Cross Country
Have you seen the Oct. 18 issue of Sports Illustrated?
Highland's Megan Venables, the 2010 state indoor and outdoor 3,200-meter champion, appears in the Faces in the Crowd section for her cross-country accomplishments.
Venables was highlighted after dominating the field at Holmdel Park on Oct. 2, when she won the girls' championship race at the prestigious Shore Coaches Invitational cross-country meet.
Mentioned: Highland
Eastern field hockey won the Tournament of Champions in its sport.
So did Haddonfield girls’ tennis.
Lenape girls’ soccer won the Group 4 state title and was named the No. 1 team in the state – for the third year in a row.
gary miles
The best teams in South Jersey, regardless of sport:
1. Eastern field hockey (26-2): Veteran Shore Regional coach Nancy Williams said this was the best team in Danyle Heilig's 11 seasons at Eastern. That's like trying to compare Beatles' albums. Rubber Soul? Revolver? Sgt. Pepper's? With seven fully-focused seniors, these Vikings rolled through the post-season and won the program's 11th consecutive Group 4 state title and third Tournament of Champions title in the four years of the event.
2. Haddonfield girls' tennis (32-0): With everybody back, the Bulldogs conceivably could be even better next season. But if you look at what Jeff Holman's team did this season, especially in the Tournament of Champions, you wonder if that's even possible.
The best teams in South Jersey, regardless of sport:
1. Eastern field hockey (21-2): Vikings have that familiar, focused look. They've outscored three tournament opponents by 30-0 as a loaded senior class led by Kelsey Mitchell and Melanie Dawson is squeezing most out of their final days in Cardinal and Navy.
2. Haddonfield girls' tennis (32-0): Veteran coach Jeff Holman, one of South Jersey sports' best people, already is nervous about next year's challenge matches.
3. Haddonfield boys' cross country (10-0): Bulldogs looked primed in Saturday's sectional finals at Delsea. They went 1-2-4-5 in the Group 2 race as Jon Vitez, Colin Baker, Matt Nussbaum and Ben Potts all covered the course in 16 minutes, 10 seconds or faster.
4. Lenape girls' soccer (19-1): Since that 1-0 loss to Paul VI on Sept. 16, the Indians have won 16 in a row, outscoring opponents by 56-8. Since 2007, this team is an astounding 50-0 in Olympic American, South Jersey Coaches tournament and Group 4 state tournament play.
5. Rancocas Valley boys' soccer (18-2-3): Living dangerously is just fine by the Red Devils. Over the last nine games, they've gone 8-0-1, winning five times by one goal and advancing another time on penalty kicks.
6. Williamstown football (8-0): This is it. Braves host dangerous Toms River North team Friday night with chance to win program's first tournament game and fully establish their legitimacy as a South Jersey Group 4 power.
7. Cherokee football (8-0): South Jersey Group 4 is loaded but the road to the title runs across that new artificial turf in the big bowl in Marlton. When the Chiefs control the line of scrimmage and get power back Sean Farrell running downhill, they are all but impossible to stop.
-- Phil Anastasia
gary miles
Four championships are scheduled to be determined Monday:
Boys’ Soccer
PUBLIC LEAGUE Championship at Northeast
Bartram vs. Washington, 6
Girls’ Soccer
DISTRICT 1 CLASS AA Championship at Conestoga
St. Pius X vs. Phil-Mont Christian, 7 p.m.
gary miles
Four championships are scheduled to be determined today:
Boys’ Soccer
PUBLIC LEAGUE Championship at Northeast
Bartram vs. Washington, 6
Girls’ Soccer
DISTRICT 1 CLASS AA Championship at Conestoga
St. Pius X vs. Phil-Mont Christian, 7 p.m.
Mentioned: Cardinal O'Hara High School | Archbishop Prendergast | Bartram | Phil-Mont Christian | St. Pius X | Washington
gary miles
Germantown Friends swept top team and individual honors in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Championships Saturday at Mercersburg Academy. Gus McKenzie's covered the 3.1-mile course in 16 minutes, 21.2 seconds to win it for the Tigers.
Maria Seykora's individual first (19:43) led Notre Dame to a first-place team finish in the girls' competition.
Mentioned: Germantown Friends School
gary miles
At Belmont Plateau Wednesday, La Salle came away with the boys’ Class AAA cross-country team title and St. Joseph’s Prep’s Chris O’Sullivan had the top individual performance of the day in the District 12 Championships.
La Salle finished with 33 team points, 12 ahead of second-place St. Joseph’s Prep, and O’Sullivan covered the 3.1-mile course in 16:34.30, about 14 seconds ahead of second-place Tom Kehl of Father Judge.
Masterman won the Class AA boys’ team title.
The best teams in South Jersey, regardless of sport:
SUPER SEVEN POWER RANKINGS
(Records through Saturday)
1. Eastern field hockey (16-2): Vikings rebounded from loss to Emmaus (Pa.), the nation’s top-ranked team, by beating three South Jersey opponents last week by a combined score of 18-0. It will be a shock if this team loses again this season.
2. Haddonfield boys’ cross country (10-0): Jon “Boo” Vitez set the meet record with a time of 14 minutes, 57 seconds and teammates Matt Nussbaum, Ben Potts and Colin Baker placed in the top five at the Colonial Conference all-star meet Thursday at Pennypacker Park. These guys have their eyes on a November for the ages.
