By Paul Schwartz – Record Sports Department
Can Hasbrouck Heights become the first North Jersey Group 1 state champion in nearly 20 years?
Palisades Park completed its remarkable six year run by winning a third Group 1 state championship in 2000. Since then Kinnelon (2005-2006), Bogota (2016) and Hasbrouck Heights (2018) have finished second in the group 1 meet and the Aviators return six of the seven runners who brought home the silver medal last fall and earned a trip to the State Meet of Champions for the first time.
Coach Mike Ryan’s top runner from last fall, Jeremy Bailey, has graduated but the Aviators return junior Jake Porco, senior Nick Bua, soph Evan Morrow, junior Cole Sonzogni, and seniors TK Kasper and TJ Singh. The first five had a very solid 47 second gap at the Group 1 meet, and the Aviators probably start the year narrowly ahead of defending champ Haddon Heights and strong Mountain Lakes and New Providence teams. Hasbrouck Heights has a chance to become the first Group 1 team to top NorthJersey.com’s end-of-season rankings, although Bogota won Bergen titles in 1959 and 1960. But it won’t be easy.
Top 25 RANKINGS
1.Ridgewood
2. Hasbrouck Heights
3. West Milford
4. NV/Demarest
5. Northern Highlands
6. Lakeland
7. Don Bosco
8. Fair Lawn
9. Indian Hills
10. Kinnelon
11. Hackensack
12. Secaucus
13. Bergen Catholic
14. NV/Old Tappan
15. Passaic
16. Clifton
17. Westwood
18. Wayne Hills
19. Passaic Tech
20. Pompton Lakes
21. Bergen Tech
22. Paramus
23. River Dell
24. Bogota
25. Passaic Valley
