He barely got into the Meet of Champions. Now he’s one of the best in South Jersey history.
It’s been an interesting week for St. Augustine senior Franklin Simms, who was the No. 21 seed in the discus for the Meet of Champions and is now No. 5 in South Jersey history.
Simms began the day with a PR of 167-6 from winning the Cape-Atlantic Meet last month at Bridgeton, but after throwing 151-7 and placing 4th at the Parochial A meet at Middletown North, he only advanced to the M-of-C as a wild-card.
All he did Saturday was throw 191-11 – a 24-foot PR – and place 3rd with the best throw by a South Jersey athlete in nine years.
Yes, it was very windy at Franklin High, and yes, the wind certainly aided the field, most of whom posted huge PRs. When seven guys throw 183 feet or better, that’s not normal. The last seven Meet of Champions that were contested, the winning throw was below 190 feet. On Saturday, you had to throw 190 just to get 3rd.
The meet produced three of the top-20 throws in state history.
Discus marks aren’t wind-aided, and Simms will go down as the No. 5 thrower in South Jersey history and No. 20 in state history.
His 191-11 makes him the No. 11 thrower in the 53-year history of the Meet of Champions and No. 3 in South Jersey history.
Simms, who is planning to play football next year for Wagner, posted the No. 2 throw in Atlantic County history, behind James Plummer’s 197-0 at Nationals in Greensboro in 2013.
It’s the best mark ever recorded by a non-public thrower at the Meet of Champions and the No. 2 mark ever recorded by a non-public thrower in New Jersey in any meet, behind Ben Shue, a freshman at Bergen Catholic in Oradell and the national freshman record holder at 198-5 from last weekend’s state Parochial A meet.
Shue did not compete at the Meet of Champions, opting instead for New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field, where he placed 2nd with a 193-10.
Incredibly, the timing company the NJSIAA used for the Meet of Champions does not list field event series (or splits) in its results, so Simms’ series is not available.
All-Time State Discus List
218- 4 … Sam Mattis [East Brunswick], 2010
216-11 … Ron Dayne [Overbrook], 1996
213- 4 … Glenn DiGiorgio [Bayonne], 2002
209- 9 … Adam Kuehl [Monmouth Regional], 2002
204- 8 … Yemi Ayeni [South Brunswick], 2005
203- 6 … Jordan West [Rahway], 2017
202- 0 … Terrence Glover [Hamilton West], 1999
200- 1 … Gabe Gonzalez [Elizabeth], 2002
199- 6 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2013
199- 3 … Mike Columbus [Scotch Plains], 1974
198- 5 … Ben Shue [Bergen Catholic], 2022
197- 0 … James Plummer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
196- 5 … Daniel Mikay [Northern Valley-Demarest], 2022
196- 2 … Ron Klotzer [Union], 1974
194- 3 … Joe Licata [Southern Regional], 2022
193-10 … Phil Hartung [Columbia], 1979
192- 8 … Russ Frame [Union], 1969
192- 5 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013
191-11 … Mike Gregorowicz [Bloomfield], 2000
191-11 … Franklin Simms [St. Augustine], 2022
All-Time South Jersey Discus List
216-11 … Ron Dayne [Overbrook], 1996
199- 6 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2013
197- 0 … James Plummer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
192- 5 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013
191-11 … Franklin Simms [St. Augustine], 2022
189- 7 … Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], 1995
185-11 … John Mooers [Middle Twp.], 2015
185-10 … Russ Willett [Penns Grove], 1985
185- 7 … Matt Huckabee [Timber Creek], 2010
185- 6 … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
185- 5 … Ken Manahan [Deptford], 1976
184- 4 … Adam Hunt [Collingswood], 2017
183- 9 … Jason Nwosu [Delsea], 2022
181-10 … Jason Winrow [Cumberland Reg.], 1989
180- 3 … Howard Clark [Pennsauken], 1998
All-Time Meet of Champions Performance List
215-3 … Ron Dayne [Overbook], 1996
207-2 … Sam Mattis [East Brunswick], 2011
206-0 …..….. Mattis, 2012
205-4 … Glenn DiGiorgio [Bayonne], 2001
201-0 …..….. Dayne, 1995
199-6 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2013
197-6 … Terrence Glover [Hamilton], 1999
197-4 … Adam Kuehl [Monmouth], 2002
197-0 …..….. G. DiGiorgio, 2002
196-5 … Daniel Mikay [Northern Valley Demarest], 2022
194-3 … Joe Licata [Southern Regional], 2022
193-8 … Gabe Gonzalez [Elizabeth], 2002
192-9 …..….. Days Jr., 2011
192-8 … Russ Frame [Union], 1969
191-11 … Franklin Simms [St. Augustine], 2022
191-6 …..….. Kuehl] 2002
191-5 … Mike Columbus [Scotch Plains-Fanwood], 1974
190-9 … Yemi Ayeni [South Brunswick], 2005
190-2 … Jordan West [Rahway], 2016
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 