Quad winner Bryce Tucker and his all-underclass Pennsauken teammates rolled to the school’s first indoor sectional championship Friday at the Bubble.
Pennsauken outscored Timber Creek 74-65 to win its first indoor sectional title and second in a row overall. The Indians outscored Colts Neck 116-88 to win Central Jersey Group 3 last spring at Jackson Liberty.
Tucker won the 400 in a South Jersey No. 1 and indoor PR 49.80, the high hurdles in 7.72 and the 800 in 2:00.23 and anchored the 4-by-400 relay team, which ran 3:28.12. He’s now 8-for-8 over the last two years at sectionals. As a sophomore last spring, he won the 400, 800 and intermediates and was on the winning 4-by-4 at the Central Jersey Group 3 meet. He also won the 800 and relay as a freshman indoors, so he’s now a 10-time sectional winner with two spring seasons and one winter season to go.
Junior Joel Oquendo continued his breakout season with a 2nd-place finish in the 1,600 in a personal-best 4:28.46 and placed 3rdin the 800 in 2:01.42 for 14 big points. He also ran on the winning relay team.
Junior Premier Wynn and sophomore Elijah Jennings both scored big points as well, Wynn with a 2nd in the 400 in 50.21 and a 6th in the 55 in 6.74 – both PRs – and Jennings with a PR 6.58 for 2nd in the 55.
Sophomore Ladanian McGrath ran a two-second 800 PR of 2:03.82 for 5th place in the 800, and junior Kahlil Ali took 6th in the 400 in 54.05.
Ali and Wynn also joined Tucker and Oquendo on the 4-by-4. Pennsauken is already No. 1 in South Jersey at 3:25.44 from Ocean Breeze last weekend.
All 74 of Pennsauken’s points were scored by underclassmen.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 