Hot sprint double at the South Jersey Group 2 meet by Willingboro sophomore Malachi James, who won the 100 Friday in 10.56 and the 200 Saturday in 21.68.
Both are PRs.
James entered the weekend with PRs of 10.76 in the 100 from last year’s Meet of Champions and 21.82 in the 200 from this year’s Burlington County Open.
He lowered his 100 PR to 10.71 in the trials, with senior teammate Miles Allen just behind with a PR of his own at 10.88. Pleasantville junior Samir Miller also broke 11 at 10.99.
In the 100 final, James and Allen went 1-2 in 10.56 and 10.97 with legal wind (0.6), with Collingswood sophomore Isaiah Pope-Magro [11.04], Lower Cape May senior Dsavon Figueroa [11.05] and Camden junior Israel Clark-White [11.09] battling for 3rd.
James won the 200 over Manchester Township junior William Freeman, who was second in 22.34, with Willingboro senior Jaylen Young running 22.50 for 3rd.
The previous FAT SJ-2 meet record in the 100 was a 10.75 by Burlington Township’s Kashif Moore in 2007. Moore played football at UConn and spent time with the Bengals, Colts, Chargers, Texans, Chargers, Steelers and Chiefs and is now coaching receivers at Albany.
James came up just short of the FAT 200 Group 2 meet record of 21.61 set by West Deptford’s A.J. Buntin in 2006.
The 10.56 is No. 11 in South Jersey history and No. 2 in Burlington County history, behind only James Townsend’s 10.45 to win the 2003 Meet of Champions at South Plainfield. He broke the Willingboro record of 10.74 set in 1986 by Kenny Reynolds at the 1986 state Group 3 meet at Rutgers.
James’ 21.68 is No. 7 on the Burlington County fat list and fastest by a Willingboro sprinter in 21 years, since Darrin Scott ran 21.66 for 3rd at the 2001 Meet of Champions.
Halfway through Day 2, Willingboro led Manchester Township 92-58 in the Group 2 team scoring race.
All-Time South Jersey 100 List
10.35 … Jamar Ervin [Camden], 2000
10.36 … Damiere Byrd [Timber Creek], 2010
10.45 … James Townsend [Holy Cross], 2003
10.47 … Dennis Mitchell [Edgewood], 1983
10.47 … James Brown [Glassboro], 2009
10.49 … Jonathan Taylor [Salem], 2017
10.53 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], 2001
10.54 … Fabian Santiago [Oakrest], 2010
10.55 … Todd Dutch [Washington Twp.], 2002
10.55 … Evan Corcoran [Kingsway], 2022
10.56 … Malachi James [Willingboro], 2022
10.57 … Jamil Benjamin [Cumberland Regional], 2006
10.57 … Geoff Navaro [Absegami], 2008
10.58 … Anthony Miles [Winslow Twp.], 2003
10.60 … Robert Page [Kingsway], 2008
10.60 … Marquis Bonds [Millville], 2007
10.60 … Shawney Kersey [Woodbury], 2009
10.60 … Thomas Hampton [Clayton], 2019
All-Time Burlington County 100 List
10.45 … James Townsend [Holy Cross], 2003
10.56 … Malachi James [Willingboro], 2022
10.62 … Kashif Moore [Burlington Twp.], 2007
10.66 … Bobby Orro [Pemberton], 1993
10.72 … Sterling Pierce [Rancocas Valley], 2015
10.73 … Miekel House [Delran], 2019
10.74 … Ken Reynolds [Willingboro], 1986
10.75 … Jamaal Harris (Palmyra), 2002
10.78 … Michael Bolling (Willingboro), 2000
10.78 … Sam Aviles [Palmyra], 2019
All-time Burlington County 200 fat list
21.40 … Lamont Smith [Willingboro], 1991
21.40 … Rob Gary [Lenape], 1998
21.46 … Brondon Jenkins [Delran], 1994
21.66 … Darrin Scott [Willingboro], 2001
21.66 … Sterling Pierce [Rancocas Valley], 2015
21.67 … Michael Bolling [Willingboro], 2000
21.68 … Daequan Kim [Bordentown], 2009
21.68 … Malachi James [Willingboro], 2022
21.70 … Keith Griffith [Florence], 2010
21.75 … Antonio Abney [Willingboro], 2007
Additional hand times
20.8 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
21.3y … Kevin Holloway [Palmyra], 1975
21.3y … Dave Wheeler [Kennedy], 1981
21.3 … Barry Douglas [Willingboro], 1993
21.4 … Antonio Abney [Willingboro], 2007
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 