Catch-22: Ridgewood H.S. girls add to record number of sectional cross-country titles
NOVEMBER 14, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY RON FOX
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
With good reason, a race usually focuses on the lead runners, but Jacob Brown was looking for the middle of the pack to turn the tide last Saturday. The Ridgewood High School girls cross-country coach made his point clear.
“He hammered it home,” said senior Carleen Jeffers, who finished second to junior teammate Sam Halvorsen in the North 1, Group 4 meet at Garret Mountain, Ridgewood’s state-record 22nd such title. “He wanted our seventh girl, Corina Cobb, to beat [Randolph’s] No. 5 girl. That was our main focus.”
That was imperative if the Maroons were to outscore Randolph for the team title.
“I challenged Corina,” Brown confirmed. “She beat that girl and that’s impressive when your 7 beats their 5. And so did [freshman] Meghan Adams.”
Halvorsen came across in a brisk 18:52 and earned Athlete of the Week honors from The Record. Once again, good friend Jeffers finished right on her heels, just three seconds back.
“We’re competitive racing as individuals, but in a race, we’re running as a team,” Halvorsen said.
Jeffers concurred. “There is an aspect of competitiveness,” she said. “We both want to win, but when Sam does well, I’m happy for her and she’s happy for me when I do well.”
There is always something to overcome on a cross-country course, such as the hills, the rocks, the sand and the tree roots that can cause stumbles. Halvorsen began to worry about something else.
https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/girls-cross-country/rhs-girls-ride-depth-to-team-title-1.1133449