By Elliot Denman // Photo By Karthik Adimula

"This is really cool," declared Rey Rivera.

It sure was. Even on a sultry day that was hardly conducive to world-class performances at the 11th edition of the adidas Grand Prix meet that again brought IAAF Diamond League action to Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island Saturday afternoon.

"Cool" indeed was Old Bridge (N.J.) High School sophomore Rivera who helped propel his Middlesex County-power Knights to a sterling 7:44.83 4x800 relay triumph over Ridgefield (7:46.85), Notre Dame (7:56.83) and three others in a brilliant display of talent and team balance. 

Ed Zaleck, Gerard D'Ambosio and Hazem Miawad joined him in the eight-lap victory over the strong inter-state field just 10 days after winning they'd won the NJSIAA Meet of Champions title at  South Plainfield in even faster time, 7:42.34.

For sophomore Rivera, junior D'Ambrosio, Rutgers-bound senior Zaleck and Maryland-bound senior Miawad, this has been a dream season that still has one more vision to fulfill – further success at the New Balance High School Nationals this coming weekend in Greensboro, N.C. More than likely, it will be steamy in Greensboro.

No matter, Rivera has already learned to stay "cool" under all conditions.

As just one of several leading candidates for the gold medal in the boys 800-meter final at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, all Rivera did was remain calm, collected...and devastating. 

Taking a massive-nearly 4-second chop off his 800-meter PR coming in, Rivera outclassed the best of the rest in the Garden State with his eye-popping 1:50.82 triumph, a clocking that stamped him as one of the finest 16-year-olds in the nation.  Old Tappan High's Marc Rienas was the favorite coming in but settled for second in 1:51.08 with Miawad a solid third in 1:51.66. 

But to Rivera, the "coolest" thing of all this Saturday in The Big City was the opportunity to share the Icahn Stadium track with so many global greats gathered for the adidas Grand Prix.

What other sport bunches its best young talent with the finest of its finest - those on the Olympic and World Championships-level - in a single show, as well as track and field does it?

Answer - none. 

And that's a very special beauty of meets like this one.

Rivera thus got to compare some notes with Grant Fisher, the Stanford-bound Michigan lad who won the adidas Grand Prix Dream Mile in 4:01.73 and solidify his status as the finest schoolboy miler in the land; to meet and greet David Rudisha, both the Olympic champion and world record-holder in the two-lap event they now share, and cast a gaze at none other than Usain Bolt, the flagship figure of the meet and, yes, the flagship cast member of the whole  "Flagship Sport of the Olympic Games." 

Clearly soaking up all the very special atmosphere of the occasion as he could, Rivera turned it into a day of days. 

"Rey is a really good kid," lauded Jack Campbell, who's been coaching Old Bridge track athletes for the past 28 years. "He's a hard worker and he loves to race.  What he's done as a sophomore is amazing, but physically and mentally we know there's plenty of room for improvement." 

How fast will the slender, six-foot-tall Rivera be running the 800 meters by the time he's a senior? 1:48? 1:47?

Campbell and assistant track/head cross country coach Rich Gebauer are not about to dispense any enlightened opinions on that one.

But they do share their star pupil's view of the entire adidas Grand Prix production. "Rey is right," they agreed.  "This is really cool."

A bunch of other scholastic performances fell in that category, too.

They included U. of Georgia-bound Candace Hall's 11.21 sprint to a girls Dream 100 title (her time would have been good enough for fourth in the women's Diamond League race); Californian Michael Norman's 10.36 dash to the boys Dream 100 title, and the 4:37.91 victory of Montana's Christina Aragon over North Carolina's Ryen Frazier (4:38.59) in the girls Dream Mile.

All of the above along with Union Catholic High School's Sydney McLaughlin-anchored New Jersey state-record girls 4x400 win in 3:38.27; Columbia High's 47.66-48.23 win over Neptune in the girls 4x100, and St. Jago of Jamaica's 3:11.85 boys 4x100  verdict over Union Catholic.

All these youngsters were key cast members along with Diamond Leaguers Bolt (20.29), David Rudisha (1:43.58), David Oliver (13.19 110 high hurdles), Ben True (13:29.48 5000 meters), Pedro Pichardo (57-7 1/2 triple jump), Joe Kovacs (71-1 1/4 shot put), Torie Bowie (22.33 200 meters), Ajee Wilson (1:58.83 800) and Sharika Nelvis (12.66 100 hurdles.) Et al.

"Coolest" of all would be to see some of these "cool" kids running for real Diamond League honors just a few more years down the road. Don't you dare bet against it.