Shore Conference cross country: Joe Barrett to lead Christian Brothers Academy dynasty

Last fall, as he emerged as the best high school cross country sophomore in New Jersey, Joe Barrett benefitted from the presence of senior teammate Nick Sullivan as a workout and racing partner. Now, with Sullivan running collegiately at Villanova, Barrett enters new territory as the undisputed head of Christian Brothers Academy’s formidable pack.

So far, so good.

“Joe is in incredible shape,” CBA coach Sean McCafferty said. “With Nick graduating and Joe being on his own, I thought it would take a little bit of time, but the transition has been quick.”

Now a junior with personal bests of 15:43 for 3.1 miles at Holmdel Park, 9:04 for two miles on the track and 4:15 for 1600 meters, the Spring Lake native is primed for a run at Meet of Champions gold and CBA’s vaunted record book.

“A first it was a little hard doing workouts by myself,” Barrett said. “But I learned a lot from Nick about running from the front.”

Last fall he struck gold at the Shore Conference and NJSIAA Non-Public A meets before placing seventh at the Meet of Champions. The only underclassman to finish higher at the MOC was Cherokee’s Nick Kuenkel, now a senior. Union Catholic senior Jimmy Wischusen, who was injured last fall, ran 15:35 at Holmdel as a sophomore in 2021.

How fast can these elite runners push each other? Barrett has his sights set on the CBA record at Holmdel Park – 15:20 by Mike Mazzaccaro (who is currently the Colts’ athletics director) in 2010.

“We talk about time, but I’d rather him worry about trying to win races,” McCafferty said. “He has a daunting task. Jimmy Wischusen is really good. I’d love for him to try to beat the kid; if he does that, he’s going to run really fast.”

A former competitive swimmer, Barrett spent time this summer cross-training by swimming in pools and in the ocean – occasionally logging as much as a mile in the Atlantic, which sometimes featured swells of five feet or higher.

The experience sharpened him to be the point of the spear for the Colts, who won the 2022 Meet of Champions title with a 16:07 average. Current seniors Jack Falkowski (15th place, 16:16), Conor Clifford (20th, 16:24) and Alex Kemp (44th, 16:47) ran third, fourth and seventh for CBA that day. Juniors Ryan Schmitt and Alex Mastroly also saw time in the Colts’ top seven last fall. Sophomore Wyatt Falkowski and freshman Gavin Schmitt (“the best freshman we’ve ever had at this point,” McCafferty said) are expected to challenge for varsity spots, with seniors Brady Barber and Will DeMarco and junior Thomas Field rounding out a deep pack.

It’s unlikely anyone will challenge CBA in New Jersey this fall, and the Colts are thinking nationally. They’ll unleash the top group at the Bowdoin Classic in Wappingers Falls, N.Y. Sept. 23, followed (probably) by the Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Sept. 30th and then the Manhattan Invitational at New York City’s venerable Van Cortlandt Park Oct. 14. But those results could be deceiving. McCafferty altered this summer’s training, starting later with an eye toward peaking for nationals.

Barrett is eager to lead that charge.

“For someone who thought I would be swimming in high school, it’s crazy that I came as far as I did,” he said. “I put some pressure on my shoulders because I want to continue that legacy CBA carries, but it’s not just me – the entire team wants to continue that legacy.”

2 more teams to watch

Southern cross country

Four of the top seven were underclassmen last fall on the Ocean County championship squad that finished second in the Shore Conference, third in Group 4 and seventh at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions.

Colts Neck cross country

Four of the top five were underclassmen last fall on a squad that finished third in the Shore Conference, first in Central Group 3 fourth in NJSIAA Group 3 with a Holmdel Park average of 17:25.

Cross country runners to watch

Here are the top underclassmen from last fall’s Shore Conference Championship.

• Joe Barrett, Christian Brothers (now a junior; took first place)

• Stephen Kyvelos, Manalapan (senior, 2nd)

• Jack Falkowski, Christian Brothers (senior, 4th)

• Alex Kemp, Christian Brothers (senior, 6th)

• Santino D’Amelio, Southern (senior, 8th)

• Jared Voorhees, Brick Memorial (senior, 13th)

• Jacob McNamara, Colts Neck (senior, 18th)

• Ryan Schmitt, Christian Brothers (junior, 19th)

• Jack DeHart, Southern (senior, 21st)

• Patrick Coyle, Red Bank Catholic (senior, 23rd)

• Will Ashton, Manchester (junior, 26th)

• Cleatus Oakes, Point Pleasant Borough (junior, 27th)

• Andrew Krok, Colts Neck (senior, 28th)

• John Shapiro, Colts Neck (sophomore, 29th)

• Grayson Wolf, Jackson Liberty (senior, 30th)

• Andrew Tatesure, Lacey (senior, 31st)

• Quinn Padovano, Rumson-Fair Haven (senior, 32nd)

• Derek Barilka, Howell (senior, 36th)

• Philip Pace, Manalapan (senior, 37th)

• Kyle Skiendzielewski, Southern (senior, 38th)

• Hunter Celkupa, Colts Neck (junior, 39th)

• Ethan Lamberto, Jackson Liberty (senior, 41st)

• Evan Rimelle, Middletown South (senior, 45th)

• Nicholas Pistolakis, Point Pleasant Borough (senior, 49th)

• Kevin Medrow, Rumson-Fair Haven (senior, 54th)

Cross country major meet schedule

• Sept. 30: New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational at Holmdel Park

• Oct. 10: Monmouth County Championships at Holmdel Park

• Oct. 12: Ocean County Championships at Ocean County Park, Lakewood

• Oct. 19: Shore Conference Championships at Ocean County Park, Lakewood

• Oct. 28: NJSIAA sectionals

• Nov. 4: NJSIAA group championships at Holmdel Park

• Nov. 11: NJSIAA Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Cross country: CBA, Colts Neck, Southern Regional HS teams to watch