Boys cross-country: Here are the 2021 All-North Jersey teams
After an exciting season, the following players have been selected to the 2021 All-North Jersey boys cross-country teams.
Later this month, we will unveil the nominees for Boys Cross-Country Runner of the Year, which will be announced at the 2022 North Jersey High School Sports Awards.
Aidan Carroll
Glen Rock senior
Carroll became the first runner in school history to win back-to-back sectional titles, adding a Group 1 title to the Group 2 title he won last year. He also became the first-ever NJIC overall champion after winning the Colonial division title.
A balky back probably prevented him from finishing better than fourth in Group 1 and seventh in the Lou Molino Bergen Meet of Champions, but he finished his career with six major meet titles.
Dylan Decambre
Bergen Tech junior
Decambre wasn't even projected as the Knights' top runner before the season but he ended up as one of the surprise runners in the state, becoming the first Bergen Tech boy to make it to the State Meet of Champions in 44 years.
He placed second in both the Bergen Group A and the Bergen Meet of Champions, took fifth in the North 1, Group 4 sectionals and made the SMOC as a wild card. He also had three other top 10 finishes in his first season as a cross-country runner.
Jacob Heredia
Clifton senior
He completed one of the great careers in North Jersey history with one of the best seasons in Passaic County history, winning back-to-back North 1, Group 4 sectional titles and becoming the first Clifton boy to crack the Top 5 in the State Meet of Champions, finishing fourth.
He set school records at Darlington, Garret Mountain, Holmdel and on the 2½ mile course at Van Cortlandt Park. He won the Passaic County title this year and finished his four-year varsity career with 17 major cross-country titles and nine other Top 10 finishes.
Owen Horevay
Lakeland junior
Horevay became Lakeland's best-ever finisher at the State Meet of Champions, and the school record-holder at Holmdel, when he finished 41st last month. He also became the Lancers' first boys state sectional champion.
He won the Big North Independence title, placed second at the Passaic County championships, finished ninth in Group 2 and had four other Top 5 finishes during a breakthrough season.
Paul Maguire
Don Bosco junior
Maguire became the first Don Bosco runner to reach the State Meet of Champions in five years, and he scored a top-50 finish in the state's biggest race.
He won the Big North United and Bergen Group E races easily and placed third at the Bergen Meet of Champions before grabbing a 12th place finish in Non-Public A and a coveted wild card.
Evan Morrow
Hasbrouck Heights senior
Morrow recovered brilliantly from a stress fracture in his foot to enjoy one of the great seasons in school history. He became the first Aviator to win a sectional race in more than 50 years when he won North 2, Group 1 and led his team to a sectional title.
He also won the NJIC Meadowlands and Bergen D titles, finished third in Group 1, placed third in the NJIC Conference race and 10th at BMOC. He had four other major top-10 finishes.
Alex Saldana
River Dell sophomore
Saldana was one of the best freshmen in the state last year and continued his improvement despite missing the State Meet of Champions by fewer than 10 seconds with a 14th place finish.
He won the Bergen B and Big North Patriot titles, scored a win at the Back to the Mountain invitational, placed fourth at the BMOC, third at the North 1, Group 2 sectional and eighth in a race at Shore Coaches.
Jeffery Sohn
Northern Highlands sophomore
Northern Highlands was one of the biggest surprise teams of the season and Sohn was the leader of the team in every race he ran. He held his own in first his two invitationals at two of the nation's toughest courses at Holmdel and Bowdoin Park.
He then ran six outstanding races in a row, including a fourth at the Big North Freedom, eighth in the Bergen A race, sixth at BMOC, third at the North 1, Group 3 and 15th in Group 3, missing the Meet of Champs by seven seconds. He then took seventh in the Nike Northeast Regional Open race.
Amiri Whittle
Hackensack senior
Whittle was probably the biggest surprise of any runner in the state in his first year of cross-country after half of a season of spring track last year. He won the Bergen Meet of Champs, Bergen A and Big North Freedom titles, and placed second at sectionals and fourth in state group 4.
He was also 22nd in the State Meet of Champions and became the first Bergen County boy to break 16 minutes at Garret Mountain in 28 years. In 11 races, he finished outside the top 5 just once, at the SMOC.
Younes Abada, Secaucus junior
Graham Badenhausen, Ramsey senior
Mick Barbi, Ridgewood senior
Declan Byrne, Ridgewood senior
Nathan Caldwell, Lakeland junior
Braeden Carroll, Kinnelon senior
Alex Horgan, Ramapo senior
Andrew Kleinman, NV/Demarest senior
Brayden Lowe-Massi, Mahwah junior
Daniel Phillips, Indian Hills sophomore
Jaden Uram, Tenafly senior
Paul Schwartz covers high school track and field for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.
Email: schwartzp@northjersey.com
Twitter: @northnjtrack
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ boys cross-country: 2021 All-North Jersey teams
