Reber putting C.H. East track on map

Whether he is racing over hurdles or barreling through injuries or breaking down preconceptions, Alex Reber always is moving forward, and at high speed.

Reber knows Cherry Hill East isn't known as a track and field powerhouse. And the star of last weekend's South Jersey Group 4 championships knows his own rise to prominence is something of a surprise, too - to himself along with everybody else.

But Reber isn't about to slow down now. The senior and his teammates have one more chance to strip away any remaining doubts about Cherry Hill East's status as one of the best squads in the state.

"Our goal has been to change the perception of Cherry Hill East track," said Reber, who will lead the Cougars into the Group 4 state championships this weekend in Old Bridge, Middlesex County. "I think we've done a pretty good job of that."

Reber has led the charge with a relentless style that is equal parts technique and tenacity, according to Cherry Hill East coach Anthony Maniscalco.

"He lives by the motto 'Run until you puke,' " Maniscalco said.

Reber confirms his own intensity sometimes gets the best of his digestive system.

"I've done that more times than I can count in practice," Reber said. "Once that happens, you know you've had a good day of work."

Reber's remarkable rise from middle-school track neophyte to promising sophomore who still considered football his No. 1 sport to sensational senior with a scholarship to Villanova reached its zenith last weekend at the sectional championships.

Reber won four events and led Cherry Hill East to the first South Jersey title in the history of the program. With 83.5 points, the Cougars outdistanced host and premeet favorite Egg Harbor Township, which finished with 78.

"It felt like the last two years, we've fallen a little short here and there," Maniscalco said. "What was great about this win was that it was a true team victory. The sprinters, distance guys, throwers, and jumpers all contributed."

Reber won the 200 meters (21.64 seconds), 400 (47.96), and 400 hurdles (53.78) and also anchored the Cougars to victory in the 4x400 relay (3 minutes, 19.89 seconds).

"I knew I was going to be competitive" in all four events, Reber said. "I was looking forward to good competition and doing my best."

Known more as a 400 runner as well as an intermediate hurdler, Reber was especially proud of his victory in the 200. He ran a personal-best time, and teammate Brian Regan (who also won the 100 in 10.76) finished third to give the Cougars 16 points in the speed event.

Reber didn't start running track until the sixth grade and regarded football as his best sport for the longest time. He played wide receiver and also kicked for the Cougars for three seasons.

But he kept getting faster and faster on the track. He said his performance at the Meet of Champions in 2010, when he was seventh in the 400 hurdles in 54.38 and anchored the 4x400 to a fourth-place finish in 3:17.68, was a revelation.

"I was like, 'I guess I'm pretty good at this,' " Reber said. "I was just drawn by the competition. I wanted to keep competing against better athletes."

He was hampered a bit by injuries as a junior and during the indoor season this past winter. But Reber has battled through those, too.

"The amazing thing is every time he gets hurt, he seems to come back even stronger," Maniscalco said.

Reber said he's still a little stunned by his own success.

"Sometimes, it feels like it still hasn't sunk in," he said.

Reber and the Cougars have one more barrier to break down. They will be underdogs again this weekend, as Trenton Central looms as the team to beat in state Group 4.

Reber will play a major role again. He's the top seed in the 200, the No. 2 seed in the 400 (.10 seconds behind Trenton's Zyaire Clemes), and the fifth seed in the intermediate hurdles (.39 seconds behind Trenton's Jermaine Collier). And the meet could come down to the final event, the relay, with Trenton seeded first and Cherry Hill East third, with little more than a second separating the teams.

"On paper, we're in trouble," Maniscalco said. "But paper doesn't take into account the kind of heart these kids have."