Ramapo makes up ground with win at Old Tappan by Cory Doviak of northjerseysports.com
PHILADELPHIA – Preparation breeds success.
The Mahwah boys 4-x-400 team proved that adage to be correct again Saturday, running the fastest and most successful North Jersey race at the Penn Relays and earning medals for the second straight year.
The team of Evan Bonfield, James Nagotko, Connor Laurent and Ebner Edwards ran a school record 3:23.24 and nearly caught race winner West Windsor Plainsboro North, missing a repeat Penn Relays mini-wheel plaque by less than a meter.
“When we won our heat last year (in 3:30.77) I knew they would bump us up, and we ended up running a hour later than we did last year,’’ said first year Mahwah head coach Shawn Rembecky. “We didn’t have a dual this week so we spent all week preparing for this race.’’
Penn Relays tradition usually means that the 30 or so heats open to all high schools in the United States and at least six foreign countries are run in rough seed order, so that the later you run, the faster your opponents should be.
And the Mahwah quartet started their preparation by checking the past results of the 14 teams scheduled in their race. Then in practice they simulated relay handoffs in thick traffic like Penn produces.
“We did our regular relay handoffs but put a dozen freshmen in the zone to get in the way,’’ said Rembecky.
Those two actions paid off early for the Thunderbirds.
Leadoff leg Evan Bonfield, who led off last year in 52.35 and gave Mahwah an early lead they never relinquished, led off in 49.42 seconds this time, the second fastest split of the day for North Jersey runners.
“I knew I had to do and get out quickly like I did last because we knew West Windsor was tough,’’ said Bonfield. He opened a five meter lead on the strong WWPN leadoff, who ran a speedy 49.98.
“I knew the second kid was as good or better than their leadoff, so my job was to go as fast as I could and try and hold us near the front of the race,’’ said Nagotko, who kept the Thunderbirds in second, although a 49.30 split by West Windsor’s second runner opened a 20 meter lead.
Laurent, running third leg, cut into the lead a little, but more importantly held off a surge from River Dell third man Ed Ahn who had pulled alongside.
“When he passed me, we made contact but I was able to respond and get away from him,” said Laurent, who split 51.81 and kept Mahwah in second.
Then Edwards, who has run anchor all season got the stick and set his sights on catching the WWPN anchor, whose research showed that he was not a sub-50 performer.
“I tried to make as much ground up as early as I could,’’ said Edwards, who committed to Rider this week. “Coach had showed us videos of Penn races so we knew that when you pass the high jump pit there was about 100 meters left so I kicked harder.’’
The crowd’s roar as Edwards closed in made him go even faster, but he ran out of track about five meters too soon, with a clocking of 48.61, fastest of the day in North Jersey.
“I was pumped up,’’ said Edwards. “Those guys set it up for me.’’
Ramapo and Secaucus earned third place medals on a somewhat disappointing day for North Jersey runners, and Seth Kricheff of NV/Old Tappan was able to make 13-5 ¾ in the pole vault, but that is well below his best.