The high stick was missed on Saturday as the Rankin-less Eagles tackled Holmdel and the State Parochial A competition. Arguably, Parochial A – this year – had the largest array of talent led by last year’s Par A champs Don Bosco Prep, perennial powerhouses Christian Brothers Academy, and Monsignor Donovan. It was Don Bosco who came out on top for a repeat – with a view to repeat next year as well as they return all of their weapons for the 2008 season.
A last run for our 4 senior Eagles turned out a tad bittersweet – Paul Lively, Ed Murphy, Wil Bradford, and Tom Norris turned in decent performances only to see a 17th place team finish. Missing a key runner was tough, but regardless, there is always room for improvement and this season, we’ve run out of time. Tom Norris took 76th in 18:34 while Paul Lively ran 19:00 for 101st and Murphy 19:07 for 110th. Most of them will gear up for winter track and get ready to put in some decent efforts there.
It was the young ones again that showed some promise. With freshman Tom Hoban, we now know we have a tough competitor and result-hungry racer on our hands. In only his second try at the storied Holmdel course, Hoban went 18:04 for 53rd. He was the 4th best freshman in the Parochial A race and along with the other new additions this year, looks to continue his improvement. Fellow frosh Alec Holland tackled his first Holmdel 5k with success as he finished 5th for the team, 107th overall – coming in at 19:05, a great first stab at a course he’ll see many more times in the future.
Joe Fiore came back after a stress fracture this year – put in a couple weeks of training – and pushed himself into some semblance of cross country shape. A very hard thing to do. His 18:33 was good enough for 74th, great for where he is at within his training but clearly not acceptable to the tough-to-please Fiore. The junior is certainly one to watch out for this winter and spring. Between Fiore, Holland, Hoban, and the aforementioned Rankin – a top four is starting to take shape for next year’s team and the promising youth behind them right now – Vadino, Hubbs, Giordano, Connelly, Pellegrino – all look to push those four for their spots. It is shaping up to be one interesting winter and spring track season.
Congratulations to Mike Sheehan of Holy Cross who finished second and qualified for next Saturday’s Meet of Champs. Same goes for freshman Ryan Matthews of Saint Augustine Prep who put in a great frosh performance, grabbing 36th place with a 17:37.
Thank you to the seniors who have put in a lot of hard work, effort, and put up with another coaching transition. The accomplishments of this year will be used as a great starting point for the Paul VI program and each one of you were a big part of it.
MEETING TOMORROW at 3:15pm. Bring all school-issued apparel as well as your banquet information.
FR Thomas Hoban 53rd, 18:04
JR Joseph Fiore 74th, 18:33
SR Thomas Norris 76th, 18:34
SR Paul Lively 101st, 19:00
FR Alec Holland 107th, 19:05
SR Ed Murphy 110th, 19:07
SR Wil Bradford 142nd, 20:09
