnaminson, 2003 [Group 2]

Three South Jersey alums placed in the top 10 to help Rowan win the NJAC title by one point over The College of New Jersey.

Sophomore Scott Hubbard from Audubon placed 2nd overall, sophomore Joshua Cason from Camden County Vo-Tech via Camden County College was 7th, Pennsauken’s Bishop Eustace’s Shane Vostenak, a sophomore, was 9th and Rowan outscored TCNJ 33-34. [Rowan’s roster says Vostenak went to Pennsauken, but he actually attended Eustace.]

The 2-3 finish by Hubbard and Jacob Riley of North Warren was the difference.

Hubbard ran 26:06.6 over 8,000 meters at Stockton University in Galloway Township and Riley ran 26:11.5. Cason – who ran track for Eastern and XC for Camden County Vo-Tech – ran 26:16.3 and Vostenak 26:26.4.

Also in the top 10 was Ramapo senior Ian McCauley from Haddon Township, who ran 26:30.8.

The team title is the 25th all-time for Rowan in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, with the first 20 coming as Glassboro State between 1961 and 1990.

The College of New Jersey won 21 consecutive conference titles from 1996 through 2016, but Rowan ended that streak with a win in 2017. Rowan won again last year, so this is the first time the Profs have won consecutive NJAC XC titles since 1992 and 1993.

Rowan and TCNJ are ranked No. 2 and 3 in the USTCCCA NCAA Division 3 Metro Region.

Sophomore Matthew Conway placed 13th and Ocean City’s Tyler Greene was 14th and were the 6th and 7th finishers for the Profs, and both earned all-conference honors.

Freshman Colin Patterson of Haddon Heights placed 17th for Rowan and freshman Joshua Jackson of Williamstown placed 20th, giving the Profs seven South Jersey runners in the top 20.

Cole Mylan of Timber Creek [24th], Cameron DiTroia of Ocean City [25th] and Sean Hice of Washington Township [26th] were also among Rowan’s top finishers.

Delran grad Anthony Guarino, a TCNJ sophomore, placed 19th overall and was TCNJ’s 6th finisher.

Atlantic City’s Angelo Moynihan, a senior, was Stockton’s 3rd finisher in 27th place, sophomore Dalton Culleny from Cedar Creek was 29th and the Ospreys’ 4th finisher and junior Dan Rodriguez placed 31st and was Stockton’s 6th runner.

I can’t find anywhere where it says who advances to the NCAA Division 3 Metro Region Championship, but based on the limited information on the Rowan and TCNJ web sites both programs will be racing Nov. 11 at Rowan and presumably somebody will advance from there to the NCAA Championships Nov. 18 in Newville, Pa. You’d think college SIDs might consider putting that information in their stories?

Northern Burlington junior Liliah Gordon cruised to her 2nd straight sectional cross country championship Saturday with a 1st-place finish in the Central Jersey Group 3 race in Jamesburg.

Gordon covered the 5,000-meter course at Thompson Park in 18:24.36, the fastest time in any sectional race at Thompson Park since Amanda Stone of Monmouth Regional ran 18:19 to win the 2019 Central Jersey Group 2 race.

Gordon ran 18:26.80 to win last year’s race by 150 meters over Allentown senior Meghan Rentner, who’s now at Bucknell.

She won this year’s race by 90 meters over Middletown South senior Rosemary Shay, the Meet of Champions 3,200 runner-up to Haddonfield’s Ava Thomas last spring.

Gordon has not lost to a New Jersey runner this year . She’ll aim for her 2nd straight state Group 3 title Saturday at Holmdel County Park. She won last year in 18:57.

The only other sectional champ in Northern Burlington history is Colleen Sunderland, who won South Jersey Group 2 in 1993 with a 19:01 at Kingsway.

Woodbury senior Peyton Shute ran the 3rd-fastest time in course history and won his 2nd straight individual title and Ocean City won its 8th team championship in the last 20 years Saturday at the South Jersey Group 3 sectionals.

Shute won the race over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township in 15:09.98. He won last year’s race in 15:16.31. Shute won by about 115 meters over Ocean City senior Matt Hoffman, who got the Red Raiders started with his 2nd-place finish in 16:03.

Junior Ethan Buck and sophomore Erik Preisner also placed in the top 10 for Ocean City, Buck in 5th place in 16:11 and Preisner in 9th in 16:31. Junior Kal Heyman was 12th in 16:52 and freshman Keenan Neuman 18th in 17:13.

Ocean City also won Group 3 titles in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2018 and 2019.

Ocean City topped 2nd-place Shawnee 42-71, with Highland [100], Clearview [117] and Delsea [192] also advancing to the state Group 3 meet at Holmdel County Park Saturday.

