Some main Grotepoll.com objectives were not met Wednesday night, I got there after the 1600 and 600, although the Schellberg-Farag matchup did not happen, and did not get Pat his shirt.  So it goes.  We did arrive right as the fast heat of the boys 1000m was lined up and ready to go...

The race was not dramatic, a meet record 2:32.53 for Schellberg after a win in the 1600m.  The effort was impressive, however, as it really did not look as if there was much, very relaxed, cruising through the line, flat track with no spikes.  Schellberg is very fit, pretty fast and ready probably has some time left in him.  He will not be easy to beat at Millrose, so long as the race does not go out in 67 and 2:10 plus as it can.  Kostelac is a big hairy monster, with or without the beard. 

Randolph's Joelle Amaral looked good in the girls 1000m, 3:00.03, off of a 5:02 win, and seems poised to drop down under 5:00.  The girls team-race went Randolph's way, as expected, although the Mendham squad is pretty good, and Laura Vigilante is getting going at the right time again with an 11-flat win on the double. 

The boys 3200m was less dramatic than the 1k, with Delbarton's Morgan Pearson soloing 9:43.  He'll need to be patient and wait for the right race, and should knock plenty of time off of the PR.  Pearson was the only guy under 10:00, hard to believe for Morris County.  The pool of talent isn't shallow, but it is very young.  Morris Hills' influence is so great, that when they have a down or rebuilding year, the whole county does.  Their distance guys don't have quads yet and could shave with a damp napkin, but they'll get there.  Randolph junior Colin Frost ran 10:08 for 2nd after beating Pearson with a 4:29 in the 1600.  Frost will be one to watch in x-c after a quiet 16:03 at MoC.  Mendham soph Peter Ehmann is also a guy who can develop as he grows and matures. 

Hamer Farag hung on to the Randolph should and drilled it coming in for the win in the 4x4 with a solid 3:31.14, but the team race was long gone to Randloph despite that win,  his 600 win, and Nick Vena's state-record heave of 71-3.75. 

Going forward, many of these athletes will factor into state titles individually and for their teams at the group meet, and several are contenders for Meet of Champs wins.  Vena's odds are pretty good...