Forys, O’Flaherty leaders of the pack in District BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Freehold’s Mike o’Flaherty enjoyed a memorable senior season for the Colonials, setting numerous school records and becoming one of the fastest runners ever at Holmdel Park. Craig Forys put together one of the greatest seasons ever, and his Colts Neck cross-country teammates helped the Cougars achieve heights they had never reached before. Forys, runner-up at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions (MOC), set the sophomore state record at Holmdel Park (15:53) in a season in which he won at New York City’s Van Cortlandt Park and in Delaware, and dominated Shore area harriers. Craig Forys Colts Neck enjoyed its finest showing ever at the MOC, finishing 10th. Jim Schlentz’s Cougars won their fourth straight Shore Conference (SC) Division title (B North) and repeated as the Freehold Regional District champions. They won the Central Jersey Group III sectional title and had their best result in Monmouth County, second, and were third at the State Group III meet and fourth in the Shore Conference. Overshadowed by Forys and the Cougars was Freehold Borough’s Mike O’Flaherty, who put together a memorable season himself, setting school records throughout the season, while becoming one of the fastest ever at Holmdel Park. Forys and O’Flaherty are at the front of the pack on the News Transcript’s 2004 All-Freehold Regional District Team. Joining them are Colts Neck’s Zach Tedoff, Joey Schauer, Brenden Krewer, Ian Price, and Marlboro’s Scott Cohen. Forys had a remarkable season from the get-go. In his first serious race of the season, he tore up the course record at Bucks Mill Park in Colts Neck (his home course) with his 15:28. At the Salesianum Invitational at Brandywine Creek Park, New Castle, Del., he ran the fourth-fastest time ever on that course, 16:27. He went to Van Cortlandt Park and won the Eastern States title in the best time of the day, 12:36.3. He handily won the Freehold District, Monmouth County, Shore Conference and Central Jersey III titles — all but the District title for the first time. Forys ran his fastest 5K of the year, 15:21 at Ocean County Park (OCP), Lakewood at the SC meet. He lost the State Group III title on the line to Korey Edwards, of Parsippany Hills, and then ran the best race of his young career at the MOC, breaking the sophomore course record at Holmdel in placing second to Gill Saint Bernard’s Bob Papazian. The Cougar now owns the freshman and sophomore state records at Holmdel. Forys’ MOC finish is the second best ever by a District harrier. Manalapan’s Tom Fischer won the MOC in 1981 and was a runner-up in 1980. Forys seems destined to join Fischer as an MOC champion and, perhaps, join the elite list of two-time winners. 2004 All-Freehold Regional District Boys Cross Country Team Craig ForysColts Necksophomore Mike O’FlahertyFreehold Boroughsenior Zach TedoffColts Necksenior Scott CohenMarlborojunior Joey SchauerColts Necksenior Brenden KrewerColts Necksophomore Ian PriceColts Necksenior On the all-time District Holmdel Park performance list, the sophomore trails only Fischer’s 15:41. O’Flaherty could have been the outstanding harrier in the District had it not been for Forys. However, O’Flaherty never complained, stating that the presence of Forys made him run faster. In a season in which he was third at the Shore Coaches, seventh at the Cougar Invitational, second in the District, seventh in the county, ninth at the Shore Conference and third in Central Jersey, O’Flaherty took the school record at Holmdel Park down to 16:40 as he became one of a select group of runners in District history to crack 17:00 on the difficult Holmdel Park course. O’Flaherty’s best 5K of the season was the 16:06 he ran at OCP at the conference meet. Tedoff also joined the Holmdel sub-17:00 club this fall, improving his personal best by 50 seconds to 16:41 with his 40th place at the MOC. Tedoff, a senior, had a solid season throughout for Colts Neck, but really came into his own in November. He was 14th at the Cougar, fourth in the District, 17th in the county, 16th at the Shore Conference, eighth in Central Jersey III and 10th in State Group III. His breakthrough race was the 16:19 he ran at OCP at the conference meet. Cohen, a junior, built on his promising sophomore campaign with a very productive season for Marlboro. He was third behind Forys and O’Flaherty at the District championships, finished 16th in the county, 22nd in the conference and 24th in Central Jersey. He ran at 16:31 at OCP. Schauer was one of the most improved runners in the District this year and a big reason for Colts Neck’s success by stepping up to be the Cougars’ steady No. 3. He ran consistently throughout the season with a 20th at the Cougar, fifth at the District, 20th in Monmouth County, 49th in the conference, 14th in CJ III and 35th at the State Group championships. The senior lowered his Holmdel Park pb by more than 40 seconds to 17:16. Krewer, another of Colts Neck’s talented underclassmen, also put together a steady string of races for the Cougars. He was sixth in the District, 30th in the county, 43rd at the conference, 19th in CJ III and 45th at the Group state championships. He is a sophomore with a 17:31 pb at Holmdel. Price is the fifth member of the Colts Neck team to make the All-District Team. You have to go way back to the heyday of Rap Reinhardt’s Manalapan Braves to find so many runners from one team on District squad. But that’s how much better the Cougars were than everyone else this year. Consistency was Price’s trademark. As the Cougars’ fifth scorer he was key to their CJ win, finishing 34th. He was eighth at the District championships and had a personal best of 17:38 at Holmdel. Those earning Honorable Mention are: Ryan Jagielski, Colts Neck; Sean Coyne and Jack Tarpey, Freehold Township; Mike Newman and Erik Hendrickson, Howell; Jesse Eiseman, Manalapan. All-Time Freehold Regional District cross-country times at Holmdel Park Boys- 1Tom FischerManalapan15:411981 2Craig ForysColts Neck15:532004 3Ty JensenMarlboro15:56.32000 4Nick PellegrinoMarlboro16:21.41999 5Matt ForysHowell16:23.22002 6Mark HastingManalapan16:331980 6John CaseyManalapan16:331981 8Jay PoznerMarlboro16:351988 9Vinnie McDonaldManalapan16:361982 10Israel PayanColts Neck16:38.22000 11Mike O’FlahertyFreehold Borough16:402004 12Zach TedoffColts Neck16:412004 13Chris WeissManalapan16:431992 14Ken KropacManalapan16:451990 15Andy KwatinetzMarlboro16:512002 15Joe YoungMarlboro16:511982 Girls- 1Lindsey GalloHowell18:55.81999 2Ashley HigginsonColts Neck19:002004 3Kemper KnightManalapan19:221981 4Randi EngleMarlboro19:291984 5Chris BaldesManalapan19:351987 6Lindsey LambertHowell19:372004 7Kellee HandHowell19:42.72002 8Kariesa JensenMarlboro19:451992 9Laura SafferManalapan19:452003 10Janel ParkerFreehold Township19:472004 11Tara RicciutoManalapan19:50.51989 12Rose SimeoneManalapan19:511982 13Stella CinoaMarlboro19:53.31990 14Charlotte WalshFreehold Township20:002004 15Kim LangColts Neck20:042004 15Danielle PlenzoColts Neck20:042004