This past Saturday, OPXC headed up to Morristown to compete at the Catholic School Championships of New Jersey. The annual late-season race gives the Rams a chance to race at famous Greystone Park, as well as compete against state powerhouses such as CBA (#2 in USA) and Union Catholic (#8 in NJ). After months of hard training, the Rams were primed to have a huge day as the end-of-season tapering had slowly begun in the weeks prior.
The JV Rams set the tone for the big day. Led by Senior James Milton, the Rams achieved the highest JV average time since 2017 (18:40). Milton ran 18:31 to secure 4th place. The senior was followed by Austin Knight, Tristian Knight, Alex Kieschke, Cathal Hislop, Nate Epps, and Will Timbie. Together, these guys secured the #4-#10 spots in the race, securing the easy win for the JV squad. Notable performances also came from Freshman Matthew Surmay (19:13), Chad Vassallo (19:21), and Matthew Maloba (19:29). Overall, the Rams set a new record for JV runners under the 20-minute mark. The JV squad will look to finish up their season strong at the UC Last Chance Meet this Wednesday afternoon.
At 4:15, the Varsity Squad (ranked #19 in the state) headed to the line looking to match the incredible performance by JV. Senior captain Declan Kelly led the Rams, finishing second overall, with a time of 16:09. Followed by Kelly was Junior, James Nolan, who had a huge day. Nolan ran a PR of 16:36, outkicking not one, but two CBA runners in the final 200 Meters. Connor Bassalino finished 11th with a time of 16:45. Rounding out the scoring five were Sophomore Aidan Murphy (16:54) and Senior captain Tim Callahan (17:20) who finished 16th and 17th, respectively. Luca Vessecchia lost one of his shoes during the last mile, but still managed to run a PR. It would have been easy for Junior to drop out or slow down, however, he kept pushing. That mindset is what defines this team and is why the Rams have shocked many in the state this season. Aidan Wizeman also achieved a PR, finishing with a time of 18:11. The combination of these performances allowed the Rams to win the Varsity Boys B section and finish second overall.
The boys now shift their attention to the biggest race of the year, next Saturday. The team will travel to Holmdel to compete in the Non-Public A State Championship. The Rams have a chance to validate all of their performances thus far, as well as compete for a spot in the Meet of Champions.