Delsea sophomore Matthew Littlehales placed 4th in 16:08, Moorestown sophomore Peter Simpson took 6th in 16:12, Highland junior Mason Wassell 7th in 16:21, Highland senior Aziz Muhammad-Kane 8th in 16:25 and Shawnee sophomore Yanni Ekatomatis 10th in 16:36.

Here’s a look at the top 10 times in course history [through the Group 3 race]:

14:58.79 … George Andrus [Haddonfield], 2022 Group 2 Sectionals
15:09.35 … Dennis Fortuna [Triton], 2021 Group 3 Sectionals
15:09.98 … Peyton Shute [Woodbury], 2023 Group 3 Sectionals
15:12.65 … Ethan Wechsler [Cherokee], 2019 Olympic Conference
15:15.64 … Kyle Rakitis [Kingsway], 2021 Group 4 Sectionals
15:16.31 …… P. Shute, 2022 Group 3 Sectionals
15:19.24 … Seth Clevenger [Haddonfield], 2021 Group 2 Sectionals
15:22.72 … *Nick Kuenkel [Cherokee], 2022 Group 4 Sectionals
15:22.80 … Patrick Ditmars [Cherokee], 2022 Group 4 Sectionals
15:23.05 …… Kuenkel, 2023 Group 4 Sectionals
15:28.95 …… **Shute, 2021 Group 2 Sectionals
15:28.83 … Colin Hermack [Lenape], 2022 Group 4 Sectionals
15:30.14 … Fabian Ramales [Southern Regional], 2022 Gorup 4 Sectionals

Sophomore Riley Austin and senior Ava Thomas finished 1-2, and Haddonfield placed all five scorers in the top 10 to hold off Sterling in a terrific battle of state-ranked teams at the South Jersey Group 2 meet Saturday.

Haddonfield finished with a 25-38 margin of victory over Sterling, which placed three in the top seven and all five scorers in the top 17. Haddonfield is ranked No. 2 in New Jersey, Sterling No. 14.

Sterling’s 38-point total matched the lowest non-winning score in South Jersey Group 2 in 47 years, since Haddon Township defeated Gateway 26-29 in 1976, when they were the only two schools to field full programs.

The 13-point margin of victory is Haddonfield’s smallest since a 56-52 win over Pleasantville in 2012.

The team title is Haddonfield’s 31st and 14th in a row.

Austin ran 18:47.80 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township to record the first major individual title of her racing career, and Thomas was 2nd in 19:10.

Junior Dylan Melcher was Haddonfield’s 3rd finisher in 5th place in 19:51, and freshman Harper Benjamin and senior Anna Stolarick ran 8th and 9th in 20:01 and 20:05. Junior Katherine Asher, Haddonfield’s 6th runner, was 13th in 21:09. Haddonfield was at less than full strength.

For Sterling, senior Cara Coppolino placed 3rd in 19:43, junior Kaysie Luna 4th in 19:48 and junior Jonalee Adames 7th in 20:00. Junior Isabella Mackey took 11th in 20:50 and senior Jennifer Tisera ran 22:36 for 17th.

Cedar Creek placed 3rd with 95 points, with Cinnaminson [103] and Seneca [142] also qualifying for next week’s state Group 2 meet at Holmdel County Park.

In addition to the current 14 sectional titles in a row, the Bulldogs won SJ-2 in 1979, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and SJ-1 in 1982, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997 and 1998.

Haddonfield has won a sectional title 18 of the last 19 years and going back to 1990, 26 of the last 34 years.

Cinnaminson senior Anna Marino was the first runner across the line not from Haddonfield or Sterling, placing 6th in 19:57. West Deptford freshman Taylor Sierzega placed 10th in 20:07.

Two of the top programs in the state clashed in the South Jersey Group 3 sectional race Saturday, and Ocean City emerged with a dramatic three-point win over Mainland Regional

Ocean City won its 12th sectional title with a 48-51 nail-biter over Mainland at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Mainland had beaten Ocean City by 44 points at Shore Coaches and 18 points at the Cape-Atlantic Meet last week at Stockton. Both teams are ranked in the top 15 in New Jersey.

But on Saturday, junior Maeve Smith was the overall winner, junior Chloe Care placed 5th and senior Frankie Ritzel 5th to lead the Ocean City pack. The Red Raiders then placed three runners from 15th through 18th to clinch the team title. Sophomore Gabrielle Henry was Ocean City’s 4th finisher in 15th, freshman Lillian Flora 17th and 6th runner junior Zoe Zammit 18th, giving Ocean City six runners in the top 20.

