Ridgewood Boys Track and Field: sets record with sectional title
MAY 30, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 30, 2014, 3:15 PM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The large group of seniors leading the Ridgewood High School boys track team will never know what it’s like to finish anywhere other than the top spot at the North 1, Group 4 state championships.
That’s perfectly fine with them.
“This team wanted to be part of history,” head coach Josh Saladino said. “They knew if they won this that the seniors would have left here never losing a state-sectional championship. This is our fifth in a row.”
RHS scored 104 points to win by a comfortable margin over second-place West Orange (77) at the event held last Friday and Saturday in Randolph. The fifth straight title is a meet record and put the Maroons one behind the overall North Section 1 mark of six straight titles held by Glen Rock, the North 1, Group 1 champ from 1999 to 2004.
Last weekend, senior Luke Dublirer delivered the signature performance for the Maroons, capturing victories in the 800- and 1,600-meter races, anchoring the 4-x-800-meter relay team to a gold medal and running a leg for the third-place 4-x-400 relay.
“I don’t remember the last time we had an athlete put together a performance at the sectionals the way he did with three gold medals and a bronze,” Saladino said. “That’s a lot of high-level performances in a very short span. Luke’s always had a lot of talent, and he was able to showcase it this week.”
In the 800, Dublirer’s time of 1:56.57 bested that of Jhonathan Matamoros from Memorial (West New York) by 1.17 seconds, and he crossed the finish line nearly two seconds ahead of the Tigers’ anchor in the 4-x-800.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/boys-track/take-five-maroon-title-sets-meet-record-1.1026654#sthash.zJ9q5jtG.dpuf
