Shaw Powell got his first crack at CBA Cross Country history on Saturday afternoon and he didn't squander his opportunity.

Running in 16:14, the junior won the Non-Public A race at Holmdel Park to lead the Colts to their 29th state championship in program history.

"Everything here is a team effort," Powell told MileSpilt after the race. "Being part of the Colts, it's more of a group thing. While I took the win, the team took the win, and that's what we care about."

Powell joined the CBA team this fall, as his family relocated from Oregon, and he knew the expectation of tradition he was becoming part of.

"Every meet, even if it's smaller or even if it's nationals, we are going to perform the best," Powell said. "It's really a special thing. When you come to practice, everyone is always ready to go. We have 30 guys we can count on."

Powell becomes the 14th CBA runner to win the individual state championship, following up now-graduated Brian Hill's winning effort from last fall.

Junior Mike Morris finished fifth and sophomore Tristan Amell was ninth in the race, as CBA went 1-5-9-11-17 in their top-five. The Colts won the championship by 41 points over second place St. Peter's Prep.

"The boys did their jobs and had a great last mile to seal the victory," head coach Sean McCafferty said. "Shaw has fully embraced what it means to be an Academy man and understands that the team is priority number one. We look forward to executing next week at the Meet of Champions."

Christian Brothers will now seek its second straight NJSIAA Meet of Champions win next Saturday at Holmdel Park.