From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

The move up from Group 1 to Group 2 sure didn’t bother Willingboro, which won its South Jersey-record 18th sectional title this weekend at Delsea.

Willingboro, the smallest Group 2 school in the field, scored the 4th-most points in meet history, winning the South Jersey Group 2 title with 113 points.

The Chimeras won by 29 points over Manchester Township and have now won won four sectional titles in the last five years, including Central Jersey Group 1 last year.

For coach Martin Booker, this is his 9th outdoor sectional title: South Jersey Group 4 in 1995 and 1997 and S.J.-3 in 2001, 2004 and 2005 with Camden, and South Jersey Group 2 in 2012, 2018 and 2022 and Central Jersey Group 1 in 2019 with Willingboro.

The sectional title is Willingboro’s 18th, most by a South Jersey school and 3rd-most by any New Jersey public school, behind only Metuchen [26 in Central Jersey] and New Providence [21 in North Jersey Section 2].

We wrote earlier about Malachi James’ record-setting sprint double [https://sjtrackblog.com/2022/06/04/willingboros-malachi-james-finishes-off-blazing-fast-100-200-double-in-s-j-2/].

But numerous other Chimeras had huge weekends:

Miles Allen: Ran a PR 10.88 in the 100 trials and came back to run 10.97 in the final for second place. Also ran on Willingboro’s winning 400-meter relay team, took 6th in the 400 with a big PR of 50.53 and ran a leg on the Chimeras’ 2nd-place 1,600-meter relay team, which ran 3:22.80.

Anaias Hughes: Lowered his 110 hurdles PR from 14.98 to 14.93 in the trials then nearly half a second in the final, winning with a 14.47, the fastest winning time in S.J.-2 since another Willingboro hurdler, Issac Williams, won the 2012 race in 14.16. Hughes also placed 4th in the long jump [PR 20-1 ¼] and took 5th in the high jump [6-0].

C.J. Johnson: Became the first Willingboro shot putter to win an outdoor sectional title in 21 years with a personal-best 56-5. The last one to do it was Dzigbodi Ababio, who won SJ-3 with a 53-2 in 2001. Also took 3rd in the discus with a 152-3 throw, another personal best.

Jackson Murry: The sophomore tied for third in the pole vault with a 12-6 clearance and also ran a leg on the winning 400-meter relay team.

Jaylen Young: In addition to legs on the 4-by-1 and 4-by-4, Young placed 3rd in the 200 in 22.50 and 4th in the 400 at 49.72, fastet by a Willingboro quarter-miler in six years – since Tyler Davidson ran 48.03 in 2016.

Kedaar Wilson: Junior hurdler placed 3rd in the 110 highs in 15.02, well below his previous PR of 15.38.

Christopher Johnson: A 2 ½-second PR for Johnson in the 400-meter intermediates, where he placed 4th in 58.27. Also ran on 2nd-place 4-by-4.

Nazsir Sheppard-Kidd: Senior had never thrown 42 feet until last weekend, when he PR’d at 44-6 ½ at Delsea. Added another foot plus at sectionals and placed 5th with another PR of 45-10 ¼.

Bryson Bright: First-year senior javelin thrower hit 147-0 and placed 5th.

Derrick Bryant: Another 1st-year competitor, the sophomore horizontal jumper PR’d for the third time in the last month and took 5th in the triple jump at 40-8 ½.

Bryon Gary: Tied his pole vault PR of 12 feet and placed 5th.

Eric Foster: A sophomore and a first-year hurdler who hadn’t broken 16.55 until two weeks ago, Foster recorded a huge PR of 15.75 and took 6th place.

Geordan Collins: Ran a leg on 2nd-place 1,600-meter relay team, whose 3:22.80 is fastest this year in Burlington County.

Here’s a look at all of Willingboro’s outdoor sectional titles:
1977 – South Jersey Group 4
1978 – South Jersey Group 4
1979 – South Jersey Group 4
1980 – South Jersey Group 4
1982 – South Jersey Group 4
1986 – South Jersey Group 3
1988 – South Jersey Group 3
1990 – South Jersey Group 4
1991 – South Jersey Group 4
1993 – South Jersey Group 4
2000 – South Jersey Group 3
2003 – South Jersey Group 3
2004 – Central Jersey Group 3
2005 – Central Jersey Group 3
2012 – South Jersey Group 2
2018 – South Jersey Group 2
2019 – Central Jersey Group 1
2022 – South Jersey Group 2

Here’s a look at the highest point totals in South Jersey Group 2 history:
133 ½ … Delsea, 2010
121 … Pleasantville, 1996
117 … Bridgeton, 2004
113 … Willingboro, 2022
110 … Pleasantville, 2008
108 … Deptford, 2014
106 … Bridgeton, 2011
105 ½ … Bridgeton, 2006
105 … Manchester Twp., 1998
102 … Haddonfield, 2016
101 … Delsea, 2021
99 … Bridgeton, 2005
95 … Haddonfield, 2010 [2nd]
94 … Buena, 2000
92 … Delsea 2019