Fast Break: The girls’ and boys’ cross-country season in South Jersey

Haddonfield again

The South Jersey boys' cross-country season starts where it left off last season, with one team dominating the field. Haddonfield, which finished third in the Meet of Champions - the area's best showing - returns with all but one runner from the same team that won the state Group 2 title.

And the Bulldogs are still a young group.

Juniors Jon "Boo" Vitez; Colin Baker, son of coach Nick Baker; and Ray Schlitt will lead the pack again.

Vitez was clocked in 16 minutes, 12 seconds at the MOC for 12th place. Baker followed in 16:35 and Schlitt in 16:53.

Sophomore no more

Kingsway's Chelsea Ley last year ran the second-fastest time at the Meet of Champions in South Jersey history when the then-sophomore was clocked in 18 minutes, 8 seconds, good for third place. Washington Township's Michelle Rowen ran the course in 17:40 in 1982.

First-year coach Rita Previtera said the team will be strong with Ley in the lead and seniors Meg Gaunt and Beth Kohler and soccer player and runner Liz Locke in the lineup.

Tough acts to follow

Cherokee, Moorestown, Haddon Heights, Pennsville and Moorestown Friends finished ninth through 20th last year at the boys' Meet of Champions. Cherokee won the state Group 4 title and Haddon Heights the state Group 1 crown. Moorestown finished fourth in the state Group 3 field, and Moorestown Friends was second in Non-Public B.

This season, Cherokee returns with a good three-pack, led by senior Chris Applegate. Another deep team, Moorestown, has three runners competing for the No.1 spot. Haddon Heights, led by a healthy Josh Black, could be better than last season. Pennsville lost its top trio to graduation, and Moorestown Friends has one veteran in junior Bobby Beck.

Plenty of experience

Haddonfield's top five girls enter their fourth year of running together, providing the Bulldogs with experience where it counts.

Junior Marielle Hall, who was clocked in 19 minutes, 31 seconds at the Meet of Champions, for 29th place and the best showing by a Haddonfield athlete, will lead the pack.

Following are senior twins Jackie and Elizabeth Sikkema, sophomore Mia Spinelli, and senior Monica Ramstad. That group is expected to run in a tight pack and score the maximum number of points.

Shawnee's fastest

Shawnee's Casey Doyle last season was the fastest ninth grader in the state when she was clocked at 18 minutes, 50 seconds for fourth place at the Group 3 championships at Holmdel. The race was the first in which she ran the full 3.1-mile course at Holmdel, where she won the 3,200-meter freshman run at the Shore Coaches Invitational on Oct. 6.

Doyle will lead a team that is still young but more experienced than last season, when it narrowly missed a wild-card spot for the Meet of Champions.

Depth perception

Moorestown has between 50 and 60 runners come out for the team each year, according to fifth-year coach Lorenzo Eagles. So the Quakers have lots of competition for the top seven spots. "We have a deep team," Eagles said.

Senior Ben Friedman, who was clocked at 17 minutes, 10 seconds at the Meet of Champions last season, and junior Brandon Greenwood, clocked at 17:09, are back to lead the pack, which also

includes seniors Alex Matteson, David Ringwood and Ryan Wolff, as well as junior Joel Robinson.