Hello, everyone! Hope you’ve had a good week. We’re in the thick of it here in track season and now we have plenty to talk about after the league meets. This week, our top 25 is more expanded, and we’re giving attention to the NJIC teams. Read on…
1. Ridgewood – The Maroons get the nod over Don Bosco and Old Tappan. All three teams have been neck-and-neck in terms of the quality they’ve put into every event this season, which has earned them multiple good results, including their win at the Big North Freedom Division Championships. They have executed every time they have hit the track this season.
2. Don Bosco – The Ironmen ran away with the Big North United Division Championship, unchallenged by Paramus Catholic. For teams like Bosco, Ridgewood, and third-ranked Old Tappan, we’re at a critical juncture in the season, with relays in the rear view and individual meets in the forefront. Dalton Friend and Adrian Ramos have been showing great skills in the sprints, both earning division titles, and of course Kyle Levermore will continue to win Bosco distance events.
3. Old Tappan - Luke Annichiarico jumped a 15-4 1/4 at the division championships to break the Bergen pole vault record of 15-0, set in 2010 by Ridgefield Park’s Juan Andres Giglio. It was redemption for Annichiarico, as he lost a chance to break the record at the Penn Relays due to an official error. The biggest question for Old Tappan is if they can find one or two more competitors to step up to give them an edge over Ridgewood and Don Bosco.
4. River Dell – Mike Urso’s team has done a tremendous job this year, as the Hawks are the only team in the county to win the county relays and their league title. River Dell has run the table this year based on a holistic, team-centered philosophy. There is undoubtedly a slight drop-off from the top three to this second tier, but River Dell is definitely at the top of this second one; they simply have a ceiling because of the competition they face.
5. Ramsey – Just like River Dell, Ramsey has stormed through its schedule this year but doesn’t get to compete with the very top teams in many events. The Rams’ success this season, like River Dell’s, has been rooted in teamwork and team depth, rather than stardom. They finished a distant second to River Dell at the Big North Patriot division Championship. Ramsey hasn’t shown any signs of slipping up but there may not be a lot of upward mobility here.
6. Demarest – Old Tappan only topped the Norsemen by 11 points. Had things gone differently the top five may have been shaken up a bit. Regardless, Demarest acquitted itself well in the first major event of the individual-geared second half of the season, considering they had four different individuals win events.
7. Passaic Tech – Between Travelle Curry, David Gaynor, Enmanuel Soriano, and Thomas Jefferson, Passaic Tech has a strong group of seniors that really stepped up at the league championship to get past Kennedy and Clifton.
8. Ridgefield Park – We’ve seen a lot of Ridgefield Park early this season, as they performed well to start the season at the Pawlowski Relays and put up good showings at their division championships and the Bergen Meet of Champions.
9. Indian Hills -Â Indian Hills finished second to Ridgewood in the Freedom division. The Braves won the 400, the 3200, the intermediate hurdles, the shot put, and the pole vault.
10. Hasbrouck Heights -Â The Aviators have flown high during in-division competition, and took home another NJIC title. Expect them to stick around in individual season, as Rob Brady anticipates measurement improvements from his squad.
11. Kennedy
12. Lodi - Keyshawn Martin, Vishaldeep Singh, and Devante Foxworth have all been outstanding this season, making Lodi dominant in the jump and sprint events and in any relay meet. This trio will be tested much more in the latter half of the season. Lodi was inconvenienced by the suspension of two events at the NJIC Colonial meet, but showed a lot of grit when it overcame a five-point deficit in their make-up of the high jump and pole vault.
13. Bergen Catholic
14. Paramus Catholic
15. Westwood
16. Hackensack
17. Wayne Hills
18. Wayne Valley
19. Teaneck
20. Clifton
21. Cresskill – Cresskill has been one of the steadiest-performing teams around this year but is one of those teams capped by the competition it faces.
22. Northern Highlands
23. Cliffside Park
24. North Arlington – North Arlington grabbed a nice victory at the Twin-Boro Relays, but didn’t show enough at their league meet.
25. Lyndhurst – Lyndhurst was very, very happy to win a division title over rival New Milford. Lyndhurst was consistent early in the season and it will be interesting to see what they can do in the county meet and state tournament.