Smith ran 18:08.09 – 6th-fastest in course history – to become Ocean City’s first individual sectional winner since Alexa Palmieri in 2018. Care ran 19:38, Ritzel 20:37, Henry 21:14, Flora 21:18 and Zammit 21:19.

Junior Sofia Day and senior Gillian Lovett ran 2-3 for Mainland, Day in 18:26 and Lovett 18:46. Senior Sophie Goldstein placed 11th in 20:48, junior Ava McDole 12th in 20:59 and senior Claudia Booth 24th in 21:35.

Ocean City also won sectional team titles in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Smith is the latest in a very long list of Ocean City girls who’ve won sectional titles: Melody Sye in 1982, Mary Jo Dougherty in 1986 and 1987, Kelly Dougherty in 1988, Megan Hartman in 1992 and 1993, Abbey Hartman in 1985, Brittany Sedberry in 2002, 2003 and 2004, Bridget Flynn in 2013, Devin Grisbaum in 2014 and Palmieri in 2018.

Moorestown had a very good race and finished 3rd with 84 points, and Clearview [104] and Shawnee [117] also qualified for the state Group 3 meet Saturday at Holmel County Park.

Senior Paige McCabe led Moorestown with a 6th-place finish in 20:06 and the Quakers placed their next four scorers – junior Noelia Reyes, senior Julia Brock, freshman Sophia DiFiore and junior Gabrielle DeJoseph – between 16th and 23rd. This will be Moorestown’s first trip to states since 2014.

Clearview senior Allison Roes placed 4th in 19:34, senior teammate Margaret Wisniewski was 7th in 20:12, Winslow’s Ava Millner ran 20:19 for 8th, and Shawnee junior Paige Cline ran 20:21 and placed 9th.

Nick Kuenkel and Robert Poplau went 1-2 and led Cherokee to its 13th sectional title and 5th in a row Saturday morning at DREAM Park in Logan Township.

Kuenkel became the 1st Cherokee runner to win back-to-back South Jersey Group 4 titles since Alex Yersak won three in a row from 2005 through 2007, winning in 15:23, and senior Robert Poplau was 2nd in 15:35.

Cherokee outscored 2nd-place Cherry Hill East 36-69. Southern Regional [103], Toms River North [107] and Williamstown [174] also advanced to the state Group 4 meet Saturday at Holmdel.

Cherokee’s 36 points are the 5th-lowest total in the meet’s 59-year history. Vineland scored 33 in 1965, Cinnaminson 31 in 1971, Mainland 25 in 2003 and Kingsway 26 in 2017.

Cherokee junior Liam Tindall ran 15:39 for 4th place, junior Anthony DiBattista ran 16:28 for 14th and freshman Benjamin Realley took 15th in 16:30.

The Chiefs’ average of 15:54.96 is 4th-fastest in course history, behind Cherokee’s 15:48.06 at last year’s sectionals, Haddonfield’s 15:52.43 at last year’s Group 2 sectional meet and Haddonfield’s 15:52.70 at 2021 sectionals.

Cherokee also won sectional titles – all in South Jersey Group 4 – in 1988, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Cherry Hill East packed senior Raine Guidarelli, junior Brody Bogus, junior Brandon Lyons and sophomore Alvin Lin from 10th through 13th and between 16:11 and 16:26, and 5th man junior Nikhil Raman ran 17:04 for 23rd.

Kingsway’s Ryan Duffy placed 5th in 15:46.21 and shattered the course freshman record of 16:10.2 set at last year’s Group 3 sectionals by Moorestown’s Peter Simpson. Duffy ran 15:40.0 at DREAM Park last month but the course was short of 5,000 meters by an unknown amount.

According to the MileSplit database, Duffy’s 15:46.21 is actually the fastest time on record for any 5K course by a New Jersey runner. St. Benedict’s Ronald Kigen is listed with a 15:46.93 at the 2015 New Jersey Catholic Track Conference meet at Greystone Park’s old course in Morris Plains.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10: Williamstown junior Dylan Saber [6th in 15:49] and sophomore teammate Dominic Burgio [9th in 16:09].

Schalick junior Jordan Hadfield broke her own record for fastest time by a Group 1 runner at DREAM Park and won her first sectional cross country title Saturday.

Haddon Township won its first sectional team title in 19 years.

Hadfield ran ran 18:33.39 to win the race by over a minute. The previous fastest time at DREAM Park in Logan Township by a Group 1 girl was Hadfield’s 18:49.24 earlier this month at the South Jersey Open.

Hadfield has won titles this year at Six Flags Wild Safari, South Jersey Open, Salem County and Tri-County Conference and now sectionals, where she joins Marleigh Puglia in 2017 and Julia Smith from 2018 through 2020 as Schalick’s 3rd sectional winner.

