1941-42 CROSS COUNTRY TEAM
Trenton Central High School – State & National Champions
Coached by Peter Morgan, Trenton’s Cross-country squad went undefeated for two years, from 1941-42.
In 1941 after winning all their duals and invites, they capped the season off with two big wins. First at the NJ State Championship, with runners finishing 2nd, 3rd, 11th, 12th, and 13th, they won with 41 points to beat out their closest opponents by a 70 point margin.
Next, they went on to win the 1941 National Interscholastic Cross-country Meet held at Seton Hall, NJ. The team scored 66 to edge out runners-up Northeast Philadelphia (75 points) and Gardner H.S of Massachusetts with 78.
The Tornados repeated the feat the next season in the fall of ’42, winning both the state and national titles again.
At Warinanco Park NJ in November of ‘42, they defended their state title by putting four of their five runners in the top ten--to score 39. They beat out runners-up Union High School who had 88, and Woodbury at third with 118.
The boys repeated as national champs at the 1942 meet on a rain-soaked course-- held again at Seton Hall. Amid a field of 228 runners from 35 schools, they scored 121 to beat out runners-up Nott Terrace High School of Schenectady NY who scored 132, and Wellington Mephan NY with 195.
In fall 1941 Trenton was led by their top 5 pack runners Donald Thoms, Jack Morrison, Frank Kocubinski, Dave Horner, and Ben Richardson. Rounding out the roster was Thomas Kimmey, along with team captains Louis Hardin and Albert Smith.
With the graduations of Thoms and Morrison, the fall ’42 lineup was joined by Ed Racer, James Murray & Ed Poreda.
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