From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

It was a historic weekend for Clayton High School’s track program, which swept the Group 1 state championships at Pennsauken.

The boys, led by senior TerMeir Hill, outscored Willingboro 59-44, leading a 1-2-3-4 South Jersey sweep, with Woodbury third with 42 points and Audubon fourth with 39.

And the girls, led by quad winner Amirah Sharpe and her twin sisters, piled up 89 points – all on the track – nearly doubling up second-place Shore Regional, which finished with 48 points.

This is the first time in New Jersey track history that a school’s boys and girls programs both won their first state titles on the same day.

Clayton is the 14th South Jersey school to record a boys and girls state championship sweep since the inception of the girls meet in 1973.

Here’s a look at those teams:

Group 1
1976 – Woodbury
1977 – Woodbury
1991 – Haddon Heights
2013 – Penns Grove
2014 – Penns Grove
Group 2
1997 – Bridgeton
2002 – Bridgeton
2015 – Haddonfield
Group 3
2002 – Willingboro
Group 4
1981 – Willingboro
Parochial A
None
Parochial B
1995 – Bishop Eustace
1996 – Bishop Eustace
2008 – Holy Cross

Clayson is the first Gloucester County school to sweep both state titles in 44 years, since Woodbury recorded a Group 1 sweep in 1977.

What an incredible performance by both teams!

Let’s take a look how they did it!

TERMEIR HILL, Senior: Hill scored 21 points in his four individual events. He hit 22-11 on his third long jump attempt to earn the state title and also placed second to Willingboro freshman Malachi James with an 11.16 in the 100, ran fifth in the 200 in 22.87 and leaped 42-9 1/4 for sixth in the triple jump.

JUSTIN GIBSON, Senior: Took third in the 200 in 22.62 and also contributed a leg on Clayton’s winning 400-meter relay team, which ran 43.54, and 3rd-place 1,600-meter relay team, which ran 3:28.38.

GIORGIO BRUNO, Senior: Bruno, who never broke 59 seconds until sectionals, ran a personal-best 57.17 for fifth place and also ran the second leg on Clayton’s winning 400-meter relay team, which ran 43.54, and the second leg on the 3rd-place 1,600-meter relay team, which ran 3:28.38.

MARQUES HALL, Junior: Hall threw a personal-best 49-8 1/4 on his first attempt and then watched that hold up for the 3rd-best discus throw of the competition.

SHANE THOMPSON, Junior: Continued his remarkable development with his second PR in a week. Thompson had a discus PR of 109-1 going into sectionals but threw 136-8 for the win and extended that to 143-0 – also on his first attempt – for second place on Friday.

DOMINCK BISHOP, Senior: Ran legs on the winning 4-by-100 and also on the 3rd-place 1,600-meter relay team, which ran 3:28.38.

JUSTIN GIBSON, Senior: Ran 22.62 for third in the 200 and also ran legs on both relay teams. Had the fastest 400 split at 51.1.

JUSTIN PESSOA, Junior: Anchored Clayton’s winning 400-meter relay team, which ran 43.54.

KAMERON MILLER, Sophomore: Anchored the Clippers’ 3rd-place 4-by-4, which ran 3:28.38.

What about the Clayton girls?

Just a dominating performance by the Sharpe sisters and their supporting cast! Two years after leading Paulsboro to the state Group 1 title, they did it again for a different Gloucester County school!

AMIRAH SHARPE, Senior: Won the 200 in 25.31, the 400 in 55.99 and the 400 intermediates in 1:02.22 and anchored the winning 4-by-4 to finish off her monster quad triumph.

ARIANNA SHARPE, Senior: Won the 100 in 12.51 and placed second in the 200 in 25.87 and the 400 in 56.58. Also ran the second leg on the 4-by-4, which won in 3:56.67.

ARIEL SHARPE, Senior: Placed fourth in the 400 with 58.88 and sixth in the 200 in 26.81 and led off the winning 1,600-meter relay, which ran 3:56.67.

RAYAEL MARSHALL, Sophomore: Ran 16.20 for second to Willingboro’s Balkis Iyiola in the 100-meter hurdles and also led off Clayton’s winning 400-meter relay team, which ran 51.34.

ERICA THOMAS, Sophomore: Ran the second leg on the winning 4-by-100 team.

KELSEY THOMAS, Sophomore: Ran the third leg on both winning relay teams.

CIERA SMITH, Sophomore: Anchored the winning 4-by-100.

(We apologize if any of the relay names are wrong. We’re going off the official results, but they aren’t always correct! Please let us know in the comments section and we’ll update immediately. Thanks!)