From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Pleasantville junior Xander Roberrts-Bogin became the first South Jersey quarter-miler under 50 seconds this year when he won the 400 at the Ocean Breeze Holiday Festival Monday with a personal-best 49.81.

Roberts-Bogin and Hunterdon Central senior Elisha Bugasch came through the first lap together – Roberts-Bogin in 23.49 and Bugasch in 23.50 – before XRB pulled away from Bugasch on the final lap, winning by two meters. Bugasch ran 50.08 

Roberts-Bogin ranks No. 1 in the state in the early part of the indoor season and No. 8 nationally according to the MileSplit database. He’s the No. 1 junior.

Roberts-Bogin’s previous PR was 49.88, when he won the Atlantic County title last May at Buena. He went on to place third at South Jersey Group 2 sectionals, 6th at states and 14th at the Meet of Champions.

He hadn’t run an indoor 400 since his freshman year, when he ran 53.74 in a meet at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. He finished just behind teammate Gabriel Moronta, the 2020 indoor Meet of Champions winner at 800 meters and now a 1:49 half-miler at Mississippi State.

Roberts-Bogin’s 49.81 is No. 10 in Atlantic County history indoors and 4th-fastest in Pleasantville history, behind Moronta’s 48.79 in 2020, Duke Mack’s 49.24 in 2007 and Isaac Clark’s 49.67 in 2013. Tarence Walker also ran sub-50 for Pleasantville, going 49.89 in 2017. Mike Patterson set the Pleasantville outdoor 400 record of 48.05 at the state Group 2 meet in South Plainfield in 1997, edging Cape-Atlantic rival Curtis Custis of Bridgeton, who was second in 48.90.

Here’s a look at the all-time Atlantic County indoor 400 top-10 list:

48.48 … Amir Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
48.79 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
49.19 … Amir Brock [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
49.24 … Duke Mack [Pleasantville], 2007
49.62 … Alex Dessoye [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
49.66 … Matt Kordos [Buena], 1999
49.67 … Isaac Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
49.67 … Ahmad Brown [Holy Spirit], 2020
49.70 … Isaiah Whaley [Atlantic City], 2019
49.81 … Xander Roberts-Bogin [Pleasantville], 2022