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By John McBride
INQUIRER CORRESPONDENT
LINCROFT -- This season hasn't gone exactly as Jose Loyola planned.
The 20-year-old coach of Paul VI, perennially one of the top boys'
cross-country programs in New Jersey, has had his share of injuries and
setbacks in major races. Over the last two weeks, though, despite having to
put three freshmen in his lineup, Loyola finally figured he had the Eagles
on track at the right time -- for the state championships.
But when he arrived at Holmdel Park to get his entry packet for yesterday's
NJSIAA cross-country championships, he learned that his team could not
compete.
The Eagles had not mailed in their entry form, race officials said.
Loyola tried everything, including running around with a cellular phone
trying to reach school officials, but he was told that his team could not
participate.
Incidentally, Loyola said he had spoken to meet director Walt Chesney a day
earlier to confirm that the entry had been received. According to Loyola,
Chesney confirmed it over the phone and wished him luck.
When Chesney was asked about the phone conversation, he intimated that the
call had meant nothing.
``The fact that they did not send in the entry rules them out,'' Chesney
said. ``I saw the girls'. The entry requires three signatures: the
principal's, the athletic director's and the coach's. Without that form, a
student can't run.''
Loyola planned to meet with school officials tomorrow morning to set a
course of action that might enable the Eagles to enter Saturday's Meet of
Champions. Only the top three teams in each group of yesterday's
competition are allowed to run.
Paul VI, which finished second in Parochial A last year, has captured seven
state titles in the last 14 years.
