With an all-underclass quartet, Deptford became the first South Jersey school to break 1:30 in the 800-meter relay this season racing at the Ocean Breeze Invitational on Staten Island.
Deptford ran 1:29.92 in the prelims of the 4-by-2 and didn’t run in the final. It’s the No. 2 time in New Jersey this year, behind only East Orange’s 1:28.76 at the AT&T Coaches Hall of Fame Invitational at the Armory back in December.
Oddly, Deptford ran the exact same time on the exact same track in the exact same meet last year before a 1:30.21 to win the final.
That was a Gloucester County record when Deptford ran it last year, so the Spartans just tied their own county record.
Sophomore Khi’on Smith and juniors Tyriq Bundy and Javon Sanders and Tyrece Brown ran for Deptford.
Here’s the updated all-time South Jersey indoor 800-meter relay list:
1:26.90 … Camden, 2004
1:27.60 … Vineland, 2004
1:28.0h … Edgewood, 2001
1:28.45 … Camden, 2002
1:28.46 … Lenape, 2000
1:28.48 … Camden, 2007
1:28.91 … Camden, 2000
1:29.06 … Oakcrest, 2012
1:29.17 … Camden, 2001
1:29.29 … Rancocas Valley, 2017
1:29.52 … Vineland, 2003
1:29.57 … Camden, 1997
1:29.61 … Camden, 1999
1:29.72 … Timber Creek, 2013
1:29.74 … Pennsauken, 2016
1:29.87 … Timber Creek, 2016
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2017
1:29.92 … Deptford, 2018
1:29.97 … Pleasantville, 2008
Interesting that from 2005 through 2015, the only sub-1:30 times by South Jersey quartets were turned in by Camden in 2007, Pleasantville in 2008 and Timber Creek in 2013. But over the last three seasons, there have been six such performances by five different schools.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 