Last fall, the Princeton High boys’ cross country team was disappointed to just miss out on the country crown as it finished second, a mere three points behind champion Robbinsville.

With its top runners returning this season, the frustration from that near miss has been a key motivating factor for the squad.

“Missing counties by a couple of points has changed the focus a little bit,” said PHS head coach Jim Smirk, the longtime coach of the Little Tiger girls’ program who is now guiding the boys as well.

“They are a little bit older and there is a little bit of a sting that we made a mistake; that we were better than that and we didn’t live up to it.”

Last Saturday, PHS was the runner-up again but there were no regrets as the Little Tigers took second of 33 teams in the prestigious Eastern States race at the Manhattan Invitational in the Van Cortlandt Park in New York City.

Senior star Alex Roth set the pace for the Little Tigers, taking 14th individually as he covered the 4,000-meter course in 12:46.8. Junior Will Hare was 18th in 12:56.00 while sophomore transfer Acasio Pinheiro took 27th in 13:08.90, senior Cy Watsky was 67th in 13:31.00, and junior Nicholas Delaney placed 87th in 13:39.70.

“It was brand new to us, it is the first time we had ever run there,” said Smirk, whose team previously placed third in the Varsity C race at the Shore Coaches Invitational on October 1 at Holmdel Park without Pinheiro in the lineup.

“We are a team that really prides itself on being prepared and I pulled a page from some of those things you hear about great coaches that sometimes being prepared takes your edge away. We went to a meet where we said all we are going to worry about is running fast, don’t worry about tactics, don’t worry about when you are going to do this or do that. You are just going to get into the thick of the race and see how it shakes out. If second place at Eastern States is how it shakes out, I will take it.”

The top racer for the Little Tigers, as usual, was senior Roth. “Alex has always been an athlete; he had a little mechanical issue that we cleared up and he has been rolling along,” said Smirk.

“There were some question marks at the end of spring last year when he finished the season a little flat. We examined why that happened. I don’t think we are necessarily tapping his full potential yet. I would say even for his future career, he has got a lot of room to grow. I am not sure that this represents a peak for him, it is another step for him moving forward as an athlete.”

Junior standout Hare continues to move forward after a big 2015 campaign. “He broke out last year as a sophomore,” said Smirk.

“While Alex has been the day in, day out leader and he always looks like he has it figured out, for Will, it is wow, this is a new experience for me. In a lot of ways, he is absorbing it all, he is taking it all in. With racing, he is trying to live it to his fullest, it is full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes. That is how he races, it is awesome, it is great to watch.”

The interplay between the two top runners and their fire/ice approaches sparks the Little Tigers.

“Alex is so consistent, he is like a metronome and Will is like hold on by the seat of your pants, go for it and see if you make it,” said Smirk.

“I think it is energizing for both of those guys, their personalities are linked and they are certainly good friends, but they are different. I think it is a really great thing to have that up front, it energizes the team as well. They are our top two runners so people look at them and say how do I fit in with this idea because they are so unique and so individual. It gives everybody kind of a link.”

Senior Cy Watsky has been giving PHS consistent leadership. “Cy has been that rock for us, he is our checks and balances guy,” said Smirk.

“He will be the one that in practice or races brings the fire when we don’t have it. He gets us focused and locked in on being successful. He is very aware of his role in that. He knows he is not our No. 1 or No. 2 and I don’t think he sweats that too much. He is more along the lines, if I am not up front, how can I help the team.”

While the team’s top runners ran near the front at the Eastern States meet, another contingent of Little Tigers competed at the Fall Classic at Thompson Park in Jamesburg, taking fourth of 26 teams. Sophomore Jackson McCarthy led PHS at the meet, placing 27th individually, covering the 5,000-meter course in a time of 17:00.80 with sophomore Eli Wasserman coming in 30th, sophomore Ben Chao taking 31st, and senior Jonathan Petrozzini coming in 32nd.

“We gave those guys the chance to run in the Fall Classic and they did wonderfully; I am thrilled with their effort,” said Smirk.

“You are going up against teams that are running full varsity and a lot of those full varsity programs are battle-tested. There are teams that have been in the thick of it for years. Our guys got out well. They got to the mile mark in good position, they attacked in the middle, and when challenged late, they won more often than not. The average time was 17:02.5; that is great for that course. What we are really seeing there is an understanding that it is not really a varsity seven and then a JV. This is a crew that understands that at any given time they are going to be given the opportunity and they can excel.”

With its abundance of talent, PHS is primed to excel at the county meet, which is slated for October 28 at Thompson Park.

“We just had that conversation on our team and I was real encouraged,” said Smirk.

“The guys are focused on what they need to do as individuals and as a team to be the best team they can be come counties. The conversation never really turns to anything else. The conversation was focused on what are the areas that we need to do better, how we do that, and how we bring that to practice every day.”