Throughout the summer, early each morning leading up to the cross-country season, Santino D’Amelio and his Southern Regional teammates often could be found running along Hilliard Boulevard or somewhere along Route 9. Whatever the weather, D’Amelio was leading the crew through offseason training.

Strangely, the Southern senior was by himself at Holmdel Park for the NJSIAA Meet of Champions on a much cooler November day.

“It’s hard to be a man without a team when you’ve been a man with a team for so long,” said D’Amelio, shortly after…