Old Bridge boys prove themselves once again
Raiders’ Riley closes out stellar career

CHRIS KELLY staff Old Bridge’s Glen Li tries to hold off a pair of competitors as they near the finish line at Saturday’s Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park. Li and his Knight teammates finished third in team scoring, behind CBA and Morris Hills.

The Old Bridge Knights boys cross country team certainly knows how to give an encore.

Just one week after shocking a loaded field en route to winning a Group IV team championship at Holmdel Park, the Knights came back to give another outstanding performance at Holmdel on Saturday, this time taking third place at the Meet of Champions.

In doing so, the Knights set a school record with a five-man average of 16:43, one second better than the average for the 2001 team that took second at the MOC.

Old Bridge finished behind Parochial A champion Christian Brothers Academy (69 points) and Group III champion Morris Hills (96). The Knights were led by Umar Saeed, who finished seventh among a field of 180 in 16:08. That time bested his previous personal best by 11 seconds, and set the new standard for Old Bridge harriers. His seventh-place finish was also the best MOC performance for a Knight since Kevin Stengle took fifth in 1994.

Next up was Glen Li, the Knights’ third runner all year, who ran a personal best 16:42, good for 41st place. Chris Bezeg came in 50th in 16:49, followed by Frank Vulpis (66th, 16:56) and Matt Ciambriello (73rd, 17:03), both of whom also ran personal bests.

The Knights’ third-place finish did more than just put a cap on another strong season; it proved that their performance at the Group IV championships was no fluke. There were those who thought maybe the Knights caught Toms River North and Cherokee, the third- and fourth-ranked teams in the state going into that race, on an off day.

On Saturday, the Knights proved their place among the top three boys teams in the state.

Round-up.. When North Brunswick’s Tim Riley laced up his shoes prior to Saturday’s MOC, he was preparing to make history.

By qualifying for the the Meet of Champions as a wild card at the Group IV championships, Riley joined his father, Ken, as one of only two runners from North Brunswick to qualify for the MOC. Ken Riley qualified in 1979, and went on to finish 86th at the MOC.

His son did even better on Saturday, placing 48th in a time of 16:47, and ending what has been an excellent career at North Brunswick.

The Spotswood Chargers boys team made the most out of its first appearance in the MOC by taking 13th place out of 20 teams.

The Chargers were led by senior Chad Vidal, who finished in 45th place with a time of 16:32. Junior Brad Shepise was next across the line for the Chargers in 86th place (17:11), followed by junior Garret Andren (119th, 17:37), senior Steven Farapan (127th,. 17:46), junior Chris O’Dwyer (131st, 17:49) and senior Jim DeMarco (141st, 18:03).

Old Bridge’s Sarah Root also competed on Saturday and finished in 30th place after running a personal best 19:36.

Her effort got her within four seconds of the school mark of 19:32 held by Linda Sanders — a mark that the Knight harrier will certainly challenge next season.