Jon Vitez makes winning look easy, but the Haddonfield senior appreciates how difficult it is to reach and maintain a high level of success.

Vitez joined an elite group of runners Saturday the NJSIAA boys' cross-country state championships at Holmdel Park, cruising to his third consecutive Group 2 individual title. He also helped the Bulldogs capture their fourth straight team championship and 12th state title.

"It's an honor to be able to win a state championship three times," Vitez said. "So much can happen. You can't take anything for granted.

"You have to continually work toward your goals. I was trying to go under 16 minutes today, so I'm satisfied with that, especially under the course conditions."

Vitez, who won in 15 minutes, 57 seconds, became the seventh male runner to win three state titles and the third from South Jersey. Lower Camden County's Eugene Fekete (1948-50) and Paul VI's Jason DiJoseph (1986-88) were the other area runners to accomplish the feat.

Vitez, whose time was the fourth fastest of the day among all Groups, was followed home by teammates Matt Nussbaum (16:30), Ben Potts (16:32) and Colin Baker (16:38) for a 1-2-3-5 finish.

When Ethan Quanci (17:31) finished at 21, Haddonfield scored 30 points to easily beat runnerup Delaware Valley (124).

"We try to run in two packs of three, keeping our gaps close," Vitez said. "Winning this championship is good, but our goal is to win the [Meet of Champions] next week. We can run better as a team and feel confident that we can put it together for the MOC."

Haddonfield coach Nick Baker noted that his team is ready for the challenge of regaining the Meet of Champions title it last won in 2001.

"These kids train so hard. This is the payoff for all the hard work they've done," Baker said. "We talked about being aggressive on the course today, despite the conditions, and they ran hard. I liked the way they looked from start to finish."

Vitez and Haddonfield were the only area runners or team to take gold medals.

While no other teams qualified for next week's Meet of Champions, a number of individuals qualified by finishing in the top ten or earning a wild-card selection.

Ocean City's Miles Schoedler, the South Jersey Group 3 champion, battled back from a mishap early in the Group 3 race to finish eighth in 16:43.

"I hit my head on a branch and fell right before going up the bowl [part of the course]. Not the best place to fall," Schoedler said. "I was in fourth or fifth at the time.

"I got up and tried to catch up as best as I could. I finished in the top ten and that qualifies me for the MOC, which is what I wanted."