Thousands of runners across the state took the starting line and got ready to compete this past Saturday, October 28, in the NJSIAA cross country Sectional Championships. Will Ashton and the Hawks boys cross country team knew that capturing a sectional title over perennial powerhouse Haddonfield, who has won all but one South Jersey Group 2 Section title since 1999, would be a long shot.
The boys were not able to pull off a miracle in the sense of trumping Haddonfield, but they did far exceed early season expectations and were able to secure second place in South Jersey Group 2, earning them a spot in the Group 2 State Championships this Saturday. November 4.
The Hawks second place finish was powered by junior runner Will Ashton’s 5th place finish with a time of 16:25 in a 5k race. Ashton’s time was the 47th fastest time ran across all sectional championship races Saturday. Nate Clarke was Manchester’s second finisher, coming in with a time of 17:42, earning 15th place. Following suit in 16th and 17th were 2 Manchester runners as well, Joe Rowe with a time of 17:44 and Chase Griffith with a time of 17:47. The final finisher of the Hawk’s top 5 was Gavin Hanlon with a time of 18:16. It’s also worth noting that Rowe, Griffith and Hanlon are all only Freshmen.
It was an unusually hot day at Dream Park (where the race took place) for this time of year, but Manchester’s top runner did not let that discourage him.
“Everyone was running in the same conditions on Saturday, so I just stuck to the plan me and [Coach] Griff made up and executed it to the best of my ability. Even with that though, everyone in Jersey ran slower in general because of the conditions, but the competition and effort was still there so it didn’t affect my time too badly,”said Ashton.
There were big shoes to fill this season for the Hawks. Over the past 4 seasons, Manchester had built itself up to be one of the best teams in the county and state. 3 out of the Hawk’s Top 5 from last season graduated, most notably Boston College commit Nick Loffredo. Being 1 of only 3 upperclassmen and now the team’s top runner, Ashton had to step up not only as a runner but as a leader as well.
Ashton commented on his experiences growing into a leadership role, “Coming in as a sophomore last year and being able to stick up there with the older guys, I was able to see and experience what I needed to do to get to that next level. Leading the guys this year has been fun, because as they are learning and watching me to see what they have to do, I still don’t totally know what I’m doing. That being said , I feel like I have the abilities to get the best out of the guys and get us to the next level.” Not to mention it is only Ashton’s second year competing in cross country as he played soccer through middle school and his freshman year here at the high school, making his accomplishments all that much more impressive.
The boys cross country team will compete next this Saturday, November 4, in the NJSIAA Group 2 Championships at the notoriously difficult Holmdel Park 5k course. Ashton will be shooting to earn a qualifying spot in the Meet of Champions.
