Paul VI speedster Antonio Tarantino won his first indoor state title Sunday, running a PR 6.45 to win the Parochial A 55-meter dash at the Bennett Center in Toms River.
Tarantino took 1-100th of a second off his PR of 6.46, which he ran in the trials at the New Jersey Catholic Track Conference Wayne Letwink Memorial Winter Championships at the Ocean Breeze track earlier this month.
Tarantino broke the meet record of 6.50 set in 2014 by Jordan Jimmerson of Union Catholic.
The Paul VI senior led all qualifiers with a 6.54 in the trials before lowering that to 6.45 in the final.
He’ll go into the Meet of Champions as the No. 2 seed behind Mario Heslop of Franklin Township, who ran 6.39 to win the state Group 4 title.
Tarantino won the state Parochial B 200-meter dash title last spring, but this is his first indoor state championship.
His time is fastest in South Jersey this year and No. 4 in the state and equals the No. 13 in South Jersey history.
ALL-TIME S.J. 55-METER DASH LIST
6.30 … Jamar Ervin [Camden], 2001
6.31 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1984
6.34 … A.J. Bunton [West Deptford], 2006
6.36 … Kenny Reynolds [Willingboro], 1986
6.37 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
6.38 … James Brown [Glassboro], 2009
6.39 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2009
6.41 … Chris Church [Millville], 2007
6.42 … Thomas Walls [Wilson], 2006
6.42 … Dominique Irons [Haddon Heights], 2013
6.43 … George McKey [Willingboro], 1982
6.43 … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2013
6.45 … Paul Wheeler [Willingboro], 1983
6.45 … Sherron Bullock [Camden], 2004
6.45 … Rob McGriff [Camden], 2006
6.45 … Antonio Tarantino [Paul VI], 2018
6.46 … Albert Newkirk [Camden], 1996
6.46 … Darnell Charles [Oakcrest], 2012
6.46 … Kashif Miller [Haddon Heights], 2014
6.47 … Anthony Jones [Edgewood], 1982
6.47 … Darren Ford [Vineland], 2004
6.47 … Reggie Morton [Oakcrest], 2012
6.47 … Curtis Fitzpatrick [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
6.47 … Jonathan Taylor [Salem], 2016
6.48 … Gary Gordon [Willingboro], 1995
6.48 … Fabian Santiago [Oakcrest], 2012
6.48 … Caleb Williams [St. Joe’s-Hammonton], 2015
6.48 … Clayton Crosse [Washington Twp.]. 2016
6.49 … Louis Smith [Burlington Twp.], 1997
6.49 … Michael Bolling [Willingboro], 2001
6.49 … Martin Booker [Pennsauken], 2016
6.49 … Ryquell Amstead [Millville], 2014
6.50 … Jamaal Harris [Palmyra], 2002
6.50 … Zachary Clarke [Camden], 2008
6.50 … Shawney Kersey [Woodbury], 2007
6.50 … Rasheed Grandy [Absegami], 2010
6.50 … Bobby DeMarco [Holy Spirit], 2008
6.51 … Thomas Hampton [Clayton], 2018
6.51 … Mikhail Micheaux [Eastern], 2013
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 