There were several hundred runners who toed the line last Saturday at Holmdel Park in Holmdel to compete in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, but only three represented Hudson County.
Kali Kendall of Snyder was the lone local participant in the girls’ M of C. She finished a remarkable 47th overall in 19:45.
There were two boys, two friends and teammates, who took part in the boys’ M of C.
McNair Academic’s terrific tandem of Kevin Ratigan and Omar Lopez were the lone participants from the county.
Ratigan, who won the HCTCA championship and the North 2, Group I gold medal, finished 52nd overall with a fine time of 16:40. Lopez was 91st in 17:06.
The times and placing were insignificant. The fact that the two teammates were there in the race was astounding in its own right.
“I put a lot of hard work into the year and I really wanted to end the year on a high note,” Ratigan said. “It’s a good feeling. I went to the Meet of Champions last year and finished 113th, so this was much better. My goal was to make it back there again. It’s an honor to be in such a race with the top guys in the state. I was hoping for the top 50. I got 52nd, so it wasn’t too bad. I beat a lot of guys I wanted to beat, so I’m happy.”
Lopez, who is only a junior, was glad to have the experience.
“Making it to the Meet of Champs was the icing on the cake for what was a great season,” Lopez said. “I just missed making it last year by just one second. I was in 11th [at the Group I state championships, where the top 10 finishers earn berths to the M of C] heading into the last mile and I outhustled the kid in front of me to think I finished in 10th place. It was kind of heartbreaking when I learned I didn’t make it.”
Lopez liked that there were a lot of local coaches present at Holmdel, offering congratulations.
“They all said that we were representing Hudson County and Jersey City,” Lopez said. “That anything we do is a bright spot for the county. I really liked that. It was pretty cool to hear that from other coaches.”
For Lopez, just being among the state’s best was a victory of sorts, because three years ago, he was diagnosed with chronic asthma and has been battling it ever since.
“I never thought I’d be able to excel like this,” Lopez said. “It’s something I never would have imagined happening. New Jersey is such a strong state for cross country and I’m in a race with the state’s best? I never thought that. But it’s a motivation for me to keep working hard. Next year, I’ll be the captain and I feel the responsibility will fall on me to lead the way.”
Both will continue their fine careers in the indoor track season, which will begin in a few weeks. Ratigan is considering a handful of colleges, including NJIT, a program that has included local running standouts Ben Singleton of University Academy and Danny Rondon of North Bergen…
Speaking of Singleton, let’s keep the young man in our prayers, after he was seriously injured when he was struck by a car while jogging in the streets. Singleton will have a long road to recovery, so here’s to hoping he can feel strong enough to run again in the future….
What a treat some Jersey City Recreation flag football players got last week, when they met Jonathan Casillas of the New Orleans Saints at their awards presentation. Casillas, who has enjoyed a breakthrough year at linebacker for the Saints, is the son of Jersey City Recreation worker “Flash” Gordon, who is a Jersey City schoolyard basketball legend. Casillas had the bye week last week and came back to Jersey City to visit his father and pay a visit to the up-and-coming grid stars of tomorrow…
You can’t keep a good coach down for long. Long-time Hoboken baseball and basketball coach Buddy Matthews, who retired from teaching and coaching in Hoboken last June, has taken over as the new girls’ basketball coach at St. Anthony…
Congrats to St. Anthony standout tight end Nate Ortiz, who has given a verbal commitment to attend Delaware State in the fall and play football there on a scholarship…
St. Peter’s Prep soccer standout Roberto Chernez, who said last week that he was juggling a few offers, gave his verbal commitment to Bloomfield College…
Former St. Anthony basketball standout Devon Collier had a homecoming of sorts last week, when he played at the IZOD Center with his Oregon State teammates in the Ticket City Classic tournament. Collier had 19 points in the championship game loss to Vanderbilt. Collier is coached at Oregon State by Craig Robinson, who happens to be the brother-in-law of President Barack Obama,…– Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.