South Jersey history: Haddonfield High School boys' cross country team breaks winning streak record
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS) -- It was a big night for the Haddonfield High School boys' cross country team. The goal on all their minds was breaking a winning streak set in South Jersey history.
The Haddonfield High School boys' cross country team ran into the history books at Pennypacker Park in Cherry Hill with an achievement generations in the making.
With their win at Tuesday's dual meet against Collingswood, Gateway, West Deptford and Lindenwold, they eclipsed Paul VI's 244-meet winning streak, set between 1980 and 2007. Haddonfield now sits alone in South Jersey history with a streak of 245, between 1997 and today.
"It's been the result of a lot of consistency," said Haddonfield head coach Nick Baker, who has been at the helm since 1982. "In this sport, we use the word consistency a lot."
Haddonfield's streak began the same year Baker instituted a middle school track program and they haven't looked back since.
Dave Stewart, an assistant coach at Haddonfield, credits Baker.
"Coach Nick Baker has been the coach for all of these victories, so he obviously bares a lot of the responsibility and it's really been his program," Stewart said.
Coach Baker's wife and then his daughter coached the middle schoolers and his son also volunteers. But Baker says the kids are at the heart of it all.
"The level of leadership of the kids that we've had has just been tremendous. I can't say enough about the assistant coaches involved, the parents," Baker said.
Case in point? Current senior, Liam Dougherty, who was first to cross this finish line in Tuesday's meet.
"It's crazy honestly, a lot of things to think about," Dougherty said. "It's nice to know I helped I made it happen."
And then there was this tidbit from Dougherty: "Well one funny thing, my father's from Paul VI, being there to beat him, it's funny to think about. It's a funny story."
Liam's dad, Pete Dougherty, was part of the record-setting team at Paul VI, and in poetic fashion, Liam and Haddonfield have now been passed the proverbial torch.
