When you can score 24 points in one event, it makes the rest of the meet just a little bit easier. And that’s exactly how the Delsea boys won their third straight sectional title and sixth since 2006.
Juniors Nico and Marco Morales both cleared 15-0 and Ryan Gillard 13-6 as the Crusaders swept the top three spots in the pole vault on their way to the South Jersey Group 2 championship.
More than a quarter of Delsea’s winning total of 92 points came in the pole vault.
Delsea finished 20 points ahead of second-place Haddon Heights this weekend to win the South Jersey Group 2 title on its home track in Franklinville.
That’s three straight SJ-3 titles for Delsea along with 2006 and 2007 in Group 3, 2010 and Group 2.
The Morales twins are the first teammates from the same school in state history to both clear 15-6. Nico has a PR of 15-7 from the Tri-County meet and Marco 15-6 from the South Jersey Invite.
But the pole vault trio had plenty of help this weekend.
Junior Shaikyi Hannah had a huge meet, winning the 400 in a personal-best 49.05, placing fourth in a very fast 100 in a PR 10.91 and running a leg on the fourth-place 3:27.36 1,600-meter relay team.
And senior Colin Kane also had a big meet, winning the 1,600 against a very good field in 4:18.94, taking fifth in the 3,200 in 9:33.09 and running on the fourth-place 3,200-meter relay team, which went 8:06.93.
Junior Jake Nwosu, the state Group 2 discus champ last year, bombed a big PR of 173-3 to win his first sectional title. That’s the best throw in South Jersey this year and No. 6 in the state.
Delsea’s senior Aidan Borguet, junior Damir Lomax, freshman Jaedyn Stewart and junior Ron Singletary ran a season-best 42.82 to win the 400-meter relay,
Sophomores Raja Brooks and Riley Miller and junior Noah Deckert also ran on the 3,200-meter relay team.
Delsea also got big points from seniors Jimmy Vargo in the 100 (3rd in a PR 10.87), Kevin Gilliano in the shot put (4th at 51-6) and Borguet in the javelin (5th at 152-9).
Delsea junior Jake Nwosu had a quite a breakthrough this weekend in the discus, becoming the latest member of the South Jersey 170-foot club.
Nwosu came into the season with a sophomore PR of 156-2 and then raised it to 164-11 at the Gloucester County Championships at Delsea on May 9 and then to 173-3 this past weekend, so that’s a 17-foot improvement in the span of just over two weeks.
Nwosu was only sixth at sectionals last year at 142-6 but hit that 156-2 at states to win by about three feet.
Now he’s the top thrower in South Jersey and ranked No. 6 in the state, and he goes into states as the No. 1 seed in Group 2, four feet ahead of Len Huang of Holmdel, who won Central Jersey Group 2 at 169-0.
His throw is No. 5 in Gloucester County history and best in five years.
He’s the top junior from Gloucester County since Nick Pulli of West Deptford threw 179-11 at the 2013 Haddonfield Invitational.
192-5 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013
185- 5 … Ken Manahan [Deptford], 1976
179-11 … Nick Pulli [West Deptford], 2014
179-11 … Will Cioffi [Pitman], 2013
173-3 … Jake Nwosu [Delsea], 2019
168-1 … Bill Goldsborough [Delsea], 2018
167-1 … Aaron Baile [Deptford], 2013
167-0 … Donte DIggs [Paulsboro], 1996
166-5 … John Hickman [Delsea], 2010
163-3 … Jon Kalnas [Paulsboro], 1998
