Montville, Mendham claim team titles at Morris County XC championships

PARSIPPANY — Ian Johnson had already been doing plenty of running around before the gun even went off to start the Morris County cross country championships. The Mountain Lakes sophomore had misplaced his race bib, which is used to track him around the course at Central Park of Morris County. But Johnson didn't realize it until only minutes before the varsity boys race was set to start. A teammate looked for the Lakers' bus, but it was nowhere in site. So Johnson and Mountain Lakes coach Vicki Allison got him a new number at the timing truck. He quickly pinned onto his orange tank top and dashed out to the starting line just ahead of official Scott Noonan. Johnson estimated he had two minutes to spare before the gun went off. Lakers assistant coach Brandon Chen told him to take a few deep breaths and try to forget about the drama.Johnson had renewed motivation, if only to keep Allison from reminding him about the mistake. He got into a quick pack, including NJAC large-school champion Andrew Ulto of West Morris, Montville junior Christopher Smith, and Mendham junior Nicholas Leo. At the eagle statue, Johnson was running with Leo, and "made my move to get past him. The last quarter mile was all arms pumping."Johnson crossed the finish first in 16:02.97, narrowly missing his season goal of sub-16.It's Johnson's first Morris County title since the middle-school 800 and 1,600 when he was in eighth grade."It feels great," said Johnson, who last won a Morris County title in the middle-school 800 and 1,600 meters when he was in eighth grade. "That was my favorite race all season. It was tactical. There were moves all around. I try to stick on people when they make moves. I try not to be dropped."More: New champions crowned at NJAC cross countryTradition continuesAs the Mendham runners passed by at the top of the last hill, longtime coach Roy Hamblen yelled out, "Every point counts." For senior Rafe Dickens, that was all the motivation he needed to push on ahead for the final 500 meters or so. The Minutemen edged Delbarton by just three points for the team plaque, 113 to 116. It's their first time at the top since 2023. Mendham and Chatham are the only boys teams to win Morris County cross country titles for the past 10 years. Leo, a senior and the NJAC large-school champ from a week ago, was the Minutemen's top finisher (16:47.97) at the Morris County meet. Juniors Jackson Idle (16:50.94) and Jon Pejman (17:15.06) both turned in personal bests to place in the top 20. "We always race like it's super close. The worst thing would be to lose by one point," Dickens said. "The moment you turn, you see Coach on the hill, you try to get as many guys as you can."All in the familyMontville hadn't won the Morris County girls team title since going back to back in 2001 and 2002. The girls checked on the base of the trophy, during a brief pause in their celebration.Mustangs sophomore Gabriella Pelov led the way in 18:32.34, about two seconds off the school record. It's a nice PR for Pelov, who was fourth – and almost a minute slower – on the same course in the NJAC large-school race on Oct. 13.Vote! Morris/Sussex Athlete of the WeekPelov surpassed 18:36, the time which had been randomly haunting her all week. She also matched plaques with her older brother, Georgetown sophomore Alex Pelov, won the Morris County XC title as a senior in 2024."I wasn't really running as well as I wanted. I'd had a slow start to training, and I was behind what I was capable of," said Pelov, who competes in a pink headband. "I think it's going to work out, because I want my season to go as far as I can. Really seeing everyone else, and where I am, it motivated me a lot."This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Montville, Mendham claim team titles at Morris County XC championships