Fantastic performance by Salem senior Bobby Arnold III to lead the Rams to the Salem County Championship on Tuesday on his home track.
Arnold scored 30 points, leading a 1-2-3 sweep in the intermediates, winning the 400 and triple jump and PR’ing in all three events.
What a day for Bobby Arnold!
Arnold won the 400 in personal-best 50.33 in a tough race with Woodstown senior Wayne Robinson, who ran 50.86. Arnold’s previous 400 PR was a 50.70 this past weekend in the Tri-County Conference Championships at Kingsway. Coming into the spring season, it was north of 54 seconds.
Arnold’s 50.33 is the fastest time in South Jersey Group 1 this year, just ahead of Robinson’s 50.42 at the Tri-County meet. It’s fastest by a Salem quarter-miler since Spenser Jarrett ran 49.49 in 2016.
Arnold won the triple jump with a PR of 43-7 1/4, surpassing his previous PR of 43-6 1/2 from this past indoor season at the Bubble in March. Arnold’s series was impressive – 43-0, 42-1 3/4, 42-11 1/2 and 43-7 1/4 for an average of 42-11 on his four legal jumps. Any one of those four jumps would have won the meet.
Arnold’s 43-7 1/4 is No. 19 in the state this year, No. 4 in South Jersey, No. 4 in New Jersey Group 1
In the intermediates, Arnold ran 58.10, winning by more than 4 1/2 seconds. That’s another PR, which it would have been as long as he crossed the finish line because according to MileSplit he had never run a 400IH before. It’s also No. 1 in New Jersey Group 1 this year.
Arnold appears to be a 1st-year senior track competitor, which makes his performance even more remarkable.
Also for Salem, sophomore Amare Smith led a 1-2 finish in the 100, senior Trevor Buzby led a 1-2-3 sweep in the high jump, senior Lester Coleman won the long jump with a 21-3 leap and junior Jayden Wright won the shot put its a 47-7 3/4.
Salem won the boys title 126-70 over Woodstown.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 