Salem Tech qualifies for state cross country championship for first time in Group 2, county has strong representation in Group 1
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
LOGAN TWP. – The Salem Tech boys cross country team was super excited when it qualified for the state championship for the first time in 2020, but the Chargers never got to the starting line. COVID cancelled the event, leaving all the teams that got in to be satisfied with just knowing they made it.
Some made it back, others didn’t. It’s taken six years for the Chargers to make it back, but they finally did Saturday as the fifth-place finisher in the South Jersey Group 2 sectional at DREAM Park.
The Chargers scored 149 points to become one of the five team qualifiers for the Group 2 championship race next Saturday at Holmdel Park.
“It’s a milestone,” Chargers coach Matt DiTizio said. “We haven’t done it in Group 2 and typically it’s a little more difficult to get in in Group 2 than it is in Group 1 because of bigger schools. The boys worked hard and they really wanted it, and they made it happen.
“I said on the bus on the bus on the way up – we have five seniors on my team, four of them running in that race — we’re doing this for the seniors who’ve been here four years and haven’t had the opportunity that we have today, so let’s sure we make you do it for these guys and they did it.
The girls from Schalick and the boys and girls from Woodstown all qualified for the Group 1 race. Three Pennsville runners – Carter Marts, Peyton Michel and Sawyer Slad – made the race as top 15 individual qualifiers.
The Chargers were Group 1 the last time they qualified. DiTizio remembers being excited when their name was called as qualifiers. This year, they were all hovering around the phone constantly refreshing the MileSplit app because they knew it would be close.
The Chargers put three of their five counters in the top 30, then its next two finished between Cedar Creek’s fourth and fifth counters to slide into the final qualifying spot. The gap between their first counter and fifth counter was about a minute.
Their No. 1 runner, sophomore Levi Seals, had a tough day, finishing 35th in 18:26.44, but his teammates picked him up. Senior Anthony Morano (17:55.99), the runner Seals ran with in the NJTAC race Wednesday, and senior Jean-Pierre Pozo (17:58.52) both ran sub-18s and placed in the top 25, and junior Joseph McNeil placed 28th (18:10.22). Senior Chase Pompper, (18:55.28) at 41, was their fifth counter.
“Levi had a little bit of a rough race, but everybody else picked him up and covered for him and made up the difference that we needed to get in,” DiTizio said. “It was a team effort today. It was special knowing it took every single bit of everyone to get us there because we have such a tight pack and our guys are so closely grouped in time. It’s not like we had one singular all-star that was in the top 10 and that kind of carried us in. Everybody had to work and give everything they had to get us in. To me, that made it a little more special.”
Punching their ticket this year continues an historic season for the them. They have won their Tri-County Conference division for the fifth year in a row, won the South Jersey tech schools championship, finished second in the state tech race on their course, and finished second in the Salem County meet, also on their course.
“It’s a big deal for us,” DiTizio said.
SOUTH JERSEY XC SECTIONALS
Salem County qualifiers to state meet, Nov. 8 at Holmdel Park
(Top 5 teams, Top 15 individuals)
GROUP 1
BOYS TEAMS: Glassboro 16, Haddon Twp. 63, Woodstown 89, Pitman 137, Collingswood 150
ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUALS: Carter Marts, Pennsville
GIRLS TEAMS: Haddon Twp. 42, Audubon 45, Maple Shade 73, Woodstown 76, Schalick 108
ADDITIONAL INDIVIDUALS: Peyton Michel, Pennsville; Sawyer Slad, Pennsville.
GROUP 2
BOYS TEAMS: Haddonfield 25, Sterling 49, Middle Twp. 97, West Deptford 130, Salem Tech 149
GIRLS TEAMS: Haddonfield 15, Sterling 70, Middle Twp. 82, Pinelands 126, Cedar Creek 133
