Saffer, Forys finish first, and Howell girls repeat
Colts Neck boys also win District x-country title
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Manalapan’s Laura Saffer (l) races to the finish to win the girls race at the Freehold District Championships at Holmdel Park on Friday, while Colts Neck’s Craig Forys (above) and Freehold Borough’s Mike O’Flaherty finish 1-2 in the boys race.

HOLMDEL — Just call Manalapan’s Laura Saffer "the downhill racer."

And because of her mastery of running downhill, you can call the Braves senior the Freehold Regional District cross country champion, again.

On a historic afternoon at Holmdel Park, Saffer became the first cross country champion (2001) to regain the District championship when she outran the defending champion, Howell’s Kellee Hand, over the final 800 meters of Holmdel Park’s 5K course.

While Saffer was becoming the first former champion to regain her title, Friday, Colts Neck’s Craig Forys was making his own history, becoming the first freshman to win the boys championship.

The anticipated duel between the last two District champions, Saffer and Hand, was everything it was expected to be, pushing Saffer to a personal best (19:45) that puts her sixth all-time among District harriers at Holmdel Park.

A healthy and confident Saffer had beaten Hand back in September, during the A North showdown between Manalapan and Howell. But that was a duel meet. Saffer erased any doubts that she is currently the top harrier in the District, by chasing Hand down at the two-mile mark and then beating her on the closing downhill section of the course.

Hand, fresh off her best time of the year at Holmdel Park (20:00.82) at the Shore Coaches Invitational, took it to the front and built a healthy 50-meter cushion on Saffer by the mile mark. But that didn’t phase the Brave. She knew that coming up was the bowl section, which begins with a sharp downhill run to the bottom before the runners climb up the bowl on the other side. Saffer used her downhill edge to cut into Hand’s lead dramatically, and when the two standouts had exited the bowl, they were running together.

"I tried to stick with her, but I couldn’t push up the hill at the start," recalled Saffer. "I knew the bowl was coming up and I went all out.

"At two miles, I caught her and just paced myself off her," she added. "Once we got into the woods, I pushed the pace."

Saffer felt confident as she tore through the downhill section of the woods, because she has learned to use the downhills to her advantage.

"I love running downhill," she explained. "My father (Joseph Saffer) and coach (Dave Hunt) have told me how to do it, to not to hold back on the downhills. I keep my arms steady and go as fast as I can."

As Saffer opened up a big gap on Hand, she had time to reflect back on her winning run two years ago as a sophomore, and said she had the same sense of urgency.

"I thought back to my sophomore year at that stage of the race, when I said to myself ‘no letdown,’" she recalled. "I’m not good in a sprint."

Saffer didn’t have to worry about not having a strong finishing kick. Her downhill burst had put Hand’s challenge away.

It was a run of mixed emotions for Hand, a sophomore, who lost in her bid for a second straight title. However, there was a major consolation prize. Round Two of the battle between two of the Shore’s finest teams went to Howell. The Rebels, beaten by Manalapan in their dual meet last month in Manalapan, avenged that setback and successfully defended their 2002 title.

Hand led a parade of Rebels behind her as Howell topped Manalapan, 27-38.

"This definitely makes up for it (second place)," said Hand. "The team championship is more important.

"We had a great feeling after the Shore Coaches," she added. "It gave the team a lot of confidence."

Howell ran like a confident team, with senior Heather Garleb continuing her strong rebound season by finishing third behind Saffer and Hand in 20:53.

Freshman Lauren Wiemken was fifth (21:08), and Megan Nevins, seventh (21:15). Jessica Hoffman rounded out the scoring in 11th place (20:37).

Key for Manalapan were the runs of Garleb and Wiemken. In the dual meet loss, Barr and Machado ran third and fourth behind Saffer and Hand. Friday, the Rebels were able to get Garleb in front of them, and Wiemken was able to split them, paving the way for the win.

Rebel coach John Hein pointed out that his harriers are running where they expected to be at this time of the season. He also added the Holmdel course is Rebel friendly.

"They like Holmdel Park," he said. "This course plays to their strength, which is running hills."

The Howell team is peaking at the right time with the Monmouth County Championships coming up Tuesday. Freshman Wiemken just keeps getting better with each race, as does Nevins, a sophomore, who is running cross country for the first time.

Hoffman provides the senior leadership, and Garleb has been a pleasant surprise. At last year’s District championships, she ran 22:01 in finishing ninth. Garleb came on the scene two years ago with a big sophomore season, but watched last year as younger Rebels came aboard, running faster and pushing her further back in the pack. She has gained the respect of her coach for her dedication.

"Heather just keeps getting stronger," said Hein. "I respect the way that she stuck with it."

Howell and Manalapan are two of the favorites, along with Shore Regional, to win the Monmouth County Championship Tuesday at Holmdel Park. Who knows what Round Three will bring. Saffer has to be one of the pre-race favorites, along with Ocean Township’s Erin Enderly, Hand and Shore’s Julie Ullmeyer.Craig Forys has some big shoes to fill, but the Cougar freshman doesn’t mind it. His brother, Matt Forys, who ran for Howell, won the last two District titles. Now that big brother Matt is running at Bucknell University, it was up to Craig to see if the Forys’ could join Joe (1997) and Nick Pellegrino (1998 and ’99) as the only brothers to win Freehold District titles.

"I ran in my brother’s shoes today," Forys said after his historic victory. "This is something special to win the District title. I’m happy."

Forys’ win was no surprise. He had already established himself as the one to beat with his 16:31.83 at Holmdel, which was almost a minute faster than anyone else.

Friday, a pack of five runners, led by Manalapan senior Mike St. George, stayed together for two-thirds of the race before Freehold Borough’s Mike O’Flaherty and Forys took the bull by the horns. Forys was trying to pace his teammate, Zach Tedoff, to a personal best before he would seize the moment. That came in the last half-mile, when he kicked into high gear and left O’Flaherty behind.

Forys cruised home in 16:55, while O’Flaherty posted a 17:19. Howell’s Eric Hendrickson had his best race of the fall, finishing third in 17:32. Tedoff, in fourth place with 17:32, did get his Holmdel Park personal best.

While hardly a veteran of Holmdel, Forys is proving to be a quick learner.

"From the tennis courts and on, you have to run it hard," he said. "You have to be mentally strong and stay in the race to that point."

Forys, who has more than lived up the high expectations some put on him, has had a very simple approach to racing.

"I run my hardest all the time," he said.

Forys also made Colts Neck history, becoming the first Cougar to win the Dis­trict crown. His first place helped lead the Cougars to the team championship for the first time since 2001.

Jim Schlentz, whose harriers are on the verge of repeating as the A Central Division champions, were tested Friday, but prevailed with the area’s deepest team. Besides the first and fourth by Forys and Tedoff, Jose Melendez was eighth (17:54). The Cougars wrapped up the championship with its fourth and fifth runners, Ian Price (18:24) and Joey Schauer (18:34), running 17th and 18th.

"We wanted to win this champi­onship," said Schlentz. "It’s been a couple of years since we’ve won it.

"It’s nice that, on the same day we had our first individual champion, we won the team championship," he added.

Forys, whose goal is to beat the frosh record at Holmdel, will have the chance Tuesday when he goes up against the likes of Red Bank Regional’s Robbie Den­nis (the defending champion) and his teammate, Joe Kingsbery, as well as Christian Brothers Academy’s Will Melofchik, all heavyweights.