MoC Preview

(Pub June 4)
Better not close that umbrella, hang that poncho, or park that ark just yet.
Forecasts are calling for heavy showers and possible thunderstorms throughout today and the Meet of Champions could be affected, Don Danser said.

The NJSIAA Track and Field Tournament Director, Danser said he and his committee will meet this morning to decide whether to move the meet to Thursday.

Any change to the meet's 3:30 p.m. start will be posted on NJSIAA's Web site www.njsiaa.org by 10.am. today, he said.

"Postponing is a disruption for everyone concerned," Danser said. "Kids have plans, parents have plans, coaches have plan, the school has plans ... It is very, very hard to just say 'All right, let's just postpone the meet.' Even when the weather looks very threatening."

Many would welcome a preemptive postponement, especially those who sat through hours of thunderstorms at Egg Harbor Township last Saturday only to see the remaining few events of the Group 4,2,1 Championships resume on Sunday.

The two-day rest for these athletes – as opposed to the three-day break shared for all competitors at South Plainfield – isn't reason for concern, Danser said.

"We're talking about high-school kids," Danser said. "They don't need much energy to restore them ... For most of the kids, the adrenaline well take over for any little fatigue they have."

Inclimate weather forced the 2007 Meet of Champions to be postponed to the following day.

"We don't control the weather yet but we're working on that," he said.
But look on the bright side: At least it's not 1943 and the record- high 95 degrees out.

State breakdown
South Jersey played a deciding factor in most of the group championships this weekend, but none more so than Group 3.

Sporting 10 of 16 top seeds in Group 3, South Jersey won 12 events, scored nearly half (246.25) of the total points (496) despite representing only 13 of the 40 teams and qualified in 56 slots, 10 of which came from the wildcard.

Not counting the Toms River schools, Group 4 consisted of 10 South Jersey teams averaging 18.65 points – nearly six points better than the 40-team average (12.72)
The 13 local Group 3 teams averaged a SJ-best 18.94 points – way above the group's 12.4 average – and the nine local Group 2 schools averaged 17.22 compared with the 12.1 average of the all 41 teams in the group.

The 11 local Group 1 schools combined to score below the group par, averaging 10.91 compared to the 14.59 average.

Timbergami
Since more wildcards and better performances came out of Group 3 than Group 4, one could safely conclude Timber Creek – who won Group 3 by 20 points -- would dominate the tight Group 4 if it were placed there. Right?

Wrong.

If Timber Creek had competed in the State Group 4 Championships last Saturday and all performances remained the same – yes, at the gross disregard of track conditions, weather conditions and the "But I would've never let that guy beat me" trigger complex, the Chargers would have placed fourth with 36.33 points behind Absegami (46 points), Old Bridge (41) and Trenton Catholic (38).

But before Group 4 starts beating its chests, suppose Absegami had uprooted itself from Group 4 and competed in Group 3. Final score: Timber Creek 52, Absegami 50.
Just another case of right place, right time, right competition for South Jersey's two major group champs, Absegami and Timber Creek.

A MoC Bet
A familiar doo is catching on at Moorestown. A week after senior jumper Bryan Burnham buzzed his head, off came the hair of senior runner Kevin Healey.

But while running the 3,200 with his shaved head, Healey shaved 12 seconds off his personal-best, finishing seventh in 9:28.61 and becoming one of South Jersey's 21 wildcards for today's Meet of Champions.

"He's impressing us every race," coach Troy Pappas said. "Every race we've dissected what he needs to do, and he's executing perfectly.

"He needed the race of his life too. Now he's the best distance runner we've had since the '70s."

Pappas didn't know who held the school record holder off-hand, but knew it was 9:20, well within Healey's stride.
If Burnham and Healey both set school records today, Pappas said he'd also sport the new look.

"At least down to a crew cut anyway," he said. "I think it's only appropriate that us coaches have some of fun, too."

Burnham took second to Camden's Syteek Farrington (22-0) in the long jump in 21-8.50.
Like Healey, Shawnee sophomore David Forward also dropped 12 seconds off his PR, finishing second in 9:14.04 and teammate JP Bonner also notched a wildcard by finishing in a personal-best 9:43.08, good for eighth.