Cherokee junior Conor Jacob and sophomore Robert Poplau both PR’d in the 800 Tuesday night at Haddonfield Distance Night as the Chiefs continue to pile up sub-2 half-milers this spring.
Jacob won the race in 1:55.93, and Poplau was 5th overall and the top sophomore with a 1:57.10.
Deptford junior Lathan Brown took 2nd with a PR of 1:56.19 and Camden Catholic senior Billy Clewell was 3rd in 1:56.36.
Some 15 half-milers broke two minutes, including Haddonfield junior George Andrus [PR 1:57.52], Woodbury sophomore Peyton Shute [PR 1:57.93], Timber Creek sophomore Robert Wakefield [1:58.30], Cinnaminson junior Derek Coceano [PR 1:59.30], Haddon Heights junior Jack Bolling [PR 1:59.50], Haddon Heights junior Matthew Iuvara [1:59.51] and Cherokee junior Thomas Bromley [1:59.85].
Jacob lowered his PR from 1:56.26 from the South Jersey Elite at Delsea earlier this month, and Poplau dropped his PR from 1:57.74 at the same meet.
Cherokee now has six runners under 2:00 this year, including three juniors and two sophomores. Ditmar and Jacobs are the top two juniors in South Jersey, and Bromley is 6th. Poplau and Kuenkel are No. 1 and 4 among sophomores. Overall, Cherokee has five of the top 18 underclassmen in South Jersey so far this spring.
1:55.01 … *Patrick Ditmars
1:55.93 … *Conor Jacob
1:57.10 … **Robert Poplau
1:58.72 … **Nick Kuenkel
1:59.23 … *Thomas Bromley
1:59.86 … Lucas Hatch
Jacob was in ninth place after a 58.04 first lap but closed in 57.89 to pass the entire field and edge Brown across the line by a step.
Brown’s race was notable because it was an outdoor PR by nearly 2 ½ seconds from his 1:58.59 at the South Jersey Open at Delsea. It looks like his time is fastest by a Deptford runner in 54 years – since Wayne Jenkins ran 1:53.54 (converted from yards). Brown ran 1:56.71 indoors at Easterns.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 