Joe Rosa rips course record with 14:56, twin Jim 2nd in 15:15, No. 2 all-time; 11 runners break 16 (High school Boys Cross-Country news)

By Jim Lambert, FOR THE STAR-LEDGER, November 21, 2009 11:39 p.m.

Before this season, the possibility of someone breaking 15 minutes at Holmdel Park was a subject that had never been realistically discussed. It was too outlandish to even consider that any runner could go that fast on such a rugged course.

But Joe Rosa is not just any runner. He might just be the greatest cross-country runner to lace up a pair of spikes in state history.

Rosa certainly made a strong case to be called that after the junior at West Winsdor-Plainsboro North put on a performance for the ages yesterday at the 38th NJSIAA/Star-Ledger Meet of Champions at Holmdel Park.

Rosa shredded the legendary layout, stopping the clock at a jaw-dropping and once unimaginable time of 14:56 to finish first.

Rosa's historic triumph chopped eight seconds off the course record of 15:04 that he ran at the Shore Coaches Invitational on Oct. 3, broke the meet record of 15:15.2 set in 2006 by Craig Forys of Colts Neck and sent the throng of fans jammed along the final straightaway into a frenzy.

``When I came out of the woods I could hear the crowd kind of going crazy and I just kept pushing it in the whole way,'' Rosa said. ``When I got close to the finish, I saw 14:50 on the clock and knew I was going to get under. It feels pretty incredible to do something that hasn't been done before.''

As has been the case all year, Rosa's stiffest competition came from his twin, Jim, who ran the second-fastest time in course history in crossing second in 15:15. Dave Oster of Verona was third in 15:30, No. 6 all-time and a Holmdel record for a Group 1 runner.

The Rosa twins, the first brother combination to finish 1-2 at the M of C, led a parade of 11 runners under 16 minutes, the most ever for a single race at Holmdel. The former record of eight was set at the 2003 M of C.

Rosa has been pretty confident he could break 15 minutes at Holmdel since his 15:04 last month.

``I knew if I kicked it in faster I could have gotten it (at the Shore Coaches meet),'' Rosa said. ``I felt I had more left in me after that race. I was out there trying to run as fast as I could today and I got what I was hoping for.''

Rosa said before the race that the key for him to break 15 was to slice a few seconds off his Shore Coaches splits in a couple different spots.
And that is what happened.

After Joe and Jim went past the first mile in 5:07, the same time they ran at the Shore Coaches meet, Joe pounded out a 4:48 second mile (four seconds ahead of his Shore Coaches pace) as he began to separate from Jim, who went by two miles in 9:59.

With his first M of C title sewn up, Joe Rosa began racing the clock and got plenty of help from the raucous herd of spectators who were following his every move.

``I pretty much always knew what my time was because random people just kept yelling it out to me as I was running,'' Rosa said.

``People kept yelling sub 15 and that just made me push that much harder,'' he said. ``There were even people from other teams cheering. It was pretty crazy.''

Rosa finished off arguably the most impressive run ever by a New Jersey runner with a sizzling 5:01 on the final 1.1 miles.

``I knew that whole last mile that I was on pace to do it, so I just let it all go on those downhills,'' Rosa said.

Rosa, second at the M of C last year to Tyler Udland of Millburn (eighth yesterday), fulfilled a dream by winning his first M of C title.

``I remember watching Brian Leung (West Windsor South) from the same town as me win the Meet of Champions when I was a freshman and that inspired me to make it my goal last year,'' Rosa said. ```But I ran into the best runner in the state last year.

``This year, I've been trying to use that as motivation. It's something I have thought about all season, so it's nice to accomplish that goal.''