Haddonfield, Haddon Township Boys Seek Championships

Following successful regular season campaigns, the boys cross country teams from Haddonfield and Haddon Township seek to continue a run of excellence at the South Jersey Sectional Championships this weekend at Delsea High School.

Both will approach the meet with a sense of history. Haddon Township is the defending champion in Group I and has taken the title the last seven years and 17 times in the history of the competition. They will face a stiff challenge this year from the team from Pennsville, as well having to fend off challengers from Schalick, Pitman and Middle Township. Group II’s Haddonfield, meanwhile, has taken the Sectional Championship a state-record 32 times, including the last 11 times in a row. They will attempt to maintain their legacy against teams from West Deptford, Point Pleasant and others. Both teams will be looking to be among the top five teams that advance to the Group State meet the following weekend. There, they will again be defending their 2014 titles, this time as state champions in their respective groups.

Seniors Greg Pelose and Austin Stoner from Haddonfield will both be contenders for first in the individual race. Pelose was the top finisher at the Division 2 Varsity race at the Briarwood Invitational earlier this year, while Stoner recently led the team to their title at the New York City Cross Country Carnival at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. But the Bulldawgs are deep as well as fast up top, and seniors Colin Gallagher and Gavin Schmeck, Junior Brandon Quanci and standout freshman Derek Gess will all be towards the front of the pack for a team that went undefeated and won the Colonial Conference championship, extending a dual meet streak that now stands at 182 and reaches back to the 1997 season. The Hawks of Haddon Township, whose only loss in the regular season was to Haddonfield, also have an individual contender in Owen Long, one of the top runners in the state, with Randy Ladd and Joe Domanico not far behind. Long captured the individual title at that same New York City Cross Country Carnival race and finished second at Sectionals last year only to Township’s now- graduated Luke Petela, who went on to win the overall state championship at the Meet of Champions. Justin Shaw and Conor Madden round out a top five that has relied on a tight pack for its success.

Haddonfield will be setting off on the Delsea course at 10:50 and Township at 12:30 Saturday, during a day of racing that will involve over 75 teams from across South Jersey. For many it will be the culmination of their seasons, but these two teams from the Haddons will be seeking both recognition of continued excellence in cross country running in the area, and a stepping stone to even greater success.

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