Ian Johnson had already done a full workout before the gun even went off at the Morris County cross country championships. Seriously, the Mountain Lakes sophomore misplaced his race bib, the one thing that tracks you around the Central Park course, and didn’t even realize it until minutes before the varsity boys race was supposed to start. Talk about panic!
Pre-Race Scramble and a Championship Kick
His teammate couldn’t find the Lakers’ bus. So, Johnson and coach Vicki Allison had to scramble, grabbing a new number from the timing truck. He pinned it to his orange tank top and just dashed to the starting line, making it there moments before official Scott Noonan fired the gun. Johnson figured he had maybe two minutes to spare. Lakers assistant coach Brandon Chen just told him to breathe and forget the chaos. But forget it? Nah, Johnson had renewed motivation: he just didn’t want Allison to remind him about the mistake.
He locked into a quick pack right away, with guys like NJAC large-school champ Andrew Ulto from West Morris, Montville junior Christopher Smith, and Mendham junior Nicholas Leo. By the eagle statue, it was Johnson and Leo side-by-side. That’s when Johnson made his move to blow past him. “The last quarter mile was all arms pumping,” he said. He crossed the finish line first in a blistering 16:02.97. He just barely missed his season goal of going sub-16, but man, what a finish! This is his first Morris County title since he dominated the middle-school 800 and 1,600 back in eighth grade. “It feels great,” Johnson said, calling it his “favorite race all season” because it was so tactical, with moves happening all over. He just tried to stick to people and not get dropped. What a champ.
Mendham Edges Out Delbarton in a Photo Finish
Over on the team side, Mendham’s boys absolutely brought it, snatching the team plaque by just three points over Delbarton, 113 to 116. Three points! That’s their first time at the top since 2023, and it keeps their crazy streak going, as Mendham and Chatham are the only boys teams to win Morris County XC titles for the last ten years. As the runners were flying past the top of the last hill, longtime coach Roy Hamblen was yelling, “Every point counts.” Senior Rafe Dickens said that’s all the motivation he needed to push hard for the last 500 meters.
Senior Nicholas Leo, fresh off his NJAC large-school champ win a week ago, was Mendham’s top finisher at 16:47.97. And juniors Jackson Idle and Jon Pejman absolutely crushed it with personal bests, clocking 16:50.94 and 17:15.06 respectively, both landing in the top 20. Dickens summed it up perfectly, “We always race like it’s super close. The worst thing would be to lose by one point. The moment you turn, you see Coach on the hill, you try to get as many guys as you can.” That team dedication is what gets you a championship by three points!
Montville Girls Bring Home the Title After Two Decades
And on the girls’ side, Montville snapped a long drought, grabbing the Morris County girls team title for the first time since their back-to-back wins in 2001 and 2002. Imagine checking the base of that trophy during your celebration! Mustangs sophomore Gabriella Pelov led the charge, winning the individual race with a time of 18:32.34. Talk about an all-time performance to lead your team to a title after so long.
What a day for these runners. From Johnson’s wild start to Mendham’s razor-thin team win and Montville’s long-awaited return to the top, Morris County cross country just delivered a classic.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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