It takes place in New Jersey, not Rhode Island. It’s run over the demanding terrain of Holmdel Park, not the moderately hilly covered-bridge trail at Ponaganset.
Saturday’s Shore Coaches Invitational may not be the Rhode Island State Championships, but it’s certain to feel like one.
With that intensity on the horizon, two things are already clear on the boys’ side this season – Bishop Hendricken and La Salle Academy will be the teams battling for top honors, while last year’s 1-2-3 finishers — Marshall Vernon (La Salle), Sean Gray (Portsmouth), and Colby Flynn (Hendricken) — stand as the frontrunners for the individual crown.
All of them will be making the four-hour trek to New Jersey for this weekend’s competition — a showcase of the region’s finest talent and a preview of what’s to come when RI’s best collide at next month’s State Meet.
Hendricken is coming off a big win at the Bowdoin Classic in New York last week where Flynn secured in the individual title and its top five were separated by less than a minute. Head coach Jim Doyle is well aware that this weekend’s competition will be different, especially with the nation’s No. 2 squad, Christian Brothers Academy (CBA), in the field. The NJ squad was fourth at Bowdoin, but it was without most of its’ varsity members.
“Our major emphasis is in the team,” admitted Doyle. “We’re going against CBA and a lot of other good teams will be there. CBA is going to be well rested. They didn’t run their top seven last week. We ran last Saturday. We ran not as hard as we wanted to on Monday in our dual meet. We got two races under our belt, but the kids we be all right.”
Doyle is certainly not taking La Salle lightly at the Shore Invite in his team’s first head-to-head match-up. The Rams will be competing in their first out-of-state competition this season with three league meets and the season-opening Injury Fund Carnival under their belt.
Both schools have a solid line-up that have the ability to pack it in tightly among their five scorers. Following Flynn’s winning effort of 15:51.6 at Bowdoin, the gap between then next four – David Hayes, Brayden Saraichyk, Fred Russell and Shepherd Butler – was less than 30 seconds. Along with Vernon, who’s raced just once since his state-leading and course record of 15:17.66 from Injury Fund, La Salle’s bests includes Eamon O’Brien, Will Souza, Noah dos Reis, and Matt Lewis, all of whom have broken 17 minutes. this season.
“We got to be close to Marshall with Colby and the rest of my guys probably having to be 30 to 40 seconds away from Colby, and a lot of them can,” he said. “They have some outstanding young runners on their team and we have some outstanding runners on our team. It will be very competitive. We’ll see what happens. That’s why we practice in these championship meets. To get them used to the competition and practice being out there. There is nothing better than that.”
It’s hard not to ignore the potential heat that can be generated this weekend with Vernon, Gray and Flynn answering the gun together in the same race. Vernon has taken a cautious approach to the season after a calf strain wiped out his entire outdoor campaign. The multiple all-stater and state titlists proved the injury is behind him with his convincing victory at Injury Fund and the word is he’s in great shape for an all-out effort this weekend. Gray is just a few months removed from an outdoor season where he defended his 3K crown at the states and placed fourth in the 5K at the New Balance Nationals with a state record 14:36.70. Flynn, like his counterparts, is a gritty runner and has gone sub 8:30 for the 3K.
“I’m very excited to finally get to race this season,” said Gray, who has opened up the fall with a pair of decisive wins in league competition. “I am very fit and have been ready to show it for a while. This race is going to be be a great place to see how everyone is standing. Colby has opened up very well, having a great race last weekend, and I believe he is going to be difficult to beat this whole year. Marshall is also very fit as one of the top runners in the nation. This race, along with other top talents, is going to be insanely competitive.”
“I am very excited for this weekend as an opportunity to race with some of the best from the northeast region,” Vernon said. “CBA, Hendricken and many more great teams provide my team with a great challenge and an amazing opportunity. I am also very excited to race Sean and Colby this weekend.”
Holmdel Park is considered one of the toughest courses in New Jersey and ranks high among other 5K courses in the northeast in terms of difficulty. It feature several inclines, including a roughly 250-meter climb late in the race. It will be a true test for all three runners on a course that is unlike what they experience at Ponaganset or any other course in Rhode Island.
“I think the new course will put us on a neutral playing field and will show who’s strength plays in better for this race,” Gray said. “Having the chance to race in a race that may predict the state of NXR meet is going to be great in understanding race with them.”
“It feels almost like a state meet preview, and I’m excited because it’s a neutral course for all of us, considering none of us have raced at Holmdel Park before,” Vernon stated. “Colby has had a great start to his season and Sean looks primed to have a great season, too, so it’s going to be great race at the front. I am super excited to show my fitness and get more experience racing in a tough race!”
Saturday’s competition will be one of two races in as many weeks that Vernon and Flynn will face each other. Along with their teams, both are entered in the Eastern States Championship race of the Manhattan College Invitational in New York at historic Van Cortlandt Park.
For the Hawks, it marks the start of a grueling three-week stretch they’ve become accustomed to over the years. In addition to the yearly visit to Manhattan, Hendricken has often tested itself at the Manchester Invitational (NH), the Great American XC Festival (NC), and the Wickham Park Invitational (CT), all of which annually attract elite teams and athletes.
“It’s kind of just a measurement of where we’re at with probably a month to go to the State Meet and five weeks until the New England’s and seven weeks to a repeat showing at the Nike Northeast Regionals,” he said. “It kind of gives you a measurement of where we’re at. This is a tough three weeks for us because we had last week, this week and Manhattan. We have three tough weeks in a row. They’re tough courses. Then we break a week and have then same thing all over again. We have the class meet, states and New England’s, and then break and the Nike Northeast Regionals. It’s truly a test. We’ll see how we hold up as a team.”
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
