By Christopher Hunt
Delbarton’s Pat Schellberg had led the entire race. He controlled every aspect. He decided the pace and when the field would move. But when Marco Bertolotti of Port Washington tried to relieve him of that burden with three laps remaining in the boys mile, Schellberg felt that he had let the field hold on to him long enough.
Schellberg started to crank up the tempo more and more until Bertolotti fell away. It was the first time that Millrose Trials had offered an automatic qualifier for the high school mile at the Millrose Games and Schellberg had already punched his ticket. Now he was trying to make a statement.
The senior, who committed to North Carolina, won the mile in 4:12.43, to reclaim his spot atop the national rankings. He previously held the national title until Tom Kehl of Father Judge (Pa.) won the Hispanic Games mile in 4:13.48. Bertolotti finished second Wednesday in 4:19.52.
“It didn’t feel that bad,” Schellberg said. “My confidence has been pretty high. I been talking about the kind of shape I’m in and what kind of time I can run. I feel like it was time to walk the talk.”
Schellberg called the race “redemption” after he was knocked off as the national leader. He watched the race at Hispanic Games online and thought if he was in the race it may have had a different outcome.
“Those guys were both pretty dead at the end,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been closing pretty good. I think I could have won that race.”
After the race Schellberg was asked how it felt to enter the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden Jan. 29 as the favorite in the mile.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” he said. “I don’t really want that though. I guess I like to surprise people.”
The meet also hosted a qualifier for the famed Wanamaker Mile for the first time. The winner was required to break four minutes to earn a spot in the race at the Millrose Games, but the race was off pace from the start and went through the first half mile in 2:02. Andrew Jesien of Ragged Mountain Racing won in 4:02.80.
The boys races didn’t have the punch that they have had in previous years but still provided some exciting races. Newburgh had the fastest 4x400 time of the night, winning the Rockland/Orange race in 3:21.99 with Steven Reid, Robert Robertson, Fred Locklary and Randy Patterson.
“It’s alright but it’s not good,” Patterson said of the time. “We’re still working on things. But later in the season we’ll be better. By the New Balance Games we’ll run a lot faster.”
St. Anthony’s won the CHSAA boys 4x800 relay in 8:01.02 with Marc Saracino, Pat Murphy , Brandon Keany and Payton Hazzard.
“We all ran great,” said Murphy who put the Friars ahead with a 1:57.6 second leg. “Everyone did their part. I got the stick right where I wanted it.”
Only three teams in the country have run under-8:00 so far this season and no team in New York State. The race was open for anyone.
“There was no standout team this year,” Murphy said. “We knew if we competed that we could run fast.”
Columbia (N.J.) had the second-fastest boys time, winning the NJ Suburban 4x400 in 3:24.04. Boys and Girls had the third-fastest. Rohan Stewart, Khamani Parker, Javaun Gratn and Robert Rhodes won the PSAL 4x400 in 3:24.61. Half Hollow Hills West won the Suffolk 4x400 in 3:26.36. Westbury won the Nassau 4x400 in 3:25.62.
