National freshman record for Cougars’ Forys

Craig Forys

Cougar runs 9:20.59

3,200 in Princeton

BY TIM MORRIS

Staff Writer

Craig Forys joined the likes of running legends Steve Prefontaine, Gerry Lindgren and Jim Ryun on Sunday.

Like those legends, the Colts Neck freshman is a national scholastic record holder.

Forys stole the show at the NJSIAA Group III Indoor State Championships at Princeton University, despite finishing second in the 3,200-meter to Parsippany Hill’s Jeremy Zagorski. In pushing Zagorski, a senior and 4:11 miler, to the limit, Forys smashed the national freshman record by almost seven seconds. His 9:20:59 was well under the old mark of 9:27.50 set by Brian Dalpiaz from Sayville, N.Y., in 2000.

"It’s awesome; I’m excited," Forys said. "It’s such a great feeling. It’s going to keep me motivated."

Records and Forys are becoming a common occurrence. Starting in the fall, when the Cougar set the state freshman record at Holmdel Park (16:15), he has been chasing and setting records. But he out did himself Sunday, becoming a national record holder.

When he ran a 9:38 for two miles early in the indoor season he and Cougar head coach Jim Schlentz had circled the national two-mile record of 9:29.10 (held by Ryan Deak of Smoky Hill, Colo., since 2001) as the target for the season. That assault was to come at the Eastern States (Feb. 24 at the Armory, N.Y.C.). That may be put on hold now that Forys has shattered the 3,200 mark.

Remarkably, Forys set the record in a race that wasn’t set up for record run. The opening laps were pedestrian and the opening 1,600 was just 4:45. Forys had wanted to run 4:40 for the first half.

"I went into the race thinking record," Forys said. "It was really slow at the mile then everyone picked it up. I was just concentrating on sitting for this race."

One of the strengths Forys has displayed throughout his short, but sensational, high school career is the ability to adapt to and run races differently. He’s not just a front-runner and he’s not just a kicker. He keeps his opponents guessing. One thing they know, however, is that he has guts.

It was Red Bank Regional’s Robbie Dennis who rushed to the front after the slow first half-mile with Forys shadowing him..

"I wanted to stay with him [Dennis]," he said. "I told myself not to give up."

As Dennis tried to break away from the field, he couldn’t shake Forys. Meanwhile, Zagorski had worked his way up to third place, trailing the front-runners by a stride.

As Dennis and Forys reached lapped runners, Forys caught Dennis by surprise, bolting to the lead. He was like a Formula I race car driver threading his way through traffic.

"I planned to go with three laps remaining," Forys said. "It worked out real well having the pack there."

As he came onto the call for three laps remaining, Forys took off.

"It was bluff," he explained. "I knew I couldn’t make a weak move. I wanted them to believe I could hold it for the rest of the race.

"That lap was the hardest of my life," he added. "When it was over I said, ‘OK, two more to go I can keep it up.’ I just wanted to get it over with. I didn’t want to give up."

At the bell lap Forys dug down and found another gear in his legs, and on the backstretch it appeared that the freshman was going to win the state title. But the veteran Zagorski, who has run a 4:11 mile, began to inch ever so closer. Off the final turn both runners were going as fast as they could. Zagorski was able to catch Forys just before the line to win this unforgettable race in 19:20:57.

Forys had produced a 29.1 closing 200.

"I’m surprised I had that much of a kick," he pointed out. "I haven’t done a lot of speed work."

Even the state champion Zagorski was in awe of what Forys had done.

"He’s amazing," he said.

Forys said the record took away from his disappointment of not winning his first state title.

"I still have enough years to win it," he said.

In comparing his two big records, the national indoor 3,200 and Holmdel Park, Forys said Sunday’s was tops.

"The Holmdel Park record was harder," he said. "Holmdel Park is a killer, but this means more."

Needless to say, Forys will return to Princeton for the NJSIAA Indoor Meet of Champions on Feb. 29.

The first six finishers from each event at Sunday’s meet, plus six wild cards from the Groups II and III meets, qualified for the MOC.

Forys’ teammate Zac Tedoff is headed to the MOC thanks to his sixth place in the 1,600. The junior ran a 4:33.78 in the race that went to RBR’s Joe Kingsbery, who ran 2:05 and change for the final 800.

Ashley Higginson, Colts Neck’s other freshman standout, finished fourth in the girls’ 1,600 in her state championship debut. She ran a 5:18.37, trailing the winner, Middletown South’s Jamie Liberti (5:11.95).

At the Group II championships, held before Group III, Freehold Borough’s Rose Drayton extended her season as well. The Colonial, who won three races at the recent Freehold District championships, proved she is one of the fastest 400 sprinters in the state when she finished second in a quick 59.80 behind the 58.71 of Parsippany’s Celeste Holder.

Drayton advanced to the 55-meter dash final where she finished ninth (7.73).