Just three points. Ridge beat Westfield by a measly three points at the North 2, Group 4 sectional finals on Saturday at Greystone Park.
After seeking their third title in a row, the results were devastating at first. However, after further examination, the girls could not have raced better. All seven runners ran personal season bests, and gave their full effort, from the top to the bottom of the lineup.
“Your strategy only goes so far in this sport, and the girls did everything I asked,” said head coach Joseph Berardi. “I think the race went better than expected.”
The Westfield girls were led by senior Anna Kylish who took down 89 girls to capture first place in the race with a blistering time of 18:55. However, the win did not come easy.
Kylish said, “Ridge ran three people in the front, and tried to block everyone from getting past them. Going into the last mile, everyone started to spread out a little more and I just stayed with that top girl. In the last 800, I really just focused on getting ahead of her.” Her finish not only won her a sectional title, but she ran the second fastest time of the day for the girls.
Even though a first place finish would boost the Blue Devils chances at winning the meet, the remainder of the team would need to step up to solidify the trophy. Kylish was followed by a sixth place finish from sophomore Anna Youssef. This was only Youssef’s second race of the season due to an injury, but she still ran an impressive time of 19:32.
Then, senior Emma Pranke in 10th with a time of 19:53, and sophomore Jessica Zhou– while also battling an injury– placed 18th, running a 20:24. To round out the scoring, junior Vanessa Larkin landed 19th overall with a time of 20:37. Running sixth and seventh for Westfield was Emily Drennan (21:22) and Violet Hughes (21:58), who placed 32nd and 43rd respectively.
Despite their exceptional performances, Ridge also ran great times across the board: Isabella Beaudry in 2nd (18:59), Maia Zalmover in 4th (19:16), Rachel Biondo in 8th (19:38), Ryan Ireland in 11th (19:55), Grace Beasley in 26th (21:08), Mattea Ryan in 46th (22:15), and Madeleine Donnelly in 49th (22:42).
Ridge tallied a total of 51 points, taking down Westfield’s 54 points and winning the sectional title. Although the results were disappointing, the outcome may be just the motivation Westfield needs going into the group 4 championship next Saturday at Holmdel Park.
Westfield will not only face Ridge again, but will see teams like Freehold Township High School and Cherokee High School, considered to be some of the toughest teams in the state.
“I’m going to take the times today and how I felt and how I performed and fuel that into [the group 4 meet],” said Larkin after the race. With a chip on their shoulder and newfound motivation, the Blue Devils hope to show the state what they can do, and qualify for their third consecutive Meet of Champions.
