Peyton Shute shattered the West Deptford Park course record by 20 seconds with an all-course lifetime 5,000 PR, and Haddonfield packed five scorers in the top 10 to win the team title at the Colonial Conference Championships.
Shute, a junior at Woodbury, ran 15:24, breaking the course record of 15:44 set last year by Kingsway’s Kyle Rakitis at the Gloucester County Championships.
Shute’s previous all-course PR was a 15:28 at Group 2 sectionals last fall at DREAM Park in Logan Township, where he was 2nd to Haddonfield’s Seth Clevenger.
So far this year, Shute has not lost to any South Jersey runners. His only non-win in a competitive race was at Shore Coaches, where he was 4th behind Union Catholic’s Jimmy Wischusen and Brian and Collin Boler of Delbarton.
For Haddonfield, senior George Andrus led the way in 2nd place in 15:47, which is No. 3 in course history behind Shute and Rakitis.
Senior Robert DiMedio [5th in 16:19], senior Donald Jellig [7th in 16:29], senior Ian Romea [8th in 16:31] and junior Matthew Sullivan [10th in 16:49] also scored for the Bulldogs, who finished with a 32-59 margin of victory over 2nd-place Haddon Heights.
Heights was led by seniors Colin Patterson and Jack Bolling in 3rd and 4th in 15:48 and 16:16. Also in the top 10 were Collingswood junior Elijah Forrest [6th in 16:21] and Audubon junior Aiden Williams [9th in 16:35].
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 