Junior Damon Dukes Jr. and senior Evan Corcoran helped Kingsway pile up 24 points in three events and roll to its fourth state relays championship Saturday.
Dukes Jr., and Corcoran both ran on Kingsway’s winning 800-meter relay team, 2nd-place 1,600-meter relay team and 3rd-place sprint medley team.
Seniors Jeffrey Heineman (2nd, 2nd, 4th) and Kyle Rakitis (2nd, 3rd and 4th) also ran on three teams that scored big points for there Dragons.
Kingsway finished with a 40-35 margin of victory over Westfield in the Group 4 competition at the Bubble in Toms River.
Kingsway led Westfield 32-29 going into the 4-by-4 so just had to stay within one place in the final event, and the Dragons ended up finishing second, one place ahead of Westfield for the 5-point margin of victory.
Kingsway also won Group 4 state relays titles in 2014, 2015 and 2020.
Kingsway won the 800-meter relay in 1:32.59 over Rancocas Valley, which was second in 1:33.82. Dukes Jr., Corcoran, junior Mathias Alexander and sophomore Benny Liles Jr. ran for the Dragons. Kingsway is already No. 2 in the state in the 4-by-2 with its 1:31.63 at the Hispanic Games at the Armory last weekend.
That was Kingsway’s only win, but the Dragons placed in the top four in every other track race other than the shuttle hurdles.
Kingsway opened the meet by placing second in the distance medley with a 10:56.59. Rakitis, Heineman, senior Thomas Driscoll and junior Kyon White finished second to Westfield, which ran 10:43.31. Kingsway’s time is No. 1 in South Jersey so far this winter.
Heineman, Driscoll, senior Nick Allen and Rakitis came back to place fourth in the 3,200-meter relay in 8:27.59.
The Dragons also placed third in the sprint medley with the team of Dukes Jr., Rakitis, Liles Jr. and Corcoran running 3:40.66. That’s No. 5 in the state and No. 1 in South Jersey this winter.
Kingsway finished off the meet with Dukes Jr., Corcoran, Alexander and Heineman running 3:34.75 for second in the 4-by-400. That’s also No. 5 in New Jersey and No. 1 in South Jersey.
The Dragons also picked up four points in the high jump relay, with sophomores Patrick Neyer clearing 5-6 and Dillon Dukes 5-4.
For R.V., seniors David Murry, Masai Byrd and Herbert Quarterman and junior Jadon Kendrick ran on the 2nd-place 800-meter relay team. Quarterman, Byrd, Kendrick and senior Andre Faigal ran 3:46.08 for 5th in the sprint medley.
Washington Township placed second in the shuttle hurdles in 31.99 with sophomore Yashahya Brown, senior Tracy Marshall, junior Kanye Mills and senior Kenny Cashman. Washington Township’s time is No. 2 in the state this year and No. 1 in South Jersey.
Lenape’s seniors Justin Penny, Jake Buniva, A.J. Fraley and Micale ran 8:23.77 for third in the 3,200-meter relay.
Cherokee took fifth in the DMR in 11:01.87 with seniors Bradley Popler, senior Evan Pawlik and Lucas Hatch and junior Patrick Ditmars. Sophomore Robert Poplau, Popler, sophomore Andrew Free and senior Joshua Pawlik took 6th in the 4-by-8 in 8:37.46.
Egg Harbor placed sixth in the high jump relay with junior Ahmad Fogg (5-10) and senior Malachi Wesley (5-0), and Millville scored in the pole vault relay with senior DaeZhaun Jones-Jenkins (10-0) and junior Travis Gandy (9-6).
Kingsway is the 12th South Jersey boys track program to win at least three state relays titles in the meet’s 55-year history.
The others are Willingboro (18), Haddonfield (7), Woodbury (5), Bishop Eustace (4), Bridgeton (4), Winslow Township (4), Camden (3), Delsea (3), Oakcrest (3), Pleasantville (3) and Woodrow Wilson (3).
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 