Wildwood junior Macie McCracken placed 2nd in 19:50.

Senior Genevieve Gentlesk and sophomore Blake Kemery placed in the top 10 to lead Haddon Township to the team title, 46-65, over Schalick. Audubon [97], Maple Shade [101] and Gloucester [131] also advanced to the state Group 1 meet Saturday at Holmdel County Park.

Gentlesk ran 19:50.32 for 3rd place and Kemery 21:30 for 6th place. Other Haddon Township scorers were freshman Biz Maher [14th in 23:35], freshman Abigail McLaughlin [16th in 23:57] and senior Ella Sherwin [22nd in 24:34].

The team title is Haddon Township’s 5th but first since 2004, when freshman Eileen O’Mara led the Hawks to the South Jersey Group 2 title at Delsea. Haddon Township won South Jersey Group 2 in the inaugural girls sectional meet at Pennsauken in 1976 behind a 1-2 finish from Linda Matousch and Mimi Bullock, the 1983 title behind individual winner Missy Roller and 1984 with Roller and Suzanne Haug running 2-3.

Also in the top 10: Maple Shade junior Crystal Benito [4th in 21:13], Gloucester junior Dejia Robert [5th in 21:28], Wildwood junior Leiah Pawlus [7th in 21:34], Schalick freshman Elizabeth Petrunis [8th in 21:44], Palmyra senior Cadence Anderson [9th in 21:55] and Maple Shade senior Yaretzy Rodriguez-Parras [10th in 21:58].

Senior Kerry O’Day, junior Megan Niglio and junior Grace Wojciechowski all finished in the top 10 and the Cherokee girls won their 3rd South Jersey Group 4 cross country title in the last four years Saturday morning.

O’Day ran 18:59 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township for 3rd place, Niglio 19:43 for 9th and Wojciechowski 20:01 for 10th, and Cherokee, ranked 12th in the state, edged 2nd-place Cherry Hill East 54-67, with Egg Harbor topping Williamstown on a 6th-runner tiebreaker for 3rd place after both scored 95 through five runners. Toms River North also advanced to the state Group 4 meet next Saturday at Holmdel County Park.

Overall, the South Jersey Group 4 title is Cherokee’s 4th. The Chiefs won in 2003 and also in 2020 and 2021.

Cherokee’s 4th and 5th runners were seniors Alaina Bromley [15th in 20:29] and Olivia Parkinson [18th in 20:42].

For Cherry Hill East, junior Cate Feudtner placed 6th in 19:33, sophomore Shaelea Conway was 11th in 20:07, Ryleigh Budsock 14th in 20:27, Tiffany Guidarelli 16th in 20:34 and Ella Davidson 21st in 20:50.

Toms River North sophomore Jessica Abbott won her 2nd individual title in a row, and Williamstown senior Alyssa Boucher was the top South Jersey finisher in 2nd place with an 18:55.

Other top-10 finishers from South Jersey were Williamstown sophomore Sophia Aldridge [4th in 19:10], Egg Harbor senior Michaela Schlemo [5th in 19:18], Eastern freshman Theresa Albertson [7th in 19:39] and Egg Harbor sophomore Paige Pacquing [8th in 19:39].

Paul VI senior Shaelan McNally won her 3rd individual title at the Bob Kiessling Invitational Saturday morning.

McNally ran 18:26 over 5,000 meters at DREAM Park in Logan Township, finishing 125 meters ahead of Laura Sallade of the Wilberforce School in Princeton. Sallade was 2nd in 18:55. Sallade’s father Chris was the 1990 state Group 4 champ at 1,600 meters for Shawnee.

McNally won the race in 19:54 as a freshman and then finished 2nd as a sophomore to Anna MacDonald (now at Texas) as a sophomore with an 18:45.30. She won last year in 18:50.57.

She’s the 3rd three-time winner, joining Kari Vigerstol of Holy Cross, who won from 1992 through 1994, and Holly Bischof of Bishop Eustace, who won in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Paul VI placed five scorers in the top 12, winning the team title 31-38 over Wilberforce. Last year, Wilberforce outscored Paul VI 41-43 to win the championship. Paul VI’s last Kiessling title came in 2020.

Sophomore Giovanna Mantuano was 3rd in 19:02, sophomore Macy Huber 6th in 19:56, freshman Grace Gutowski 11th in 21:02 and senior Madison Pedicelli 12th in 21:06.

Other South Jersey runners in the top 10 were Bishop Eustace senior Anya Kazemi [4th in 19:03], Camden Catholic junior Nilaa Ponnappan [5th in 19:30] and Holy Cross sophomore Julia Flanagan [7th in 20:27].