Another South Jersey cross country season is complete. For most runners, this is a time to take a short break before indoors or winter training begins. Others, though, will race one more time today at the Foot Locker Northeast Regional at New York's Van Cortlandt Park.

So before the running scene switches from hills to the track, here are a few teams and individuals that stood out during the 2005 season.

Race of the year

This distinction goes to the Meet of Champions. Granted, a South Jersey team didn't win the Meet of Champions title -- or even place in the top three -- but the race essentially decided the Courier-Post Cup.

Heading into the race, it was pretty straightforward: if Cherokee finished as South Jersey's top team, the Chiefs would be No. 1. If Washington Township was South Jersey's top team, the Minutemen would be No. 1.

Cherokee beat Washington Township and earned the Cup. But it was by the narrowest of margins.

The Chiefs were sixth overall with 188 points. Don Bosco Prep was seventh with 189. And Washington Township finished eighth with 190.

Talk about the cliche of every place matters really meaning something.

The thing about this race, though, is that the Minutemen did everything they could have to beat the Chiefs. They just came up a little short.

Led by seniors Brett Salmon, Bill Matthias and Mark Natale, who took places 61-63, Washington Township had a faster team average than Cherokee (16:57 to 16:58) and put five in before the Chiefs' fourth. Yet, it still wasn't enough.

With senior Greg Bredeck placing 21st (16:19) and receiving eight team points, along with junior Colin Cunningham passing a couple guys in the final straightaway, the Chiefs were able to pull it out.

. . .

Toughest runner

Cherokee senior Vinny Marziano suffered a calf strain in late September. He sat out the Shore Coaches Invitational. He didn't miss a race the rest of the season. He was nowhere near 100 percent.

If you saw Marziano run last year and this year, you could tell the injury affected his performance. Entering the season, Marziano was expected to be the Chiefs' second or third man. But with the bad leg, he ran anywhere from fourth to seventh.

But Marziano gutted out every race. He could have easily wrapped up his season early. He didn't, though. With an altered stride and a grimace on his face for most races, Marziano ran with everything he had. It must have been extremely frustrating for him at times, but for Marziano, the team came before his individual goals.

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